In the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom, adverbs and past participles can be particularly difficult to learn. However, incorporating exercises into these lessons can help students grasp the material and practice adverbs and past participles in speaking, writing and listening.

Acting Out Adverbs
A fun game to get the class involved in learning adverbs is "Acting Out Adverbs." In this game, students must act out an adverb and verb combination. To play, write out verbs on one side of the board. On the other side, write out adjectives that will work as adverbs. For beginning students, you can write out adverbs instead of adjectives. However, the game is more helpful if your students can get practice changing an adjective into an adverb.

Students divide into teams, and they each must act out one verb/adverb combination. Teams can choose what combination they must act out. An ideal game for elementary and middle school students, this exercise will get them used to seeing adverbs and learning how to use them.

Adverbial Charades
To practice adverbs as a class, play "Adverbial Charades." In this game, students have practice in both constructing and understanding adverbs. Prepare several flash cards with adverbs written on them. Then, have one student come up to the front. The class calls out a verb, and the student must act out the verb using the adverb on one of the flash cards.

While the student acting out the adverb gets practice pairing the verb and adverb together, the class has plenty of practice learning to pronounce adverb and verb combinations.

Chair Swap
To get students talking in past participles, play the game "Chair Swap," based on a game by Karen at ESLCafe.com. This game requires students to put phrases and sentences together using past participles, all the while keeping them interested and intrigued by the lesson. It also provides good practice for other students in hearing past participle constructions, especially as they learn to spot when their classmates say something incorrectly. This game is appropriate for all ages, though older adult students may find it a bit juvenile.

To play the game, have everyone sit in a circle. Stand in the center and say, "Swap chairs if you have ever . . ." Finish the sentence with a past participle phrase, such as "been to Australia" or "seen a horror movie." Whoever has done that action has to stand up, and everyone standing must try to scramble to a new chair. While this is happening, sit in one of the empty chairs, which will leave one student standing without a chair. The student left standing has to ask a new question with a past participle, beginning with, "Swap chairs if you have ever . . ."