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Students will form pairs and use a computer to find real-life examples of conditional sentences in English from various sources such as news articles, blogs, or social media. Afterward, they will present their findings to the class, explaining the condition and result in each sentence.

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Music Exploration: Conditionals in Songs

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Music Exploration: Conditionals in Songs

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Using computers, students will search for songs in English that use conditional sentences. They will listen to selected songs and identify the conditional sentences used. This activity helps to connect grammar with cultural elements and enhance listening skills.

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First Conditional and future time clauses with songs

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Leverage online conditional sentence games, such as quizzes or fill-in-the-blank activities. Students can work in groups on a computer to complete these interactive exercises, enhancing their understanding of conditional forms in a fun and engaging way.

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Updated Feb 2023 - Let me know if there are any problems.

You can set this page as a homework task for a group of students; doing so will give you a record of who has completed the task. Visit the teacher's section for more information.

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This is a game to practice or study English as a second language, specifically the focus is on forming conditional phrases of the form "if ..., then ...". Conditional phrases of this type are useful structures to learn, as they have a range of uses in both everyday life and practical settings.

The general idea behind this game is that by practising the "if ..., then ..." structure, students will become more familiar with it and integrate it into their range of language. Hopefully, students will go from being less familiar with conditional phrases, to being able to express conditional ideas in an effective way. In order to achieve this, the game uses a generally behaviourist approach of repeating the formation of the structure. The different images convey the meaning of a conditional situation, and then the learner practices forming the matching conditional structure. The specific phrases used in this game are perhaps unlikely to be used that much in everyday life; however, it is hoped that enough repetition will lead to transfer of the structure to other contexts.

There are 48 phrases in the game, with each having an image showing the meaning of the conditional situation. As it was necessary to have matching images, only conditionals that are easy to represent visually were used. About half of the 48 items are of type 0 or 1 (also known as first conditional or zero conditional). Most of the rest are of type 2 (unreal conditional), then a few are mixed 2/3 and one is type 3. Originally I didn't want to organize the items according to type, but it was necessary to do so, in order to avoid confusion and instances where an image could be multiple types. For example, the "if you drink a lot of water, then you will need the WC" item could easily be either first or second conditional. So, to avoid this confusion, the conditionals are grouped and shown by type. Also, unreal conditionals clearly show a thought bubble coming from a person's head to represent the fact that it corresponds to an idea rather than a real life situation. Likewise, for the mixed conditionals, an attempt was made to show some kind of regret for the person, thus corresponding to that kind of past conditional.

To play the game, you just have to click on the words to make the correct sentence. First, you look at the image and figure out the conditional situation. Then, you can look at the clause that is currently showing. And then, you can tap the words to make the rest of the conditional phrase. Sometimes the first part of the conditional is show and you have to form the second half; other times you are shown the second clause of the conditional and you have to form the first part. There are also a few items where you have to form both clauses. Points are awarded for clicking the correct words; while score is lost if mistakes are made. More points are awarded if the words are clicking in the correct order.

There are 8 rounds in total. For rounds 1 and 2, you have to make the "then" clause of the conditional; while for round 3 you have to make the "if" clause and for round 4 you have to make both clauses. Rounds 5 to 8 are similar, but involve unreal conditional structures. If you prefer, you can choose the "long" option on the first screen and play without round breaks. This long type of game allows for a higher score.

This game is made in Javascript using the CreateJS framework. If you have any comments, questions or feedback, then please use the form below to post a message.

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A mini game to practice conditional sentences in English. This is a game for ESL students to make conditional phrases in a fun way. Look at the images and click on the words.

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Organize a 'Conditional Café.' Students will engage in conversations using only conditional sentences based on prompts given. This can be conducted in a computer lab where students can use chat programs to have written conversations or use video call platforms for spoken conversations. This activity boosts fluency and creativity.

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Students will use computers to create their own scenarios using conditional sentences. This could be in the form of a short story, comic strip, or interactive presentation. Encouraging creative thinking, this activity also allows students to practice and apply their knowledge of conditional structures.

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Prepare a debate session where students discuss various topics using conditional sentences. Topics can be funny, serious, or purely imaginative. This activity enhances students' oral skills, critical thinking, and use of conditional forms in a formal context.

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Challenge students to design their own conditional sentence games using simple programming platforms available on computers. This can include creating quizzes, puzzles, or adventure games that require the player to use conditional sentences to progress. This integrates coding skills with English grammar.

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One of the great things about teaching conditionals is that once you discover some classroom activities that work well for one, they can be adapted to suit any of the conditional patterns that you may be asked to teach. Here are 7 fun activities for teaching conditionals for the ESL classroom that you can easily adapt to help your students understand the correct structures and usages.

1. Pass the Pig

Tell your students to stand up and form in two lines (teams) and have an item that can be thrown and caught without causing injury or damage. Set the timer on your phone to sound after about 30-45 seconds. The teacher calls out the beginning half of a conditional sentence, throws the ball to a student at the beginning of the line and asks them to complete it. The student then throws the ball to their opposition in the line, who does the same, creating a different ending to the same beginning. Whichever team DOESN'T have the ball when the alarm sounds wins a point. Restart at the place where the ball is with a new beginning.

(Example with zero conditional: When I feel bored, I......fall asleep, go for a walk, phone a friend...)

Also read: Top Online Lesson Plan Resources for New and Advanced Teachers

2. Chain Conditionals

This is a more challenging version of pass the pig and is sometimes referred to as a "conditional train". The extra challenge is to create a new sentence using the end of the previous one. As with "pass the pig", the teacher begins with a sentence, for example with a first conditional: 'If I go out tomorrow, I'll go to a beach.' The next person in the team relay must then use the end of the previous sentence .. If I go to the beach, I'll sunbathe..... If I sunbathe, I'll get burnt... If I get burnt, I'll go to a pharmacy.... Bear in mind you can include modals such as 'might' and 'could' in this pattern too.

3. Pelmanism ("Concentration")

This is a game based on memorizing cards or other objects placed in front of the players that has become a standard activity in the ESL classroom. It is known as "Concentration" in many countries. Create 5 pairs of cards with beginnings and endings written on them. For example, with a second conditional: Card 1 "If I lived in Antartica" / Card 2 "I would be very cold". Lay them face down and either mark all the backs of the beginnings with "1" and the endings with "2" or have beginnings and endings on different colored card. Set students up in groups of 2-4, with a set of cards each. They put all the cards face down and take turns picking up a beginning, saying what a suitable ending might be and then pick up an ending card. If they are a suitable match they keep the pair, if not they replace the cards face down and the next student continues. You must design the pairings so that there is only one possible match. Make sure the students say what the ending might be before picking up the second card to maximize student talk time. The student with the most cards at the end wins. Can repeat as time allows.

Also read: Online or In-Class - Which TEFL Course Should You Take?

4. Mill Drill Questionnaire

Mill-drills, or mingling activities, are another ESL standard which use the simple questionnaire idea whereby students ask each other questions prepared by the teacher and write down their answers. Create a form with room for names and answers so that students can report back about what they've found out, using the target language pattern.
Example, for 3rd conditional:
What would have happened if...?

Lucy: We hadn't invented the wheel?

Joe: we would have traveled around by horse. What would have happened if you had ruled the world?

Sue: There wouldn't have been any wars.

5. Group Discussions

Set students up into small groups with role-plays such as tour companies, or as political parties creating an election manifesto, (have fun having them choose their names). Give them conditional questions such as:

What would you do about traffic congestion if you were the government? (2nd conditional)

What do people do when they go on holiday with your tour company? (zero conditional)

Give out the same question to each group and allow them a few minutes to come up with their best responses. They report back with their ideas and you act as a voter or customer deciding which you would choose. Repeat with the next question or scenario as time allows.

Also read: 5 Reasons Why Teaching English Abroad Enhances Your Career Prospects

6. Board Game With Prompts

You can use snakes and ladders (chutes and ladders) or any similar game board and adapt it to your target language point. To make the game more versatile, have squares with different colors and create your own cards in the colors that either have starts for students to create endings to, errors to correct or questions related to previous lessons. When the student lands on a square they pick up the matching card and carry out the task. If they do it correctly, they stay where they are and if not, they go back to where they came from.

7. Using Songs

This idea is certainly more suited to a teacher who has a regular class of students, but is something that could be used to good effect if you do a little bit of pre-teaching at the end of one class by giving students a basic pattern to look for, and task them with finding songs with that pattern in for the next class: Students must listen for the conditionals in the song then create some alternative, possibly less musical but more amusing lyrics in groups during the lesson.
Two example songs:
Eric Clapton, "Change the World" If I could change the world, ...... (2nd conditional)

Gloria Gaynor, "I will survive" If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me, ........ (3rd or mixed conditionals)

Also read: Top 5 Icebreakers for New TEFL Teachers

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One of the great things about teaching conditionals is that once you discover some classroom activities that work well for one, they can be adapted to suit any of the conditional patterns that you may be asked to teach.

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