grammar - EFL Ideas

Future Conversation Questions for Engaging Student Discussions: Future Perfect, Future Continuous, Future Simple in the ESL Classroom

If you’re an ESL teacher, you know that getting students to practice speaking is a top priority. One way to do this is by using future conversation questions that focus on future tenses (future simple, future perfect, and future continuous). In this blog post, we’ll dive into why using these types of questions can be a game-changer for ESL students and the overall importance of speaking activities.

Practicing the future tenses, especially in conversation, can do wonders for students’ ability to express their plans and predictions and understand what others are saying. Using conversation questions in class gives students the chance to put their knowledge of the tenses into practice in a natural setting. This helps them improve their fluency and confidence when speaking.

Another perk of using conversation questions is that it helps with vocabulary acquisition. As students discuss their future plans, they’re exposed to new words and phrases that they can add to their vocabulary. Plus, it’s a great way for students to see the tenses in action and understand how they’re used in real-life situations.

Using future conversation questions also promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students have to think about their plans and predictions and make decisions about what they’ll say. This type of practice helps prepare them for real-life conversations where they’ll need to think on their feet and respond to new information.

But the benefits of speaking practice go beyond just the future tenses. When students are speaking, they’re actively using the language and this helps solidify their understanding of grammar and vocabulary. Plus, speaking activities give students the chance to hear native speakers, which can improve their listening skills and accent.

Overall, using the worksheet Future Conversation Questions is a fantastic way to get students to speak and improve their language skills. But it’s important to remember that speaking activities should be used in combination with other methods like reading, writing, and listening activities. And it’s important to create a comfortable and safe environment for students to speak in, where they feel encouraged to take risks and make mistakes.

Looking for more conversation activities? Try 120 Conversation Starters!

What are some of the things you hope to have accomplished by the end of this year?
How do you think your life will be different once you have completed all of your goals?
How do you think your relationships will have evolved by the time you reach a significant anniversary?
What do you think will be humanity’s greatest achievements in the future?
What new places will you be visiting next week?
How do you think your perspective on life will have changed by the time you turn 30?
What do you think will be the biggest challenges facing companies in the future?
How do you think people’s lives will have been impacted by major construction projects by the time they are finished?
What do you think will be the most important issues facing politicians in the future?
How do you think music will have evolved by the time the next concert season starts?
How will you be spending your summer vacation?
What do you think will be the most exciting developments in your field of work in the future?
How do you think people’s leisure time will be spent in the future?
What topics will you be discussing with your friends tomorrow?
What do you think will be the most talked-about events in the world in the next few years?
How do you think our economy will be performing in the next decade?
What will you be doing at this time next year?
What do you think will be the most significant challenges facing society in the next decade?
How do you think technology will have impacted the way we live our lives by the end of this century?
How do you think you will feel once you have reached a certain milestone in your career?
What are some of the things you think will have changed in the world by the time you’re ready to retire?
How do you think education will have evolved in the future?
What do you think will be the biggest breakthroughs in science and medicine in the next 20 years?
How do you think travel will have changed by the time you’re ready to retire?
What will you be doing this time on Sunday?

Download the worksheet: ESL Future Conversation Questions

Other useful resources:

Conversation Questions: Future Tenses

Online ESL Video Lesson : Can Sci-fi Predict the Future?

Travel ESL Conversation Questions

Conversation Questions Conditionals: ESL Speaking Activity

Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

Modal Verbs Conversation Questions, Use, and Examples

Practice modal verbs with conversation questions, watch video explanation and study example sentences.

What are modal verbs? According to Merriam-Webster, a modal verb is a verb (such as can, could, shall, should, ought to, will, or would) that is usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission.

Modal verbs and their meanings.

Modal verbs	Meaning	Example
can	ability permission	She can speak play several musical instruments. They can work on the project now.
could	polite request past ability suggestion possibility	Could you help me, please? He could climb trees when he was a kid. You could focus on the problem now. This could be the solution we need.
may	possibility permission	This may help us save the environment. You may leave.
might	possibility	These numbers might be wrong.
will	future polite request	The prices will go up. Will you open the door for me?
would	offering, inviting polite request	Would you join us for dinner? Would you check this report for me?
should	advising, suggesting expectation	You should stop smoking. It should start raining soon.
must	obligation, necessity conclusion	You must submit the application by Friday. This car looks luxurious. It must be very expensive.
mustn’t	prohibition	Passengers mustn’t talk to the driver.

I also recommend this wonderful video by Khan Academy. You can assign it as homework, it explains modal verbs in a very approachable and enjoyable way.

Practice modal verbs with Quizlet.

(Choose Flashcards in the Study mode in the bottom right corner, and click on the arrows above it to switch between front and back sides.)

Modal verbs conversation questions

1) Is there anything you can’t do and would like to learn?

2) What are the three things you can do best?

3) Name three things you may do this weekend.

4) Name three things you may not do at school.

5) Should students be allowed to eat during lessons? Why or why not?

6) Name two things you must do every day.

7) Name two things you mustn’t do at home.

8) What activities couldn’t you do last year because of the pandemic?

9) Name three things you could do when you were younger but can’t do anymore.

10) Is there anything you can do better than your parents?

Other resources

Conversation Questions Gerunds and Infinitives: ESL Speaking Activity

Conversation Questions Conditionals: ESL Speaking Activity

Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

Present Tenses Exercises: Present Simple and Continuous

Conversation Questions: Future Tenses

Conversation Questions Passive Voice: ESL Speaking Activity

Passive Voice Conversation Questions

Form: a form of the verb ‘to be'(used to change the tense) + past participle

Tense Active Passive
Present simple I make dinner. Dinner is made (by me).
Present continuous I am making dinner. Dinner is being made (by me).
Past simple I made dinner. Dinner was made (by me).
Past continuous I was making dinner. Dinner was being made(by me).
Present perfect I have made dinner. Dinner has been made (by me).
P.p. continuous I have been making dinner. Dinner has been being made (by me).
Past perfect I had made dinner. Dinner had been made (by me).
Future simple I will make dinner. Dinner will be made (by me).
Future perfect I will have made dinner. Dinner will have been made (by me).

The passive voice is used to change the focus of the sentence:

The villain was played by Ralph Fiennes

To show that who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant or obvious:

My car has been stolen

In formal writing instead of using someone:

The information will be disclosed next week.

Watch the video and practice the passive conversation questions below.

Passive Voice Worksheet Download

Conversation questions to practice passive voice

1) Have you ever been punished or made to pay for something that you did not do?

2) How would you handle integrating someone who had been frozen for 100 years into society?

3) How would your country change if children were allowed to vote?

4) Would civilization be better off if the internet had never been created?

5) Can you explain how glass is made?

6) What is the nicest thing that has been done for you?

7) Have you ever been awarded a prize?

8) What goal do you think humanity is not focused enough on achieving?

9) What traditions are kept in your family?

10) What’s the most difficult question you have ever been asked?

11) Have you ever been hurt by someone you trusted?

12) What 3 global issues should be solved right now?

13) What’s the best present you’ve ever been given?

14) What are the most popular foods eaten in your country?

15) Do you think children are spoiled these days? Why?

Other resources:

Conversation Questions Conditionals: ESL Speaking Activity

Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

Conversation Questions: Future Tenses

Conversation Questions Gerunds and Infinitives: ESL Speaking Activity

Bundle of Two Conversation Activities

Conversation Questions Gerunds and Infinitives: ESL Speaking Activity

We use gerunds (verb + ing):

After certain verbs – I enjoy drawing
After prepositions – I drank a beer after running.
As the subject or object of a sentence – Jogging is good exercise

We use ‘to’ + infinitive:

After certain verbs – We decided to buy the house.
After many adjectives – It’s easy to do it.
– I came to London to work in a restaurant.

We use the bare infinitive (the infinitive without ‘to’):

After modal verbs – I can see you in the afternoon.
After ‘let’, ‘make’ and (sometimes) ‘help’ – The teacher let us go home after the test.
After some verbs of perception (see, watch, hear, notice, feel, sense) – I watched her feed the birds.
After expressions with ‘why’ – why waste time in the bar?

Conversation Questions Gerunds and Infinitives

1. What food have you never eaten but would really like to try?

2. What have you stopped doing recently?

3. What is something you always intended to do but never found the time/money?

4. What would be the best thing you could reasonably expect to find in a cave?

5. How do you make yourself sleep when you can’t seem to get to sleep?

6. What’s something you really resent paying for?

7. What social stigma does society need to get over?

8. What movie can you watch over and over without ever getting tired of?

9. When doing sports have you ever risked hurting yourself?

10. When was the last time you immediately regretted something you said?

11. As a child, what did you think would be awesome about being an adult, but isn’t as awesome as you thought it would be?

12. What kinds of things do you like to cook or are good at cooking?

13. What do you enjoy doing that you are embarrassed about?

14. When you are old, what do you think children will ask you to tell stories about?

15. What kind of people do you avoid meeting?

16. Have you ever refused to help someone?

17. When was the last time you decided to do something unexpected/crazy?

18. What do you hope to achieve in the future?

19. How often do you appreciate other people for helping you?

20.Have you ever denied doing something even if you did it?

Conversation Questions Gerunds and InfinitivesDownload

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ESL Reported Speech Speaking Activity: Gossip

120 Discussion Starters

Speaking Activity: 120 Topics

Conversation Questions: Future Tenses

The focus of this activity is to practice grammar while speaking. These conversation questions with future tenses will help the students better understand when to use various future tenses.

When we want to talk about the future we can use these tenses/structures:

We can use the Present Simple when we want to talk about scheduled events

The movies starts at 8.30 p.m.

We can use the Present Continuous when we want to talk about future arrangements

I’m meeting my friend Jack for beer on Friday.

We can use going to when we want to talk about our plans or intentions, or if we make predictions based on evidence.

I’m going to clean the house on Saturday. (plan)

Be careful, the ice is so thin, it’s going to break. (evidence-based prediction)

We can use will for expressing opinions and beliefs about the future, and to talk about offers and promises

I’m sure I will win this game!

I will love you forever.

Of course there are more structures/tenses we use when talking about the future(future continuous, future perfect, modals), but for our conversation question activity, we will be using only these four future tenses.

**This** **Storytelling card game is a fun activity that promotes imagination and speaking**

Conversation questions: Future Tenses

What time does your favorite shop open?
When do your final exams start?
When is your next Zoom meeting?
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
Are you meeting anyone in person this week?
Are you doing anything on Wednesday?
What are you having for dinner tomorrow?
Are you planning anything special for your next birthday?
How organized is your life? How does your calendar look? Any scheduled events? Arrangements?
Are you going to order take-out this week?

Are you going to cook this weekend?
What are you going to do in the evening?
What is the next show you are going to watch?
What is the first place you are going to visit when it’s possible to travel again?
What are you going to study in the future?
How do you think the world will change in 20 years?
What will you do after you graduate?
How will your life change in a year?
Will scientists ever discover life on other planets?
How do you think technology will change our lives?

Conversation-questions: Future-Tenses Download

Future tenses infographics Download

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Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

Present perfect vs. simple past

Present Perfect Simple	Past Simple
Unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present: I‘ve known my wife for fifteen years (and I still know her).	Finished actions: I knew* my friend Anne for fifteen years (but then she moved abroad and we lost touch).*
A finished action in someone’s life (when the person is still alive or it’s a life experience; e.g. J. K. Rowling has written many books.): Jamie has been* to Japan five times.*	A finished action in someone’s life (when the person is dead): My grandmother went* to Japan three times.*
A finished action with a result in the present: I‘ve lost my phone! (The result is that I can’t make phone calls).	A finished action with no result in the present: I lost* my phone last month. I was annoying* but now I have a better one. (I lost it month ago, it’s a closed chapter in my life.)
With an unfinished time word (this week, this month, today): I‘ve seen my parents this month.	With a finished time word (last week, last month, yesterday): I saw* my parents last week.*

Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

1. Did you do anything interesting last weekend?

2. Have you ever done something dangerous?

3. How old were you when you learnt to ride a bike? Who taught you?

4. Have you ever ridden a horse or other animal?

5. What did you like about your previous school/job?

6 How long have you studied English? Why did you decide to study English?

7. Which countries did you visit last year? Which did you like the most and why?

8. Have you ever met anyone famous?

9. Did you have a hero when you were younger?

10. What is the most unusual food you have ever eaten?

11. What did you eat for breakfast?

12. Did you like reading when you were a kid?

13. What’s the most interesting movie you’ve ever seen?

14. When did you eat dinner yesterday? What did you eat?

15. Have you ever broken a bone? How did it happen?

16. What didn’t you like to do when you were younger? Why?

Download Conversation Questions: Present Perfect and Past Simple

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ESL Speaking Activity: Conditional Discussion Questions

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No Time? 10 No-prep ESL Activities, Warm-ups and Energizers

Digital and Online Teaching Resources for Teachers Who Teach English from Home

I put together a list of free digital and online teaching resources, or resources that now offer premium features for free, that might be useful now when many teachers are overwhelmed by the sudden shift to online teaching, for which many of us aren’t prepared due to the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Platforms for digital classroom

1. Zoom

Zoom is video-conferencing tool. The users can collaborate on projects, record sessions and share screens. The Basic plan is free and it offers unlimited number of meetings, however it limits the time of the meetings with three or more participants to 40 minutes.

2. Webex

This is another video-conferencing tool. The free plan offers screen sharing and meetings up to 50 people.

3. Classdojo

Classdojo is a free communication app and website for building school community. You can share photos, videos, files, use portfolios, messaging and more.

4. Google Classroom

This free service by Google simplifies creating, distributing and grading assignments. It helps teachers get classes organized, and communicate efficiently with students.

5. Padlet

Padlet has a free version and a premium version for schools. It is a virtual board similar to Pinterest, but it offers a better way how to organize your notes, or whatever you want.

Online resources

1. Kahoot Premium

Kahoot is widely popular and it’s good to know that its creators made Premium available for free for the rest of the academic year. Try it out!

2. Quizziz

My second most popular online quiz tool can be used to assign homework(this works great) or do solo practice. Very useful these times.

3. Cambridge English Write and Improve

This website is great for practicing writing! Students register for free and submit their word and get instant feedback and tips on how to improve their writing. There are many writing assignments, W&I workbooks: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and extra category “Just for fun.”

There is also a test zone for IELTS Academic, General training and B2 First Certificate.

4. TedEd Lessons

This is great for assigning homework. There are lessons based on the videos, students just need to register for free. I then assign videos, they watch it at home, do the Dig deeper and Discuss sections. You can also customize the lessons.

5. LearnEnglish Teens by the British Council

This lovely website is great when students have to study at home. They can practice grammar and vocabulary and I particularly like the Skills section that has online exercises so students get instant feedback.

6. OpenLearn

Free courses. Who needs more? But seriously, this is a great resource for older students. There are plenty of free courses on different subjects(Science, History, Languages, Nature, etc.)

7. Book Creator

This is fun and creative collaborative tool. Your students can create digital books online. Now you get get the premium features for free for 90 days.

8. Smithsonian Explore&Learn

The Smithsonian offer a lot of online activities not only for the younger kids. On their website you will find the Learning Lab with thousands of resources and Science Game Center with fun games and apps.

Bonus

Future Learn is another platform that offers free courses. There is one that might be particularly interesting for some teachers, it’s called Teaching English Online. Why not give it a go if you have the time. And let us know what you think!

Other resources

Video lessons

Online exercises

Unfinished Sentences ESL Speaking Activity

Unfinished sentences ESL speaking activity is great for revising grammar, as a warm-up or a conversation starter.

It can be used with groups of various sizes as well as in one to one classes.

Finish the sentence. Tell your story.

1. I was very surprised when__________________________________________________.

2. What I value most about my friends is_____________________________________.

3. I really regret_______________________________________________________________.

4. One of my favourite childhood memories is_______________________________.

5. I could never_______________________________________________________________.

6. For one million dollars I would____________________________________________.

7. What I really hate is________________________________________________________.

8. My favourite place is_______________________________________________________.

9. I couldn’t live without______________________________________________________.

10. If I could I would__________________________________________________________.

11. Next weekend I’m going to_______________________________________________.

12. Global warming is_________________________________________________________.

13. Three most important global issues are___________________________________.

14. Veganism is________________________________________________________________.

15. People nowdays___________________________________________________________.

16. In my free time I love______________________________________________________.

17. I wish______________________________________________________________________.

18. In the future I______________________________________________________________.

19. Last year I learnt___________________________________________________________.

20. I admire____________________________________________________________________.

Download Unfinished Sentences ESL Speaking Activity

ESL Reported Speech Speaking Activity: Gossip

This is a fun ESL/EFL reported speech speaking activity which I like to throw in when the students start to feel tired and bored by the theory and dull practice exercises.

It is a great activity to energize them while practising reported speech in the most natural way – gossiping. Not prep and a lot of fun.

Let’s gossip!

Ask students if they like to gossip. Most of them do.
Ask them to tell you some of the latest gossips they’ve heard. They’ll get excited, so keep it short.
Explain that they are going to play a game of gossip. Tell them to prepare a gossip (it’s best not to use real gossip as someone might get offended). It can be about celebrities, friends, classmates, teachers(that’s one of the favourites).
Give each student a copy of the worksheet and explain that they will talk to each other and gossip. Every time they hear a new gossip they write down the name of the person who told them and the gossip itself.
Allow them to gossip for 10-15 minutes, depending on the class size.
When they get back to their seats, tell them to report the gossips they’ve heard into the reported gossip column.
When they are ready, ask them to report the gossips they’ve heard.
Be prepared to hear some shocking news!

Esl Reported Speech Speaking Activity: Gossip Download

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ESL Speaking Activity: Conversation Cards

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10 Websites To Make Your Lessons More Engaging And Fun

This is a list of my 10 favorite fun ESL/EFL websites which I regularly use when I want to spice things up a bit in the classroom, reward my students or give them some relax time.

These are all great for learning vocabulary, revising, they can be used in various projects, to promote reading, cooperation, creativity. There are soooo many things you can do with these sites, just use your creativity or get inspired by my tips.

1. Kahoot

With Kahoot, you can create various quizzes and games and if you’re in a bit of a hurry you can use its extensive library of quizzes. It has a number of quizzes on various vocabulary topics, grammar and many interesting topics such as history, geography, pop culture, trivia.
My tip: Have your students sign up at Kahoot and create their own quiz. You can assign them a topic based on what you’re currently studying in the class or let them choose their own topic. They love creating their own quizzes, especially those with insider jokes.

2. Baamboozle

I use this site mostly with my younger learners as it doesn’t have many higher level grammar or vocabulary quizzes.
My tip: put your students in teams (max number of teams is 4), choose a quiz and let them play the Classic mode with the power up, it’s much more fun!

3. Jeopardylabs

Everybody knows Jeopardy. So far, I was able to find any grammar or vocabulary revision quiz I needed. Lots of quizzes on many topics, but beware as the quality varies. You can create your own Jeopardy quiz and you can also assign your students a topic and let them create their own quiz to test their classmates’ knowledge.

4. Smartypins

This is a fun little Google game which can be used as a warmer, filler or a 5 minute activity when teaching travel, culture, etc.

5. Geoguessr

This is a similar site to now nonexistent Locate street (which I liked better). It uses Google Street View to drop you anywhere on the planet and you must guess your location based on vegetation, signs, people. It’s a funny way to teach the students about interesting and remote places. I sometimes use it as a reward, the kids love it. Tell them to sign up, it’s free and they will avoid the annoying pop up.

6. Merriam-Webster

I didn’t expect a dictionary website to be this entertaining. There are games, quizzes, videos. They are educational and fun and I love them.
My top picks: Name That Thing, there is also the Animal Edition of the game. You have 10 seconds to answer each question, 12 pictures and a lot of fun!
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary is also fun and you can repeat after a couple of months to see if your students’s vocabulary has improved.
Another game is a challenging puzzle which is described as “anagram puzzles meet word search.” This one can also be downloaded to mobile phone.

7. Etymonline

How often do you explain the etymology of the vocabulary you are teaching? I do it quite often as many English words come from Latin, Greek, French and it’s easier for the students to remember the words when they see how similar the words can be to words in their own language(this applies to European languages).

8. 5 Minute Mystery

As the name suggests, this site offers short, five-minute mysteries. Students have to sign up, it’s free and quick and then they can start sleuthing. Great activity for painless reading practice.

9. The Game Gal

Here you can find plenty of simple, family-friendly games. I mostly use the Word Generator for charades, pictionary and other games. The great thing is I only need my laptop and I project the words on the whiteboard, so the students don’t need computers.