Episode #24 - Make your own games to improve american English

Hi! It's Lisa Scott with losemyaccent.com, where I help you speak English more clearly and be understood more easily. One of the most common questions I get from people is : What can I do to improve my English? And my easy answer, of course, is : practice! But that's easier said than done, isn't it? You may not have that many opportunities to speak English with others, and sometimes practice on your own can be a little,..well...boring,right? We all know we need to practice to improve, but it would be so much easier if it were just more fun, right? So here is my suggestion for adding some fun into your American English practice: plan a game night with your friends where the games must be played in English! Any game that gets people talking and interacting will work, but there are a few that are particularly good for building your English pronunciation and vocabulary skills. The harder you have to think about what you are going to say, the harder it is to remember to use the correct English pronunciation. That is what makes these games such great practice. And, they�re lots of fun! One of my personal favorites is Taboo. The object of the game is to get your teammates to guess a word written on your card, but you can�t use the most common words to describe it. You have to find another way to tell what it is so your teammates can guess. For example, you may have the word �ladder�, but you can�t use the words �rungs, steps, paint, or high� to describe it. So you might say �an object you lean against your house when you need to get on the roof.� Get the idea? Another great game is Balderdash. You are given a card with a word on it and several definitions, but only one is the correct one. You also make up a definition for the word and ask the other players which one they think is correct. You get points for bluffing, or fooling, them when they choose your definition. A third great game to build your vocabulary, descriptive skills, and knowledge of American culture, is Apples to Apples. In this game, each person gets noun cards with a person, place, or thing listed on them. An adjective card is placed in the middle and each person selects the noun card that they think goes best with the adjective. Here�s the fun part: each person has to explain why they think their card is the best, and the person selected as the judge gets to decide whose is the best. While these games are not too expensive and are readily available on amazon.com and elsewhere, you could make up your own version of each of them with a good dictionary and some paper. To make a game similar to Taboo, you can choose some common words and list the words used in the definitions as the �not allowed� words. A home version of Balderdash can be played with just a dictionary. You choose a word from the dictionary, read its definition, a definition of another word on the same page, and one you make up on your own. For a comparison game like Apples to Apples, you need a stack of index cards and a list of nouns and adjectives. Write one word on each card, keeping the nouns and adjectives separate. Pass out five noun cards to each player, put an adjective card in the middle, and you�re ready to go. Whether you choose the convenience of purchasing ready-made games or you decide to spend the time to make them up yourself, language games are a fun way to enjoy time with friends and to improve spoken English. I know that new games are coming out all the time, so if you know of one that you think is great for improving your English, I'd love for you to share it with me in the comments below! Thanks so much, and I'll see you next time!