Unusual suspects

Age: All ages

Level: All levels

Target Structure: Description, general information; Indefinite pronouns; Actions in past (alternative)

Duration: 10-20 minutes (depending on group size)

Materials: Descriptive Adjectives Grammar Cards

• Have students work in pairs for this activity.

• Students will role play being a detective and a suspect/witness of a crime in an interrogation.

• The ‘suspect’ or ’witness’ (your choice) will draw 5 (shuffled) adjective cards. No one can see them.The detective will ask questions about a crime scene (if students can’t come up with their own, assign one yourself) that the witness will have to answer using the cards they draw. When they use a card, they can show it to the detective so they know it’s being used. They can use one or two per detective question.

•    Conversation ends once witnesses use all their cards.
  • Detective: Did you see anyone suspicious? 
  • Witness: Yes, I did. I saw someone tall parked outside the house.[shows tall card]
  • Detective: Parked? In what kind of car?
  • Witness: It was an old, ugly car. Don’t know the brand. [shows old & ugly cards] …
• Students take turns to ask be the detective or the witness.