Talking Dictionaries or Describing Words is a simple word game which teaches students how to describe words. It’s a useful skill which lets students talk about something they do not necessarily know the correct word for.

Preparation

Either on slips of paper or flashcards, have a number of nouns ready which are of suitable level for your class. They can be almost any word but obviously concrete nouns are easier than abstract nouns.

With more advanced classes you can also move on to other classes of words such as adjectives or adverbs. However, since the words will need to be described make sure this is possible and easily understood.

Running the Activity

In class you can play this as a team game. Divide the class into several teams of, say, 4 or 5 students each. Then you begin to demonstrate what to do. Choose a word at random and describe it to the class.

Simply put, you cannot say the word on the card, you can’t make any noises or sounds, you can’t use your hands to demonstrate shape or size; you can just speak. In effect, you are a talking dictionary.

For example, suppose you pick out the word ELEPHANT.

It’s a large grey animal. It’s got a long nose. It weighs several tonnes. It lives in Africa and India.

The first person to call out the word on the card wins a point.

Once you’ve demonstrated it to your class, you can have students take turns in coming up, choosing a word and then describing it to everyone. Again, the team that gets it first wins (and if the student accidentally says the words or breaks one of the describing rules then a point is deducted from their team).