Asking Permission ESL Games, Activities and Worksheets

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May I...?

ESL May I Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Question from Prompts, Controlled and Communicative Practice - Elementary (A1-A2) - 20 minutes

In this free asking permission speaking activity, students practice asking, giving and refusing permission using cards as prompts. On one side of the card is a permission prompt and on the other is a tick or cross. Students hold their card so the permission prompt is facing towards them and the tick or cross is facing away. Students then go around the class asking, giving and refusing permission with as many partners as possible. If students see a tick, they give permission. If there is a cross, students refuse permission. When the students have finished, they repeat the activity, but this time they hold their card the other way round so the permission prompt is facing away. Students then go around the class, asking permission to do different things each time they speak to a classmate.
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Picture This

ESL Asking Permission Game - Speaking: Drawing Pictures from Prompts, Guessing, Forming Questions - Pair Work - Elementary (A1-A2) - 30 minutes

In this creative asking permission game, students draw pictures of situations where people ask permission and their partner tries to guess what questions the people in the pictures say. In two groups, students use questions to draw pictures of situations where people ask permission. For example, if the question was 'Can I borrow a pencil?', the student might draw a picture of someone with a piece of paper and nothing in their hand. Students then cut the worksheet so the drawings and questions are separate. Next, students pair up with someone from the other group and give their partner the drawings. Students then take it in turns to guess what the person says to ask permission in each of their partner's pictures using Can I...? Students get three chances to guess the question in each picture. If a student guesses correctly on the first try, they score three points. On the second try, they get two points and so on. The student with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
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Can I...?

ESL Can I Game - Speaking: Matching Questions and Answers - Group Work - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 20 minutes

In this engaging can for permission game, students ask permission to do different things and race to find the person who has each Yes, of course response. Each card contains three Can I...? questions that ask permission and nine replies that give or refuse permission. Students take it in turns to ask Can I...? questions on their card to one of the other students in the group, e.g. 'Can I try on these jeans?' The chosen student looks for a matching reply on their card. If the chosen student gives permission by saying 'Yes, of course...', the student crosses off the question. If the chosen student refuses permission by saying 'I'm sorry...', the student has to wait until their next turn before asking permission from another student. The first student to cross off all their Can I...? questions wins the game.
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Can I... yes or no?

ESL Asking Permission Game - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Guessing, Communicative Practice - Pair Work - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 20 minutes

In this communicative modal verbs of permission game, students ask permission to do different things and guess whether their partner is going to grant or refuse permission. This game helps students practice the modals of permission can, may and could as well as various phrases for granting and refusing permission. In pairs, students take it in turns to pick up a permission card and use the modal verb of permission and prompt shown on the card to ask permission to do something, e.g. 'May I use your computer?' The student then guesses whether their partner will grant or refuse permission. Their partner then picks up a response card and grants or refuses permission using the expression on the card, e.g. 'Yes, of course.' If the student guessed correctly, they score a point. If not, their partner scores a point. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
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Perfect Partners

ESL Asking Permission Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Communicative Practice - Pre-intermediate (A2) - 30 minutes

In this communicative asking permission speaking activity, students practice asking, giving and refusing permission. Students imagine that they are going to try to find their perfect partner by asking and giving permission for the things on their card. If they find someone who asks or gives permission for all four items on their card, they have found their perfect partner. All the students with card A sit down. Their task is to give and refuse permission. If a student asks permission for an item on their card, they give it. If a student asks permission for something that is not on their card, they refuse and give a reason. The students with card B circulate and ask the students sitting down permission for the things shown on their card, e.g. 'Can I borrow a pen?' If a student gets permission for all four things on their card, they have found their perfect partner and sit down with them. If a student is refused permission for anything on their card, they must move on and speak to another student. When everyone has found their partner, students swap roles to give them practice at using all the language.
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Asking Permission Board Game

ESL Asking Permission Board Game - Speaking: Forming Questions from Prompts - Group Work - Intermediate (B1) - 30 minutes

This free asking permission board game can be used to help students practice or review how to ask, give and refuse permission. Players take it in turns to roll the dice and move their counter along the board. When a player lands on a square, they pick up a card and ask permission using the verb on the card and the phrase on the square. For example, if the player landed on the Do you think I could...? square and picked up the 'have' verb card, the student might say 'Do you think I could have another cup of coffee?' The other students in the group judge whether the question has been phrased correctly and is appropriate. If it is, the other students grant permission, e.g. 'Go right ahead'. If not, the other students refuse permission (e.g. I'm afraid that's not possible.) and the player goes back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game.
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Do you mind if I...?

ESL Asking Permission Activity - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions from Prompts, Communicative Practice - Intermediate (B1) - 30 minutes

In this communicative asking permission speaking activity, students practice asking, giving and refusing permission with Do you mind if I...? Students go around the class asking permission for the things shown on their worksheet using Do you mind if I...? Students only give permission if they genuinely think they don't mind. If students do mind, they refuse permission and explain why. For each item on the worksheet, students must speak to two people. When a classmate responds to a question, the student writes down their name and answer on the worksheet. When everyone has finished, students give feedback to the class on the people who gave and refused permission.
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12 Ways to Ask Permission

ESL Modals of Permission Game - Speaking: Gap-fill, Guessing - Pair Work - Intermediate (B1) - 20 minutes

In this entertaining asking permission game, students guess missing words in questions that ask permission to do something. In pairs, students get three chances to guess the missing words in each question that asks permission on their worksheet. Student A begins by guessing the missing words in the first question. Student B listens and tells their partner if they are right or wrong. If students guess correctly the first time, they score three points. On the second try, they get two points and so on. After the missing words have been guessed correctly or three chances have passed, Student B guesses the missing words in the second question. When a student successfully guesses the missing words, they write the words in the gaps on the worksheet. The student with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
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Is it alright if I connect four?

ESL Asking Permission Game - Vocabulary and Speaking: Forming Questions from Prompts, Freer Practice - Pair Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 25 minutes

In this useful asking permission game, students play Connect Four by using common phrases to form questions that ask for permission. To begin, the first player chooses a square. The other player then picks up a situation card and reads it out. Based on the situation, the first player then uses the phrase from their square to form a relevant question that asks permission. For example, for the square Is there any chance... and the situation 'You've been invited to a party, and you'd like to bring a guest', the player could say 'Is there any chance I could bring a guest to the party?' If the other player agrees that the question is correct and appropriate, the player marks the square with an 'X' or an 'O', and the situation card is set aside. If not, the player doesn't mark the square, and the situation card is placed at the bottom of the pile. It is then the other player's turn to choose a square. The first player to get four squares in a row wins the game. If nobody manages to do this, the player with the most squares wins. Afterwards, pairs play a second game using the remaining situation cards.
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Permission Granted!

ESL Asking for Permission Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Writing Sentences from Prompts, Word Completion - Speaking Activity - Pair Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 20 minutes

Here is a productive asking permission worksheet to help students practice language for asking, giving and refusing permission. First, students use polite phrases to ask permission for the items shown on their worksheet. After that, students fill in missing letters in phrases that give and refuse permission. Students then work with a partner and take it in turns to ask, give and refuse permission using the items from Exercise A and phrases from Exercise B.
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Permission to Play

ESL Asking for Permission Games - Vocabulary: Miming, Guessing, Matching - Pair Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 30 minutes

Here are two fun asking permission games for upper-intermediate students. In pairs, students begin by playing a miming game where they mime questions that ask permission for a partner to guess. Students take it in turns to pick up a card and say the beginning of the question written in bold, e.g. 'Do you mind if I...' The student then mimes the rest of the question to their partner, who has thirty seconds to guess what the question is, e.g. 'Do you mind if I open the window?' If the student guesses correctly, they win and keep the card. If not, their partner keeps the card. The student with the most cards at the end wins. Next, students play a game where they match each mime card with a suitable response card. Students take turns turning over a mime card and a response card. If the response matches the question, the student keeps the two cards and has another turn. If the response card does not match the mime card, the student turns both cards back over, keeping them in the same place. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
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Would it be alright if I...?

ESL Asking Permission Worksheet - Vocabulary Exercises: Gap-fill, Categorising, Forming Questions and Answers, Rewriting Sentences, Dialogue Presentation - Pair Work - Upper-intermediate (B2) - 60 minutes

In this comprehensive asking permission worksheet, students learn and practice various phrases for asking, giving and refusing permission. Students start by completing two gap-fill dialogues with words from a box on the worksheet. Students then read the two conversations with a partner and compare their answers. Next, students identify the phrases used to ask permission in the two dialogues and write them in a table. Students then write in the phrases used to give and refuse permission. After that, students use the phrases in the table to write questions that ask permission for the things shown on the worksheet. Students then write a response to each question, giving or refusing permission. Following that, students write four questions that ask permission and practice asking, giving and refusing permission with a partner. Students then read some short impolite dialogues and rewrite them to be polite using the phrases from the worksheet. Finally, students write a conversation in pairs where they ask, give and refuse permission.
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