Mixed Conditionals ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets

ESL Mixed Conditionals Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In this challenging mixed conditional board game, students use verb prompts and the time cues 'now' and 'then' to create mixed conditional sentences. In groups, players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a square, they pick up a verb card and use both verbs in a mixed conditional sentence in any order. If the square says THEN > NOW, the player makes a conditional sentence using the past condition and present result pattern, e.g. 'If I had planned better back then, I wouldn't stress now.' If the square says NOW > THEN, the player makes a sentence using the present condition and past result pattern, e.g. 'If I planned better now, I wouldn't have stressed then.' If the square says 'CHOICE', the player may choose either pattern. If the group agrees that the sentence uses the correct pattern, includes the required time markers and is grammatically correct, the player stays on the square. If not, the player goes back to their previous square. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Activity - Grammar and Writing: Writing Sentences from Prompts - Group Work In this useful mixed conditionals activity, students practice mixed conditionals by writing sentence chains that alternate between past and present time reference. To begin, students read the if-clause in Sentence 1 and complete the result clause, e.g. 'If I had gone to bed early, I would be less tired now.' In Sentence 2, students rewrite the first sentence's result as the if-clause, but they do not write the result clause, e.g. 'If I were less tired,...' Next, students pass their card to the person on their right. That student completes the result clause for Sentence 2, then rewrites it as the if-clause of the following sentence and passes the card on, e.g. 'I would have gone for a walk yesterday. If I had gone for a walk yesterday,...' This continues with students completing one result clause and one if-clause until the card is complete with six mixed conditional sentences in a chain. Finally, students read out the mixed conditional chain sentences to their group. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Game - Grammar: Matching - Group Work In this rewarding mixed conditionals game, students play dominoes by matching sentence halves to form mixed conditional sentences with past and present time references. To begin, the first player tries to make a mixed conditional sentence by placing one of their dominoes at either end of the first domino and matching an if-clause with an appropriate result clause. When a player makes a sentence, they read it to the group. The next player then tries to put down one of their dominoes at either end of the domino chain, and so on. The first player to get rid of all their dominoes wins the game. Finally, students take turns reading the mixed conditional sentences, changing pronouns or details when needed. The group then discusses whether each statement could be true for them or someone they know, and whether the result logically follows from the if-clause. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Binary Choice, True or False, Gap-fill, Rewriting Sentences, Sentence Completion In this comprehensive mixed conditionals worksheet, students practice using mixed conditionals to connect past situations with present results and present situations with past results. First, students read statements made by different people and circle if the sentence is a mixed conditional or not. Students then mark a statement about each person as true or false based on the conditional sentence. Next, students complete mixed conditional sentences with the correct verb forms in brackets. After that, students rewrite sentences, changing the second or third conditional into a mixed conditional. Finally, students complete mixed conditional sentences with their own ideas by writing an if-clause for each sentence. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Game - Grammar and Speaking: Sentence Completion, Freer Practice - Group Work In this fast-paced mixed conditionals game, students race to complete time-shift conditional sentences. In groups, one student begins by picking up a card and reading the if-clause and time marker, using the word 'blank' for the missing part of the sentence, e.g. 'If I had gone to bed earlier last night, BLANK today.' The other students in the group then race to complete the main clause. The first student to say a grammatically correct and appropriate main clause to complete the mixed conditional sentence wins and keeps the card. The next student then picks up a card, and so on. The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Game - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Short Answers, Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Discussion, Freer Practice - Pair Work In this rewarding mixed conditionals game, students practice asking and answering questions using mixed conditional forms to connect past situations with present results and present situations with past results. First, students write words or short phrases to complete each gap in mixed conditional questions. However, students do not write them in the gaps. Instead, they write them randomly on sticky notes. Next, in pairs, students take turns matching their partner's sticky-note words or phrases to the questions by asking the full question with the word or phrase in the gap. The student has three chances to match it to the correct question. If the student guesses the correct question on the first try, they score three points. On the second try, they score two points. On the last try, one point. When a student guesses correctly, they write the words or phrase in the question and their score at the end. If a student fails to guess the correct question, the answer is not revealed. The student with the most points at the end of the game wins. Afterwards, students reveal any unanswered items and complete the remaining gaps. Finally, students discuss the questions with their partner using their own real-life examples. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming Sentences, Short Answers, Freer Practice - Group Work In this engaging mixed conditionals board game, students practice forming and using mixed conditional sentences with past and present time expressions. Players take turns rolling the dice and moving their counters along the board. When a player lands on a square, they have 15 seconds to complete the task, using a correct mixed conditional form and an appropriate time expression. If a player lands on a 'Past to Now' square, another student picks up a card and reads out the prompt. The player then makes a mixed conditional sentence showing a past condition with a present result. If a player lands on a 'Now to Past' square, another student picks up a card and reads out the prompt. The player then makes a mixed conditional sentence showing a present condition with a past result. If a player lands on a 'Talk about...' square, they have 15 seconds to respond to the discussion prompt by making a mixed conditional sentence that includes a suitable time expression. In all cases, if the other students agree that the sentence is grammatically correct, matches the time shift required by the square, and includes a time expression, the player stays on the square. If not, they move back two squares. The first player to reach the finish wins the game. show less

ESL Mixed Conditionals Activity - Grammar, Writing and Speaking: Sentence completion, Discussion, Communicative Practice - Group Work In this interesting mixed conditionals activity, students complete sentences based on their real lives using mixed conditional forms and then discuss their answers. First, students complete mixed conditional sentences by writing answers that are based on their real lives, e.g. 'If I had bought a better laptop, I would be able to work faster now.' The situations are hypothetical, but students should start from real facts where possible. Next, in groups, students take turns reading their sentences aloud, and the group discusses the answers and asks follow-up questions to find out more details. Afterwards, groups share one interesting thing they found out about each group member. show less