These ESL activities help students practise using quantifiers (some, any, a lot of, much, many) alongside there is / there are sentence structures. The focus is on real-life vocabulary and natural questions, with plenty of opportunities for speaking practice.
What’s in Your Fridge? – A Vocabulary Guessing Game
This game is ideal for practising is there…, are there… questions and using quantifiers in a fun, competitive way. You can use it to review vocabulary related to food, the home, the office — or any other theme.
Set up:
- Write each student’s name on the board.
- Give each one three lives, marked like this:
I I I
How to play:
1. One student at a time guesses the contents of your fridge:
Is there a bottle of orange juice?
Are there any eggs?
2. If they’re correct, move on to the next student. If not, erase one of their lives.
3. If they hesitate for more than 30 seconds, hit your buzzer and remove a life.
Keep track of guessed items on the board so students don’t repeat them.
The last player with a life left wins.
Once students understand the game, let them take turns being the “fridge owner” and answering questions about the contents of their own fridge (real or invented).
Variations: Use the same format to describe the contents of a garage, office, pencil case, kitchen cupboard — whatever suits your group.
Alternative Mingling Version
This variation turns the fridge game into a mingling activity.
- Each student anonymously writes down a list of 6–10 items currently in their fridge.
- Collect the lists, mix them up, and redistribute.
- Students circulate and try to identify the fridge’s owner by asking:
Do you have any cheese?
How much milk do you have?
Are there any eggs in your fridge?
A great low-prep option that gets students moving and talking.
Kim’s game – practise there is and there are with this memory game
Kim’s game is an old-time memory game that can be used for reviewing there is / there are / there was / there were and for introducing or recycling useful vocabulary for common household objects. Place a selection of everyday items on a tray or table, give students a minute to memorise them, then cover or remove the items. Students then try to recall what they saw using full sentences (e.g. There was a spoon. There were two keys.). It’s simple, low-prep, and works well as a warm-up or vocabulary review activity.
Describe a Location
If you’re teaching in a shared space (e.g. a kitchen, lounge, or staff room), this activity is a natural fit for practising both quantifiers and there is / there are structures.
Steps:
1. Draw a basic floor plan of the room on the board.
2. Ask students to recall what’s in the room and describe it:
There are two sofas on the right side.
There’s a microwave on the counter.
3. Send students (one at a time) to look at the room and report back with new details.
You can also use imaginary rooms or photos if you’re online or short on space.