Gradable and Extreme Adjectives Reversi Games

Gradable and extreme adjectives reversi games

Instructions for teachers

Choose which of sets of cards below you want to use and cut up one pack per group of two to four students by cutting only between the rows of cards, leaving the right and left parts still attached to each other. Don’t cut along the vertical line between the two columns. Remove any cards which are obviously too difficult and/ or not useful for your students, but make sure there are at least ten cards in each pack.

Give out the cards and ask the students to fold them so that the two versions (gradable and extreme, the two synonyms, or the two opposites) are on opposite sides of the card to each other. It doesn’t matter which side of the card is top.

There are several different reversi card games that can be played (with all of the different versions of the cards). In all of the games the students guess what is on the other side of the card and then turn over to check. To add extra language and help them check, I always insist that they put suitable adverbs with each word as they say them, e.g. “Fairly good. Absolutely excellent”. If they are correct, the card stays turned over (to be done the other way round the next time that someone comes to it), then they can do the same thing with another card. Ways of working through the cards and scoring include:

• Putting all the cards in one vertical column and having to work through the whole column from bottom to top in one go to win the game (like climbing a ladder, falling to the bottom if they make a mistake)
• Picking any card they like each time, with the longest string of correct answers during the game winning (e.g. one person once managing nine in a row before they make a mistake being the winner)
• Picking any they like and the person with the greatest number of correct guesses over the length of the whole game (e.g. twenty five points) winning

With the opposites and synonyms versions, before or after the reversi game, you can ask students to match up pairs of gradable and extreme adjectives (with the cards unfolded).

After they finish, they can test in each other orally on the forms.

 

Gradable and extreme adjectives pairs version

annoying/ irritating	infuriating
ugly	hideous
bad	awful/ dreadful/ terrible
good	great/ brilliant/ fantastic/ fabulous/ terrific/ splendid
boring	mind-numbing
interesting	captivating/ fascinating/ spellbinding
exciting	gripping/ thrilling
dirty	filthy
confusing	mind-boggling
happy/ pleased	delighted/ overjoyed
disappointed	devastated
wet	soaked/ sopping
tiring	exhausting

expensive/ pricey	exorbitant
full	stuffed
impressive	awe inspiring
loud/ noisy	ear splitting
moving	heart-wrenching
old	ancient
painful	excruciating
sad	miserable
silly	idiotic/ ridiculous
surprised	amazed/ gobsmacked/ stunned/ astonished
thirsty	parched
tipsy	wasted
hungry/ peckish	starving
important	crucial/ vital/ essential

 

Synonyms version

amusing	funny
hilarious	side-splitting
irritated	annoyed
furious	enraged
attractive/ pretty	good looking
gorgeous	stunning
little	small
tiny	miniscule/ minute
big	large
gigantic/ huge	massive/ enormous
tired	sleepy
exhausted/ knackered	shattered
scared	frightened
terrified	petrified
nice	pleasant
delightful/ charming	lovely
rich	wealthy
loaded	filthy rich

 

Opposites version

attractive/ good looking/ pretty	ugly
gorgeous/ stunning	hideous
bad	good
awful/ dreadful/ terrible	great/ brilliant/ fantastic/ fabulous/ terrific/ splendid
big/ large	small/ little
huge/ massive/ gigantic/ enormous	tiny/ miniscule/ minute
boring	interesting
mind-numbing	captivating/ fascinating/ spellbinding
cool/ cold	warm/ hot
freezing	boiling/ baking/ roasting
depressed/ sad/ unhappy	glad/ happy/ pleased

miserable/ heartbroken	overjoyed
dry	wet
parched	soaked/ sopping
sleepy/ tired	energetic
exhausted/ shattered	hyper
hungry	full
starving	stuffed
important	unimportant
crucial/ vital/ essential	pointless/ worthless
poor	rich/ wealthy
poverty-stricken	loaded/ filthy rich