This activity is based on the fun and effective game of whispers. It can be used with all ages and levels in a number of ways and for different elements of pronunciation.

Del Spafford


  • Demonstration of whispers. Separate the class into two teams and have them stand or sit in a row one behind the other. The student at the front should be able to write on the board or have a pen and piece of paper in front of him or her.
  • Dictate a word or sentence suitable for the level and age that you’re teaching to the student at the end of the line. 
  • He or she then whispers the sentence to the person in front who in turn does the same. This is repeated until it reaches the person at the end of the line who then writes this on the board. The word or sentence should be the same as the teachers.
  • Correct any mistakes. 
  • Now write words or sentences on the board depending on their stress pattern. Make two sets for each group. For example if dealing with the stress of individual words such as countries you might write the following (without the answers in brackets):

0O (Japan)
O0 (Thailand)
00O00 (Indonesia)
0O00 (Australia)
O (Spain)
O00 (Mexico)

  • Now without drilling any pronunciation beforehand repeat the activity as above but now students must write the dictated word next to the stress pattern.

Extension and adaptations

  • Dictate only the word or sentence and students write the stress pattern.
  • Dictate the stress pattern and students write the word
  • Do the same activity as a pair dictation. Dictate a sentence but say one word with the incorrect stress pattern. Students dictate and write down the word pronounced incorrectly.

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