Unlock Engaging ESL Lessons: 100 Would You Rather Questions For ESL Students

Would You Rather Questions For ESL students are a fantastic way to inject fun and conversation into your English lessons. These simple yet powerful prompts can transform a quiet classroom into a lively hub of discussion, vocabulary building, and critical thinking. Get ready to explore the endless possibilities of “Would You Rather” in your ESL classroom!

What Are Would You Rather Questions and Why Are They So Great for ESL?

Would You Rather Questions For ESL are prompts that present two hypothetical scenarios and ask the student to choose between them. They’re designed to spark debate, encourage opinion sharing, and get students talking! What makes them so popular? For starters, they’re incredibly simple to understand. The structure is always the same: “Would you rather [option A] or [option B]?” This predictability helps ESL learners feel confident and reduces the anxiety often associated with speaking a new language. The real magic lies in their ability to encourage natural conversation and active participation, making learning more memorable and effective. Here’s why they’re a game-changer in the ESL classroom:

  • Vocabulary Expansion: Students naturally use a wider range of vocabulary to explain their choices.
  • Grammar Practice: Sentence structure and verb tense usage are reinforced through speaking and writing responses.
  • Critical Thinking: Students have to weigh pros and cons, consider different perspectives, and justify their decisions.
  • Increased Confidence: Even shy students are more likely to participate in a low-pressure, fun activity.

How are they used? Teachers can incorporate them in several ways:

  1. Warm-up Activities: Start the class with a quick “Would You Rather” question to get students energized and focused.
  2. Pair Work: Have students discuss their choices with a partner.
  3. Group Discussions: Facilitate a larger group discussion, encouraging students to share their opinions and challenge each other’s viewpoints.
  4. Writing Prompts: Use them as a springboard for writing exercises, asking students to elaborate on their choices in paragraph form.
Benefit Description
Engagement Sparks interest and encourages active participation.
Language Development Enhances vocabulary, grammar, and fluency.
Critical Thinking Promotes decision-making and reasoning skills.

Would You Rather: Everyday Life Scenarios

  1. Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?
  2. Would you rather be able to speak every language in the world or be able to talk to animals?
  3. Would you rather have a personal chef or a personal cleaner?
  4. Would you rather live in a house in the mountains or a house by the beach?
  5. Would you rather have free coffee for life or free pizza for life?
  6. Would you rather never have to work again or never have to sleep again?
  7. Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or always be 20 minutes early?
  8. Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button in your life?
  9. Would you rather lose all of your memories or lose the ability to form new ones?
  10. Would you rather have a magic remote that can control reality or a magic hat that can pull anything out of it?
  11. Would you rather be the funniest person in the room or the smartest person in the room?
  12. Would you rather have a dog that could talk or a cat that could fly?
  13. Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
  14. Would you rather have all traffic lights turn green as you approach, or never have to wait in line again?
  15. Would you rather always have a song stuck in your head or always feel like you’re forgetting something important?
  16. Would you rather find 10 dollars on the street every day or find 100 dollars once a year?
  17. Would you rather have a clone or a robot version of yourself to do all the chores?
  18. Would you rather have to sing everything you say, or dance everywhere you go?
  19. Would you rather eat only pizza for the rest of your life, or never eat pizza again?
  20. Would you rather have your dream job but get paid very little, or have a job you hate but get paid a lot?
  21. Would you rather be able to teleport or have super strength?
  22. Would you rather live in a world with no music or a world with no books?
  23. Would you rather be able to see the future or change the past?
  24. Would you rather be famous when you are alive and forgotten after you die or unknown when you are alive but famous after you die?
  25. Would you rather have too much time or too little time?
  26. Would you rather have a very short commute to work or a very long vacation every year?
  27. Would you rather have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?
  28. Would you rather be great at painting or great at singing?
  29. Would you rather win the lottery but have to move to a different country or never win the lottery but stay where you are?
  30. Would you rather be able to breathe underwater or survive in outer space without a suit?
  31. Would you rather have an elephant-sized hamster or a hamster-sized elephant?
  32. Would you rather have a lifetime supply of your favorite snack or a lifetime supply of your favorite drink?
  33. Would you rather live without the Internet or without air conditioning/heating?
  34. Would you rather be really good at a sport you hate or really bad at a sport you love?
  35. Would you rather live in a world where it’s always winter or always summer?

Would You Rather: Travel and Adventure Scenarios

  1. Would you rather travel to the past or the future?
  2. Would you rather explore a rainforest or a desert?
  3. Would you rather visit the moon or the bottom of the ocean?
  4. Would you rather go on a safari or a cruise?
  5. Would you rather stay in a luxury hotel or camp under the stars?
  6. Would you rather go on a road trip across your country or fly to three different countries?
  7. Would you rather be a pirate or a cowboy?
  8. Would you rather climb Mount Everest or go skydiving?
  9. Would you rather learn to surf or learn to snowboard?
  10. Would you rather live in a small town in Italy or a big city in Japan?
  11. Would you rather explore ancient ruins or futuristic cities?
  12. Would you rather go backpacking through Europe or Southeast Asia?
  13. Would you rather have a private jet or a private yacht?
  14. Would you rather visit every country in the world or every state/province in your country?
  15. Would you rather live on a tropical island or in a ski resort?
  16. Would you rather be an astronaut or a deep-sea explorer?
  17. Would you rather go on a hot air balloon ride or a helicopter tour?
  18. Would you rather visit the pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China?
  19. Would you rather learn to fly a plane or sail a boat?
  20. Would you rather travel alone or with a big group of friends?
  21. Would you rather live in a treehouse in the jungle or an igloo in the Arctic?
  22. Would you rather go on a ghost tour or a historical walking tour?
  23. Would you rather be a tour guide in a popular city or a park ranger in a national park?
  24. Would you rather spend a week in a haunted house or a week in a silent retreat?
  25. Would you rather go whitewater rafting or rock climbing?
  26. Would you rather attend the Olympics or the World Cup?
  27. Would you rather go on a cross-country bike trip or a long-distance hike?
  28. Would you rather be a travel blogger or a food critic?
  29. Would you rather attend a masquerade ball in Venice or a music festival in the desert?
  30. Would you rather visit a volcano or a glacier?
  31. Would you rather go on a cruise to Alaska or the Caribbean?
  32. Would you rather be a wildlife photographer or a travel filmmaker?
  33. Would you rather spend a year living in a foreign country or take a year-long trip around the world?
  34. Would you rather stay in a castle or a lighthouse?
  35. Would you rather visit the Amazon rainforest or the Australian Outback?

Would You Rather: Fantasy and Superhero Scenarios

  1. Would you rather have the power of telekinesis or telepathy?
  2. Would you rather be a wizard or a superhero?
  3. Would you rather live in the Star Wars universe or the Marvel universe?
  4. Would you rather be a dragon or a unicorn?
  5. Would you rather have a lightsaber or a magic wand?
  6. Would you rather be able to shapeshift or be invisible?
  7. Would you rather have super speed or super strength?
  8. Would you rather be Batman or Superman?
  9. Would you rather live in Hogwarts or Middle-earth?
  10. Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?
  11. Would you rather have the ability to control fire or water?
  12. Would you rather be a Jedi or a Sith?
  13. Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet phoenix?
  14. Would you rather be able to breathe fire or freeze things with your touch?
  15. Would you rather be a superhero with a cool costume or a superhero with incredible powers?
  16. Would you rather be able to fly only when no one is watching or be able to breathe underwater, but only in murky water?
  17. Would you rather have x-ray vision that you can’t turn off or super hearing that only picks up annoying sounds?
  18. Would you rather fight a giant spider or a swarm of snakes?
  19. Would you rather have the power to heal others or the power to bring inanimate objects to life?
  20. Would you rather be a sidekick to a famous superhero or the leader of a team of lesser-known heroes?
  21. Would you rather live in a world where magic is real or a world where superheroes exist?
  22. Would you rather be able to talk to ghosts or see into the future?
  23. Would you rather have the power to make anyone laugh or the power to make anyone cry?
  24. Would you rather be trapped in a video game or a fantasy novel?
  25. Would you rather have a robot butler or a fairy godmother?
  26. Would you rather be a time traveler who can only visit the past or a time traveler who can only visit the future?
  27. Would you rather have the ability to summon any food you want or the ability to summon any book you want?
  28. Would you rather be a famous wizard or a legendary knight?
  29. Would you rather have the power to control the weather or control plants?
  30. Would you rather live in a world where everyone has superpowers or a world where no one does?
  31. Would you rather be a powerful sorcerer with no friends or an average person with lots of friends?
  32. Would you rather fight zombies or aliens?
  33. Would you rather have a magic carpet or an invisibility cloak?
  34. Would you rather be a famous monster or a forgotten hero?
  35. Would you rather have the power to rewind time by 5 minutes or fast-forward time by 5 minutes?

Would You Rather: Food and Drink Scenarios

  1. Would you rather only eat sweet food for the rest of your life or only eat savory food?
  2. Would you rather drink coffee or tea every day?
  3. Would you rather eat ice cream in the winter or soup in the summer?
  4. Would you rather cook your own meals or always eat takeout?
  5. Would you rather be a food critic or a chef?
  6. Would you rather eat pizza with pineapple or pizza with anchovies?
  7. Would you rather eat a whole cake by yourself or share a small piece of cake with someone you love?
  8. Would you rather only drink soda or only drink juice?
  9. Would you rather eat spicy food or bland food?
  10. Would you rather have a lifetime supply of chocolate or a lifetime supply of cheese?
  11. Would you rather eat breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?
  12. Would you rather only eat food that is purple or only eat food that is green?
  13. Would you rather have a personal garden that grows your favorite fruits and vegetables or a personal vineyard that makes your favorite wine?
  14. Would you rather only eat food from your own country or only eat food from other countries?
  15. Would you rather eat a bug or a spoonful of dirt?
  16. Would you rather only be able to eat food with a fork or only be able to eat food with a spoon?
  17. Would you rather have to eat everything with ketchup or everything with mustard?
  18. Would you rather have a lifetime supply of your favorite candy bar or a lifetime supply of your favorite bag of chips?
  19. Would you rather be able to eat anything without gaining weight or never have to wash dishes again?
  20. Would you rather eat food that is too salty or food that is too sweet?
  21. Would you rather drink only hot drinks or only cold drinks?
  22. Would you rather have to eat every meal standing up or sitting on the floor?
  23. Would you rather eat a dish you love but it smells awful or a dish you hate but it smells amazing?
  24. Would you rather have a personal pizza oven or a personal ice cream maker?
  25. Would you rather eat a bowl of worms or a bowl of spiders?
  26. Would you rather only be able to eat food that is shaped like a square or food that is shaped like a circle?
  27. Would you rather have a lifetime supply of your favorite fast food or a lifetime supply of your favorite home-cooked meal?
  28. Would you rather be able to taste colors or see smells?
  29. Would you rather eat your favorite food every day for a week or never eat it again?
  30. Would you rather be able to eat anything you want without any allergies or never get food poisoning again?
  31. Would you rather have all your food pre-chewed or pre-blended?
  32. Would you rather eat a meal made entirely of desserts or a meal made entirely of vegetables?
  33. Would you rather never eat dessert again or never eat vegetables again?
  34. Would you rather always have a messy kitchen or always have a messy dining room?
  35. Would you rather eat only food that is expired by one day or food that is slightly undercooked? In conclusion, “Would You Rather Questions For ESL” are a versatile and engaging tool for any ESL teacher. They encourage conversation, expand vocabulary, and make learning fun. By using these questions in your lessons, you can create a dynamic and interactive learning environment that will help your students improve their English skills while having a blast. So go ahead, try them out and watch your students’ confidence and fluency soar!