Worst Day Ever!

Engage your students in a fun and interactive ESL routines speaking practice with this creative sentence-building activity! The task is simple: on the left, students find the beginnings of sentences, and on the right, the endings. Their challenge is to match the halves to describe “the worst day ever.” Students can work individually or in pairs to create a set number of sentences (e.g., 4) within a time limit that you define.

Once their horrible day is complete, they share it with the class, which then votes on whose day was the worst! For an added twist, students can attempt to create “the best day possible” with the same mismatched sentence halves, which will be both challenging and hilarious since the vocabulary isn’t designed for that!

Additional Game Variants:

• Speed Challenge: Add a timed element where pairs or individuals race against each other to create their sentences before the clock runs out. The fastest team gets bonus points, but only if their sentences make sense!
• Story Continuation: After creating their sentences, students must extend their “worst day” or “best day” stories by adding more details verbally. Each pair or individual has one minute to embellish their sentences and make their day even more outrageous before sharing with the class.

This printable and online-friendly PDF activity is perfect for practicing routines and sentence structure in a fun and interactive way. Ideal for ESL speaking practice, this game can be used in any classroom setting—whether you’re teaching in person or online, with a projector or in small groups.

Another great speaking activity to talk about everyday activities, habits & routines!

Me neither! Everyday Activities, Habits & Routines