ESL Activities for Making Requests and Excuses: 

Here are a number of possible Requests (based on the Request cards used in the Scratch My Back Card Game) that may come in useful for classroom Roleplays and other communicative activities. More information and classroom ideas can be found in the Scratch My Back classroom guide.

change the world, change your name, change your hairstyle, change your life.

meet me tomorrow, meet Brad Pitt, meet ‘your maker’ (or match).

make me laugh, make me lunch, make trouble, make ‘like a tree’.

organize my wedding, organize a party, organize my desk.

cook dinner, cook in the sun, ‘cook the books’, cook one’s goose.

bake cookies, bake a cake, ‘get baked’.

Try my new recipe, try a new fitness regime, try out for a team.

eat frog pie, eat out, eat your words.

do the dishes, don’t cause trouble, do a little dance.

fix my plumbing, fix your car, ‘fix’ a baseball game.

wash the floor, wash your hands, wash up.

clean up, clean out, clean the room, clean a fish.

visit Hawaii, visit ‘Ominesan’, visit North Korea.

go sailing, go away, go to the movies.

watch TV, watch a movie, watch out, watch your back.

play soccer, play cards, play the fool.

I challenge you to: a swordfight; a drinking contest; tennis match.

catch a fish, catch a cold, catch a movie, catch a wild animal.

take a day off, take a holiday, take a ‘hike’, take over the world.

I dare you to: drink tabasco sauce, climb Mt Fuji, eat a snail.

borrow $20, borrow your time, borrow your car,.

pay for dinner, give a pay raise, pay for your indiscretions.

spend your bonus, spend more time studying.

I bet you $20 I’ll win, bet you can’t touch the sky.

Help me study, help yourself, help out a charity.

Look after my dog, look for a new job, look for my keys.

Lend me $20, lend a hand, lend me your ears.

Stop smoking, stop eating junk food, stop your mail.

Return a DVD, return a favor, return a gift, return to college.

Get me a drink, get a haircut, get lost, get real, get a job.

Buy dinner, buy a new car, buy my art.

Give me $20, give me a back scratch, give me your watch.