word games q3 2013
DESCRIPTION
A summary of blog posts about word games up to the end of September 2103.TRANSCRIPT
The Proof Angel is the trading name of Sarah Perkins, freelance
editor and proofreader. www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
Word games: September 2013
This is a collection of games to play without technology, special cards
or tiles: just paper and pencil, or whatever is handy. Sometimes you
don’t even need that.
Alphabet Debate
Objective:
Keep the debate going.
Play:
Everyone writes a topic of conversation on separate scraps of paper & a
random letter of the alphabet. Do two each & collect the papers into a
"hat".
Pick a topic. The first player says a sentence beginning with the letter
chosen. The next player continues with the topic, starting their
sentence with the next letter of the alphabet.
Example:
Music, C.
Can you play the piano?
Dad can, but I never had lessons.
Everyone used to be able to play.
For a while I had a harp.
Going to lessons on the bus must be hard work.
www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
Scoring:
The first person who cannot continue the conversation drops out.
Cheddar Gorge
Objective:
Never finish the sentence.
Play:
The first player picks a word to start a sentence. Take it in turns to add
a word to the end so that it continues the sentence.
Scoring:
Players drop out when they complete a sentence with their word.
Ghosts
Objective:
Never finish a word.
Play:
The first player thinks of a word of more than two
letters & writes it down. Take turns to add a letter to
the word.
Scoring:
Players drop out of the round by:
• Being the person who completes a word so that
it cannot be continued by anyone else.
• Not being able to suggest another letter when
challenged to do so after putting down a letter
(which is a different slant on the same situation).
• Unsuccessfully challenging a player to suggest another letter for
the word after they have put down a letter.
When a player drops out, they collect a penalty point – the next letter
in the word “ghost”. So the first time you drop out you get g, the
second h and so on.
www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
Players drop out of the game when they have acquired all the letters of
the word “ghost”.
Variation:
The start with a letter in the middle of a word, & add to the ends.
Guggenheim
Objective:
Fill the grid with words.
Play:
One player chooses a word 5 or 6 letters long, which everyone writes
across the top of the page so the individual letter form column
headings, leaving a blank column on the left.
Each of the other players nominates a category, which everyone lists
down the empty left hand column.
Agree a time limit, or that everyone stops when the first person has
finished.
Try to fill in the grid you have made so that the words all start with the
letter at the top of the column & the category for the row.
Example:
If the word is "metal" and the category is "names" the row might read
Mike, Edith, Tom, Alan, Louise.
Scoring:
Score 1 point for each word you write in, & a bonus for a slot where no
one else has a word.
Note:
If playing with a small number of people, pick 2 or 3 categories each.
www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
Hangman
Objective:
Guess the word.
Play:
You need to be able to write on something that can be seen by
everyone. It can be anything from a piece of paper (or tablet) for two
players to a blackboard so the whole class can play.
One player thinks of a word, phrase or sentence and represents it by a
row of dashes, one for each letter, with appropriate spaces. The others
guess the word, letter by letter. Correct letters are marked in their
position on the dashes. Wrong letters are noted down below the
dashes, to avoid arguments and make sure everyone can keep track.
Keep a tally of wrong letters by adding one element of the
hanged man stick figure, building it in a logical order of
course. The game is over when:
• The whole word is guessed correctly.
• The picture is finished.
Some people like to include the features of the face as part of the
counting to give the players more chance to guess. It is best to agree
whether you will do that before you start. You might want to draw a
face when younger players are involved to give them more chance of
winning against adults.
To avoid arguments, it is also a good idea to agree whether the dashes
for sentences need punctuation at the beginning of the round.
A less gruesome version is to draw an octagonal "stop" sign instead.
But can you call that hangman?
www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
Last is First
Objective:
Keep the list going.
Play:
Pick a category & a letter. The first person says something in that
category beginning with that letter. The second says something in the
category beginning with the last letter of the word chosen by the
previous player.
Example:
The category is girls' names:
Emily Yvonne Elizabeth Hilda Ann
Scoring:
Players drop out when they can't supply a word.
Matching Letters
Objective:
Guess your opponent's word (play in pairs or two teams).
Play:
Both sides write down a 6 letter word. Take it in turns
to say another 6 letter word, which is marked according
to how many letters are in exactly the same place in the
target word. Keep going until someone guesses their
opponent's word, earning an extra point.
It is easiest to keep 2 columns, one for your opponent's
suggestions & one for your own. Record the scores for each
word as you go along & then add them up at the end.
It is the same principle as the colour code guessing
game Mastermind.
www.the-proof-angel.co.uk © Sarah Perkins 2013
The Parson's Cat
Objective:
Take it in turns to describe the cat with an adjective beginning with the
next letter.
Example:
The parson's cat is small.
The parson's cat is tiny.
The parson's cat is unusual.
The parson's cat is vain
The parson's cat is wet.
Scoring:
Players drop out when they cannot continue.
Word Ladder (invented by Lewis Carroll)
Objective:
Change one word into another.
Play:
Everyone writes down the same word (usually 5 or 6 letters) at the top
of their paper. The winner is the person who can make the longest
ladder by changing one letter at a time.
Example:
chase
cease
lease
leash
leach
peach
perch
parch
patch
catch
Variation:
Agree the start and finish word, then see who can make the change
with the shortest ladder.