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A dynamic, stylized illustration of diverse adult students mingling and discussing sports in a modern classroom setting.

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Let's do a Sport Opinion Mingle

Advanced speaking and grammar activity

CEFR C1 Advanced ⏱️ 20 Minutes Hypothetical meaning

Target grammar: Master C1 hypothetical structures (Wish / If only + Past Perfect, Would rather + Past Simple, It is high time + Past Simple) combined with professional sport ethics and financial vocabulary.

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Section 1: Rules of the game

A stylized flat vector illustration of a sports referee holding a stopwatch and a clipboard, standing next to a giant ho

Teacher instructions

1 Distribute mingle sheets and give students 3 minutes to read prompts and prep questions.
2 Pairs walk round together with one sheet and write each name together.
3 Walk round, listen, and note mistakes with wish, would rather and high time.
4 Stop the mingle at 14:00 and seat learners into pairs, and oversee reporting and scoring.

💡 Monitor for correct backshifting (avoid present tense after "high time").

Student rules

1 With your partner, ask other students.
2 Ask a different person for each line. If your class has fewer than 9 students, you can ask the same person twice for different lines.
3 Never accept a simple "Yes/No"; partner must deliver a complete hypothetical sentence.
4 One partner keeps the tally.
5 Return to your seat upon the bell and formulate your combined pair report sentences.

🎯 Goal: Fill all 8 lines and be ready to report.

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Section 2: Timed plan (20 Mins Total)

Strict Timing

Step 1

Setup and handout

Distribute sheets, explain game rules, assign home seats.

T: 00:00 - 02:00

Step 2

Prep and starters

Review cards, formulate question stems with assigned partner.

T: 02:00 - 05:00

Step 3

Mingle round

Stand up, circulate actively, question peers, log names.

T: 05:00 - 14:00

Step 4

Report and count

Return to seats, say your report sentences, tally up total scores.

T: 14:00 - 18:00

Step 5

Review and bonus

Verify grammar errors, announce champion pairs, award bonus.

T: 18:00 - 20:00

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Section 3: Mingle sheet and class interview grid

Target: 8 Sports Profiles

Find classmates who genuinely agree with or fit each statement. Formulate an inquiry question using the designated C1 hypothetical structure.

Sport	Find someone who...	Name	Score Check
⚽	...wishes football clubs had not accepted lucrative betting sponsorship.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🏀	...would rather athletes prioritized integrity over massive broadcast revenue.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🎾	...thinks it is high time governing bodies tackled player burnout.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🏊	...wishes federations had punished doping misconduct much sooner.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🚴	...would rather watch grassroots sports than a scandal-ridden league.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🏃	...wishes major brands didn't exploit teenage athletic prodigies.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🥇	...thinks it is high time clubs shared broadcast revenue fairly with lower leagues.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max
🏆	...wishes they had trained for a professional sporting career in their youth.	____ (Name: [ ])	+2 pts max

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Tell the class what two people said:

In Step 4, synthesize two contrasting classmates' opinions into a combined compound sentence:

[Name A] wishes ____ (had / hadn't...), and [Name B] would rather ____ (verb past simple...).

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Section 4: Cards to start your questions

6 Formats

Transform the mingle statements into natural spoken interview inquiries. Choose the card matching your target row's grammar pattern:

Card 01 1

Regret or past action

"Do you wish clubs / athletes had or hadn't...?"

Ex: "Do you wish FIFA hadn't accepted that sponsorship deal?"

Card 02 2

What you would prefer

"Would you rather [governing bodies] [Past Simple]...?"

Ex: "Would you rather fans prioritized integrity over victory?"

Card 03 3

Urgent changes needed

"Is it high time that [sports federations] [Past Simple]...?"

Ex: "Is it high time the committee tackled player burnout?"

Card 04 4

Regret

Do you ever think, "If only ..."?

Ex: "Do you ever think, 'If only the league had banned that club sooner'?"

Card 05 5

Choosing an alternative

"Would you rather athletes had [Past Participle] or...?"

Ex: "Would you rather they had spoken out or remained silent?"

Card 06 6

Your personal opinion

"Do you personally think it is high time we [Past Simple]...?"

Ex: "Do you think it's high time we banned extreme sponsorships?"

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Section 5: How to score points

How to score

+1 Point

Correct grammar

Awarded each time your partner constructs a spoken response with flawless hypothetical grammar (correct tense backshift without slips).

+1 Point

Advanced vocabulary

Awarded when the response incorporates a Unit lexicon term correctly in context (lucrative, integrity, doping, burnout, exploit).

+3 Bonus

The pair with the best report

Step 4: each pair reads their report sentences. Step 5: the teacher gives 3 bonus points to the pair with the most correct report sentences.

How to keep score: Keep your partner honest. Mark tally marks on the corner of your mingle sheet during each conversation exchange.

Pair score: 16 pts

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Section 6: Sentence starters with unit vocabulary

Sentence starters

Students can initiate their responses with these prefabricated C1 frames to ensure both grammar and lexical targets are fulfilled:

"I wish lucrative sponsors hadn't ..."

"I'd rather the media didn't broadcast ..."

"It's high time federations ..."

"If only clubs hadn't exploited ..."

"I'd rather ... than ..."

"It's high time athletes ..."

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Section 7: Teacher key and mistakes to watch for

Teacher key

Model exchanges (C1 level):

Row 1 focus (Wish + Past Perfect):

Q: "Do you wish football associations had rejected lucrative gambling sponsors?"
A: "Absolutely. I wish they had prioritized community integrity rather than maximizing short-term broadcast profits."

Row 3 focus (High Time + Past Simple):

Q: "Do you believe it is high time governing committees stepped in on burnout?"
A: "Indeed, it is high time tennis associations limited the compulsory tournament calendar to preserve player welfare."

Row 5 focus (Would rather + Bare Infinitive / Past):

Q: "Would you rather support a modest local team than a corrupt corporate franchise?"
A: "I'd much rather attend a local match where authentic competition matters more than television rights."

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Mistakes to listen for

❌ "I wish I have played..."

✅ "I wish I had played..."

Present perfect is ungrammatical; hypothetical past regret demands the Past Perfect auxiliary.

❌ "It is high time he stops..."

✅ "It is high time he stopped..."

After "it is high time", the following verb obligatorily shifts back into the Unreal Past Simple.

❌ "I'd rather he will go..."

✅ "I'd rather he went..."

When expressing hypothetical preference regarding a different subject, use Past Simple, not modal will.

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Section 8: Different levels and fast finishers

Differentiation

Level 1: Extra help

You can use the sentence starters

Students may openly keep Section 6 Sentence Starters visible on their desks and read the structural prompt while swapping nouns and verbs.

Level 2: Standard

You must ask a follow-up question

Interviewers cannot log a classmate's name until they pose at least one spontaneous follow-up inquiry: "What would happen if they hadn't?"

Level 3: Advanced challenge

Do not repeat words

Strict ban on repeating any target Unit noun (sponsorship, integrity, doping, revenue) once used in a previous conversation round.

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Extra challenge for fast finishers:

Completed all 8 rows before the timer? Immediately write a 3-sentence emergency press release from an international sports committee addressing an alleged doping cover-up. Must use: (1) It is high time..., (2) If only the federation had..., and (3) We would rather... than....

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Section 9: Closing class discussion and reflection

Class debrief

Answer these 3 questions in pairs, out loud, in 2 minutes.

Money vs. honesty in sports

Target: Would rather / Wish

"Does lucrative broadcast revenue inevitably destroy the integrity of modern competitive sports?"

____ (Type or deliver your C1 argument here (e.g., 'While broadcasting capital funds state-of-the-art facilities, I would rather associations prioritized ethical integrity over lucrative streaming deals...'))

Bad behavior and failing systems

Target: Wish / If only + Past Perfect

"Which recent doping scandal or systemic misconduct harmed athletes and fans the most?"

____ (Type or deliver your C1 argument here (e.g., 'If only independent regulators had intervened sooner, the systemic doping scandal would not have compromised clean athletes...'))

Urgent changes to the rules

Target: It is high time + Past Simple

"What critical regulation is it high time your national sports associations reformed?"

____ (Type or deliver your C1 argument here (e.g., 'It is high time our governing federations established mandatory rest intervals and capped competitive match loads to prevent acute athletic burnout...'))

Debrief Checklist: Verify partner shifted verbs back to the unreal past (no present tense after high time).

Activity Complete (20:00)