Accidents, they happen to the best of us! Later on, they can sometimes make for a hilarious story to tell and be laughed at. These accidents conversation questions make for a good discussion topic, just be sure to keep the activity quite light-hearted. This way it can be a fun speaking activity.
It is quite a challenging exercise for ESL learners and I think it is best used with teens and adults who are upper-intermedial level speakers. You will find this is also a great time to start introducing phrasal verbs. If you look at the pictures on the PDF for example we can use phrasal verbs to describe what can or has happened.
Check these example descriptions with the phrasal verbs highlighted –
In picture 1 – The road is slippery and cars can slide off the road.
2 – The motorbikes have crashed into each other.
3 – The boat is stuck on a rock.
4 – The watermelon has burst open on the floor.
5 – The train has come off the tracks.
6 – The person might slip over on the banana peel.
As mentioned it can be a difficult topic for ELL and ESL learners. The hardest terms that you may need to go over before starting the discussion include – injure, replace, fix, hurt, clumsy, protective gear, react, drop,, accident prone, fear, stub your toe, spilled, torn, and stitches.
The accidents conversation questions are –
When was the last time you injured yourself by accident? What happened?
Have you ever broken something by accident? Did you fix or replace the broken thing?
Do you often break things or get hurt? Do you think that you are a clumsy person?
When was the last time that you slipped or fell over? Where were you at the time?
Have you ever helped somebody who had an accident? How did you help them?
Which kinds of transport do you think have the most accidents? Why is this so?
What kind of protective gear do people use to protect themselves from accidents?
Have you ever laughed at somebody who had a small accident? How did they react?
What would you do if you accidentally dropped your telephone into a toilet?
Have you ever had an accident in the kitchen while you were cooking? What happened?
Which sports are dangerous and cause people to have a lot of accidents?
How many broken bones have you had? What caused these bones to break?
What would you do if you accidentally started a fire in your kitchen?
Why do you think many children have accidents but often don’t get hurt? Is it luck?
Do you know anybody who is accident prone? What things have happened to them?
Is there something that you would never try to do because of fear of an accident?
Do you often bump into furniture or stub your toe? What do you say when you do?
Which age group do you think has the most accidents, kids, teenagers, or the elderly?
What kinds of jobs seem to have a lot of accidents? Are these jobs paid well?
When is a time that you had to apologize to someone because of an accident?
What would be the first thing you would do if you spilled a drink onto a laptop?
Have you ever accidentally cut yourself or torn your clothing? Have you had stitches?
What is the most expensive thing that you have broken or lost? What happened?
What is the last big accident that you saw or read about in the news? What caused it?
