Accommodation rules guessing game (modals)

Hotel, youth hostel, dorm, B&B, and host family rules

modals/ Travel English/ English for study abroad

Choose one rule below in the way that your teacher tells you to (e.g. at random or your own choice). It is one of the rules of the accommodation that you are the owner of. Your partner can choose if they are looking for a youth hostel, host family, university halls/ dorm, hotel or B&B (= bed and breakfast). Take questions from your prospective guest and try to persuade them to stay in your accommodation. You can try to avoid telling them any bad rules you have, but you cannot lie about it. If they ask about anything not related to the rule that you picked, you can answer in any way that you like. When your partner has decided if they want to stay in your accommodation or not, show the rule that you picked and see if they change their mind. Then take turns doing the same with other rules from below.

Language presentation

Without looking below, brainstorm language for positive and negative rules. Then compare with below.

Accommodation rules discussion questions

Discuss these questions in the same or different groups:

• All the rules above are true somewhere. Have you ever stayed anywhere with any of these rules?
• Which ones do you think are the best rules and the worst rules? Why do you think they exist?

Negotiating accommodation rules roleplay

In pairs, one person take the role of a host parent and one person take the role of a student staying in their house. Negotiate the house rules.

Accommodation rules for roleplays

You are supposed to hoover (= vacuum) your room after you have finished staying in it.

You are only allowed one shower a day.

You mustn’t shower for more than 10 minutes.

You are supposed to pray before you start eating.

There is a 10 pm curfew (= you can’t go in or out after 10 pm.)

You aren’t allowed to invite people of the opposite sex into your room after 8pm.

You have to bring your own towels.

You have to bring your own bedding (sheets, pillowcase, duvet cover etc.)

You can’t enter your room from 10 am to 3 pm.

You have to sleep in bunk beds.

You have to clear away your dishes after you have finished eating.

You have to take all your rubbish with you when you leave.

You aren’t allowed to flush the toilet after other people have gone to sleep.

You have to turn the lights out by half past ten at night.

You have to use a communal shower (= a big shared shower)

You are allowed to keep a pet, but only one that can hold its breath underwater for at least 6 minutes.

You aren’t allowed to cook meat in the saucepans provided.

You aren’t allowed to swear (use bad words)

You can’t dye your hair in the shower

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Related pages

Travel English page

Modals of obligation etc page