Shopping list – Making Requests in a Shop

This is a downloadable ESL activity for children to practise making requests and asking for information in a shop.

Keith Taylor

Updated 4 December, 2024

Here’s some more info about the activity:

Language point	Food vocabulary: Numbers and prices, Some and any, How much…? How many…?, Making requests: Could I have…?, I’d like…, Can I have…?
Aim	To practise making requests and asking for information in a shop.
Activity	Students roleplay situations in shops.
Organisation	Whole class
Preparation	Copy enough shopping lists for the number of students in your class. Make one copy of each shop card. If possible, photocopy some money or make some pretend money of your own.
What do I do?	Set up the shops: Fold the shop cards in half. Put them on four different tables around the classroom, with the name of each shop facing the centre, and the prices facing the shopkeeper. Choose four shopkeepers. Give a shopping list to each of the remaining students. Shoppers visit each shop and ask for the items on their lists. Example dialogue: A: “Hello, could I have some tomatoes please?” B: “How many would you like?” A: “I’d like 5, please.” B: “Here you are.” A: “How much is that?” B: “That’s $2.99.” A: “Here you are.” B: “Thank you.”

Shopping list
Sausages
Three lemons
A magazine
Five cakes
Four apples

Shopping list
Bread
Bananas
Beef
Four oranges
A newspaper

Shopping list
Bread
Two pencils
Lamb
Three stamps
A pineapple

Shopping list
A notebook
Four pears
A chocolate cake
Chicken
Five peaches

Shopping list
A magazine
Bread
Beef
Strawberries
Three pens

Shopping list
Three cakes
A newspaper
Three peaches
Four apples
Chicken

Grammar for English Teachers