TXT LINGO GAME

Target: intermediate teens

By Natalia Guerreiro

Material needed
- Previously cut sets of the paper slips below (1 set for every 4 or 5 students, but at least 2 sets per class)
- An armless chair
- (Internet connection)

Procedures
1. Ask students if they chat online or SMS their friends. Elicit a couple of acronyms and abbreviations used in
those contexts. If most of them chat with English-speaking people, ask them to pair up and list the shorthand
forms they use.
2. Use these links to pre-teach a couple of acronyms.
Translator: http://www.channelone.com/fun/2006/11/10/swf_txt_messages/
Quiz: http://www.channelone.com/life/school/2002/03/21/quiz_chat_icons/
3. Divide your class in groups of 4 or 5. Give each group a set of abbreviations. You can give them some minutes
to go over the slips and imagine what they mean.
4. Place an armless chair in the middle of the room. At each round, the groups will have a new representative,
who will stand next to the other groups’ representatives before the chair. The game consists of these
representatives trying to sit on the chair first and giving the right answer.
5. Read aloud what the acronym stands for (e.g. “before”). The groups have to find the corresponding
abbreviation (“B4”), give it to the representative, who has to run and sit on the chair before the other groups
can do it.
With stronger groups, rather than giving the straightforward version of what it means, give a clue (e.g. “the
opposite of after”; other suggestions in parentheses). With very small groups, have individuals compete
against each other, perhaps shouting first as they wave the corresponding slip.

2morro – tomorrow (the day after
today)
4ever – forever (the eternity)
4u – for you (dedicating a gift)
BTW – By the way
CUL8R – see you later; TTYL – Talk to
you later (ways of saying goodbye)
Cya – SEE YA
NVM/NV – never mind (when you give
up explaining)
OIC – Oh, I see (you finally get what
the person meant)

Aka – also known as EZ – easy (the opposite of difficult) Omg – oh my god (expresses surprise)

ASL – age/sex/location (asking for FIY – for your information PLZ – please (the magical word)
basic information about the person)
GR8 – great (the opposite of terrible) Ppl – people
B4 – before (the opposite of after)
IMHO – in my humble opinion (before Prolly – probably
BF – boyfriend (the man you are you start stating your opinion)
dating) Ruok – are you okay? (a way of saying
LOL – Laughing Out Loud (when you how are you)
BRB – be right back (used to excuse find sth very funny)
yourself from the computer Tks, thx – thanks (showing
temporarily) MYOB – mind your own business appreciation)
(person is interfering in your life)
xxx – kisses
 ASL B4
BRB GR8
BF Cya
CUL8R/
BTW
TTYL
IMHO/
FIY
IMO
Prolly OIC
LOL MYOB
NVM/NV PLZ
XXXXX EZ
RUOK? 4U
OMG! 2MORRO
ppl Tks, thx
aka 4ever