Cartoons for beginners

Here's a compilation of cartoons that I felt could be used even in a beginning English class. The verbs are in the present tense.

"We cross the road tonight."

Ok, admittedly this verb "cross" is being used in a more complicated sense of the present simple - that of "future timetable or schedule." It also gives an official "fact" sense. Still - it's easy enough for a beginner to grasp.

Caption: "And this is our extended family room." Obviously this is a play on the word "family room." Amazing what the addition of one adjective will do! Plus, it's a great opportunity to talk about cultural norms. What is "extended family?" And where do they sleep when they come to stay?

Caption: "I'm not really a journalist. I just play one on the evening news."

Ha!

Might be fun to explore how the word "one" can stand in for a previously mentioned noun.

Caption: "Doris, I'm leaving you."

Great introduction to present continuous - yep, that parachute tells you he's in the middle of that process!"

Introduction to future tense maybe? Or you can ask your students - what does a policeman with a gun normally say?

Caption: "Twisting paper clips. How about you Ed?"

Draw the student's attention to the fact that "Twisting paper clips" is not a complete sentence. It needs a subject and a verb. What subject and verb can they add?

Also, for an extras challenge, can the students come up with the question that prompted that response?

This might be a good introduction to similes with "like" or "as." You might also explore irregular past tense verbs.

Can the students infer what story the poor man is telling his neighbor?

Caption: "This is a water pistol. I mean - this is a stickup." Oops!

Might be good for exploring "this" and "that?" For example you might point to the gun and ask, "What is that? Is it a real gun?"