Introduction
Where are some of your favorite places in (Italy)? How do they compare to your town? Have you ever been to a foreign country? How does that country compare to...?
Ask each other similar questions.
Grammar 1
(We use comparatives to say what is different about two things.)
This is how comparatives are formed:
(1. For one-syllable adjectives, add 'er' to the end of the word.
big > bigger)
(2. For words with two or more syllables, add more or less before the adjective.
expensive > more expensive
expensive > less expensive)
(3. For adjectives ending in ' y ' change the ' y ' to an 'i' and add 'er'.
pretty > prettier, busy > busier)
(4. For irregular adjectives the word changes completely.
good > better, bad > worse
far > further / farther
little > less, much/many/some > more)
Note: 'farther' refers to distance only.
(For some two-syllable adjectives 'er' or more/ess can be used.
quiet, clever, narrow, shallow, simple)
Controlled Practice 1
Make sentences using comparatives.
For example:
(classical music/rock music/relaxing
> Classical music is more relaxing than rock music.)
sofa/chair/comfortable
buses/trains/convenient
countryside/city/quiet
fruit/candy/healthy)
English/Italian/simple
documentaries / comedies / boring
Russian / Spanish / difficult
Anchorage / Vancouver / far
gold / silver / good
Write down these words:
(filling — enjoyable — tiring — important — useful)
Make sentences with comparatives using less.
Each word may be used more than once.
For example:
(making scrambled eggs/making an omelet
> Making scrambled eggs is less difficult than making an omelet.)
potatoes/rice
eating/cooking
family/work
doing homework/doing housework
computers/calculators
Language in Use 1
Which do you prefer and why?
Staying indoors to relax or going out?
TV or reading?
Eating out or cooking?
Traveling in your country or abroad?
Meeting friends or being alone?
Studying or sleeping?
The country or city?
Ask each other similar questions.
"Comparisons" game: Have a student choose a topic and have them each come up with an example for the topic. Then have students compare their choices. Instructor writes the following topics on the whiteboard: food, country, film, music, drink, celebrity, fast food restaurant, invention.
Grammar 2
Which language is the most difficult language to learn?
(German is the most difficult language to learn.)
The words 'the most difficult' is a superlative.
(Superlatives are used to compare a person or thing...
...to a group of similar people or things.)
This is how superlatives are formed:
(1. For one-syllable adjectives, add ' est ' to the end of the word.
big > bigger > the biggest)
(2. For words with two or more syllables, add the most or the least before the adjective.
expensive > more expensive > the most expensive
expensive > less expensive > the least expensive)
(3. For adjectives ending in ' y ' ,change the ' y ' to an ' i ' and add ' est '.
busy > busier > the busiest)
(4. For irregular adjectives, the word changes completely.
good > better > the best
bad > worse > the worst
far > further > the furthest
little > less > the least
much/many/some > more > the most)
Controlled Practice 2
Use superlatives to talk about the following things.
For example:
(Milan/expensive/city/Italy > Milan is the most expensive city in Italy.)
Mt. Everest/high/mountain/world
the cherry blossom/pretty/flower/Japan
Darren/tall/boy/class
Australia/dry/country/world
August/hot/month/year
Lauren/popular/teacher/school
Rolls Royce / expensive / car / world
Times Square / busy / area / Manhattan
Winter / worst / season / Russia
Peking Duck / delicious / dish / China
Write down the following words:
(convenient efficient helpful
expensive popular effective)
Fill in the blanks with superlatives using the least. Each word can be used more than once.
Potato soup is the ____ _______ item on our lunch menu.
Mineral water is the ____ ________ drink in the caf?.
Mr. Rogers is the ____ _______ person at the customer service counter.
My hometown is one of the ____ ________ places to live.
Drinking coffee is one of the _____ ________ things you can do for a cold.
Walking is the _____ ________way to travel.)
Language in Use 2
What is the strangest food you've ever had?
Who is the funniest person (on TV)?
Who is the most intelligent person (you know)?
What is the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
What is the scariest movie you've ever seen?
Ask each other similar questions.
"Comparisons" game: Have each student choose their favorite country. They must argue why their country is the best. Instructor writes the following areas on the whiteboard to help students: food, restaurants, sights, people, culture, activities, shops.