Comparatives and Superlatives LESSON

Lesson length: 60 mins

Aim:

1. to review the form and general use of comparative and superlative adjectives (comparing two, or two

or more people, things or places)

2. to review and extend vocabulary for talking about your home

Preparation:

Find two pictures of computers to use as flashcards. They should be different enough from each other to

encourage the use of comparative adjectives.

You will need a copy of the following for each student/pair of students:

Handout 1: Comparative adjectives

Activity worksheet: True or false? (cut in half)

Handout 2: Superlative adjectives

Handout 3: Oxford Word Skills Unit 38 - I can talk about my home

1. Grammar Review:

Show the class the pictures of the two computers and write the prices on the board.

Ask the students to call out some different adjectives to describe the two computers, and write them on

the board. [Try to elicit: expensive, cheap, big, small, old, modern]

Say aloud:

Let’s compare the price, size and age of the two computers.

Write on the board:

Price: Computer A is ……………….. computer B.

Size: Computer A is ……………….. computer B.

Age: Computer A is ……………….. computer B.

Ask the students to complete the sentences correctly.

[Price: cheaper than; Size: bigger than; Age: older than]

Unit 26:

Comparative and superlative adjectives

Oxford Living Grammar explains how grammar works and when to use it. The

exercises use real-life situations to practise grammar in context. This lesson

consolidates your students’ knowledge of comparative and superlative adjectives in the

context of comparing things we buy, services we use, and places we live.

Lesson Link

Grammar

to go!

PHoTocoPiAble

page 1

A £100

b £350

Grammar

to go!

Lesson Link

PHoTocoPiAble

page 2

Referring to the sentences on the board, ask students

How many things are we comparing in these

sentences? [Two.] Focus on the form of the comparative structure:

Direct students to the form and spelling of comparative adjectives on Handout 1.

1. Review Activity

Ask students to form three more sentences about the two computers, starting with computer B. [more

expensive; smaller; more modern].

Students complete exercise A in pairs.

2. Review Activity

Divide the class into Student As and Student Bs. Give a copy of the Student A True or false? worksheet to

each Student A and a Student B worksheet to each Student B.

Students complete their worksheet in pairs (two Student As or two Student Bs), with the comparative

form of the adjective given.

Then divide the class into AB pairs. Tell students they are going to give each other a quiz and they have

to decide whether the sentences are true or false. The winner is the student in each pair who guesses

the most true/false answers correctly.

A reads their first sentence to B. B says if it’s true or false, then reads their first sentence to A.

Check the answers as a class.

GRAmmAR Review 2

Write on the board:

The pizzas at Paolo’s are bigger than the ones at Mario’s.

But the pizzas at Luigi’s are the biggest in town.

Ask students to identify the comparative adjective [bigger]. Focus on the second sentence and elicit the

meaning of

the biggest. [bigger than all the others]. You could ask Are Luigi’s pizzas bigger than Paolo’s

and bigger than Mario’s? [Yes.]

Check that students are clear about the difference between comparatives and superlatives; ask

How

many things are we comparing in the first sentence? [Two = comparative.] How many things are we

comparing in the second sentence? [All the pizzas in town i.e. more than two = superlative.]

Direct students to the form and spelling of superlative adjectives on Handout 2.

3. Review Activity

Using the following adjectives, drill students on superlative forms:

small > the smallest; good > the best; beautiful > the most beautiful; warm > the warmest;

sunny > the sunniest; expensive > the most expensive; peaceful > the most peaceful;

nice > the nicest; famous > the most famous.

noun +

is/are + comparative adjective + than + noun

Grammar

to go!

Lesson Link

PHoTocoPiAble

page 3

CONTeXTUALiZeD ACTiviTY (from ‘review’ to ‘free use’)

Explain to the class that you are going to compare different places to live. Ask students what things they

might consider. Aim to elicit:
How big it is / size

How many rooms there are

How expensive it is

Where it is / location

How clean it is

A garden

Task Instructions:

Ask each pair to do exercise E ‘choosing a flat in london’ together, completing the sentences.

Correct this together.
THeN:-

Ask one pair to read out the dialogue in full.

Distribute

Oxford Word Skills handout. Ask students to work in different pairs to identify the adjectives in

the Bathford description: modern, large, good-sized, further, lovely

Ask students to write a similar dialogue by changing the adjectives: e.g. The first one was bigger more

modern, but it was dirtier smaller too. (using words from

Oxford Wordskills Unit 38: I can talk about my

home)

Ask for volunteers to read out their dialogues.

HOMEWORK/EXPANSION

1 If you want your students to revise comparative adjectives, ask the class to do

over to you task 1.

2 If you want your students to revise superlative adjectives, ask the class to do

over to you task 2.

3 Ask students to write an email telling a friend about the places to live from the task. The note must start

with:

i’ve been to see lots of flats today. The first one was …

EXTRA HELP

Did your students remember the topic:

form and usage of comparative and superlative adjectives?

(if not, revisit the presentation sections of

Oxford Living Grammar Elementary Unit 26)

Do your students need more practise

Try the exercises B, C and E

to teach typical contexts; try the

exercise F to go further and focus on a specific situation where grammar points are mixed.

Have you got the right books to develop and extend vocabulary?:

use units from

Oxford Word Skills for

‘I can…’ confidence.

PHoTocoPiAble

Lesson Link

Grammar

to go!

Handout 1:
Comparative adjectives

page 4

Comparative adjectives

102 | Adjectives and adverbs

We often use than with comparative adjectives:

Scotland is wetter than England.

but it’s not necessary:

It’s colder today, isn’t it? (= it’s colder than yesterday)

We use comparatives to compare two things:

England is bigger than Scotland.

We sometimes use a lot/much or a bit/a little:

You can lift it. You’re a lot stronger than me!

The exam today was a bit easier, wasn’t it?

TIP

Grammar in action

We use comparative adjectives to

compare things that we buy, and

services that we use:

I like this jumper better, but it’s

more expensive.

Don’t drive. It’s faster by train.

We use comparative adjectives to compare places:

Her new flat is nicer than her old one. It’s much bigger.

Spain will be sunnier than France at Easter.

We use comparative adjectives to compare people.

We might talk about how a friend

has changed:

Tom is much friendlier than he

was when we were at school. He

looks different too: he’s taller than

me now, his hair is longer and he

seems happier.

Comparative and superlative adjectives

Look at this conversation:

Where do you want to eat tonight? At the hotel or

in town? ~ It’ll be cheaper and more interesting in

town. Have you been to Paulo’s? ~ No. Is it good? ~

Well, it’s noisier than the hotel, but it’s better fun.

The words cheaper, more interesting, noisier and

better are comparative adjectives. To form them:

t 'PSTIPSUBEKFDUJWFT POFTZMMBCMF BEEer:

small smaller short shorter

tall taller old older

new newer slow slower

or, if the adjective ends in -e, add -r:

nice nicer wide wider late later

t 'PSTIPSUBEKFDUJWFT FOEJOHJOPOFWPXFMBOE

one consonant, we double the consonant before

adding -er:

big bigger sad sadder

hot hotter fat fatter

thin thinner wet wetter

t 5IFTFTIPSUBEKFDUJWFTBSFJSSFHVMBS

good better bad worse far farther

t 'PSNPTUMPOHBEKFDUJWFT UXPTZMMBCMFTPSNPSF XF

put more first:

important more important

expensive more expensive

t 'PSMPOHBEKFDUJWFTFOEJOHJO-y, we use -ier:

happy happier early earlier

A Comparing things we buy and services we use

Fareed is buying a new laptop. Change the underlined words into comparative

adjectives.

WOMAN

These two, the Helix 400 and the VKC 28, are very popular at the moment,

sir. The VKC 28 is a little new

newer

, but the Helix is cheap

FAREED

Can I touch them? Which one is heavy

WOMAN

The VKC is light

than the Helix, but it’s also wide

FAREED

Yes, you’re right. The VKC is big

, but much thin

. And I suppose it’s powerful

too,

if it’s newer.

LivGram Elem SB.indb 102

11/12/08 15:38:05

A Comparing things we buy and services we use

Fareed is buying a new laptop. change the underlined words into comparative adjectives.
WOMAN These two, the Helix 400 and the VKC 28, are very popular at the moment, sir. The VKC 28 is a

little new

newer

, but the Helix is cheap

FAREED Can I touch them? Which one is heavy

WOMAN The VKC is light

than the Helix, but it’s also wide

FAREED Yes, you’re right. The VKC is big

, but much thin

. And I

suppose it’s powerful

too, if it’s newer.

WOMAN It’s fast

, yes. But the Helix is still a good computer. We sell hundreds every week.

FAREED You said the VKC was expensive

. What’s the difference in price?

WOMAN The Helix is £400 and the VKC is £600.
FAREED Thanks. I think the VKC is a little good

, but I’ll take the Helix!

PHoTocoPiAble

Grammar

to go!

Lesson Link

page 5

Activity Worksheet:
True or false?

Student A

1 China is ……………….. than Russia. (big)

False.

2 Gold is ……………….. than silver. (expensive)

True.

3 Buckingham Palace is ……………….. than Windsor Castle. (old) False.

4 Black coffee is ……………….. for you than white coffee. (bad)

False.

5 Tokyo is a ……………….. capital city than Rome. (noisy)

True.

6 Sunset is ……………….. than sunrise. (late)

True.

Student B

1 Scotland is ……………….. than England. (wet)

True.

2 Tennis is ……………….. than football. (popular)

False.

3 Germany ……………….. than France. (small)

True.

4 Red wine is ……………….. for you than white wine. (good)

True.

5 1kg of feathers is ……………….. than 1kg of wood. (heavy)

False.

6 Oslo is a ……………….. capital city than Copenhagen. (safe)

True.

PHoTocoPiAble

Grammar

to go!

Handout 2:

Superlative adjectives

Lesson Link

page 6

Look at this example:

‘Paulo’s’ is the best restaurant in town. Their pizzas

are the biggest and the most delicious!

The best, the biggest and the most delicious are

superlative forms. To make superlative adjectives:

t 'PSTIPSUBEKFDUJWFTBOEMPOHBEKFDUJWFTFOEJOHJO-y,

take away the final r of the comparative form, and

add -st:

small smaller the smallest

nice nicer the nicest

big bigger the biggest

happy happier the happiest

t 'PSMPOHBEKFDUJWFT DIBOHFmore to most:

important more important

the most important

t *SSFHVMBSGPSNT

good better the best

bad worse the worst

far farther the farthest

Before superlative adjectives, we usually use the:

Picasso is the most famous Spanish painter.

104 | Adjectives and adverbs

Superlative adjectives

Comparatives and superlatives

After superlative adjectives, we sometimes use of:

Sunday is the best day of the week!

It’s the smallest of the three hotels.

but we use in for places and groups of people:

She’s the richest woman in Britain. (

NOT

of Britain)

Dave is the funniest student in the class.

We use superlatives when we’re comparing more

than two things:

There are four countries in the UK. England is the

biggest.

We sometimes use the present perfect with

ever after the superlative form:

What is the worst meal you’ve ever eaten?

This is the most beautiful park I’ve ever seen!

TIP

Grammar in action

We use superlative adjectives to talk about the best,

worst or most interesting places, people and things:

Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe.

This is the most comfortable room in the house.

It’s the fastest family car in the UK.

It’s the saddest film we’ve ever seen.

D Talking about the best things about the Seychelles

Look at the home page of the website for ‘Seychelles Holidays’. Change the underlined

words into superlative adjectives.

The Republic of Seychelles is the small

smallest

African country, and it’s the

good

place in the world for your holiday!

The big

of the hundred and ﬁfty ﬁve islands is Mahé, with an

international airport.

The Seychelles Islands have the beautiful

beaches you’ve ever seen,

and the warm

seas.

The sunny

times of year are December and January (but they’re

also the expensive

times to visit).

The peaceful

island is La Digue - it’s like a journey into the past!

The nice

restaurant in the Seychelles is ‘André’s’ in Anse Lazio.

(Another free meal, please, André!)

The best Creole music is by the famous

Seychelles musician, the

wonderful Jean-Marc Volcy!

Seychelles Facts (and Opinions!):

LivGram Elem SB.indb 104

11/12/08 15:38:06

Adjectives and adverbs | 105

E Choosing a flat in London

We use comparatives to compare things we buy; services we use; places; and people.

We use superlatives to talk about the best, worst or most interesting places, people

and things. Sean and Thierry want to share a flat in London. They’ve looked at three

flats, and now they’re in a café. Add these words to the conversation:

ever in most of the than dirtier expensive friendlier nearer

SEAN

What did you think about the two flats in Camden?

THIERRY

The first one was bigger, but it was

dirtier

too.

SEAN

You can clean a flat though, can’t you?

THIERRY

Sure, but the second one was nicer, and the landlord was

SEAN

Perhaps, but it was also noisier

the first one, because it

was

to the road.

SEAN

They weren’t the best flats we’ve

seen, were they? What

about the one in Crouch End?

THIERRY

It was the

comfortable

the three flats.

SEAN

I agree. But it was also the most

. We haven’t got enough

money, have we?

THIERRY

Shall we have another coffee? They make

best cappuccino

north London here. We can look at some more flats this

afternoon.

F Choosing a singer for a musical

Desmond and Jilly are trying to find a singer for a new musical. They saw three singers

this morning. Change the underlined adjectives into comparatives or superlatives.

OVER TO YOU

Now go to page 125.

If you rent a flat, your

landlord or landlady

is the person you pay

every month.

ORD

FOCUS

Hi Jilly,
It was difficult

today with the guys than yesterday with the girls. Luke is the young

, isn’t he? He was also the good

dancer this morning, but I don’t

think he’s ready. It’s hard to sing every night for six weeks, isn’t it? Matt is old

than

Luke, and he’s got the right face, but he’s also got the bad

voice of the three, I’m

afraid. In my view, Charlie is the good

of the guys. We can teach him to dance later!

Desmond

Hi Desmond,
What did you think about the guys this morning? Charlie was the loud

loudest

singer I’ve

ever heard! My ears are still hurting. He’s probably got the strong

voice in London.

I liked him, but Luke was a good

dancer than him, and his voice was good too. But

Luke hasn’t sung in a big show before. Matt, the tall

guy today, looked great, but his

voice was weak

than Charlie’s. We’ve got to decide soon, but we could see them again

tomorrow. What do you think?
Jilly

LivGram Elem SB.indb 105

11/12/08 15:38:07

PHoTocoPiAble

Grammar

to go!

Lesson Link

page 7

PLACES

I can talk about my home

Flats

True or false? Write T or F.

Helen lives on the second floor.

5 Simon lives in the basement.

1 John and Lucy live on the ground floor.

6 Ferdy’s flat has got a balcony.

2 Miki lives on the top floor.

7 Rob’s flat has got a garden.

3 Anna lives on the first floor.

8 The steps are at the front door.

4 They put their rubbish in the lift.

9 Ferdy needs to use the stairs or lift.

Complete the words.

6 g

1 b

7 s

2 b

k of f

8 n

3 g

d f

9 b

4 f

t d

10 t

n c

5 s

Test yourself. Cover the words and name the things in the picture.

I live in a block of

ﬂ ats near the town

centre, in an area

called Montpellier.

I really like the ﬂ at,

and my neighbour,

Simon, is very friendly.

1 (on) the top

ﬂ oor

2 (on) the

second ﬂ oor

3 (on) the ﬁ rst

ﬂ oor

4 (on) the

ground ﬂ oor

5 garden
6 steps
7 (in) the

basement

8 rubbish

9 front door
10 stairs
11 lift
12 ﬂ at
13 balcony

Miki

Ferdy

Helen

Simon

John

Lucy

Anna

Rob

13 OWS(B) U34-41 FP.indd 98

29/11/07 15:04:21

PLACES

Houses

Find the end of each word.

Complete the text.

I live in a

ceZ[hd

house – it’s only four years old. It’s got a (1)

room, dining

room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a (2)

. It’s in the town centre, and from the living

room I’ve only got a (3)

of the railway station, which isn’t very nice. I leave my car on

the street because I don’t have a (4)

, but it’s got a small (5)

, so I can eat

(6)

when it’s warm.

My brother’s got a house in a village near me, and from the house he’s got fantastic
(7)

of the countryside. Downstairs there’s a living room, dining room, large

(8)

and a (9)

where my brother works. (10)

there are four

(11)

and two (12)

, so there’s lots of space when I visit with friends.

There’s also (13)

for two cars, and a large garden. In the summer they eat

(14)

all the time.

ABOUT YOU

Write your answers or ask another student.

1 Do you live in a house or a flat?

2 If it’s a flat, which floor are you on?

3 Have you got a garden? If so, how big is it?

4 What’s the view? Is it nice?

5 Have you got parking?

6 What rooms have you got in your home?

Glossary

modern

of the present time

OPP

old

view

what you see from the house

utility room

a room where you do the

washing, ironing, etc.

upstairs

OPP

downstairs

outside

not in a house or other

building

OPP

inside

garage

a building where you park

your car

parking

a place where you can park

(leave) your car

spotlight

ﬂat, house and home

A ﬂat is a number of rooms on one
ﬂoor of a building.
A house is a building with rooms on
two or more ﬂoors.
Home is where you live (in a ﬂat or a
house).

studyviewmodernlivingroomtoiletkitchenhomeparking

diningroomupstairsbedroomutilityroombathroom

Modern family house in this quiet village with lovely views
of the countryside. Large living room

, dining room

, study

modern kitchen

and utility room. Upstairs there are four

good-sized bedrooms

and a family bathroom

. Outside there

is a large garden, a garage, and further parking for two cars.

BATHFORD

13 OWS(B) U34-41 FP.indd 99

29/11/07 15:04:33

PLACES

Houses

Find the end of each word.

Complete the text.

I live in a

ceZ[hd

house – it’s only four years old. It’s got a (1)

room, dining

room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a (2)

. It’s in the town centre, and from the living

room I’ve only got a (3)

of the railway station, which isn’t very nice. I leave my car on

the street because I don’t have a (4)

, but it’s got a small (5)

, so I can eat

(6)

when it’s warm.

My brother’s got a house in a village near me, and from the house he’s got fantastic
(7)

of the countryside. Downstairs there’s a living room, dining room, large

(8)

and a (9)

where my brother works. (10)

there are four

(11)

and two (12)

, so there’s lots of space when I visit with friends.

There’s also (13)

for two cars, and a large garden. In the summer they eat

(14)

all the time.

ABOUT YOU

Write your answers or ask another student.

1 Do you live in a house or a flat?

2 If it’s a flat, which floor are you on?

3 Have you got a garden? If so, how big is it?

4 What’s the view? Is it nice?

5 Have you got parking?

6 What rooms have you got in your home?

Glossary

modern

of the present time

OPP

old

view

what you see from the house

utility room

a room where you do the

washing, ironing, etc.

upstairs

OPP

downstairs

outside

not in a house or other

building

OPP

inside

garage

a building where you park

your car

parking

a place where you can park

(leave) your car

spotlight

ﬂat, house and home

A ﬂat is a number of rooms on one
ﬂoor of a building.
A house is a building with rooms on
two or more ﬂoors.
Home is where you live (in a ﬂat or a
house).

studyviewmodernlivingroomtoiletkitchenhomeparking

diningroomupstairsbedroomutilityroombathroom

Modern family house in this quiet village with lovely views
of the countryside. Large living room

, dining room

, study

modern kitchen

and utility room. Upstairs there are four

good-sized bedrooms

and a family bathroom

. Outside there

is a large garden, a garage, and further parking for two cars.

BATHFORD

13 OWS(B) U34-41 FP.indd 99

29/11/07 15:04:33

1 Write a very short text (two or three sentences),
comparing two towns/cities in your country. Use
three or four comparative adjectives. Exercise B*
may be helpful.

* Exercises available in downloadable lesson

2 Write a second very short text about a great
holiday place in your country. Use two or three
superlative adjectives. Exercise D* may be
helpful.

Over to you:

Comparative and superlative adjectives

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