D-12.08 Use Comparative & Superlative Adjectives (& Adverbs)

Part Four: Comparative Forms of Chapter 7 (“Work”); Part Four: Superlative Forms of Chapter 8 (“Shopping”) of WorkLife English Grammar 2: English in Everyday Life, pages 115-116 & 135-137

5 pages

Who It’s For: Teachers, Helpers, & Learners at Beginning Language Proficiency Levels 

Why It’s Useful: Though not so essential as verb phrasing and nouns, beginning (self) teachers of English soon encounter and begin using adjectives (words that describe nouns or pronouns) and adverbs. A “secondary” (less essential) feature of these Parts of Speech is their Comparative and Superlative Forms—the first applying to differences between two items and the second, among three or more. Based on simple sentence patterns (without preposition phrases), here are some simple exercises to practice these forms and uses.    

What You’ll Do: 

[1] In Part Four of Chapter 7, with the given examples, practice the comparative forms of one-syllable adjectives, noting spelling changes and irregular forms that occur when adding -(e)r. To compare the aspects of two job situations with each other, insert the forms into Exercise A. Then in B-C, contrast these with comparatives of multi-syllabic adjectives (and adverbs), which follow more.

[2] In Part Four of the next Chapter, learn how to form the superlative of one-syllable adjectives / adverbs with –est and of multi-syllable ones with most.  Use visuals, including simulated ads, to create sentences and “Shopping Conversations” that describe differences between or among two or more items.