Comparatives and Superlatives
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ESL Lesson: Comparatives and Superlatives
Level: Pre-intermediate to Intermediate (A2-B1)
Objectives:
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Students will understand the rules for forming comparative and superlative adjectives.
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Students will practice using comparatives (to compare two things) and superlatives (to compare three or more things).
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Students will speak and write sentences using these forms.
1. Warm-Up (5-10 minutes)Start with simple questions to review basic adjectives:
- What adjectives do you know? (Elicit: tall, big, small, fast, beautiful, good, etc.)
- Describe your classroom/family/favorite animal.
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Show visual examples to introduce comparisons naturally.Here are examples of tall, taller, tallest:Ask: Who is tall? Who is taller? Who is the tallest?
Structure: Subject + be + comparative + than + object
Example: An elephant is bigger than a dog.We use superlative adjectives to compare three or more things (the extreme):
Structure: Subject + be + the + superlative (+ of/in + group)
Example: An elephant is the biggest animal in the zoo.
Rules:
|
Type of Adjective
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
Example (Adjective → Comparative → Superlative)
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
One syllable
|
Add -er
|
Add -est
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tall → taller → tallest
|
|
One syllable ending in vowel + consonant
|
Double consonant + -er/-est
|
Double consonant + -est
|
big → bigger → biggest
|
|
Two syllables ending in -y
|
Change y to i + -er/-est
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Change y to i + -est
|
happy → happier → happiest
|
|
Two or more syllables
|
more + adjective
|
the most + adjective
|
beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful
|
Irregular Forms (memorize these common ones):
|
Adjective
|
Comparative
|
Superlative
|
|---|---|---|
|
good
|
better
|
best
|
|
bad
|
worse
|
worst
|
|
far
|
farther/further
|
farthest/furthest
|
|
little
|
less
|
least
|
|
many/much
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more
|
most
|
Examples of good, better, best:
Examples:
- This movie is good, but that one is better.
- This is the best movie I’ve seen!
- Winter is bad, but last winter was worse. This is the worst weather ever.
3. Controlled Practice (10-15 minutes)
Fill in the blanks (teacher says sentences, students complete):
- Mount Everest is _____ (tall) than K2. → taller
- This is _____ (beautiful) flower in the garden. → the most beautiful
- English is _____ (good) than math for me. → better
- My phone is _____ (expensive) than yours. → more expensive
- Who is _____ (fast) runner in the class? → the fastest
Pair work:
4. Freer Practice / Production (15-20 minutes)Speaking Activity: Class Survey or Comparisons
- Ask classmates: “What is taller – a giraffe or an elephant?”
- Group discussion: Compare cities/countries/foods/animals. Example: “Tokyo is more modern than my city, but Paris is the most romantic.”
- Superlative game: “What is the best restaurant in town? The worst movie? The farthest place you’ve traveled?”
Optional Writing: Write 5 sentences comparing your family/friends/hobbies using comparatives and superlatives.HomeworkWrite a short paragraph: “My Favorite Things” – Use at least 3 comparatives and 3 superlatives (e.g., My brother is taller than me, but I am the fastest runner in my family).This lesson uses visuals for engagement and builds from rules to real communication. Have fun teaching!
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