Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

Target Structures:

Comparatives (-er / more + adjective)
Superlatives (-est / the most + adjective)

Goal:

Use comparative and superlative adjectives accurately to compare people, places, and things.

1. Warm-Up (3 min)

🗣️ Questions:

1. Which is bigger, your town or the capital city?

2. Who is the funniest person in your family?

3. Do you think English is easier or harder than other languages?

💬 Sample Answer:

I think English is easier than German, but Spanish is the easiest for me.

🎯 Focus: get learners using comparison language naturally from the start.

2. Presentation (8 min)

A. Comparatives → comparing two things

✅ Form:

• Short adjectives: adjective + -er + than

  tall → taller than
  fast → faster than

• Long adjectives (2+ syllables): more + adjective + than

  expensive → more expensive than
  comfortable → more comfortable than

🧩 Examples:

My house is bigger than yours.
This book is more interesting than that one.

🧠 Spelling rules:

• big → bigger (double final consonant)

• happy → happier (y → i + er)

• nice → nicer (add -r)

B. Superlatives → comparing 3 or more things

✅ Form:

• Short adjectives: the + adjective + -est

  tall → the tallest
  fast → the fastest

• Long adjectives: the most + adjective

  beautiful → the most beautiful
  comfortable → the most comfortable

🧩 Examples:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
That’s the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten.

C. Irregular Forms

AdjectiveComparativeSuperlativegoodbetterthe bestbadworsethe worstfarfarther/furtherthe farthest/furthestlittlelessthe leastmuch/manymorethe most

3. Controlled Practice (6 min)

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets.

1. This shop is ______ (cheap) than the one across the street.

2. Today is ______ (cold) day of the year.

3. She’s ______ (friendly) than her sister.

4. This test was ______ (difficult) than the last one.

5. He’s ______ (good) student in the class.

6. A bus is ______ (slow) than a train.

7. That was ______ (bad) film I’ve ever seen.

8. London is ______ (big) than Oxford.

✅ Answer Key & Explanations

1. cheaper → short adjective (+ -er) to compare two shops.

2. the coldest → superlative for one of many days.

3. friendlier → “y → ier” spelling rule for short adjectives ending in “y.”

4. more difficult → long adjective (2+ syllables) → use “more.”

5. the best → irregular superlative of “good.”

6. slower → short adjective comparison.

7. the worst → irregular superlative of “bad.”

8. bigger → double the final consonant before adding “-er.”

🧩 Why others are wrong:

• Forgetting “the” before a superlative is a common mistake.

• “More” can’t be used with short adjectives like “cold” or “big.”

4. Interactive Practice (5 min)

Complete each sentence with your own ideas.

1. My city is ______ than ______.

2. I think summer is ______ than winter.

3. The ______ food I’ve ever eaten is ______.

4. This year has been ______ than last year.

5. The ______ movie I’ve seen is ______.

💬 Example:

My city is smaller than Madrid.
The most exciting movie I’ve seen is Inception.

🎯 Focus: combine comparatives and superlatives in personal examples.

5. Free Practice (4 min)

🗣️ Describe and Compare:

Compare these using at least three comparatives and two superlatives.

Topics:

• Cities you know

• Food or drinks

• Hobbies or sports

• Films or books

💬 Example:

Football is more popular than tennis, but basketball is the most exciting sport for me.

🎯 Encourage fluency — not just accuracy.

6. Extra Discussion (3–4 min)

Conversation Questions:

1. Who is the most inspiring person you know?

2. What’s the best place to visit in your country?

3. Do you think studying online is easier or harder than in person? Why?

4. What’s the worst job you can imagine doing?

5. Are people today busier than they were 10 years ago?

🎯 Encourage justification using examples and opinions.

7. Wrap-Up & Review (2 min)

🎯 Quick Recap:

• Comparatives: adjective + -er / more + adjective + than

• Superlatives: the + adjective + -est / the most + adjective

• Irregulars: good → better → the best, bad → worse → the worst

💬 Mini Challenge:
Tell me:

• One thing that’s better than something else

• One thing that’s the best in your life right now