2012 UGRU Level 2 Integrated English Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

Instructions

Below you will see information about three different cars. Look at the information in the tables and then complete the tasks which follow.

Category Mini Cooper Honda Accord Ferrari Maranello

Price (in $) 10,000 20,000 150,000

Top speed (km per hour) 100 km/h 140 km/h 250 km/h

Weight (kg) 800 kg 1200 kg 1500 kg

Length (m) 2.3 m 4.5m 4.5m

Fuel economy (km per litre of petrol)

80 km/l 65 km/l 40 km/l

Luxury rating (* - *****) ** *** *****

Parking ability (* - *****) ***** **** **

Task 1 Vocabulary

Put the adjectives from the box below into the correct category. There are usually two for each category. One has been done for you as an example.

cheap difficult easy economical expensive fast heavy light long luxurious short slow

Price (in $)

Top speed (km per hour)

Weight (kg)

Length (m)

Fuel economy (km per litre of petrol) 1 word only

Comfort rating (* - *****) 1 word only

Parking ability (* - *****) easy

Task 2 Sentence Completion

2012 UGRU Level 2 Integrated English Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

Use the information you have on the three cars to complete these sentences below. Use the category information (in brackets) to help. One example has been done for you.

1. A Honda is cheaper than a Ferrari. (price)

2. A Honda is more expensive than a __________. (price)

3. A Mini is less _________ than both a Honda and a __________ (price)

4. A Honda is faster than a __________ but __________ than a Ferrari. (speed)

5. A Mini is lighter __________ a Honda. (weight)

6. A Ferrari is __________ than a Honda. (weight)

7. A Honda is __________ than a Mini, so a Mini is __________ than a Honda (length)

8. A Honda is as __________ as a Ferrari. (length)

9. A Mini is not as __________ as a ___________ or a ___________. (length)

10. A Mini is more ____________ than both a Honda and a Ferrari (fuel economy)

11. A Ferrari is less ___________ than a Honda. (fuel economy)

12. A Ferrari is more _____________ than both a Mini and a Honda. (comfort rating)

13. A Honda is _________ luxurious than a Mini but ____________ luxurious than a Ferrari (comfort rating)

14. A Mini is _________ to park than both a _________ and a ________. (parking ability)

15. A Honda is ___________ to park than a Ferrari but more ____________ to park than a Mini. (parking ability)

Task 3 Creating Rules for Using Comparative Structures

2012 UGRU Level 2 Integrated English Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

Use the sentences above to help complete the rules about making comparative structures.

Note: a syllable is a unit of sound in a word.

e.g. ‘big’ has 1 sound = 1 syllable; ‘loudly’ has 2 sounds ‘loud-ly’ = 2 syllables; ‘expensive’ has 3 sounds ‘ex-pen-sive’ = 3 syllables

Rule 1 Shorter Adjectives (1 syllable)

To make comparatives with short adjectives we add the suffix ______. We also use the word ‘________’ in-between the two things we are comparing.

e.g. A Mini is cheaper than a Ferrari.

If the adjective ends in ‘y’ we change the ‘y’ to ________ and add -er.

e.g. A Honda is heavier than a Mini.

Note: If the adjective ends in a single vowel & a consonant we ________ the consonant.

e.g. Both a Ferrari and a Honda are big ger than a Mini.

Rule 2 Longer Adjectives (2 or more syllables)

To make comparatives with longer adjectives we add the words ‘______’ or __‘ less ’ __ before the adjectives. We also use the word ‘______’ in-between the two things we are comparing.

e.g. A Honda is less expensive than a Ferrari but more expensive than a Mini.

Rule 3 ‘(not) as + adjective + as’

If two things are the _________, we use the structure ‘as + adjective + as’

If two things are different we use the structure (not) ‘as + adjective as’.

e.g. James and John are identical twins. They are both the same height, 1 m 68 cm. They have a younger brother Paul who is 1 m 55 cm.

e.g. James is as tall as John. Paul is not as tall as either James or John.

Task 4 Superlatives

IMPORTANT!

2012 UGRU Level 2 Integrated English Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

Use the information you already know about the three cars to help complete this task. Underline the error in each of the sentences below and rewrite the sentence so that it is correct. One has been done for you as an example.

Note: There is often more than one possible correct answer.

1. The Mini is the most expensive car.

The Mini is the cheapest car. Or The Ferrari is the most expensive car.

2. The Ferrari is the slowest car.

3. The Mini is the heaviest car.

4. The Mini is the longest car.

5. The Ferrari is the most economical car.

6. The Mini is the most comfortable car.

7. The Mini is the most difficult car to park.

Task 5 Creating Rules for Using Superlative Structures

Use the sentences above to help complete the rules about making superlative structures.

Rules for Superlative Structures

To make superlatives with short adjectives we add ‘the’ + adjective + -__. e.g. ‘the short_____’

If the adjective ends in ‘y’, we change the ‘y’ to _____ and add -est. e.g. ‘the heaviest’

To make superlatives with long adjectives we add ‘the’ + ____/____ + adjective. e.g. ‘the ____/____ expensive’

Task 6 Important Exceptions

Circle

2012 UGRU Level 2 Integrated English Grammar: Comparatives & Superlatives

the correct options in these sentences. vs

1. The weather wasn’t very good yesterday but it’s gooder / better today.

2. Which is good / better? Having a holiday on a Sunday, or having a holiday on a Thursday?

3. Brazil are good than / better than Scotland at playing football.

4. The UAE are (not) as good as / (not) as better as Scotland at playing football.

5. In summer the climate in the UAE is badder than / worse than Scotland. However, in winter, the weather in the UAE is gooder than / better than the weather in Scotland.

6. Surveys have shown that Vancouver is supposed to be the betterest / the best place to live in Canada.

7. The Asian tsunami of December 26th 2004 was the worsest / the worst ever recorded for loss of life.

Use the sentences above to complete the table below.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

good

__________ + than

(not) ‘as __________ as’ the __________

bad

__________ + than

(not) ‘as ___________ as’ the __________