12th November

Grammar:  Comparatives

Superlatives:

In the superlative you talk about one thing only and how it is the best, worst, etc. You do not compare two things. The following guidelines apply to the superlative:

1-syllable adjectives: add -est to the adjective (plus the)

• My sister is the tallest in our family.
• Yesterday was the coldest day of the year so far.

2-syllable adjectives ending in -y: change the -y to -iest (plus the)

• The richest people are not always the happiest.
• Which do you think is the easiest language to learn?
• She's the luckiest person I know.

Beware: Do not confuse adjectives and adverbs. 2-syllable adverbs ending in -y form their superlative with the words the most. Example: Of all the people I know my father drives the most quickly (quickliest).

Other 2-syllable adjectives: use the most with the unchanged adjective

• The most boring thing about ESL class is doing grammar exercises.
• My sister is the most careful person I know.

Adjectives with 3 or more syllables: use the most with the unchanged adjective

• Some people think that Russian is the most difficult language.
• Albert Einstein was the most intelligent person in history.
• My most enjoyable class is English.
• You are the most irritating person I have ever met!

Following are two common irregular comaparative/superlative forms:

• good-better-the best
• bad-worse-the worst

Practice: The Dice Game

Topic: Shopping
Speaking

Write down 5 questions to ask your partner about their shopping habits.

2. Discuss with your partner:

• The differences between shopping in large department stores and small independent shops.
• How people’s shopping habits have changed over the years.

Vocabulary
1.
Match the idioms (in italics) using the word ‘shop’ to the definitions.
Idiom

1. to shop around

A. to discuss work issues in your free time

2. to shop until you drop

B. to tell the police that someone has committed a crime

3. to talk shop

C. to be disorganised and confused

4. to go window shopping

D. to rush around and knock things over

5. to shoplift

E. to buy many things (often without thinking
too much about the cost)

6. to shop someone

F. to look around the shops but buy nothing

7. to be all over the shop

G. to go shopping until you are so tired you
can’t carry on

8. to be like a bull in a china shop

H. to look for the best price

9. to go on a shopping spree

I. to steal something from a shop


2. Read the text below.

• Do you think the writer is male or female? How do you know?
 What are the differences between the way men and women shop?


When I was at university in London, I used to love to pop into town on a Saturday afternoon and take a break from (1)discussing work with my classmates. Unfortunately, since I was a student and I had to be careful with my money, I usually ended up (2) just looking. If, on the odd occasion, I did need to buy something, I had to (3) search for the best price and went (4) around in a panic to find the best deal.
I have my first job now and don’t live in London anymore. When I get the chance to go back, I usually (5) buy lots of things and (6) carry on shopping until I am exhausted. It’s all very exciting but I (7) rush around and knock things over as I try to find what I’m looking for.

3. Replace the underlined phrases in the above text with ‘shop’ idioms that you have just learnt.
4. Create one new sentence using the two idioms from Vocabulary Question 1 that you didn’t
use when you rewrote the text.

Listening: Watch the video on shopping in London: A Guide to Shopping in London

What adjectives / superlatives are used to describe each area? List them as you hear them

• Can you remember what types of shopping you can do in these different areas?

Oxford Street
Knightsbridge
Camden Town
Borough Market
Portobello Road

Giving a talk

Choose one area of a city you know and  prepare a five-minute speech about shopping in this area.

• To gather information, you could use the internet where you can search for information in the section called ‘Shopping’.
• Present your talk to your class. 
• Listen to your classmates talk and think of a question to ask each speaker.