Intermediate Conversation Lesson – Comparatives – 45 minutes
This simple but effective lesson is a perfect review of comparatives and gives your students plenty of opportunities to speak and communicate with each other using the target grammar.
Comparatives Discussion
When you make a comparative, you add “-er” or “more” to an adjective.
Examples:
1. That guy is more interesting than my teacher.
2. The dog is bigger than the cat.
3. My coworker is friendlier than my boss.
A. Add another word to the final row of each category.
| 1 syllable | 2 syllables ending in -y | 2 or more syllables |
| bigger | friendlier | more interesting |
| fatter | crazier | more beautiful |
| sadder | happier | more boring |
| 1. | 2. | 3. |
B. In addition to the rules above, there are some irregular comparatives. Do you know the comparatives of the following adjectives?
1. good _________
2. bad _________
3. far ________
4. fun ________
C. Try making your own comparative sentences using the prompts below.
1. old man, young man, happy
2. pop music, rock music, good
3. the beach, the mountains, exciting
D. Ask and answer the following discussion questions as partners. Fill in the blanks with comparatives as you go.
1. When you were a child, was science or math _____________ for you? Why? (hard)
2. What is _____________ to learn, English or your own language? Why? (difficult)
3. Is life _____________ for children today or children when you were young? Why? (easy)
4. Who is _____________, children nowadays or children from the past? Why? (busy)
5. Has technology made our lives _____________? Why or why not? (good)
6. Are you _____________ in technology now or were you _____________ when you were young? Why? (interested)
7. What’s _____________, shopping in-store or online? Why? (convenient)
8. Is it _____________ to buy new clothes, new electronics, or something else? Why? (useful)
9. Is it a _____________ waste of time to play a video game or scroll on social media? Why? (big)
10. Is it _____________ to work in the office or at home? Why? (efficient)
11. If you could choose, would you prefer work/school to start _____________ or _____________? Why? (early, late)
12. Are you _____________ in the morning or at night? Why? (active)
13. Is it _____________ to play sports or watch sports? (entertaining)
14. Would it be _____________ to learn a musical instrument or learn to paint? Why? (fun)
15. What’s _____________ comedies or action movies? Why? (cool)
16. If you could go on vacation to the beach or a historical city, which would be _____________ for you? Why? (nice)
17. Would you prefer a _____________ vacation or a _____________ one? Why? (calm, exciting)
18. Would you like to live in a _____________ home? Why or why not? (big)
19. If you could choose, would you prefer to be _____________ or _____________? Why? (tall, funny)
20. When you’re older, do you think you will be _____________ or _____________? Why? (wise, brave)
