English I

PROGRAMA INGLS I
Nociones Gramaticales: - Pronombres personales - Verbo to be (am, is, are / af, neg, int) - Wh questions - Adjetivos posesivos - Adjetivos calificativos - Verbo to have - Artculos definidos e indefinidos - Sustantivos singulares y plurales Nociones Gramaticales: Preposiciones de tiempo (in, on, at) Preposiciones de lugar (in, on, at, between, in front of, under, above, next to, behind, across from, etc) Adjetivos demostrativos There is / There are Vocabulario: - Miembros de la familia - Sentimientos y estados de nimo - Pases y nacionalidades - Descripcin fsica (partes del cuerpo) - Colores - Ocupaciones y profesiones - Estado civil (married, single, divorced, etc) - Nmeros (1-100) - Alfabeto Vocabulario: Verbos de accin Direcciones Partes de la casa Mobiliario Lugares pblicos (local, nacional y mundial)

CONVERSACIN MNIMA
Saludos y despedidas: hello, hi, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, give me five. good bye, bye, see you, see you later, so long, good night, etc. Permisos: May I come in?, May I go out?, May I go to the restroom?, May I wash my hands?, May I drink some water?, May I write the date?, etc. Negociacin de significado: Sorry? Repeat please Excuse me? What does_ mean? Whats the meaning of _? How do you say ___ in English? Instrucciones: Open your book at page _ , stand up, sit down, be quiet please, work in pairs, work in groups of three/five, mingle around, find someone who, read, write, listen, guess, underline, circle, match, complete, etc.

PROPSITO DEL CURSO

Los alumnos consolidan vocabulario aprendido en cursos anteriores para que dentro del saln de clase, despus de trabajar con las habilidades de leer y escuchar se expresen de manera oral y

escrita acerca de s mismos, su entorno y sus actividades. Consolidan estructuras y emplean las nuevas para expresarse de manera oral y/o escrita acerca de s mismos, su entorno y sus actividades. Se apoyan en estrategias de tipo no verbal o paralingustico, para auxiliarse en su desempeo en el idioma ingls. Reconocen similitudes y diferencias entre su lengua materna y la lengua extranjera.

COMPETENCIAS A DESARROLLAR EN EL CURSO

GENRICAS 1.- Escucha, interpreta y emite mensajes pertinentes en distintos contextos mediante la utilizacin de medios, cdigos y herramientas apropiados. 2.- Desarrolla innovaciones y propone soluciones a problemas a partir de mtodos establecidos. DISCIPLINARES 1.- Localiza y ordena distintos datos, ideas y conceptos expresados o implcitos en un texto. 2.- Elabora textos simples en una lengua extranjera para diversos propsitos comunicativos. 3.- Utiliza la informacin contenida en diferentes textos para orientar sus interses en mbitos diversos.

Pronombres personales

Subject and Object Pronouns

We use subject pronouns as subjects of sentences and object pronouns as objects. Subject Pronouns 1st person 2nd person Singular I I kicked the ball Object Pronouns John kicked the ball to me me. John wants to talk to you you. him Mary doesn't like him. her John kissed her. John smashed it.

you You like to study.

Plural

3rd person (male) he He eats green cheese. 3rd person (female) she She likes ice cream. 3rd person (nonit It bit John. it person) We enjoy going to the 1st person we us movies. 2nd person you You are the best students. you 3rd person they They are not happy.

The politician lied to us. I wouldn't lie to you. Mary didn't invite them them.

Extra Credit
We use pronouns as substitutes for noun phrases. The pronoun and the noun phrase that it refers to mean the same thing.

Just for fun consider the following example. If this one doesn't make sense, don't worry about it. It's just for fun.

Use the correct personal pronouns. Watch the words in brackets. Example: ___ often reads books. (Lisa) Answer: She often reads books.

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Have

is dreaming. (George) is green. (the blackboard) are on the wall. (the posters) is running. (the dog) are watching TV. (my mother and I) are in the garden. (the flowers) is riding his bike. (Tom) is from Bristol. (Victoria) has got a brother. (Diana) got a computer, Mandy?

Fast Food
(from Wikipedia.org) Fast food is food which is prepared and served quickly at outlets called fast-food restaurants. It is a multi-billion dollar industry which continues to grow rapidly in many countries. Fast-food outlets are take-away or take-out providers, often with a "drive-thru" service which allows customers to order and pick up food from their cars; but most also have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises. Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten "on the go" and often does not require traditional dominant cutlery. Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, and ice cream, although many fast-food restaurants offer "slower" foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads. However, even though Western-style Chinese cuisine is most often served as take-away, it is seldom considered o be fast food. The modern history of fast-food in America is connected with the history of the hamburger, as the earliest fast-food outlets sold hamburgers as their primary product. The American company White Castle is generally credited with opening the first fast-food outlet in Topeka, Kansas in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents apiece. Among its innovations, the company allowed customers to see the food being prepared. White Castle later added five holes to each beef patty to increase its surface area and speed cooking times. White Castle was successful from its inception and spawned numerous competitors. In recent decades, Mexican-style food like tacos and burritos, as well as pizza, have also become staples of fast food culture. McDonald's, a noted fast-food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in 1955. It has become a phenomenally successful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion. Ray Kroc, who bought the franchising license from the McDonald brothers, pioneered many concepts which emphasized standardization. He introduced uniform products, identical in all respects at each outlet, to increase sales. At the same time, Kroc also insisted on cutting food costs as much as possible, eventually using the McDonald's Corporation's size to force suppliers to conform to this ethos.

Verbo to be (am, is, are / af. neg. int)

To be - Positive Sentences & Contractions

Full Forms of the verb to be I He am is a student. a teacher.

She It We You They

is is are are are

a journalist. a book. mechanics. pilots. policemen.

Contracted forms of the verb to be I He She It We You They am is is is are are are a student. a teacher. a journalist. a book. mechanics. pilots. policemen.

The verb to be - exercise

Chose the correct form of the verb to be - am/is/are. 1. It 2. I

---

cold today. at home now.

---

---

3. They 4. There

Korean. a pen on the desk.

---

---

5. My name

Nikita.

6. We 7. That 8. I
---

---

from Ukraine. right. OK, thanks.

---

---

9. Clara and Steve 10. She

Check It!
---

married.

an English teacher.

The verb to be - more practice

Set the words in the correct order to make positive sentences with the verb to be. 1 years am old. I twenty-five

2 We are from Venezuela.

3 I'm a Anton is and name student. My

4 is my book. This

5 It's a nice today. day

6 is name Her Paul. brother's

7 is engineer. an John

8 name My is husband's Johansson.

9 are in twelve students There class. my

10 address top letter. at My new the is of the

To be - negative forms and contractions

Full negative forms of the verb to be I He She It We You They am not is not is not is not are not are not are not a singer. a receptionist. a nurse. my book. not musicians. a shop assistant. taxi drivers.

Contracted negative forms of the verb to be I'm not a singer.

He She It We You They

isn't isn't isn't aren't aren't aren't

a receptionist. a nurse. my book. not musicians. a shop assistant. taxi drivers.

Negative forms of the verb to be - exercise

Complete the gaps with the negative forms of the verb to be. Example: She
isn't

from France. mine. married.

1. This book 2. Jane and Peter 3. That 4. My brother 5. We 6. It

right. here at the moment. in England. Monday today. Peters.

7. Jennie's surname 8. I 9. My name 10. There

isn't|is not;aren't|a

a hairdresser. Alexander. many people in this class.

Negative forms of the verb to be - more practice

Make the positive sentences negatives. Example: I am a student.

I'm not a student.

1. This exercise is difficult. 2. We're from Spain. 3. My grandmother's name's Adelaide. 4. The kids are in the garden. 5. You're English. 6. My car is very expensive. 7. This is my student's notebook. 8. These photographs are very nice. 9. Alex is twenty-five years old. 10. I'm fine.

The verb to be - yes / no questions

Am Is Is Is Are

I he she it we

right? here? a nurse? second-hand? wrong?

Are Are

you they

Alan Parker? American?

Yes / no questions with the verb to be - exercise

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb to be - am, is, are. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
---

Jane and Alice sisters? this car yours? I in your way? Maria John's sister? you twenty-five years old? the Smiths divorced? this your new bicycle?

---

---

---

---

---

---

Yes / no questions with the verb to be - more practice

Set on the words in the correct order to make positive sentences with the verb to be. 1 2 Are hot? you this your book? Is

3 from Peters States? Is Unites Mr. the 4 Are married? they

5 6

I right Am or wrong? daughter's Sandra? Is name your

7 Mr. Are Jenkins? Mrs. and you

CITATION nik02 \l 2058

Simple Present
Form = VERB(s)

Max plays tennis every weekend. Max goes to work at 9 o'clock. Todd usually eats pizza for breakfast. The simple present is used to express that something happens or someone does some thing habitually or on a regular basis.

Water boils at 212 Fahrenheit. The Earth orbits the Sun. The Earth is flat*. The simple present is also used to express factual information.

The movie starts in twenty minutes. Max's plane leaves at 9:00. The simple present with future expressions can be used to express future events.

This guy goes into a bar and says the bartender... The simple present can be used to narrate events that took place in the past or to narrate stories.

Max appears happy. Mary seems nice. I think that Mary is nice. Joe likes pizza. The simple present is used to express present conditions or states with stative and perception verbs.

Simple Present, Exercise on Use

05 0

The following sentences express possession, senses, emotions or mental activity. Verbs of possession, senses, emotions and mental activity must be used with the simple present. Put the verbs into the correct form.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I (like) He (hate)

like

pizza. garlic. tea to coffee. to get away from here. me. it. why you are so mean. that this is right. ? the music?

My sister (prefer) I (want)

She (not / understand) I (not / believe) I (not / know) We (not / think) What (mean / it)

10. (you / hear)

Michael Jordan
(from Wikipedia.org) Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. He became the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation and was instrumental in spreading the appeal of the National Basketball Association around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He is currently a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York,the third son of James and Delores Jordan, who moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina when Michael was young. Jordan attended Ogden Elementary School and then Trask Junior High School. Jordan has two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. At Emsley A. Laney High School, he became a better student and a three-sport star in football (at quarterback), baseball, and basketball. He was cut from the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year because at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) he was deemed underdeveloped, but over the summer he grew four inches (10 cm) and practiced even harder. Over his next two seasons, he averaged 25 points per game. He began focusing on basketball, practicing every morning before school with his high school varsity coach. In his senior season at Laney High, Jordan averaged a tripledouble: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists. He was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.

Wh questions

WH Question Words
We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions). We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for example WHy, HoW). (englishclub, 2011)

Question Word

Function

Example

what

asking for information about something

What is your name?

asking for repetition or confirmation

What? I can't hear you. You did what?

what...for

asking for a reason, asking why

What did you do that for?

when

asking about time

When did he leave?

where

asking in or at what place or position

Where do they live?

which

asking about choice

Which colour do you want?

who

asking what or which person or people (subject)

Who opened the door?

whom

asking what or which person or people (object)

Whom did you see?

whose

asking about ownership

Whose are these keys? Whose turn is it?

why

asking for reason, asking what...for

Why do you say that?

why don't

making a suggestion

Why don't I help you?

how

asking about manner

How does this work?

asking about condition or quality

How was your exam?

how + adj/adv

asking about extent or degree

see examples below

how far

distance

How far is Pattaya from Bangkok?

how long

length (time or space)

How long will it take?

how many

quantity (countable)

How many cars are there?

how much

quantity (uncountable)

How much money do you have?

how old

age

How old are you?

how come (informal)

asking for reason, asking why

How come I can't see her?

Basic Question Types

There are 3 basic types of question:
1. Yes/No Questions (the answer to the question is "Yes" or "No") 2. Question Word Questions (the answer to the question is "Information") 3. Choice Questions (the answer to the question is "in the question") 1. Yes/No Questions auxiliary verb subject main verb want dinner? Answer Yes or No Yes, I do.

Do

you

Can Has Did

you she they

drive? finished go her work? home?

No, I can't. Yes, she has. No, they didn't.

Exception! verb be simple present and simple past Is Was Anne Ram French? at home? Yes, she is. No, he wasn't.

2. Question Word Questions question word auxiliary verb subject main verb Answer Information In Paris. lunch? At 1pm. She met Ram. it? Because she can't.

Where When Who Why

do will did hasn't

you we she Tara

live? have meet? done

Exception! verb be simple present and simple past Where How is was Bombay? she? In India. Very well.

3. Choice Questions auxiliary verb subject main verb OR Answer In the question

Do Will Did

you we she

want meet go

tea John to London

or or or

coffee? James? New York?

Coffee, please. John. She went to London.

Exception! verb be simple present and simple past Is Were your car they white $15 or or black? $50? It's black. $15.

Adjetivos posesivos
Possessive Adjectives Se utilizan para indicar a quin pertenece el sujeto u objeto de la oracin. Van seguidos de un sustantivo (o una clusula nominal). Possessive Adjectives my mi / mis your tu / tus his su / sus her su / sus its su / sus our nuestro/a/os/as your vuestro/a/os/as their su / sus

Como se puede observar, son muchos menos que en espaol, ya que no se diferencian en singular o plural. Por ejemplo: my car mi auto my cars mis autos

Sin embargo, debe prestar atencin cuando se refiere a la tercera persona, ya que en castellano se usa "su" en todos los casos, mientras que en ingls varan segn la persona. Nota adems que "your" puede referirse al singular (tu) o al plural (vuestro). my house your house his house her house its house our house your house their house Si se est hablando de una persona y se describe su casa, se usara his o her, segn el sexo de dicha persona. John lives in New York. His house is very big. Susan lives in New York. Her house is very big. Pero si se habla de un animal se debe utilizar its. The cat lives in New York. Its name is Bob.

Possessive Adjectives exercises

Write the correct word in the boxes below. my its your our his their her

1. 2. 3.

The boy likes Mary sees My friends bring

school. mother every day. children to our place on Saturdays.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

The cat eats I often forget You write in We bring

food quickly. key. book in class. pencils to class. wives to the party. class in the morning. grandchildren.

The men always bring Mr Adams teaches

She likes to give presents to

Adjetivos calificativos Verbo to have Artculos definidos e indefinidos The definite article - the
(www.englisch-hilfen.de, 2011)

The definite article the is the same for all genders in singular and in plural. the boy, the girl, the cat, the computers If the following word begins with a vowel, we speak [ with a consonant, we speak [ ].
[ ] [ ]

], if the following word begins

the following word starts with a spoken consonant

the following word starts with a spoken vowel

the girl the book the school the unit Here a [ ] is pronounced at the beginning of the word.

the English girl the blue book the old school the uncle Here a [ ] is pronounced at the beginning of the word.

We have listed some examples in the following table. There you can see when we use the definite article and when we don't.
without the definite article general words (indefinite) Life is too short. I like flowers. with the definite article general words (definite) I've read a book on the life of Bill Clinton. I like the flowers in your garden.

names of persons on the singular, relatives family names in the plural Peter and John live in London. Aunt Mary lives in Los Angeles. public buildings, institutions, means of transport (indefinite) Mandy doesn't like school. We go to school by bus. Some people go to church on Sundays. names of countries in the singular; summits of mountains; continents; towns Germany, France; Mount Whitney, Mount McKinley; Africa, Europe; Cairo, New York single islands Corfu, Bermuda, Sicily

The Smiths live in Chicago.

public buildings, institutions, means of transport (definite) The school that Mandy goes to is old. The bus to Dresden leaves at 7.40. The round church in Klingenthal is famous. names of countries in the plural; mountain ranges; regions

the United States of America, the Netherlands; the Highlands, the Rocky Mountains, the Alps; the Middle East, the west of Australia

groups of islands the Bahamas, the British Isles, the Canaries

parks; lakes; streets

name with of-phrase; oceans; seas; rivers

Central Park, Hyde Park; Lake Michigan, Loch Ness; 42nd Street, Oxford Street
months, days of the week (indefinite) The weekend is over on Monday morning. July and August are the most popular months for holidays.

the Statue of Liberty, the Tower (of London), the Isle of Wight; the Atlantic (Ocean); the Mediterranean (Sea); the Nile, the Rhine, the Suez Canal
months, days of the week (definite) I always remember the Monday when I had an accident. The August of 2001 was hot and dry.

We use the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) with or without the definite article. in summer or in the summer The American English word for autum >fall< is always used with the definte article.

Sometimes we use the article and sometimes we do not. It often depends on the context. Watch the following example: The student goes to school. The mother goes to the school. In the first sentence we do not use the definite article, in the second we do. The student goes to school for its primary purpose, so we do not use the article. The mother might talk to a teacher, for example. She visits the school for a different reason. That's why we use the definite article in the second sentence.

The indefinite article - a

The indefinte article is the a is the same for all genders. a boy, a girl, a cat The indefinte article has no plural form. a boy - boys We use an if the following word starts with a vowel. the following word starts with a consonant the following word starts with a vowel

a boy a school a girl Mind the pronunciation of the following word. a unit This u sounds like a consonant, so we use a.

an aunt an old school an American girl

an uncle This u sounds like a vowel, so we use an.

Use of the indefinite article a/an

- before phrases of time and measurements (per week/weekly) We have English 4 times a week. I go on holiday twice a year. Our car can do 220 kilometres an hour. Tomatoes are $2 a kilo. - before phrases of jobs My father is a car mechanic. - with a noun complement He is a good boy. - before phrases of nationality Bruce Springsteen is an American. - half/quite We need half a pound of sugar. This is quite a good story.

Ex. Circle in the article >a<, >an< or >the< where necessary. Choose >x< where no article is used.
1) I like x, the, a, an blue T-shirt over there better than x, the, a, an red one. 2) Their car does 150 miles x, the, a, an hour. 3) Where's x, the, a, an USB drive I lent you last week? 4) Do you still live in x, the, a, an Bristol?

5) Is your mother working in x, the, a, an old office building? 6) Carol's father works as x, the, a, an electrician. 7) The tomatoes are 99 pence x, the, a, an kilo. 8) What do you usually have for x, the, a, an breakfast? 9) Ben has x, the, a, an terrible headache. 10) After this tour you have x, the, a, an whole afternoon free to explore the city.

Preposiciones de tiempo (in, on, at)

Prepositions of time
Preposition Use in months year seasons Examples in July; in September in 1985; in 1999 in summer; in the summer of 69 in the morning; in the afternoon; in the evening in a minute; in two weeks at night at 6 o'clock; at midnight at Christmas; at Easter at the same time on Sunday; on Friday on the 25th of December* on Good Friday; on Easter Sunday; on my birthday on the morning of September the 11th*

in

part of the day

duration part of the day time of day at celebrations fixed phrases days of the week date on special holidays

a special part of a day

after

later than sth. how far sth. happened (in the past) earlier than sth. time that separates two points not later than a special time through the whole of a period of time period of time

after school

ago

6 years ago

before between by

before Christmas between Monday and Friday by Thursday

during

during the holidays

for from ... to from... till/until past since

for three weeks from Monday to Wednesday from Monday till Wednesday from Monday until Wednesday 23 minutes past 6 (6:23) since Monday till tomorrow until tomorrow 23 minutes to 6 (5:37) up to 6 hours a day within a day

two points form a period

time of the day point of time

till/until

no later than a special time

to up to within

time of the day not more than a special time during a period of time

* The words in italic are only spoken, not written (date).

Preposiciones de lugar (in, on, at, between, in front, of, under, above, next to, behind, across, from, etc.) Adjetivos demostrativos

Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns (http://www.saberingles.com, 2011)

Los adjetivos y pronombres demostrativos en ingls son muy fciles de aprender.

Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns

this these that those este / esta estos / estas ese / esa esos / esas

Cuando se utilizan como adjetivos, deben estar seguidos de un sustantivo. This calculator is very good. Esta calculadora es muy buena. These cars are very fast. Estos vehculos son muy veloces. Cuando se utilizan como pronombres, no estn seguidos de sustantivos (dado que justamente los pronombres sirven para reemplazarlos). This is a calculator. Esta es una calculadora. These are calculators. Estas son calculadoras. That is a desk. Ese es un escritorio. Those are desks. Esos son escritorios.

There is / There are

Reflexive Pronouns
We use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object of a sentence are the same person or non-person. Singular 1st person

I talk to myself when I am nervous or excited.

2nd person You cut yourself while cutting tomatoes. 3rd person (male) He hurt himself playing hockey. 3rd person (female) She enjoyed herself at the party. 3rd person (non-person) It saw itself in the mirror. Plural 1st person We blame ourselves for the results of the election. 2nd person You helped yourselves to more ice cream. 3rd person They believed in themselves.

Reflexives in Imperative Sentences

In imperative sentences (where the subject YOU is omitted), we use yourself when talking to one person or yourselves when talking to more than one person.

Don't cut yourself with that knife. Please be careful. Hey guys. Help yourselves to more pizza.

Reflexives to Mean Alone

We use by + reflexive pronoun to mean alone or without any help.

I did my homework by myself. You go to the movies by yourself. He ate dinner by himself. She fixed her car by herself. It got its food out of the cupboard by itself. We ruined everything by ourselves. You ate all of the ice cream by yourselves. They painted the house by themselves.

Test your knowledge

Directions: Choose the best answer to fill in the blank.(10 problems)

A vs. An
Use the indefinite article a / an before singular count nouns. Use a before consonant sounds, and use an before vowel sounds.

an apple a bear

an ostrich a camel an awful sound a rotten egg an ugly cat a small elephant an elephant

Words That Start with H or U

Be careful of words that start with h or u. Some words that begin with these two letters start with a vowel sound and some start with a consonant sound.

For words that start with h, we use a when the h is pronounced, and we use an when the h is silent.

a helicopter an honest politician an hour a hopeful dreamer

For words that begin with u, we use a when the u is pronounced as a consonant, and an when the u is pronounced as a vowel.

an umbrella a unicorn a university an unusual gift

Test your knowledge

Directions: Choose the correct answer to fill in each blank. (10 problems)

Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

One-syllable adjectives.

Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding er for the comparative form and est for the superlative.
One-Syllable Adjective tall old long

Comparative Form taller older longer

Superlative Form tallest oldest longest

Mary is taller than Max. Mary is the tallest of all the students. Max is older than John. Of the three students, Max is the oldest. My hair is longer than your hair. Max's story is the longest story I've ever heard.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add r for the comparative form and st for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e large wise

Comparative Form larger wiser

Superlative Form largest wisest

Mary's car is larger than Max's car. Mary's house is the tallest of all the houses on the block. Max is wiser than his brother. Max is the wisest person I know.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add est for the superlative form.
One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It big thin Comparative Form bigger thinner Superlative Form biggest thinnest

One-Syllable Adjective Ending with a Single Consonant with a Single Vowel before It fat

Comparative Form fatter

Superlative Form fattest

My dog is bigger than your dog. My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood. Max is thinner than John. Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest. My mother is fatter than your mother. Mary is the fattest person I've ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives.

With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
Two-Syllable Adjective peaceful pleasant careful thoughtful

Comparative Form more peaceful more pleasant more careful more thoughtful

Superlative Form most peaceful most pleasant most careful most thoughtful

This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning. Max's house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world. Max is more careful than Mike. Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful. Jill is more thoughtful than your sister. Mary is the most thoughtful person I've ever met.

If the two-syllable adjectives ends with y, change the y to i and add er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add est.
Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -y happy angry busy Comparative Form happier angrier busier Superlative Form happiest angriest busiest

John is happier today than he was yesterday. John is the happiest boy in the world. Max is angrier than Mary. Of all of John's victims, Max is the angriest. Mary is busier than Max. Mary is the busiest person I've ever met.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in er, -le, or ow take er and est to form the comparative and superlative forms.
Two-Syllable Adjective Ending with -er, -le, or -ow narrow gentle

Comparative Form narrower gentler

Superlative Form narrowest gentlest

The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city. This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California. Big dogs are gentler than small dogs. Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectives with three or more syllables.

For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.
Adjective with Three or More Syllables generous important intelligent

Comparative Form more generous more important more intelligent

Superlative Form most generous most important most intelligent

John is more generous than Jack. John is the most generous of all the people I know. Health is more important than money. Of all the people I know, Max is the most important. Women are more intelligent than men. Mary is the most intelligent person I've ever met.

Exceptions.

Irregular adjectives.

Irregular Adjective good bad far little many

Comparative Form better worse farther less more

Superlative Form best worst farthest least most

Italian food is better than American food. My dog is the best dog in the world. My mother's cooking is worse than your mother's cooking. Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er and est and with more and most.
Two-Syllable Adjective clever clever gentle gentle friendly friendly quiet quiet simple simple

Comparative Form cleverer more clever gentler more gentle friendlier more friendly quieter more quiet simpler more simple

Superlative Form cleverest most clever gentlest most gentle friendliest most friendly quietest most quiet simplest most simple

Big dogs are gentler than small dogs. Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest. Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.

Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.

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Forming Comparative and Superlative Adverbs

LY Adverbs.

With LY adverbs (adverbs formed from adjectives by adding -ly to the end) we form the comparative and superlative forms with more and most.

Adjective quiet careful happy

Adverb quietly

Comparative Adverb more quietly

Superlative Adverb most quietly most carefully most happily

carefully more carefully happily more happily

Jeff works more quietly than Steve does. Jeff works the most quietly of all the students. Mary drives more carefully than John does. Of the three drivers, Mary drives the most carefully. Steve works more happily than he used to. Mary sings the most happily of all the girls in the group.

Other Adverbs.

For adverbs which retain the same form as the adjective form, we add -er to form the comparative and -est to form the superlative.
Adjective hard fast early

Adverb hard fast early

Comparative Adverb harder faster earlier

Superlative Adverb hardest fastest earliest

Please work harder. Steve works the hardest. Mary runs faster than John does. Mary runs the fastest of all the runners on the team. Steve gets to work earlier than I do. Steve gets to work the earliest of all.

Irregular Adverbs. Adjective Adverb Comparative Adverb good bad far well badly far better worse farther/further

Superlative Adverb best worst farthest/furthest

John plays tennis better than Jack does. On our tennis team, John plays tennis the best. I did worse on the test than Bart did. On that test, I did the worst in the class. My paper airplane flew farther than yours did. My paper airplane flew the farthest of all.

Test your knowledge

Directions: Choose the best answer. (10 problems)