What's the difference between these sentences?
What words are new? What do they tell you about the cat?
🎙 Speak: Look around. Tell me about something you see. Use at least two words to describe it.
English is boring if you just say "I have a cat" or "The weather is nice." With adjectives, you can paint a picture: "I have a beautiful, fluffy, grey cat" or "The weather is hot and sunny." This makes your English more interesting and clear.
🎙 Speak: Tell me two sentences about yourself. Use at least one word to describe yourself in each.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells us more about what something is like.
| Noun Alone | Noun + Adjective(s) |
|---|---|
| cat | a big cat |
| coffee | hot coffee / black coffee |
| house | a beautiful, old house |
| day | a sunny, warm day |
| person | a friendly, intelligent person |
Position Rule: Adjectives usually come BEFORE the noun in English.
✓ "a big house" (correct)
✗ "a house big" (wrong)
Size & Shape: big, small, long, short, tall, wide, round, square
Color: red, blue, green, yellow, white, black, orange, pink, purple, brown
Quality: good, bad, nice, beautiful, ugly, clean, dirty, hot, cold, warm, cool, fast, slow, easy, difficult, happy, sad, angry, tired, hungry, thirsty
People: friendly, kind, clever, stupid, interesting, boring, young, old
🎙 Speak: Point to five things around you. Describe each with one adjective.
I'll say an adjective and a noun. You repeat:
"a big house"
"a beautiful day"
"a cold coffee"
"an interesting book"
"a friendly person"
🎙 Speak: Say them out loud. Nice and clear.
Tell me three sentences. Each one describes something in your life:
🎙 Speak: Tell me your three sentences now.
These words tell you how often something happens.
| Adverb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ALWAYS | 100% of the time | I always drink coffee in the morning. |
| USUALLY | Most of the time (~80-90%) | I usually go to bed at 10pm. |
| OFTEN | Many times (~50-70%) | I often read books. |
| SOMETIMES | Once in a while (~30-50%) | I sometimes eat ice cream. |
| RARELY | Not very often (~10-20%) | I rarely drink wine. |
| NEVER | 0% of the time | I never eat meat. |
Position Rule: Put the adverb of frequency AFTER "am/is/are" but BEFORE other verbs:
✓ "I am usually happy." (after is/am/are)
✓ "I usually eat pizza." (before the main verb)
1. "I eat breakfast." (What word goes here?)
You could say: "I always eat breakfast" or "I sometimes eat breakfast" or "I never eat breakfast." It depends on YOUR life.
2. "I am late." (What's the right position?)
"I am usually late." (Put the adverb AFTER "am")
🎙 Speak: Tell me three things. How often do you do them? Use always, usually, sometimes, or never.
🎙 Speak: Tell me about your daily life. How often do you: (1) eat breakfast, (2) exercise, (3) watch TV? Use always, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never.
When you compare two things, add -ER and use THAN.
| Base Form | Comparative (-ER) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| big | bigger | A house is bigger than a flat. |
| small | smaller | A cat is smaller than a dog. |
| fast | faster | A car is faster than a bike. |
| cold | colder | Winter is colder than autumn. |
| happy | happier | I am happier on weekends than on Monday. |
Rule for Double Letters: If a short word ends in one vowel + one consonant, double the consonant: big → bigger, hot → hotter, sad → sadder.
When you compare three or more things, add -EST and use THE.
| Base Form | Superlative (-EST) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| big | the biggest | A house is the biggest of my three homes. |
| small | the smallest | A phone is the smallest of my devices. |
| fast | the fastest | A plane is the fastest way to travel. |
| difficult | the most difficult | That exam was the most difficult I've ever done. |
Long Adjectives (3+ syllables): Use "MORE" for comparative and "MOST" for superlative: beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful.
1. "A dog is than a cat." (big/bigger)
"A dog is bigger than a cat." (Comparing two things = use -ER form + THAN)
2. "The sun is star." (hot/hotter/hottest?)
"The sun is the hottest star." (We're talking about all stars in general = use -EST form + THE)
3. "Pizza is than salad." (delicious/more delicious)
"Pizza is more delicious than salad." (Long adjective = use MORE + adjective)
🎙 Speak: Create your own sentence. Compare two things. Use bigger, smaller, more interesting, etc.
🎙 Speak: Tell me your three comparisons now. Use -ER and -EST forms.
1. "I eat at restaurants." (usually / expensive)
"I usually eat at expensive restaurants." (usually = adverb of frequency before the verb; expensive = adjective before the noun)
2. "This book is than that book." (more interesting)
"This book is more interesting than that book." (Comparing two = comparative form)
3. "I am happy. I smile." (always / very)
"I am very happy. I always smile." (very = adverb modifying the adjective; always = adverb of frequency)
🎙 Speak: Create your own sentences for each pattern. Tell me.
Choose one topic. Speak about it for about one minute using adjectives, adverbs, and comparisons.
Pick one card. Speak for about one minute. Aim to use:
🎙 Speak: Start. Use your adjectives and comparisons naturally.
...use adjectives to describe things, adverbs of frequency to say how often I do things, and compare things using -ER, -EST, MORE, and MOST.
1. Where do adjectives go in a sentence?
BEFORE the noun. "A big house" (not "a house big"). "A beautiful day" (not "a day beautiful").
2. What's the difference between "usually" and "always"?
"Always" = 100% of the time. "Usually" = most of the time (~80-90%). "I always drink coffee" means every single day. "I usually drink coffee" means most days, but not always.
3. How do you compare two things?
Add -ER and use THAN. Example: "A dog is bigger than a cat." (Or use MORE for long adjectives: "more interesting than")
4. What's the superlative form of "big"?
"The biggest." (Add -EST and use THE) Example: "A house is the biggest of all buildings."
Which activity was most helpful?
🎙 Speak: Pick one. Tell me why it helped you.
🎙 Speak: Describe something or someone you know well. Use at least three adjectives. Use a comparison if you can.