What is the best gift you've ever gotten

Shooting Game -- Superlative --est/most vs. Comparative --er/more

http://easyesolgrammar.blogspot.com/

Shopping Around (Kids' video to practice too)

too, very, or so?

Game to practice comparative

Where is the best place to buy your groceries this week?
Here are some links with some grocery sales.  Most show the sale prices this week, but Walmart is easy to search by product. (Thing you want to buy).  Comparing is easier if you pick something on sale at another store then search for the same thing on the Walmart page.

Aldi's

Amazon Fresh

Lidl

Giant food circular -- pick your store first

Fresh World

Shoppers Food Warehouse

Harris Teeter Specials

H-Mart

Walmart

Target

Wegmans

Food Lion

Amazon

Costco

J and L Green Farms

Farmer's Markets in Northern VA

The Sweetest....

"We have taken many rides on troubled shores" means we have experienced problems.

It's a metaphor -- not an expression you should use.

shore=beach (or land near the line between water and land)

Superlative Examples

Do you like sugary desserts?  What is the sweetest dessert that you like?  What makes you happy?  What are your sweetest memories?

Comparing things

Adjectives that compare 2 things = Comparative

1 syllable -  add ER  (short -- shorter, tall--taller)
1 syllable that was spelled with 1 consonant -- 1 vowel -- 1 consonant-- repeat the last consonant to keep the short (not the name) vowel sound -- add ER  (big-bigger, thin--thinner)
2 syllables that end in ow or le  add ER (yellow-yellower, little--littler)
2 syllables that end in Y -- change the Y to I and add ER  (pretty--prettier, happy-happier)
Other 2 syllables act like
3 or more syllables:  Use the word more before the adjective.  (more modern, more beautiful, more interesting)

Superlative= Adjectives that compare 3 or more things - use the same categories, 

                      but add THE and use different suffixes (est) or helping words.(The most)

1 syllable - add EST (short - the shortest, tall - the tallest)

1 syllable CVC - 1 consonant 1 vowel 1 consonant -- double the last letter and add EST.  The Biggest, the Thinnest.

2 syllables that end with ow or le act like 1 syllable:  Narrowest, littlest

2 syllables ending in Y -- NO Y -- add iest pretty-prettiest, happy-happiest, silly- silliest

Other 2 syllables act like

3 or more syllables -- NO ENDING -- USE THE MOST before the adjective:  The most modern, the most beautiful, the most interesting.

Exceptions:  good -- better -- the best

                      bad - worse than -- the worst

                      far -- farther -- the farthest

                      fun -- more fun -- the most fun

Rules and Examples in a slideshow

Comparative

Comparative and Superlative

Nearest to Craziness

 

Did you feel crazy when you first fell in love?  IWhat actions drivesyou crazy?

The Best things in life are free!

 

What are the best things in your life?  Are the best things really free?

Stay

(Challenge video because some of it is fast.  I hope you enjoy it.)  

Where are the best and worst places you stayed when you last (most recently) traveled?

How do you prepare when you plan to have company?  How do you make their stay wonderful?

Nothing Compares

 

Practice Simple Present Tense verbs

Learn and practice comparative & superlative adjectives

What are the best things in life? 

NO SCHOOL TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY FOR EID AL ADHA!

 

We don't have school because it's an Islamic Holiday!

Are you celebrating Eid?  How?  What are you doing?

 If not, what's your favorite holiday?  How do you celebrate it?

Happier...

Grammar:  We change adjectives when we compare

I hope that you are happier now that you understand English a little better.  What other things make you feel happier?  What do you enjoy doing?

Memorial Day -- NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!!

On Memorial Day, we remember people who died in military service.  We also often shop, have barbecues, and go to outdoor pools and water parks.  Many outdoor pools open on Memorial Day.

Do you like to shop?

  

Springfield Mall Sales 

Potomac Mills Sales

Pentagon City Sales

Tysons Corner Sales

Leesburg Outlet Sales

Fair Oaks Sales

Things to Do for Families with Children


At the end of the day, many military units play "Taps" at bedtime.  "Taps" is often played at military funerals.  It's rare to hear lyrics except in Boy Scouts.  "Safely Rest" (not "Bob Good Night") is usually the last line.

One of my students suggested the following song as a tribute to military families.  

Can you find which word is not spelled correctly?

Voice of America Article on Memorial Day

Online Word Search for Memorial Day

What are you doing for memorial day?  (I plan to relax!)

Challenge Listening: test anxiety

The best way to overcome test anxiety is to relax and take a LOT of tests.  On a reading test, the answer is always there.  Breathe, find your key words, match up the idea and move on. 

Did you take a lot of tests when you were young?

Did you ever enjoy a test?

If yes, tell me about it!

What is the most important test you took?  Was it difficult?  How did you prepare?.

Longer...

Practice game: comparative

Slide show from class

Student Examples:  Spring 2025

Study and Practice Using Comparatives and Superlatives

What are your best attributes?  Write about two of your friends.  Who is taller?  Who is younger?  Who is funnier?  Who is farther away?

Shopping Project

 Shopping Project

Pick one to three things you want to shop for. Compare prices and quality from different stores.  Use comparative and superlative sentences to report to me.

These lyrics shouldn't be "you better." They should be "you'd better." "Had better is an even stronger "must" than "must" or "have to"

Do you think this mom gave good advice? What do you have to do this weekend? Is there anything you'd better do?

Happier than ever -- Billie Eilish

Is there anyone that you are happier NOT to have in your life?

Write about an obnoxious family member or ex.  What qualities do you dislike?  Why is it easy to set boundaries with this person?

We're not broken, just bent

 

What things can be fixed?  What needs to be replaced?

The time of our lives

"Let's have the time of our lives"  means let's have the most fun ever.

Write about a time you had fun! Where did you go?  What did you do?

Can you use "Let's _____(base verb)" to suggest fun activities?

Let's Go Fly a Kite

 

How do you recommend I make this class better?

What was your favorite activity when you were a child?

Let's go!

Let's have fun!  What are you going to do today?

Let's Get LOUD!

Gotta ______(base verb) is an informal way to express "have got to ______(base verb) 

which means must ____ or have to _____.
Ain't nobody is an informal way to say, "there isn't anybody that"

What do you have to do this weekend?  What do you want to do?

Our House

This song pronounces vase as olive-sock vase -- that's British English.

In the US, we say gray-day vase.

House Vocabulary Practice with Learning Chocolate (cupboard and cabinet are interchangeable words -.not for top and bottom.)

Language Guide House Vocabulary

Learning Chocolate: Kitchen 1

Kitchen Vocabulary from Language Guide

Kitchen 2

What do you like about your home?  What don't you like?  What do you plan to change?

Home Repair--More Vocabulary

House Vocabulary from Languageguide.org

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/kitchen/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/kitchen2/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/bathroom/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/bathroom2/

http://www.languageguide.org/english/vocabulary/utility-room/

This next video is way too fast and silly, but it uses class vocabulary!

http://www.learningchocolate.com/content/tools-1

http://www.learningchocolate.com/content/tools-2

A handyman can fix many things.  Do you have any household problems that could use a handyman?  Did you ever fix something?  What did you fix?

Calling your landlord when the dryer doesn't work

A landlord or landlady is the owner of a property that someone rents.  They should pay for any big repairs.  The renter changes light bulbs and keeps things clean.

Vocabulary Practice with Learning Chocolate

Who can you call when you are the home owner?  

Did you ever fix something using YouTube videos for instruction?

Did you ever call a landlord or a landlady?  Why?

Bad Landlord

 

Blight is a disease that suddenly kills many plants.  Urban blight is bad condition homes that make a neighborhood feel unsafe.

Did you ever have a bad landlord?  What did you do?

What do you recommend?

 

Do bad situations teach more than good situations?  How do you remember vocabulary and irregular verbs?  Write about a situation that taught you valuable things.

For those who love Mother's Day....

 A tribute to loving mothers.... (for Mother's day...)

Please write three positive things about a mother you know.  

One Cup of Coffee

 

Do you like to drink coffee?  How do you take your coffee?  Do you prefer tea?  How do you take your tea?  What's your favorite beverage?  What's your favorite snack? What brands do you recommend?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo this week?  What are you doing?  

 

Many North Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo because they like the wonderful benefits of many Latino cultures' contributions here in the USA. They often don't understand the  holiday's focus on the amazing victory of Mexicans over the French Army in the Battle of Puebla de Los Angeles.  

In the US, many people wear Mexican-inspired clothes, eat tacos, and drink margaritas.  Some businesses try to make Cinco de Mayo into a Latino version of St. Patrick's day. The businesses that want to celebrate "Latino culture" often have no idea that different South or Central American countries are VERY different from each other. 

Challenging Video:  Ask History: Cinco de Mayo  Try using YouTube settings -- .7 to slow it down

My children's elementary school always celebrated all immigrants on Cinco de Mayo -- they usually had an international pot luck celebration.  One of my best memories of celebrating Cinco de Mayo was when I first ate Pakistani Kebobs.

In Japan, today is children's day.  There are many fish flying!!

Are you doing anything to celebrate Mexican, Latino, Japanese, or any culture this week?

At my worst

 

Describe a great friend or partner.

Are there any bad qualities that you don't pay attention to

because you really like that person?

On a Wednesday -- in a cafe -- I watched it begin again

 

ESL Lounge Prepositions of Time Quiz

Prepositions of time explanations and practice

Write about a friend and how you met.