Corso di inglese base della cooperativa Cedocs di Bolzano

1. Corso base di inglese
LESSON 9
In questa nona unità imparerai a descrivere fisicamente le persone e ad usare correttamente comparativi e superlativi.
Tratteremo inoltre l’uso degli aggettivi e degli avverbi.
Grammar and language
contents:
1)ADJECTIVES
2)COMPARATIVES (form)
3)SUPERLATIVES (form)
4)COMPARATIVES AND
SUPERLATIVES IN SENTENCES
(use)
Vocabulary – COMMON
ADJECTIVES
Practical english –
DESCRIBING A PERSON
(PERSONALITY ADJECTIVES)
Practice – esercizi
1.Listening:
a) ‘HOW TO FIND THE
PERFECT HOUSEMATE’-
dictation
2.Grammar
a)Comparatives- Superlatives
3. Vocabulary
a) revision of vocabulary
Extras:
play hangman with
compartives:
http://go4english.co.uk/qg/read.ph
p?lang=en&unitid=694
The Best Tina Turner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=Fu0iy3jYi5s

2. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.1 ADJECTIVES
FORM
1) Adjectives are invariable. They do not change their form depending on the gender or number of the noun. (gli aggettivi
rimangono sempre invariati):
2. To emphasise or strengthen the meaning of an adjective use 'very' or 'really' (per rendere più ‘forte’ il significato di un
aggettivo si possono usare ‘very’ o ‘really’ prima dell’aggettivo:
A hot potato Some hot potatoes.
A hot potato Some hot potatoes.
POSITION
a) Usually in front of a noun (generalmente prima del sostantivo): A beautiful girl.
b) After verbs like "to be", "to seem", "to look", "to taste" (dopo i verbi come essere, sembrare,apparire‘:
The girl is beautiful
You look tired
This meat tastes funny.

3. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.1 ADJECTIVES
ORDER
Where a number of adjectives are used together, the order depends on the function of the adjective. The usual order is
(quando pù di un aggettivo è usato nella stessa frase, l’ordine dipende dalla funzione dell’aggettivo):
Value/opinion, Size, Age/Temperature, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material (valore/opinione, misura, età/temperature, forma,
colore, origine, materiale)
Value/opinion delicious, lovely, charming
Size small, huge, tiny
Age/Temperature old, hot, young
Shape round, square, rectangular
Colour red, blonde, black
Origin Swedish, Victorian, Chinese
Material plastic, wooden, silver
Examples:
• a lovely old red post-box
• some small round plastic tables
• some charming small silver ornaments

4. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.2 COMPARATIVES - FORM
1) adjectives with one syllable- Add –er (aggettivi con una sillaba aggiungere –er)
clean cleaner
new newer
cheap cheaper
2) adjectives with more than one syllable (except adjectives with two syllables ending in y) Comparison with more (aggettivi
con due o più sillabe, ad eccezione di quelli con sillabe ma che terminano con la –y, si deve aggiungere more prima
dell’aggettivo, l’aggettivo rimane invariato)
interesting more interesting
beautiful more beautiful
expensive more expensive
3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y
easy easier
happy happier
pretty prettier

5. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.2 COMPARATIVES - FORM
Spelling of the adjectives using the endings –er (eccezioni nello spelling)
large larger leave out the silent -e
big bigger
Double the consonant after short vowel
sad sadder
dirty dirtier Change -y to -i (consonant before -y)
shy shyer
Here -y is not changed to -i.
(although consonant before -y)
Irregular Adjectives (aggettivi irregolari)
good better
bad worse
much more uncountable nouns
many more countable nouns
little less
little smaller
Difference in meaning with adjectives:
far
farther farthest distance
further furthest
distance or
time
old
older oldest people and things
elder eldest people (family)

6. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.3 SUPERLATIVES-FORM
1) adjectives with one syllable- Add –est and ‘the’ before the adjective (aggettivi con una sillaba aggiungere –er e ‘the’ davanti
all’aggettivo)
clean the cleanest
new the newest
cheap the cheapest
2) adjectives with more than one syllable (except adjectives with two syllables ending in y) Comparison with most (aggettivi
con due o più sillabe, ad eccezione di quelli con sillabe ma che terminano con la –y, si deve aggiungere more prima dell’aggettivo,
l’aggettivo rimane invariato)
interesting the most interesting
beautiful the most beautiful
expensive the most expensive
3) adjectives with two syllables, ending in -y
easy the easiest
happy the happiest
pretty the prettiest

7. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.4 Use of Comparative Adjectives
Comparatives are used to compare two things. (Usiamo i ‘compartivi’ per mettere a confronto due cose o due persone)
A>B or A<B
The comparative adjective is usually followed by "than". (nelle frasi i
comparativi di maggioranza o minoranza sono generalmente seguiti da
‘than’)
•
•John is 1m80. He is tall. But Chris is 1m85. Chris is taller than John. Or
John is shorter than Chris.
•America is big. But Russia is bigger.
•I want to have a more powerful computer than yours.
•Is French more difficult than English?
A=B
The structure "as...as" is used to compare things that are equal. (La struttura ‘as…as’ viene utilizzata per i comparativi di
uguaglianza. L’aggettivo rimane invariato)
- Jennifer is 163cm and Tony is 163cm. Jennifer is as tall as Tony.
- This house is 40 years old, that house is also 40 years old. This house is as old as that house.
"as...as" can also be used in negatives and questions. (‘as…as’ può essere anche usato nelle frasi negative e nelle domande)
The Amazon isn't as long as the Nile.
The second movie wasn't as good as the first.
Is Japan as expensive as England?

8. Corso base di inglese - Lezione n. 1
9.4 Use of Comparative Adjectives
Use of Superlatives
Superlatives are used to compare more than two things.
Superlative sentences usually use “the”, because there is
only one superlative. (usiamo i superlativi per mettere a
confronto più di due persone o oggetti. Mettiamo sempre
‘the’ davanti all’aggettivo)
Masami is the tallest in the class.
Yukio is tall, and Jiro is taller, but Masami is the tallest.

9. Corso base di inglese
Fine della lezione n.8