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Comparing Places
Using adjectives to compare places.

1. Warm up
Look at the photographs and write four adjectives to describe each.

Lenvik, Norway New York, USA

2. Reading
A. On your own, Student A read about Owen and Student B read about Abby then answer the
questions.

Owen (Student A) 1. Where does Owen live?

I live in New York city. I like it, but it’s sometimes difficult.
It’s more crowded in the city than in the country and 2. What does he like about living there?
people living here are usually younger. There is always
something to do and there are lots of restaurants and
3. What doesn’t he like about living there?
bars, but it’s noisier and the traffic is much worse. The city
is much more polluted than the country as well. I would
prefer to live outside of the city, in the country. It would
4. Where would he prefer to live? Why?
be cheaper and more peaceful.

Abby (Student B) 1. Where does Abby live?

I live in the countryside in Norway. I love it here! It’s much

better than the city, I think. It’s quieter here than in the 2. What does she like about living there?
city and it’s much more peaceful. The air is cleaner too. I
think people are older but happier here in the country,
3. What doesn’t she like about living there?
because it’s a lot calmer. It’s more boring in the country
than in the city though, because there is less to do. I
sometimes go to the city, but it’s much more expensive, so
4. Where does she prefer to live? Why?
I don’t want to live there.

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 B. Ask your partner the questions about the person they read about.

3. Comparative Adjectives
A. Listen to your teacher read the adjectives and repeat after them.

happy expensive clean young

boring bad peaceful noisy
polluted quiet calm
good cheap crowded

B. Decide how many syllables each adjective has and write them in the table.

1 syllable adjectives 2 or more syllable adjectives Adjectives ending in -y

C. Fill the gaps in the table above with more adjectives.

D. Review the underlined comparative adjectives in Part 2A and complete the rules below.

1. To make the comparative form of adjectives with 1 syllable:

Add to the end of the word.

2. To make the comparative form of adjectives with 2 or more syllables:

Add or less before the word.

3. To make the comparative form of adjectives ending in ‘y’:

Remove and add to the end of the word.

4. Some adjectives are irregular. The comparative form of good is better, bad is worse, and far is farther or further.

4. Practice
A. Complete the sentences with the comparative form of the adjective in brackets. Do you
agree or disagree? Circle thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

1. Living in the country is (dangerous) than living in the city. thumbs-up thumbs-down

2. Country life is (relaxing) than city life. thumbs-up thumbs-down

3. Life in the country is (healthy) than in the city. thumbs-up thumbs-down

4. The city is (good) to live in than the country. thumbs-up thumbs-down

5. People in the country are usually (young) than people in the city. thumbs-up thumbs-down

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 6. The cost of living in the country is (high) than in the city. thumbs-up thumbs-down

7. People are (busy) in the country. thumbs-up thumbs-down

8. Buildings in the city are (interesting) than in the country. thumbs-up thumbs-down

9. People in the city are (friendly) than people in the country. thumbs-up thumbs-down

10. Transportation in the country is (bad) than in the city. thumbs-up thumbs-down

B. Compare your answers with a partner. Does your partner agree or disagree with you?

C. Finish the sentences with a comparative adjective and your own idea.

e.g. Canada is larger than my country.

1. Italy is

2. The weather in my country is

3. Convenience stores are

4. My house is

5. My neighborhood is

6. The transportation in my city is

D. Share your comparisons with a partner or the class.

5. Discuss
A. You are deciding on your next holiday. Write adjectives to describe the destinations. Think
of both positive and negative adjectives.

Canadian Cross-Country Skiing Holiday Cebu Beach Holiday

B. Compare the two holidays using your adjectives. Which holiday is better? Why?

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 Comparing Places
Level: Elementary: A2
Pre-Intermediate: A2+
Updated: Nov 12, 2022
Language: Function: Comparing and contrasting. Describing people, places, or things. Talking about daily life.
Forms: Adjectives. Present tense.
Teaching time: 90 minutes.
Overview: Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between two objects (larger, smaller, faster, higher).
Students focus on how to form comparative adjectives and compare places to live, cities, and countries through
sentence communicative activities and discussion.

1. WARM UP for counting syllables in English is actually simple; one vowel

sound usually equals one syllable, e.g. ‘been’ has 1 syllable,
In pairs, students look at the pictures and write 4 adjectives to
‘dan|cing’ has 2, and ‘to|ma|to’ has 3. Check answers with the
describe each.
class and answer any questions that arise.
Elicit adjectives from students to write on the board and share
with the class. Possible adjectives might include: crowded, big, 1 syllable adjectives
noisy, polluted, interesting, cosmopolitan, green, fresh, beautiful, cheap, clean, calm, young.
peaceful, calm, boring, quiet.
2 or more syllable adjectives
2. READING boring, polluted, expensive, quiet, peaceful, crowded.

A. Individually, Student A reads about Owen and Student B reads Adjectives ending in -Y
about Abby. Review new vocabulary after reading and answer noisy, happy.
any questions that arise. Then, students answer the questions
about the person they read about. Short answers are suitable C. Individually, students fill the spaces in the table in Part 3B with
for this comprehension activity. Answers may vary. additional adjectives. Elicit additional adjectives from students.
Owen (Student A) As an extended activity, individually, students scan the text in
Part 2A and underline the adjectives they find. The adjectives in
1. Where does Owen live? the text are in comparative form. Elicit the number of adjectives
In the city. found. For fun, you could declare the student who underlined
2. What does he like about living there? the most as the winner of the activity. There are 17 adjectives,
There is always something to do. There are lots of bars and most in the comparative form.
restaurants.
D. Individually or in pairs, students complete the rules about
3. What doesn’t he like about living there? forming comparative adjectives. Encourage students to review
It’s noisier and more polluted. the text in Part 2A if they need help. Students can compare their
4. Where would he prefer to live? Why? answers with a partner and discuss any differences or check
In the country, because it’s cheaper and more peaceful. answers with the class. Board examples and review if necessary.
Abby (Student B) 1. Add -er to the end of the word.
1. Where does Abby live? 2. Add more or less before the word.
In the countryside, in Norway. 3. Remove -y and add -ier to the end of the word.
2. What does she like about living there? 4. The adjectives ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘far’ are irregular in the
It is quieter, more peaceful, and the air is fresher. comparative form.
3. What doesn’t she like about living there?
It can be more boring than the city. 4. PRACTICE
4. Where does she prefer to live? Why? A. Individually, students complete the sentences with the correct
In the country, because the city is more expensive. form of the adjective in brackets. Students should circle the
thumbs up icon if they agree with the comparison or the thumbs
B. In pairs, students ask their partner the questions about the
down icon if they disagree. There is no need to check answers in
person they didn’t read about.
this activity.
3. COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES 1. Living in the country is more dangerous than living in the
city.
A. Read the adjectives to the class and have them repeat after you.
2. Country life is more relaxing than city life.
It is important to model stressed syllables in each word. Try
clapping on each syllable as you read the words carefully. 3. Life in the country is healthier than in the city.
4. The city is better to live in than the country.
B. In pairs, students read the adjectives in Part 3A to each other
and decide how many syllables each word has and write it in the 5. People in the country are usually younger than people in
table. You might choose to explain the importance of counting the city.
and dividing words into the right number of syllables. The rule 6. The cost of living in the country is higher than in the city.

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 7. People are busier in the country.
8. Buildings in the city are more interesting than in the
country.
9. People in the city are friendlier than people in the country.
10. Transportation in the country is worse than in the city.

B. Model this exchange with a confident student:

A Living in the country is more dangerous than living in the
city.
B I disagree. I think, living in the city is more dangerous
than living in the country.
A Really?
B Yes. I think, living in the country is safer than living in the
city.
In pairs, students take turns reading their completed sentences
to check the comparative form and discuss any differences, then
tell their partner if they agree or disagree. Challenge students
to change the sentences they disagree with to something they
agree with and continue the conversation if interesting.

C. Individually, students complete the sentences with a

comparative adjective and something to compare with.
Encourage students to be creative. Monitor and check
sentences are correct and answer any questions that arise.

D. In pairs or as a class, students take turns sharing their

comparisons. If a student’s comparison is interesting, encourage
follow-up questions and discussion.

5. DISCUSS
A. Individually, students write down adjectives to describe each
holiday destination. Adjectives should be both positive and
negative. Alternatively, assign a holiday to Student A and
Student B. The adjectives they write should be in favor of the
holiday they are assigned and against the other.

B. In pairs, students compare the holidays and discuss which is

better and why. Encourage students to ask follow-up questions
and think of ways to tell their partner why their holiday
destination is better. Alternatively, students debate which
holiday is better with the adjectives they wrote.

As an extended activity, students switch holiday destinations

and discuss again.

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