unit 11D
1. GRAMMAR
Superlatives
The rules for making the superlatives are the same as for comparatives but adding -est instead of -er, or using the ... most instead of more.
Typical mistake: the more expensive city in Europe (instead of the most expensive city in Europe).
Typical mistake: be careful with the use of ever (and not never, don't confuse this with your use of Spanish), e.g. The most beautiful city I've ever been to (and not The most beautiful city I've never been to)
The rules for making the superlatives are the same as for comparatives but adding -est instead of -er, or using the ... most instead of more.
Typical mistake: the more expensive city in Europe (instead of the most expensive city in Europe).
Typical mistake: be careful with the use of ever (and not never, don't confuse this with your use of Spanish), e.g. The most beautiful city I've ever been to (and not The most beautiful city I've never been to)
- You must always think if you are comparing two things (comparatives) or more than two (superlative) when deciding which form to use. e.g. The most beautiful city I've ever been to.
- Adverbs can also be used in the superlative, e.g. He drives the fastest.
4d_carteles_clase_comparatives_and_superlatives-1.doc | |
File Size: | 333 kb |
File Type: | doc |
4d_comparativessuperlatives.pdf | |
File Size: | 5 kb |
File Type: |
3. VOCABULARY
Opposite adjectives
Opposite adjectives
- un- is the most common negative prefix.
- im- is only used before some adjectives beginning with p or m.
- in-, ir, and il- are also negative prefixes, e.g. incorrect, irregular, illegal.
Furniture adjectives
What is your home like?
Adjectives to describe a house
Adjectives to describe a house
1.Cosy: comfortable and warm could be described as cosy!
‘We stayed in a cosy cottage in the countryside.’
2.Rustic: If you have a home with a country style interior, you can call it rustic.
‘Their holiday home has a rustic atmosphere.’
3.Vintage: If you have furnished your home with old but valuable furniture, you might say it is a vintage home.
‘I bought vintage furniture from local markets for my new apartment.’
4.Traditional: In our modern world it can be very beautiful to keep traditional styles at home, which are old-fashioned and familiar.
‘I prefer a more traditional style of furniture.’
5.Contemporary: Many people nowadays like to have contemporary houses (inside and outside), which means in a style that reflects the fashion/trends of today.
‘Her husband liked traditional furniture, but Anna thought contemporary design was the most beautiful.’
6.Breath-taking: Often the exteriors and interiors of houses can be surprisingly beautiful.
‘The living room had a breath-taking view of the ocean.’
7.Charming: It means it is very pleasing and full of charm.
‘The living room in their apartment was very charming, full of lovely decorations.’
8.Elegant: Sometimes if you want to express how tasteful and attractively decorated a room is, you should call it elegant.
‘She had such elegant taste when she decorated her rooms.’
9.Luxurious: When a home is comfortable and expensively styled, we can describe it as luxurious.
‘She stayed in a very luxurious hotel in the centre of London.’
10.Spacious: To describe a large home you can also say it is spacious.
‘The dining room is spacious enough to seat our whole family.’
11.Picturesque: If you see a building that looks like it is from a painting or a picture, you can describe it as picturesque.
‘We saw a villa on the beach that was simply picturesque.’
12.Minimalistic: Some people say ‘less is more’. These people might have minimalistic houses, with simple design and few patterns and colours.
‘She doesn’t like a lot of decorations and her house is very minimalistic.’
‘We stayed in a cosy cottage in the countryside.’
2.Rustic: If you have a home with a country style interior, you can call it rustic.
‘Their holiday home has a rustic atmosphere.’
3.Vintage: If you have furnished your home with old but valuable furniture, you might say it is a vintage home.
‘I bought vintage furniture from local markets for my new apartment.’
4.Traditional: In our modern world it can be very beautiful to keep traditional styles at home, which are old-fashioned and familiar.
‘I prefer a more traditional style of furniture.’
5.Contemporary: Many people nowadays like to have contemporary houses (inside and outside), which means in a style that reflects the fashion/trends of today.
‘Her husband liked traditional furniture, but Anna thought contemporary design was the most beautiful.’
6.Breath-taking: Often the exteriors and interiors of houses can be surprisingly beautiful.
‘The living room had a breath-taking view of the ocean.’
7.Charming: It means it is very pleasing and full of charm.
‘The living room in their apartment was very charming, full of lovely decorations.’
8.Elegant: Sometimes if you want to express how tasteful and attractively decorated a room is, you should call it elegant.
‘She had such elegant taste when she decorated her rooms.’
9.Luxurious: When a home is comfortable and expensively styled, we can describe it as luxurious.
‘She stayed in a very luxurious hotel in the centre of London.’
10.Spacious: To describe a large home you can also say it is spacious.
‘The dining room is spacious enough to seat our whole family.’
11.Picturesque: If you see a building that looks like it is from a painting or a picture, you can describe it as picturesque.
‘We saw a villa on the beach that was simply picturesque.’
12.Minimalistic: Some people say ‘less is more’. These people might have minimalistic houses, with simple design and few patterns and colours.
‘She doesn’t like a lot of decorations and her house is very minimalistic.’
WRITING OR SPEAKING
My house
Introduce your activity:
I’m going to speak about my house
I’m going to tell you about my house
I’m going to describe my house
1. Start with an introduction, some general ideas.
I live in a flat, with my partner and a friend from Ceuta. My flat is on the second floor.
2. Body: Then describe your house using the spatial approach:
When you go in, you can find a hall. On the right, there is a kitchen. Opposite the entrance door, there is a sitting room and on the left there is a corridor to the bedrooms and the bathroom.
The kitchen is small, but it’s OK for us. In the kitchen, there is a window. Its curtains are yellow. There is a cooker (UK) / a stove (US) and a washing machine. Opposite there is a fridge and a sink. In the middle, there is a white table and two white chairs. Oh, there are some cupboards, too! for pots and pans, dishes, and so on.
Next to the kitchen, there is a sitting-room and a dining-room. On the left, you can see the dining-room. There is a glass table and four black iron chairs. There is a piece of furniture with glasses and DVDs, and there are some pictures on the walls. On the right, you can find the sitting-room. It has a sofa and two green armchairs. Opposite the sofa is the TV set. I go to sleep in front of the TV after lunch! There are some plants and there is a big window. This room has a lot of light. I love it!
The first room is my office. There is no bed / There isn’t a bed. It has three bookcases and a lot of books. There is a desk and there is a personal computer on the desk. There is a printer, too. There is a CD player and a lot of music CDs. There are a lot of pictures -- family photos and photos with friends.
Next, on the left you can find P’s office. P is my partner. He is a teacher. He loves reading, so he has a lot of books. He loves playing the guitar, too – the Spanish guitar. There is also a computer.
The third room is our bedroom. There is a double bed, an in-built closet, a long mirror, and two bedside tables with small lamps. There are no pictures on the wall. It’s very simple.
Opposite this bedroom, there is a bathroom. It doesn’t have a window / It has no window and the walls are brown. I don’t like this. So I use orange towels! There is a toilet, a wash-basin, a bath tub and a mirror. It’s OK.
At the end of this corridor you can go upstairs. There is an attic. It’s very big and it has a lot of light. There are two single beds, for friends. There is a toilet, too. There is a computer and a music equipment. There are a lot of books and music CDs. Finally, there is a cupboard for the vacuum cleaner/hoover and for my painting equipment. I love painting!
3. Finish with some comment or evaluation:
Finally, my neighbors are OK. They sometimes make a lot of noise, but they also help us.
I love my house, but it isn’t mine! I’m renting it!
My house
Introduce your activity:
I’m going to speak about my house
I’m going to tell you about my house
I’m going to describe my house
1. Start with an introduction, some general ideas.
I live in a flat, with my partner and a friend from Ceuta. My flat is on the second floor.
2. Body: Then describe your house using the spatial approach:
When you go in, you can find a hall. On the right, there is a kitchen. Opposite the entrance door, there is a sitting room and on the left there is a corridor to the bedrooms and the bathroom.
The kitchen is small, but it’s OK for us. In the kitchen, there is a window. Its curtains are yellow. There is a cooker (UK) / a stove (US) and a washing machine. Opposite there is a fridge and a sink. In the middle, there is a white table and two white chairs. Oh, there are some cupboards, too! for pots and pans, dishes, and so on.
Next to the kitchen, there is a sitting-room and a dining-room. On the left, you can see the dining-room. There is a glass table and four black iron chairs. There is a piece of furniture with glasses and DVDs, and there are some pictures on the walls. On the right, you can find the sitting-room. It has a sofa and two green armchairs. Opposite the sofa is the TV set. I go to sleep in front of the TV after lunch! There are some plants and there is a big window. This room has a lot of light. I love it!
The first room is my office. There is no bed / There isn’t a bed. It has three bookcases and a lot of books. There is a desk and there is a personal computer on the desk. There is a printer, too. There is a CD player and a lot of music CDs. There are a lot of pictures -- family photos and photos with friends.
Next, on the left you can find P’s office. P is my partner. He is a teacher. He loves reading, so he has a lot of books. He loves playing the guitar, too – the Spanish guitar. There is also a computer.
The third room is our bedroom. There is a double bed, an in-built closet, a long mirror, and two bedside tables with small lamps. There are no pictures on the wall. It’s very simple.
Opposite this bedroom, there is a bathroom. It doesn’t have a window / It has no window and the walls are brown. I don’t like this. So I use orange towels! There is a toilet, a wash-basin, a bath tub and a mirror. It’s OK.
At the end of this corridor you can go upstairs. There is an attic. It’s very big and it has a lot of light. There are two single beds, for friends. There is a toilet, too. There is a computer and a music equipment. There are a lot of books and music CDs. Finally, there is a cupboard for the vacuum cleaner/hoover and for my painting equipment. I love painting!
3. Finish with some comment or evaluation:
Finally, my neighbors are OK. They sometimes make a lot of noise, but they also help us.
I love my house, but it isn’t mine! I’m renting it!