Life Elementary Unit 7b

Comparatives

Presentation

Use the comparative form to compare two things. Regular adjectives

Adjective Comparative Add -er to short adjectives: younger, faster …
Use more/less with long adjectives: more beautiful,
young younger
less expensive …
fast faster
Irregular adjectives
beautiful
more beautiful Some adjectives are irregular.
expensive less expensive
Adjective Comparative

good better

bad worse

than
You often use than after the comparative adjective: My car is faster than your car.

Key spelling rules

• Double the last consonant + -er for some one-syllable adjectives: hot → hotter, big → bigger …
• Change y to i: happy → happier, angry → angrier …
See page 233: Spelling rules

Key vocabulary Adjectives: young/old, fast/slow, cheap/expensive, big/small, good/bad, hot/cold, long/short,
tall/short, boring/interesting, dangerous, safe, beautiful, happy ( short is the opposite of long and tall )

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 Elementary Unit 7b
Exercises

1 Complete the sentences with the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.
1 Your car is faster (fast) than mine.
2 My brother is (old) than me.
3 I can buy a laptop – they’re (cheap) now.
4 A bicycle is (expensive) than a car.
5 South Africa is (hot) than Iceland.
6 I speak good English, but hers is (good).
7 He’s (happy) because it’s the holiday.
8 You are (beautiful) than ever!
9 It’s (safe) to travel by train than by car.

2 Look at the pictures and write comparative sentences.

1 2 3 4

1 motorbike / fast / bicycle

A motorbike is faster than a bicycle.
2 she / tall / him

3 red bike / expensive / blue bike
4
5 her book / interesting / his book

3 Read the sentences. Then write two sentences to compare the information.
1 Karen’s twenty-nine. Tom’s thirty.
Karen’s younger than Tom. Tom’s older than Karen.
2 The Mississippi River is 3,733 kilometres. The Amazon River is 6,712 kilometres.


3 My flat is 1,000 m2. Your house is 1,500 m2.


4 Today, the temperature in Rome is 21°C. London is 5°C.

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Life Elementary Unit 7c
Superlatives

Can you answer these questions about animals?

1 Which is the heaviest animal in the world?

A Blue Whale B Elephant C Giraffe
2 Which is the fastest animal on land? heav y
A Snake B Cheetah C Crocodile
3 Which is the slowest animal on land?
heav ier
A Elephant B Tortoise C Crocodile
4 Which is the loudest animal in the world?
A Blue Whale B Elephant C Crocodile
5 Which animal has the longest life?
A Elephant B Giraffe C Tortoise
6 Which animal is the most dangerous? heaviest
A Crocodile B Blue Whale C Tortoise

Answers: 1A 2B 3B 4A 5C 6A

Presentation

Use the superlative form to compare three or more Regular adjectives

things. Add -est to short adjectives: fastest, heaviest …
Adjective Superlative Use most/least with long adjectives: most
dangerous, least expensive …
fast fastest
Irregular adjectives
heavy heaviest

loud loudest Adjective Superlative

dangerous most dangerous good best

bad worst
the
You use the before the superlative:
Blue whales are the heaviest animals.

Key vocabulary Animals: blue whale, cheetah, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, snake, tortoise

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 Elementary Unit 7c
Exercises

1 Complete the sentences with the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.
1 Mr Bao from Mongolia is the tallest (tall) man in the world.
2 The (short) woman in the world is 79 centimetres tall.
3 The blue whale is the (big) animal in the world.
4 I think snakes are the (dangerous) animals.
5 The River Nile in Egypt is the (long) river in the world.
6 Damascus in Syria is the (old) city in the world.
7 Luxembourg is the (safe) city in Europe.
8 Moscow is the (expensive) city in the world.
9 Mount Everest is the (high) mountain in the world.
10 I’m sure elephants are the (heavy) animals on land.

2 Write a comparative and superlative sentence with the adjectives. Then listen and check.
1 Animal: tortoise / snake / cheetah (slow)
A snake is slower than a cheetah.
The tortoise is the slowest animal.
2 Country: Ethiopia / Italy / Norway (hot)
Italy
Ethiopia
3 Ocean: the Pacific Ocean / the Indian Ocean / the Mediterranean Sea (big)
The Indian Ocean
The Pacific Ocean
4 Country: Switzerland / India / Russia (small)
India
Switzerland
5 Transport: aeroplane / car / bicycle (fast)
A car
The aeroplane

3 Correct the sentences.

1 I’m the worsest at English in my class.
I’m the worst at English in my class.
2 I think Brazil is best football team in the world.

3 Snakes are the more dangerous animals in my country.

4 I don’t think he’s a gooder actor than De Niro.

5 Your bags are heavy but my bag is the most heavy.

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Life Elementary Unit 8b
Present continuous

Sam! Who is it? It’s Greta. Greta? Sam’s

Can I call her back?
Telephone! having a shower. Can
I’m having a shower.
he call you back?

Presentation

Use the present continuous (to be + -ing) to talk about actions right now.

Affirmative and negative Key spelling rules

’m • Most verbs: read → reading, sleep → sleeping …

I
’m not • Verbs ending consonant + -e: have → having,
come → coming …
He ’s
She isn’t having a shower. See page 233: Spelling rules
You
’re
We
aren’t
They

Yes/No questions Short answers

you I am.
Are
they
having a shower? Yes, he / she / it is.
he
Is you / we / they are.
she

I ’m not.
Wh- questions
No, he / she / it isn’t.
you
are
What they you / we / they aren’t.
eating?
Where he
is
she

Key vocabulary Verbs: come, cook, have (a shower), play (chess), read, sleep, watch (television/a film)

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 Elementary Unit 8b
Exercises
1 Look at the pictures and write sentences. Use the present continuous.
1 2 3

Sam Catherine and Ali Antonio and Julia

4 5 6

Lucia Julia Mike and Tom

1 Sam (cook). He (have) a shower.
Sam isn’t cooking. He’s having a shower.
2 Catherine and Ali (watch) television. They (read).
Catherine and Ali are waching television. They aren´t reading
3 Antonio and Julia (cook). They (play) chess.
Antonio and Julia aren't cooking. They´re playing chess
4 Lucia (read) a book. She (play) chess.
Lucia is reading a book. She isn't playing chess

5 Julia (watch) television. She (sleep).

Julian isn't watching television, She is sleeping
6 Mike and Tom (read). They (cook).
Mike and Tom aren't reading. They are cooking

2 Answer the questions about the people in exercise 1.

1 Is Julia cooking? No, she isn’t.
2 Are Mike and Tom playing chess? No, they aren't

3 Is Lucia reading? Yes, she is

4 Are Catherine and Ali watching television? Yes, they are

5 Are Antonio and Julia cooking? No, they aren't

6 Is Sam having a shower? Yes, he is

3 Put the conversation in order. Then listen and check.

Lewis Marie
6 What are you watching?
5
Me? I’m watching television.
3 Hi, Marie. I’m fine. 2 Hello, Lewis. It’s Marie. How are you?
9 Yes, it’s excellent. Come and watch it. 4 What are you doing?
1 Hello? 10 OK. See you in five minutes.
7 I’m watching a film. 8 Is it any good?

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Life
Level
Elementary Unit 8a(2) 2 Unit 8a(2)
Simple present and present continuous

Hi,
We’re in Greece. The hot el
is bea uti ful. The sun’s
shi ning and I’m sitting by
the swi mming pool. Jac k’s
swi mming in the pool and the
kids are pla ying footba ll on
All at
the bea ch. We love it here.
Sandford & Son
How are things at the office?
Are you all working hard? 9 Loc khe ad Pla ce
Birmingha m B78 PZ0
All the best,
UNITED KINGDOM
Sarah

Presentation

Simple present Present continuous

Use the simple present to talk about … Use the present continuous to talk about …
• situations that do not change: • temporary situations:
Sarah lives in Birmingham. She’s staying in a hotel in Greece.
• routines: • actionsnow:
She travels to work by bus. Right now she isn’t working. She’s on vacation.
State verbs
You don’t normally use these verbs in the continuous form: be, like, love, hate, want.

Present continuous: key spelling rules

• Verbs ending consonant + vowel + consonant: sit → sitting, swim → swimming …
• Verbs ending consonant + vowel + -y: stay → staying, play → playing …

Key vocabulary  Verbs: boil, cycle, do (your homework), drive, eat, freeze, hate, learn, like, live, love, make (friends),
play, sit, smoke, start, stay, study, swim, take (the train), turn off, want, watch (TV), work (hard), write (to somebody)

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 Level 2 Unit 8a(2)
Exercises

Exercises
1 Look at the pictures and complete the sentences. Use the simple present
or present continuous of the verbs.

1 Helen works (work) in the hospital 1 2

from Monday to Friday.
2 She isn't working (not work) at the moment.
It’s Saturday and she is reading (read) a
book in the garden.
3 4
3 She usually Cycles (cycle) to work.
4 Today she isn't cycles
(not cycle) to
work because it is raining (rain). She
drives (drive) her car to the hospital.
2 Choose the correct forms.
1 Tigers live / are living in India. 8 Water freezes / ’s freezing at 0ºC.
 sually I drive / ’m driving to the office,
2 U 9 We always go / ’re always going to movies on
but this week I take / ’m taking the train. the weekend.
3 Oh, no! It rains / ’s raining again. 10 It rains / ’s raining a lot in Scotland.
4 No, thank you. I don’t smoke / ’m not smoking. 11 I speak / ’m speaking German but not very well.
5 A: Do you like / Are you liking opera? 12 Ssh! I watch / ’m watching a movie.
B: Yes, I do / am. 13 I have / ’m having lunch with my grandparents
6 A  : What do you do / are you doing? every Sunday.
B: I write / ’m writing to my parents. 14 Ari can’t come out. She does / ’s doing her homework.
7 A: Is the tea ready? 15 Turn off the TV. Nobody watches / ’s watching it.
B: Almost. The water boils / ’s boiling. 16 Do you want / Are you wanting tea or coffee?
3 15 Marcia is studying Italian in Rome. Complete her email to her parents.
Use the simple present or present continuous of the verbs. Then listen and check.

Hi,
Rome is fantastic. I 1 ’m having (have) a great time and I 2 learning (learn) a lot of
Italian. School 3 starts (start) at 9:30 every day. We 4 study (study) for four
hours, then we 5 have (have) lunch. The classes 6 are (be) excellent.
I7 having (have) lunch right now. I 8 sitting (sit) in a beautiful café in Piazza di
eating doing
Spagna. I 9 (eat) pasta and I 10 (do) my homework. The other
students 11 are (be) very nice—I 12 making (make) a lot of new friends.
See you soon,
Marcia

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