English level 4

2nd term: Sep – December 2022

TOPICS: MODAL VERBS AND COMPARISONS

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 Modal verbs for Permission, Obligation and Suggestions
We often use verbs with modal meanings to talk about permission, obligation and suggestions.

Permission: We use can, could and may

can
We often use can to ask for
and give permission.
Can I sit here?
You can use my car if you like. Could I ask you something?
Can I make a suggestion?
Can I go out, please?
Can I go to the bathroom,
please?
Can they use your computer?
could
We also use could to ask for
permission. Could is more
formal and polite than can.
Could I interrupt?
Could I borrow your pen for a
moment, please?
Could I speak to Fred?
may
May is the most formal way to
ask for and give permission.
May I see your passport,
please?
May I say something?
May the children play in the
garden?

Prohibition
We use can't and mustn't to show that something is prohibited – it is not allowed.
can't must not/mustn't
We use can't to talk about something that is We use must not to talk about what is not
against the rules, particularly when we didn't permitted. It is common on public signs and
make the rules. notices informing people of rules and laws.
Oh, we can't park here.
You can't take photos in the museum. They're Visitors must not park in the staff car park.
really strict about it. Baggage must not be left unattended.
Sorry, we can't sell cigarettes to under-18s Guests must not make noise after 10 p.m.

We use mustn't particularly when the

prohibition comes from the speaker.

(Parent to child) You mustn't say things like

that to your sister.
(Teacher to student) You mustn't be late to
class.
I mustn't let that happen again.

Obligation
We use have to and must to express obligation. There is a slight difference between the ways we
use them.
have to:shows us that the obligation comes must
from outside the speaker. Must expresses a strong obligation or
necessity. It often shows us that the obligation
We have to wear a uniform when we're working comes from the speaker (or the authority that
in reception. wrote the sentence).
(Student to teacher) When do we have to hand
in our homework? I must phone my dad. It's his birthday today.
Al has to work tomorrow so he can't come. (Teacher to student) You must hand in your
We sometimes call this 'external obligation'. homework on Tuesday or you will lose ten per
cent of your mark.
(Sign on a plane) Seat belts must be worn by
all passengers.
You must have to wear a helmet when you ride
a motorbike

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*** Note that we don't use must to express obligation in the past. We use have to instead.
I had to pay £85 to renew my passport last week.

No obligation
We use “don’t have to” to show that there is no obligation. You can do something if you want to but
it's not compulsory.(obligatory,demanded)

You don't have to wear a tie in our office but some people like to dress more formally.
You don't have to go to the bank to do a transfer. You can do it online.
You don't have to come with me, honestly. I'll be fine!

Suggestions
should Could
We use should and shouldn't to make We also use could to make positive
suggestions and give advice: suggestions:
You should send an email. We could meet at the weekend.
You shouldn’t go by train You could eat out tonight

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 Let’s practice!
Permission:

Now write 5 questions and with a partner ask for permission using the situations above.
1.-
2.-
3.-
4.-
5.-

Use these words to answer:

Yes, you may
Of course, you can
Sure!
Sorry, you can’t
Sorry, you may not

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 Prohibition:
Look at the traffic signs and write the rules using Can’t and Mustn’t:

Rules:
1.-__________________________________
5.-__________________________________
2.-_________________________________
6.-__________________________________
3.-__________________________________
7.-
4.-_________________________________ ____________________________________

Obligation:

In teams you need to write 10 rules using “Have to” and “Must/Must’n” choose one of the following places:
Library
School
Cinema
Club

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No Obligation:
Write 5 things that you don’t have to do at home or at school:
1.-__________________________________________
2.-___________________________________________
3.-___________________________________________
4.-___________________________________________
5.-___________________________________________

Compare with a partner or share this information with your classmates.

Suggestions:
Asking for Advice
What do you think I should do (about…)?
What should I do (about…)?
Can / Could you give me some advice (about…)?

Giving Advice
I think you should...
Why don't you...?
Maybe you should...
I suggest you...

Write a list of five things you would ask advice for. Examples: a broken heart, changing job, stop
smoking, etc .
1. ..................................................................................
2. ..................................................................................
3. ...................................................................................
4. ……………………………………………………...........
5……………………………………………………..………

Write mini-dialogues, asking for and giving advice on your five topics. Use the language above to help
you.
Example: A: What do you think I should do about my low grades?
B: I think you should try to attend the English classes.
1. A: ...........................................................................................................................
B: ...........................................................................................................................
2. A: ...........................................................................................................................
B: ...........................................................................................................................
3. A: ...........................................................................................................................
B: ...........................................................................................................................
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4. A: ...........................................................................................................................
B: ...........................................................................................................................
5. A: ...........................................................................................................................
B: ...........................................................................................................................

Work with a partner and write an advice for these problems:

1.- My friends keep complaining that I spend too much time with my (boyfriend/girlfriend). They say I
never hang out with them anymore. I don't want to lose my friends, but at the same time, I want to see
my (boyfriend/girlfriend). as much as possible. What would you suggest I do?

2.-I'm having a real problem with my roommate. I like to keep our apartment clean, but my
roommate is very messy. She throws her clothes and stuff all over the place, while I'm trying hard to
keep the apartment neat and tidy. After she finishes eating, she never cleans the table and it’s always
dirty! The only problems is that she is paying the rent because I´m not working at the moment. What
do you think I should do?

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 Exercise: Read and Circle the correct option.
1 __________ go to the party? I’m pretty tired.
Do we have to Can we Can’t we
2 (Parent to child) You __________ do your homework before watching television.
Must can could
3 I'll______________wear the black dress tonight. The invitation said formal clothes.
Can have to musn’t
4 You____________rent a car without a credit card.
Don’t have to musn’t can’t
5 I________________forget to take my library books back on the way home. Musn’t
don’t have to have to
6 In The USA you can leave a tip in the restaurant if you want, but you__________ .
Musn’t couldn’t don’t have to
7(Notice on a train) Quiet carriage. Passengers_________play music or talk on the phone in this part
of the train.
Can’t must not don’t have to
8 You _____ be a member to buy a ticket. It's open to everyone. have to
don’t have to can
9 In jail, prisoners___________wear a uniform.
Can don’t have to have to
10 You________ get an 8 if you want to apply for an scholarship. It’s a requirement. Can
have to must

Write sentences with can or can’t.

You / play soccer here (-) You can’t play soccer here.
1. We sit here (?)

2. You / ski in the summer (-)

3. Molly / play soccer with us tomorrow (+)

4. /you have lunch with me tomorrow (?)

5. You / use my cellphone (+)

6. We / park here (-)

7. / We watch TV after dinner (?)

8. He / go to the movies tonight (-)

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9. Children / drink beer (-)

10. You / drive a car (?)

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Speaking:

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 Vocabulary Practice
1. Complete the phrases with the words from the box. Then match each phrase with a
picture.

baggage crew lounge number ticket pass gate

1. electronic ………………………….. 4. flight………………………………....

2. departure …………………………. 5. carry-on …………………………….
3. cabin ……………………………… 6. boarding ……………………………
7. departure……………………………
A
B

C D

F
E

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G
 Travel essentials
Listen and match the words with the pictures. (OM2 U3 track 10)
a map a suitcase a passport a driver’s license tickets
sunscreen sunglasses a wallet a guidebook a toothbrush

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

Real life exchange

1. Listen and complete the conversation. Then practice with a partner.
(BTP2 U8 track 57)
A: I booked a(1)………………………………………. yesterday.
B: That’s great! Do you have to(2)……………………………………………….?
A: Yes, I do. And I also have to get a new passport. I’m going downtown
(3)……………………………………………………………..
B: Maybe you can(4)……………………………………….. while you’re there.
A: Good idea. I think I’ll do that.

2. Use these words to make more conversations.

Conversation 1 Conversation 2 Conversation 3
1 vacation to Kenya 1 weekend in Singapore 1 trip to Brazil
2 get some vaccinations 2 get a visa 2 get travel insurance
3 this afternoon 3 tomorrow 3 on Saturday
4 buy a guide book 4 get a new suitcase 4 exchange some money

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LISTENING Checking in at the airport mp3

Listen to the audio and complete the conversation using the words from the
box.
unattended depart security boards middle seat checking in delayed aisle seat (x2)
boarding pass(x2) passport carry on baggage claim scheduled gate(x2) flying
window seat flight (x2)

Clerk: Good afternoon. Where are you ........................ today?

Passenger: I’m flying to Stockholm.
C: May I see your ........................... , please?
P: Yes. Here you are… Do you need to see my
………………...?
C: No, I don’t. Unfortunately, your .................... has been
……….... It’s now …………… to ........................ at 6pm.
P: Oh, well. That’s not too bad.
C: I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
P: That’s OK.
C: Are you ................................…………..any bags today?
P: Yes, I have one bag to check and one bag to …………………………..
C: Have you left your bags .............................. …………..at any time?
P: No, I’ve always had my bags with me.
C: OK. That’s good. … Right now, you have a
…………………….….. Would you prefer a ....................... ………….or an
…………………………………………..?
P: Er… an.............................. , please.
C: OK. Here’s a new ..............................................and your
……………………………………….….
P: Thanks.
C: Go through …………………..… and your .............. ……….to
Stockholm will depart from .................... …………B25. The flight
……………….… at 5.30.
P:......................... …………B25… OK. Thank you.

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 Adjectives
An adjective is a word that tells us more about a noun. It "describes" or "modifies" a noun (The big
dog was hungry).

In these examples, the adjective is in bold and the noun that it modifies is in italics.
An adjective often comes BEFORE a noun:
a green car
a dark sky
an interesting story
And sometimes an adjective comes AFTER a verb:
My car is green.
The sky became dark.
His story seemed interesting.
But adjectives can also modify pronouns (She is beautiful).
Look at these examples and find the adjectives:
They were empty.
I thought it seemed strange.
Those are not expensive.
She wore a beautiful dress.
Ben is an adorable baby.
Linda’s hair is gorgeous.

Note that we can often use two or more adjectives together (a beautiful young French lady / it is
black and white).
Look at the example and complete the table. Writing as many adjectives as you can for each
noun.
A good friend A car A place
-honest -expensive -comfortable
-generous -fast -interesting

An animal A city A computer

-wild -crowded Easy to use
-polluted
-noisy
A hamburger A movie A party
-delicious -interesting -late

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Two adjectives
We often have two adjectives in front of a noun:
a handsome young man
a big black car
that horrible big dog
Some adjectives give a general opinion. We can use these adjectives to describe almost any noun:
good nice awful
bad beautiful important
lovely brilliant wonderful
strange excellent nasty
Example:
He's a good/wonderful/brilliant/bad/dreadful teacher.
That's a good/wonderful/brilliant/bad/dreadful book.

Some adjectives give a specific opinion. We only use these adjectives to describe particular kinds of
noun, for example:

Food Furniture, buildings People,animals

Delicious,tasty comfortable, uncomfortable clever ,intelligent,friendly

We usually put an opinion adjective in front of a descriptive adjective:

a nice red dress
a silly old man
those horrible yellow curtains

Three or more adjectives

Sometimes we have three adjectives in front of a noun, but this is unusual:
a nice handsome young man
a big black American car
that horrible big fierce dog
It is very unusual to have more than three adjectives.

Adjectives usually come in this order:

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Practice the order: Which is the correct one?

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 Comparative Adjectives
One way to describe nouns (people, objects, animals, etc.) is by comparing them to
something else. When comparing two things, you’re likely to use adjectives like smaller, bigger,
taller, more interesting, and less expensive. Notice the -er ending, and the words more and less.
Look at this image:

In the sentence “ The elephant is bigger than the mouse” look at the structure:
Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

A mistake that both native speakers and non-native speakers make is using incorrectly formed
comparative adjectives. See the sentences below for an illustration of this common error:
Incorrect: His cat is more large than my dog. Correct: His cat is larger than my dog.
Rules
a) For adjectives that are just one syllable, add -er to the end
b) For two-syllable adjectives not ending in -y and for all three-or-more-syllable adjectives, use the
form “more + adjective.”
c) For two-syllable adjectives ending in -y, change the -y to -i and add -er.
Look at these examples:
Correct: This house is more exciting than ever. Incorrect: This house is excitinger than ever.
Correct: Mike is funnier than Isaac. Incorrect: Mike is more funny than Isaac.
Correct: This book is more boring than the last one Incorrect: This book is boringer than the
last one.

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LISTENINGS

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SPEAKING: COMPARE USING THE PICTURES AND THE ADJECTIVES

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LISTENING

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READING:

Write True or False according to the reading:

1.-Cycling is better than driving True False

2.-Dogs are more intelligent than cats True False
3.-South America is bigger than North America True False
4.-More people travel by bike than by car True False
5.-Margarine is healthier than butter True False
6.-Cycling is less dangerous than driving True False
7.-North America has more population than South America True False

Answer these questions:

1.-Which brains have bigger changes over the years?
2.-Which dairy product has less fat?
3.-Which people are more injured in traffic accidents?
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 SUPERLATIVES
When comparing more than two things, you’ll likely use words and phrases like smallest,
biggest, tallest, most interesting, and least interesting. Look at the image below:

Notice the -est ending and the words most and least. Make sure you use the proper ending
or superlative adjective when forming these superlatives.

Be aware that adjectives ending in -y change their spelling when -est is added. To
form these superlatives, change the y to an i before adding the -est ending, as
illustrated below:
Incorrect: That is the sleepyest puppy of the litter.
Correct: That is the sleepiest puppy of the litter.

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ADJECTIVE SUPERLATIVE FORM

ADJECTIVE SUPERLATIVE FORM

Good
Soft
Dark
Important
friendly
healthy
young
sad
remote
smelly
bad
amazing
pretty
exciting
handsome
ugly

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 Quizz:
Choose the correct answer:

SPEAKING: COMPARE THESE SUPER HEROES USING THE PICTURES

AND THE INFORMATION GIVEN

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 Superlatives-Listening Practice
Exercise 1. Listen to the audio about the Chelsea neighborhood in New York and
complete the sentences with the correct superlative form of the adjectives in
brackets. (track 7)
1. Chelsea is the ______ place in the city to have lunch.
2. It’s New York’s ________ and ______ __________ food market.
3. The market is ________ on weekends.
4. It’s New York’s ________ and ______ ________ park.
5. (Iron Chef) It’s one of TV’s ______ cooking shows.

Exercise 2. Complete these sentences with a superlative adjective. (track 9)

1. The __________ building in New York is One Trade Center. It’s

1,776 feet (541 meters).
2. The ______ ____________ hotel is The St. Regis. It costs more
than $800 a night!
3. The __________ park in New York is Central Park. It’s 843 acres
(341 hectares).
4. The ______ __________ tourist attraction is Times Square. It
has 39,000,000 visitors a year.
5. The ______ __________ building is the Empire State Building.
Everyone knows it.
6. The _______ restaurant for spotting celebrities is Nobu. They all
go there.

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READING:
HIGH SPEED TOKYO
Tokyo has a population of more than 35 million people. It is the largest city in the
world. It is also one of the most exciting. Everthing moves fast here. It has one of
the biggest and busiest railroad systems in the world. Every day, 40 million
commuters use it to get to and from work. People make the highest salaries, and
they spend the most money. They wear the lastest fashion and have the most up-
to-date phones. It is one of the most expensive cities in the world.
OLD AND NEW
Tokyo was originally a small fishing village called Edo. The name changed in 1868
when the Emperor moved there.
The architecture is very modern. There are not many old buildings because of the
1923 earthquake and the Second World War. But traditional Japan is always
nearby, with many Shinto shrines and public baths around the city.
VISITING TOKYO
Tokyo is on the east coast of Japan. The summers are hot and humid. The most
beautiful time of the year is spring, when the famous blossoms are on the trees.
The city is huge, but is is one of the safest cities in the world.

Circle True or False

In the world, there are many cities bigger than Tokyo. True False
There is no city in Japan where people makes more money than Tokyo. True False
People in Tokyo has the most modern telephones. True False
Tokyo's original name changed in the 1920's. True False
Tokyo is the most dangerous in the world. True False

Answer these questions:

1.-What was Tokyo's original name?
2.-What disaster happened in Tokyo in the 1920's?
3.-What is the most beautiful time of the year in Tokyo?
4.-Why aren’t many buildings in Tokio?
5.-Where is Tokio?

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LISTENING ACTIVITY (BTP2 Track 78. Page 70)

CONVERSATION. Instructions: Underline the adjectives when you first listen to the audio and circle
the words you don’t know. Listen it again to check it.
Now listen to the audio for the third time and every time you see an adjective CLAP. Now do it
again without reading the conversation.

Mom: Keisha? It’s your mother. I’m worried about you. You haven’t called for a while.
Keisha: Oh, hi Mom. I’m fine. I’ve been busy, that’s all.
Mom: What are your classes like this year? I hope they’re better than last year.
Keisha: Yes, they are. The teachers are great. It’s more interesting than last year, and a lot more
fun!
Mom: Remember, your final exams are at the end of the year. Are you studying hard?
Keisha: Of course I am, Mom. I have less free time now, and the classes are more difficult.
Mom: You’re lucky. Life was hard when I was young. I never went to college. I had to stay at home.
Keisha: Mom, please. Not again. It’s not as easy as you think, you know.
Mom: You should study harder! It’s not a vacation. You have to get the best grades.
Keisha: Ok, ok, I’ll try…
Mom: Hey, What’s that noise?
Keisha: Er… we’re having a dorm party.
Mom: What? A party?
Keisha: Sorry, Mom. I have to go now. I’ll call you later. Bye!

1.- Write 2 examples where Keisha’s compare her life at college

2.-Write 2 examples comparing Keisha’s life with her mother’s old life:

3.-Write 2 examples comparing Keisha’s information with your own information

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 Unit Reviews
Teacher and classmates are going to say an adjective and everybody has to write them as a
comparative and superlative adjectives

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Complete with the correct comparative or superlative:

 Peter thinks that Sydney is (good) city to live in. In his opinion,
Sydney is (good) than Melbourne because it
is (close) to beaches. Also, he thinks the views from Sydney
are (beautiful).
 Jane, his friend, doesn't agree. She thinks life in Sydney
is (bad) than life in Melbourne. Firstly, Sydney
is (expensive) than Melbourne. Also, she thinks the Melbourne
is (relaxed) and the buildings are (beautiful).

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CIRCLE THE CORRECT OPTION:

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SPEAKING: Insert a superlative or comparative into the below
questions

1.-What country is ______________________ (good) to live in? Why?

2.-What is ______________________ (scary) movie you have seen?
3.-Is it ______________________ (good) to be smart and ugly or unintelligent and
good-looking?
4.-What is ______________________ (hot) place in the world?
5.-What is ______________________ (bad) present you had for Christmas?
6.-What is ______________________ (dangerous) job?
7.-Which is ______________________ (bad): falling in love with someone and
then having your heart broken, or never having met that person?
8.-Who is ______________________ (interesting) person you know?
9.-Which is ______________________ (bad) for your health: alcohol or
marijuana?
10.-What is ______________________ (embarrassing) thing you had?
11.-Is it better to date someone who is _________________ (old) or
__________________ (young) you?
12.-Which is ______________________ (bad): having your tongue cut off, or
having a leg cut off?
13.-What is ________________(valued) thing that somebody has given to you?
14.-Who is _______________(friendly) student in this class?
15.-Who is _______________(funny) teacher in your school?

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Game: FIND SOMEONE WHO………

1. is taller than you.

2. chubbier than you….

3. speaks English better than you…

4 is the most serious in the class.

5. is the shortest in the class.

6. is the oldest in this class.

7. is the thinnest in the class.

8. is more talkative than you.

9. is younger than you.

10. You consider one of your best classmates

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