Elementary

Unit 4: What’s the Coldest Place on Earth?

 Unit objectives
At the end of this unit, students can:

Talk about extreme places

around the world

Use superlative adjectives

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.
Antarctica is the coldest continent.
The Sahara is the largest desert.
 Superlatives

Form:
Superlative adjectives have three different grammar forms:

subject verb to be the + superlative adj. noun complement

Form 1 Russia is the biggest country in the world.

subject to have the + superl. adj. noun compl.

Form 2 The Amazon has the largest species diversity in Peru.

the + superlative adj. noun verb to be complement

Form 3 The best restaurants are in Lima.

Important:
Superlatives are a special form of adjectives. Notice that the
superlative adjective is usually preceded by the article the.
Remember that adjectives are words that describe nouns. For
example: new student, delicious food, beautiful place.
 Form (continued):
The following table shows how to form the superlative form of an
adjective.
 
adjective superlative
big the biggest
small the smallest
For one-syllable adjectives or two- nice the nicest
syllable adjectives that finish in –y, long the longest
large the largest
add –est to form the superlative
heavy the heaviest
happy the happiest
beautiful the most beautiful
intelligent the most intelligent
fantastic the most fantastic
For adjectives with two syllables or dangerous the most dangerous
more, add “most” to form the expensive the most expensive
similar the most similar
superlative
amazing the most amazing
good the best
Irregular adjectives bad the worst
far the furthest / the farthest
 Superlatives

Function:
We use superlative adjectives to describe the extreme quality of
one thing within a group of things.
We use superlative adjectives when we talk about three or more
things.
We DON’T use superlative adjectives when we compare only two
things.
 Superlatives

Examples:

The National Bank building is the highest building in Lima. (Form 1)

 Superlatives

Examples:

The Amazon River is the longest river in the world. (Form 1)

 Superlatives

Examples:

The Amazon rainforest has the biggest spider in the world. (Form 2)
 Superlatives

Examples:

Peru has one of the most amazing world wonders: Machu Picchu. (Form 2)
 Superlatives

Examples:

The highest mountain in Peru is the Huascarán. (Form 3)

 Superlatives

Examples:

The most ancient city in the Americas is Caral. (Form 3)

 Superlatives

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the superlative form of the

adjective in parentheses.
the biggest (big) cities in Western Europe.
1. Paris is one of ……………….………..
the most delicious (delicious) in the world.
2. Peruvian food is among ……………….………..
3. The Peruvian city of Ramón Castilla is ……………….……….. (far) from
the farthest
Lima.
4. Sacsayhuaman has ……………….……….. (astonishing) stone work
the most astonishing
made by the Incas.
5. Iquitos has ……………….………..
the best (good) ice cream in Peru.
6. Lima has ……………….………..
the worst (bad) air quality of any Latin American
capital.
7. The
……………….………..
most dangerous (dangerous) city in Peru is Tumbes.
8. ……………….………..
The tallest (tall) girl in class is Silvana.
The hardest
9. ……………….……….. (hard) language in the world is Mandarin
the most common (common) native language in
Chinese. It is also ……………….………..
the world.
 Superlatives

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the

adjective in parentheses.
the most popular (popular) boys’ names are Jack and
1. In the UK ……………….………..
Oliver.
the tastiest
2. To many Peruvians, ceviche is ……………….……….. (tasty) dish.
the highest
3. Roger Federer is ……………….……….. (high) paid tennis player in the
world.
the earliest
4. Egyptians made ……………….……….. (early) ship in the world in 2600
BC.
the saddest
5. That was ……………….……….. (sad) song I’ve ever heard.
biggest
6. Tourism is the world’s ……………….……….. (big) industry with 240 million
jobs.
the richest
7. Around 1700, Peru was one of ……………….……….. (rich) countries in the
world.
the nicest
8. Where are ……………….……….. (nice) beaches in Peru?
9. Who is the most intelligent (intelligent) person in your family?
……………….………..
The tidiest
10. ……………….……….. (tidy) person I know is my father.
 Superlatives

Exercise 3: Look at the chart below. For each of the five categories (height, length,
weight, speed and age), write two sentences containing a superlative adjective.

1. The hippo is the tallest.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..........
.The fish is the shortest (in terms of height).
2. The hippo is the longest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
The chicken is the shortest (in terms of length).
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
4. The hippo is the heaviest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
5. The chicken is the lightest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
6. The tiger is the fastest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
7. The chicken is the slowest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
8. The horse is the oldest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
9. The chicken is the youngest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
10. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
 Superlatives

Exercise 4: Look at the chart below. For each of the five categories (distance,
mass, radius, orbit and temperature), write two sentences containing a superlative
adjective.

Pluto

1. Saturn is the nearest to the Sun.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..........
.Pluto is the farthest from the Sun.
2. Saturn is the heaviest.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Pluto is the lightest.
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
4. Saturn has the biggest radius.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Pluto has the smallest radius.
5. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
6. Saturn has the shortest orbit.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
7. Pluto has the longest orbit.
………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Saturn has the highest surface temperature.
8. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Pluto has the lowest surface temperature.
9. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
10. ………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Exercise 5: Write a short composition about extreme places you have
visited or know about. Write about extreme things that have happened to
you. And write about extreme sports you have done or like (at least 100
words).
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Complete the following questions using superlative adjectives. Then, work
with a partner. Ask him/her the following questions. Write down his/her
answers in order to report back to the class. After you finish, shift roles.

busiest
1. Which is your ………………………… (busy) day of the week?
the most talkative (talkative) student in the class?
2. Who is …………………………
the funniest
3. Who is ………………………… (funny) student in the class?
the most difficult (difficult) thing about studying English?
4. What is …………………………
the most expensive (expensive) thing you have?
5. What is …………………………
the most beautiful (beautiful) city you know?
6. What is …………………………
the safest
7. What is ………………………… (safe) form of transport?
the most exciting (exciting) sport to watch?
8. What is …………………………
 Superlatives

Communicative Activity