Irregular comparatives and superlatives

These very common adjectives have completely irregular comparative and superlative forms.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
good	better	best
bad	worse	worst
little	less	least
much	more	most
far	further / farther	furthest / farthest
Exercises

a) Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the adjective.
1. She is …………………… than her sister.

a) pretty
b) prettier
c) prettiest

2. Martha is a …………………….. girl.

a) nice
b) nicer
c) nicest

3. Sofia is the ……………………… girl in the class.

a) intelligent
b) more intelligent
c) most intelligent

4. Martin speaks English …………………..

a) well

b) better
c) best

5. Russia is the ……………………. country in the world.

a) big
b) bigger
c) biggest

6. China is a ……………….. country.

a) big
b) bigger
c) biggest

7. China is …………………… than India.

a) big
b) bigger
c) biggest

8. This is the …………………… book I have ever read.

a) interesting
b) more interesting
c) most interesting

b) Put the adjective in comparative and superlative form.

I am ___________ (tall) my sister.

2. My mum thinks that cats are ___________ (good) pets than dogs.

3. Cycling is one of ___________ (dangerous) sports.

4. I want to have ___________ (big) car.

5. A blue whale is ___________ (heavy) twenty-five elephants.

6. You look ___________ (thin) last month. Have you lost weight?

7. Bicycles are ___________ (slow) cars.

8. She is ___________ (nice) person I know.

9. What is ___________ (good) film you´ve seen?

10. Computers are ___________ (cheap) mobile phones.

11. Is your brother ___________ (tall) you?

12. I think Spanish is ___________ (easy) Japanese.

13. Our dog is ___________ (nice) your dog.

14. Glass bottles are ___________ (good) plastic bottles.

15. I think Rafael Nadal is ___________(good) tennis player in Spain.

16. Sharks are ___________ (dangerous) other fish.

17. This situation is ___________ (serious) the last one.

18. He is ___________ (smart) his brother.

it takes + (time) + to + (verb)

You are letting someone know how long it will take to do a particular thing.

Here are some examples:

"It takes one hour to get there."
"It takes forty-five minutes for me to get ready."
"It takes four quarters to complete a football game."
"It takes 7 seconds for my car to go 60 miles per hour."
"It takes all day for us to finish golfing."
"It takes years to learn to play guitar."
"It takes 15 minutes to get to downtown."
"It takes me one hour to cook."

How long does it take?

If we are talking about time, we use the phrase “How long does it take…?”

When we are wondering about the time needed to travel (from place A) to place B, we can ask “ How long does it take to get (from A) to B? ”:

How long does it take to get from Chicago to Miami? —It takes about three days by car.
How long does it take to get from the library to the museum? —It’s about a ten-minute walk.
How long does it take to get to the airport?—About twenty minutes.

Note: Many times we also include the method of travel. For example, traveling by plane is quicker than traveling by car. This makes a difference how the question is answered.

More examples:

How long does it take to get to school by bus?—It takes 45 minutes.
How long does it take to get from Paris to Frankfurt by train?—About four or five hours.
How long does it take to get to the beach by foot?—About fifteen minutes. (“by foot” or “on foot” both mean “by walking”)

We can also use “ How long does it take…? ” if we are asking about doing something:

How long does it take to bake a cake?
How long does it take to build a house?
How long does it take to get a haircut?

Other tenses are possible:

Past tense: How long did it take….?

How long did it take to knit that sweater?
How long did it take to write the book?

Future tense: How long will it take…?

How long will it take to mow the lawn?
How long will it take to save enough money for a nice vacation?

We can also make negative sentences (usually in response to one of the above questions): It doesn’t / didn’t / won’t take long…

It doesn’t take long to get from the library to the museum.
It doesn’t take long to get a haircut.
It didn’t take long to knit the sweater.
It won’t take long to mow the lawn.

The questions can be personalized, as well: How long does it take you to do something?

How long does it take you to do your homework?
How long will it take Tom to clean his room?
It took me forever to finish that project.

Exercises

a) Using the given words, write questions with How long….?

Example:

Chicago, New York, car ==> How long does it take to get from Chicago to New York by car?

1. Hong Kong, Tokyo, plane
2. School, library, foot
3. Home, downtown, train
4. Island, mainland, boat
5. Train station, airport, bus

b) From the following sentences, write questions using How long did it take…?

Example:

Jack painted the picture in the hall. ==> How long did it take him to paint the picture?

1. The English class read the book “War and Peace.”
2. John drove from Atlanta to Dallas.
3. Mother made all the bridesmaids’ dresses for Edith’s wedding.
4. Edward finally finished writing the Smith family history.
5. Jack and Jill wrapped all the Christmas presents.

Exercises

Translate into English:

• За сколько времени ты добираешься до университета?
• На отправление смс уходит несколько секунд.
• У меня уходит четыре часа, чтобы добраться до Лондона.
• Обычно требуется 40 минут, чтобы приготовить суп.
• у меня уходит один час, чтобы убрать в комнате.
• У них уходит 20 минут, чтобы выполнить утренние упражнения.

Read the following situations, and write sentencesusing It took….
Example:

I wrote a term paper. I started it on March 3, and finished it on April 3. ==> It took me a month to write the paper.

1. Max weeded the garden. He started at 9 a.m., and finished at 11 a.m.
2. We drove from Chicago to Los Angeles. We left on Monday, and got there on Saturday.
3. Mary knit a sweater. She started it at the beginning of October, and finished it in time for Christmas.
4. Steve walked home from the train station. He got off the train at 5:30 p.m., and got home at 5:45 p.m.
5. Kevin built his summer cottage. He started building it in 2008, and he finished it in 2010.

Listening

1.

Woman: So, what's your usual day like? You always seem so busy. Man: Well, I usually get up around 5:00 a.m. and work on the computer until 6:00 a.m. Woman: Why do you get up so early? Man: Well, I have to leave home at twenty to seven (6:40 a.m.) so I can catch a bus at 7:00 o'clock. It takes me about twenty minutes to walk to the bus stop from my house. Woman: And what time do you get to work? Man: Uh, my bus takes about an hour to get there, but it stops right in front of my office. Woman: That's nice. And what time do you get off work? Man: Uh, around 5:00 o'clock. Then, we eat dinner around 6:30, and my wife and I read and play with the kids until 8:00 or so. Woman: So, when do you work on your website? You said one time that you create it at home? Man: Well, my wife and I often watch TV or talk until 10:00 o'clock. She then often reads while I work on my site, and I sometimes stay up until the early hours of the morning, but I try to finish everything by one or two. Woman: And then you get up at 5:00 a.m.? Man: Well, yeah, but it's important to live a balanced life. I enjoy what I do, but you have to set aside time for the family and yourself. Woman: I agree. Man: But I think my wife has the toughest job. She spends her whole day taking care of our family... taking the kids to school, working in the garden, buying groceries, taking the kids to piano lessons... [ Wow! ] It's a full-time job, but she enjoys what she does. Woman: Well, it sounds like you're a busy, but lucky man. Man: I think so too.

 

• catch (verb): to get on
  - I have to catch a bus in front of the bus station.
• get off work (verb): finish work
  - She seldom gets off work before 6:00 p.m.
• dinner (noun): sometimes supper
  - We seldom eat dinner after 8:00 p.m.
• stay up (verb): not go to bed
  - I almost never stay up past midnight.
• set aside (verb): reserve, allow, or give a certain amount to
  - You have to set aside enough time to study for your classes.
• toughest (adjective): most difficult, hardest
  - The toughest part about being a parent is setting aside time for both work, family, and self.
• take care of (verb): watch, look after
  - You should take care of yourself so you don't get sick.
• groceries (noun): food and other items at a supermarket
  - Mom is going to pick up some groceries from the store for dinner.

 

Post listening exercises

Начало формы

1. What time does the man get up?
A. at 5:00 a.m.
B. at 6:00 a.m.
C. at 7:00 a.m.

2. What time does he get to work?
A. at 7:00 a.m.
B. at 8:00 a.m.
C. at 9:00 a.m.

3. What does he do with his family around 6:30 p.m.?
A. They read books together.
B. They play games.
C. They eat dinner.

4. What do the man and his wife do after the kids go to bed?
A. They watch TV.
B. They clean the house.
C. They listen to music.

5. What is one thing the man does NOT say about his wife?
A. She has to take their children to school.
B. She helps the kids with their homework.
C. She goes shopping for food.

2.

Now, discuss your own typical schedule for a weekday and a weekend. What activities do you usually do with family and friends? Конец формы

Reading

Text 1

a) Daily Activities at Home