Degrees of comparison

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

welcome!

Road map

• Would you rather ...
• Degrees of Comparison
• Black Story
• Writing

Would you rather ...
only know (speak and understand) Drents, English, Mandarin or Spanish? Be prepared to discuss!

Meert maond - dialect maond

Lesson Goal

At the end of this class you can:

• (level 1) recognise, 
• (level 2) understand, or 
• (level 3) apply the degrees of comparison. 

Recognise

As dawn breaks over the Pont Neuf, and the cobbled alleyways of Paris come to life, Anna Trent is already awake and at work, mixing and stirring the finest, smoothest, richest chocolate; made entirely by hand, it is sold to the grandes dames of Paris. 

Jenny Colgan - The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris (2013)

Recognise

The key collector would usually have a replacement that would suit their needs. It was often faster than having a new key made. The key collector kept the most common shapes and sizes of keys always at hand. He hung them in the windows on ribbons like curtains and arranged them on bookshelves. The most delicate ones he kept under glass or in boxes meant for jewels.

Erin Morgenstern - The Starless Sea (2019). 

I recognised the degrees of comparison

I find it difficult to recognise the degrees of comparison

Comparisons

It's a cold day today.

It is definitely colder than it was yesterday.

The Met office said it is quite possibly the coldest day of the year.

1 lettergreep

- Vergrotende trap: woord +  -er

- Overtreffende trap: woord + -est

old

older

oldest

Comparisons - regular conjugation

one syllable

• cold - colder - coldest
• - E: large -  larger - largest
• Doubling of consonants: fat - fatter -fattest

Comparisons - regular conjugation

Two or more syllables

•  -Y: easy - easier -easiest
• Two: can be er - est/ more, most (quiet). But ... 
• Three more syllables: use 'more' and 'most'

        She is more beautiful in winter than in summer

        She is the most beautiful girl in the world.

Onregelmatige vormen

good - better - best

bad - worse - worst

few - fewer - fewest

little -  less - least

many - more - most

much - more - most

You'll find your way around town much … (makkelijk) if you have a good map.

My bags seemed to get … (zwaarder) as I carried them.

My … (oudste) sister is called Jane.

The city centre was … (minder) crowded than I had expected.

We stayed at the … (goedkoopste) hotel in town.

How's your headache? Any better? No, it's much .....(slechter)

Degrees of Comparison:
Where do you stand?

I can recognise

I understand

I can apply

Black Story - A light in the darkness

A man dies after striking a match. He doesn't even have to be buried. What happened?

A convict had bribed an undertaker to help him escape from prison. At the next prison funeral service the convict planned to hide in the coffin with the corpse, and the undertaker would dig open the grave the same day and free him. 

When the convict lit a match inside the coffin, he saw that the corpse next to him was that of the undertaker....

Lesson Goal

At the end of this class you can  describe the main structure of a text 

 and

apply this to an email. 

Preamble

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Closing

Summary

or 

Call to action

The main part of your text. State your case!

Grab

attention,

explain

purpose

Sincerely,

best wishes

Dear Sir, Madam, 

Structure of a letter/email

Preamble

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Closing

Email - due date 16 March '21

Write an email with a minimum of 150 words to your future self five years from now (2026).  Assignment is on Classroom. 

Use:

- the future tenses to discuss your (fictional) hopes and dreams for when you have finished secondary school. 

- the degrees of comparison to compare where you are now with where you hope to be in a couple of years time. 

-if possible quantifiers. 

Email

Purpose of email: 

You apply the future tenses, the degrees of comparison and if possible quantifiers correctly.

(level 3)

If you feel you are not sure how to use these three grammatical issues,  go back to the theory in your book (TB, Noordhoff Online, Ref. Book) or ask me!

Email - due date 16 March '21

Duygu, Casper, Sasja, Noortje, Maria, Liz: you can start writing the email now. 

Email - due date 16 March '21

Use the future tenses to discuss your (fictional) hopes and dreams for when you have finished secondary school. 

• present simple : timetables, scheduled events (the bus leaves)
• present continuous: scheduled event, time and/or place are certain (We're  going to Ibiza -  the tickets have been booked).
• to be going to: predictions + proof, plannen. 
• will/shall: decisions, promises, predictions - proof. 

Email - due date 16 March '21

Use the degrees of comparison to compare where you are now with where you hope to be in a couple of years time. 

• 1 syllable: -, -er, -est.
• 2 syllables: -, (e)r, (e)st, or - , more, most.
• 3 syllables and more: - ,more, most.
• exceptions to the rules.

If possible, use quantifiers (much, many, a few, some etc.).

Homework

For Thursday 11 March: Study Theme 4 Grammar, p. 

For 16 March 2021, 23.59: 

Write an email to your future self - Assignment on Classroom!