Learn how to use comparatives
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Natalie: Hi there! |
| Braden: Braden here. Your English Will be Better if you Learn Comparatives. |
| Natalie: In this lesson, you'll learn about comparatives. |
| Braden: This conversation takes place on the plane during a shift. |
| Natalie: And it’s between David and Ashley. |
| Braden: David and Ashley have become friends and are speaking casually. |
| Natalie: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| David: Have you chosen where we're going in San Diego? |
| Ashley: We're going to a sushi bar on the wharf. There's a beach nearby as well. |
| David: Sounds great! I love sushi, especially when it's fresh. |
| Ashley: Yeah, there are closer restaurants, but sushi just sounds good. |
| David: And it's more expensive, but that's okay. Sushi sounds like it will hit the spot for me as well. I'll go tell the others. |
| Ashley: I already told them. They thought sushi sounded better as well. |
| Braden: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| David: Have you chosen where we're going in San Diego? |
| Ashley: We're going to a sushi bar on the wharf. There's a beach nearby as well. |
| David: Sounds great! I love sushi, especially when it's fresh. |
| Ashley: Yeah, there are closer restaurants, but sushi just sounds good. |
| David: And it's more expensive, but that's okay. Sushi sounds like it will hit the spot for me as well. I'll go tell the others. |
| Ashley: I already told them. They thought sushi sounded better as well. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Braden: So, let's talk a little bit about San Diego. |
| Natalie: San Diego is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California and shares a 15-mile border with Mexico. The city has a population of 1.3 million and the greater San Diego area has a population of 2. 9 million. |
| Braden: San Diego is the 17th largest economic center in the United States with industries such as military and defense, tourism, international trade, and manufacturing. |
| Natalie: San Diego is a deep water port which allows it to be the only major submarine and shipbuilding yard on the West Coast. Several major national defense contractors are headquartered in San Diego. |
| Braden: Nearly 15,000 businesses and about 5% of all civilian jobs depend on contracts from the Department of Defense. |
| Natalie: Education in San Diego is also very important. According to the U. S. Census Bureau over 40% of residents in San Diego ages 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. |
| Braden: According to the statistics, this makes San Diego the 9th most educated city in the United States. Public colleges and universities in the city include San Diego State University, University of San Diego, and the University of California San Diego school of medicine. |
| Natalie: Okay so, Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Natalie: sushi [natural native speed] |
| Braden: a Japanese dish consisting of small balls of rice often with raw fish |
| Natalie: sushi [slowly - broken down by syllable] sushi [natural native speed] |
| Braden: Next |
| Natalie: wharf [natural native speed] |
| Braden: a level area where a ship may be moored to load and unload |
| Natalie: wharf [slowly - broken down by syllable] wharf [natural native speed] |
| Braden: Next |
| Natalie: beach [natural native speed] |
| Braden: area close to the ocean covered in sand or small rocks |
| Natalie: beach [slowly - broken down by syllable] beach [natural native speed] |
| Braden: Next |
| Natalie: fresh [natural native speed] |
| Braden: recently made or obtained |
| Natalie: fresh [slowly - broken down by syllable] fresh [natural native speed] |
| Braden: Next |
| Natalie: sounded [natural native speed] |
| Braden: to seem or to appear as |
| Natalie: sounded [slowly - broken down by syllable] sounded [natural native speed] |
| Braden: Next |
| Natalie: spot [natural native speed] |
| Braden: position (number 1 spot = number 1 position) |
| Natalie: spot [slowly - broken down by syllable] spot [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Braden: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Natalie: In the dialogue, we heard the phrase “on the wharf.” |
| Braden: What we wanted to focus on most here was the word “wharf.” |
| Natalie: A “wharf” is a unique word. First off it's spelled "w-h-a-r-f." This is a strange spelling for a English word. |
| Braden: A "wharf" is a structure built on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock in order to load or unload cargo or passengers. |
| Natalie: “Wharf" is from an old English word which neither of us can pronounce. (Laughter) However, it's important to note that a wharf is actually a building or construction, not the “bay” or area of water. |
| Braden: That's why with the phrase “on the wharf” you're talking about the buildings or in this case the “restaurant” that was built “on the wharf.” |
| Natalie: In other words, the restaurant is located where ships can dock to load and unload their cargo. |
| Braden: Could you break this down for us? |
| Natalie: (slowly) on the wharf |
| Braden: And one time fast? |
| Natalie: (fast) on the wharf |
| Braden: Perfect! What’s next? |
| Natalie: Next, we heard the phrase "hit the spot." |
| Braden: The phrase “hit the spot,” is a very common and casual phrase. |
| Natalie: This is probably not a phrase you should use while in a business meeting. However, this is very appropriate and very normal if you are out with your friends or family. |
| Braden: Hit the spot” refers to the idea of “getting something right” and at least to me makes me think of hitting a target. For example, with a bow and arrow, a dart or something like that. |
| Natalie: To help you remember the phrase and its meaning, you could remember that the idea is kind of like, “hit the (right) spot.” |
| Braden: Could you break this down for us? |
| Natalie: (slowly) hit the spot |
| Braden: And one time fast? |
| Natalie: (fast) hit the spot |
| Braden: Excellent! Let’s take a look at the grammar point. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Braden: So Natalie, what’s the focus of this lesson? |
| Natalie: The focus of this lesson is the comparative |
| Braden: In the dialogue we heard the phrase |
| Natalie: There are closer restaurants but sushi just sounds good. |
| Braden: Okay so, Comparatives are special forms of adjectives. They are used to compare 2 or more things. |
| Natalie: Generally comparatives are formed using a special ending; the "-er" ending. |
| Braden: In this lesson, we'll explain some of the rules for forming regular comparatives. |
| Natalie: For the most part, forming a comparative depends on how many syllables are in the adjective. |
| Braden: A syllable is kind of like a rhythmic beat. For example, “look” contains one syllable, but “looking” contains two – “look” and “ing." |
| Natalie: Okay so, rule number 1 – if there is only one syllable and the word ends in “E" then you add an "r" at the end of the word. |
| Braden: For example, “close” becomes “closer” spelled “c-l-o-s-e-r" |
| Natalie: And “fine” becomes “finer” spelled “f-i-n-e-r” |
| Braden: Rule number 2 – If there is only one syllable and that one syllable has one vowel and one consonant at the end then you double the consonant. After that you add "er." |
| Natalie: Some examples of that would be, “Hot” becomes “hotter” spelled “h-o-t-t-e-r" |
| Braden: And “Big” becomes “bigger” spelled “b-i-g-g-e-r" |
| Natalie: Rule 3 – If there's only one syllable and more than one vowel or more than one consonant at the end then you add "ER.” |
| Braden: For example, “fast” becomes “faster” spelled “f-a-s-t-e-r" And “neat" becomes “neater" spelled “n-e-a-t-e-r" |
| Natalie: Rule 4 – If there are 2 syllables and the word ends in "y" then you change the "y" to and "i" and add "-er." |
| Braden: For example, “Funny” becomes “funnier” spelled “f-u-n-n-i-e-r" And “Happy” becomes “happier” spelled “h-a-p-p-i-e-r" |
| Natalie: And last we have Rule number 5 which is that If there are 2 syllables or more and they do not end in "Y" then you use the word “more” before the adjective. |
| Braden: For example, “Beautiful” becomes “more beautiful” And “Capable” becomes “more capable” |
| Natalie: That sounds about right. Let's review this lesson. |
| Braden: Okay so, comparatives are special forms of adjectives. These special forms “compare” 2 or more things. |
| Natalie: Generally, comparatives are formed using a special ending. |
| Braden: This “special ending” is the -er ending. |
| Natalie: However, sometimes you use and "-ier" ending or insert “more” before the adjective. |
| Braden: That’s right. |
Outro |
| Braden: That about does it for this lesson. |
| Natalie: See you later! |
| Braden: Thanks for listening. |
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