In the past, phones were bigger, but today they are smaller and more powerful. In the past, a phone was heavy and simple. Today it is light and smart.

In the past, people had cameras and maps, but today we have them in one phone. In the past, people listened to music on CDs. Today we listen to music on our phones.

In the past, we went to the bank and we paid with cash more often. Today we go online and we pay by card or phone. In the past, messages were slower, but today they are faster and easier.

Some things were cheaper in the past, but some things are better today. Life was different, and it is different now.

Adjective (base)	Comparative	Superlative
big	bigger	the biggest
small	smaller	the smallest
powerful	more powerful	the most powerful
heavy	heavier	the heaviest
simple	simpler	the simplest
light	lighter	the lightest
smart	smarter	the smartest
slow	slower	the slowest
fast	faster	the fastest
easy	easier	the easiest
cheap	cheaper	the cheapest
different	more different	the most different
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst
old	older	the oldest
new	newer	the newest
long	longer	the longest
short	shorter	the shortest
expensive	more expensive	the most expensive
important	more important	the most important
popular	more popular	the most popular
interesting	more interesting	the most interesting
beautiful	more beautiful	the most beautiful
comfortable	more comfortable	the most comfortable

Rule (simple)

We use comparatives to compare two things:

Phones are smaller today. (today vs the past)

We use superlatives to talk about one thing in a group (the top/bottom):

This phone is the smallest.

How to form them

Short adjectives (1 syllable, or common 2 syllables like easy):
-er / -est → small → smaller → the smallest
Spelling:
- big → bigger (double consonant)
- heavy → heavier (y → i + er/est)
Long adjectives (2+ syllables like powerful, expensive):
more / the most → more powerful / the most powerful
Irregular:
good → better → the best / bad → worse → the worst

Infinitive	Past Simple	Past Participle
be (am/is/are)	was / were	been
have	had	had
go	went	gone
do	did	done
make	made	made
get	got	got
eat	ate	eaten
drink	drank	drunk
take	took	taken
come	came	come
see	saw	seen
give	gave	given
speak	spoke	spoken
drive	drove	driven
ride	rode	ridden
sleep	slept	slept
wear	wore	worn
buy	bought	bought
bring	brought	brought
think	thought	thought
teach	taught	taught
tell	told	told
say	said	said
read	read	read
write	wrote	written
meet	met	met
keep	kept	kept
feel	felt	felt
leave	left	left
build	built	built
find	found	found
lose	lost	lost

Grammar box: Past Simple (A2)

Use: finished actions in the past (yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago).

1) Regular verbs

Form (statements): verb + -ed

work → worked, clean → cleaned, listen → listened

Spelling (quick):

most verbs: play → played
- e: like → liked
y → ied: study → studied

2) Negatives

Form: didn’t + base verb (no -ed)

I didn’t work. / She didn’t listen.

3) Questions

Yes/No: Did + subject + base verb …?

Did you work yesterday? — Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

Wh-: Wh- + did + subject + base verb …?

Where did you go? / What did she study?

Special verb: BE

Past of be: was / were

I/he/she/it was … | you/we/they were …

Negative: wasn’t / weren’t
Questions: Was/Were + subject …?

Board: Examples (statement / negative / question)

A) TO BE (was / were)

Statement: I was tired yesterday.
Negative: I wasn’t tired yesterday.
Question: Were you tired yesterday?

B) Regular verb: clean (cleaned)

Statement: She cleaned the kitchen yesterday.
Negative: She didn’t clean the kitchen yesterday.
Question: Did she clean the kitchen yesterday?

C) Irregular verb: go (went)

Statement: They went to the bank last week.
Negative: They didn’t go to the bank last week.
Question: Did they go to the bank last week?

Last weekend was wetter and wilder than usual, and it was more exciting than the weekend before. On Saturday I went to the forest early because I wanted an adventure. The weather was rainy and cold, but I wasn’t unhappy — I was very motivated.

I met a friend at a small riding place and we rode horses into the trees. The paths were muddier than I expected, so we went slowly at first. Later, we found a longer trail that was safer and easier. My horse was stronger than the first one I tried, and I felt more confident. We took photos and we drank hot tea after the ride.

In the evening I didn’t go out. I didn’t watch TV much, and I didn’t work. I made simple soup and I listened to calm music.

On Sunday the rain stopped, but the forest was still wet. I went for a short walk and I got home early. It was the best weekend in a long time — better than staying at home, and definitely more fun.

What did you do last weekend? (On Saturday / On Sunday)

Where did you go (if you went out)?

Who did you spend time with?

What did you eat or drink?

Was your weekend better or worse than the weekend before? Why?

NOW YOU!

HOLIDAY TALK (Past Simple + Comparatives) — Mini Worksheet

1) Choose one holiday / trip

Where? ____________ When? ____________ With who? ____________ How long? ____________

2) Speak (use these sentence frames)

A) Where / When

I went to ____________ last ____________.
I stayed for ____________ days / nights.
The weather was ____________.

B) Who with

I went with ____________.
We met ____________. (optional)

C) What did you do? (3 actions)

I visited ____________.
I went to ____________.
I ate / drank / bought / took photos ____________.
I didn’t ____________ because ____________.

D) What did you see?

I saw ____________ (a museum / a beach / mountains / a market).
There were ____________ (people / views / shops).

E) Best / Worst (comparatives)

The best part was ____________.
It was better than ____________.
I didn’t like ____________ because ____________.
It was more ____________ than I expected. (crowded / expensive / interesting)

F) Finish

I want to go back because ____________.
OR
I don’t want to go back because ____________.

3) Word bank (small + useful)

Places: beach, mountains, lake, countryside, museum, market, park, old town
Transport: by car, by train, by bus, by plane, on foot
Past verbs: went, stayed, visited, walked, ate, drank, bought, took photos, met, relaxed
Comparatives: better, worse, bigger, smaller, quieter, hotter, colder, more interesting, more crowded, more expensive
Linkers: and, but, because, then, after that

4) Listener: ask 2 questions

________________________________ ?
________________________________ ?

Third Week