Comparing people, things and places

October 22, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

When we describe the world around us, we often talk about how things are similar or different.
We compare people, places, animals, objects, and even situations, sometimes without thinking about it!

In English, there are several ways to make comparisons.
You might already know the basic forms:

Comparatives show differences.
Equatives show similarities.
Non-equatives show small or polite differences.

Here you can find more details:

Comparatives, Non-equatives and Equatives

But English allows us to go further. We can make stronger comparisons to emphasize big differences, and we can use adverbs to compare actions. For example, how people speak, drive, or work.

Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs

A. Short adjectives and adverbs

Add -er / -ier to short adjectives or adverbs.
Use than to compare.

Type	Form	Example
Short adjectives (1 syllable)	adjective + -er + than	“Millennials cook more at home, their food is healthier than before.”
Adjectives ending in -y	change -y → -ier	“Fresh food is tastier than fast food.”
Short adverbs	adverb + -er + than	“He runs faster than his brother.”

B. Long adjectives and adverbs

Use more / less + adjective/adverb + than for longer words.

Type	Form	Example
Long adjectives (2+ syllables)	more + adjective + than	“This café is more comfortable than that one.”
Adverbs ending in -ly	more + adverb + than	“Millennials exercise more regularly than older generations.”
Opposite idea	less + adjective/adverb + than	“Fresh food is less fattening than fast food.”

Stronger Comparisons

We can make comparisons stronger using words like much, far, or a lot before the adjective.

Form	Example
much / far / a lot + comparative	“This city is much bigger than my hometown.”
much / far + more + adjective	“Electric cars are far more expensive than gas cars.”

🟢 Tip: These words make the difference sound stronger or more surprising.

Irregular Comparatives

Some adjectives and adverbs don’t follow normal rules.

Adjective/Adverb	Comparative	Example
good / well	better	“She cooks better than her brother.”
bad / badly	worse	“Their diet is worse than before.”

Non-Equatives and Equatives

Non-Equatives
→ Use not as + adjective/adverb + as to show difference (in a polite or softer way).

“Millennials are not as hard-working as their parents.”
“This café isn’t as quiet as the one downtown.”

Equatives
→ Use as + adjective/adverb + as to show equality.

“My town is as peaceful as yours.”
→ Add emphasis with just as or almost as.
“This park is just as beautiful as the beach.”
“This phone is almost as fast as my laptop.”

Comparing Nouns

We can also compare how many or how much people or things there are.

Form	Example
more + noun	“More millennials are happy to pay a higher price for eco products.”
fewer + plural noun (countable)	“Fewer adults own their homes today.”
less + uncountable noun	“Millennials earn less money than their parents.”

🧠 Grammar Focus

Type	Form	Example
Short adjectives	adjective + -er + than	“New York is bigger than Boston.”
Long adjectives/adverbs	more / less + adj/adv + than	“Tokyo is more crowded than Seoul.”
Stronger comparisons	much / far / a lot + comparative	“London is far bigger than Oxford.”
Irregular adjectives	better / worse/ further	“This café is better than that one.”
Irregular adverbs	well/ badly/ fast/ hard	“John runs faster than Mike”.
Non-equatives	not as + adj/adv + as	“This hotel isn’t as clean as that one.”
Equatives	(just/almost) as + adj/adv + as	“The park is just as nice as the beach.”
Nouns	more / fewer / less + noun	“Fewer people drive to work now.”

✨ Remember:

Use -er or more to show differences.
Use as … as to show similarities.
Add much / far / a lot to make your comparison stronger.
Use not as … as to sound polite.
Use more / fewer / less to compare amounts.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Look at the prompts in the cards and make sentences using comparatives.

Practice 1

Practice 2

Future Plans & Desires

October 22, 2025October 22, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We use be going to, want to, and would like to to talk about plans, intentions and desires for the future.
These expressions help us describe what we have already decided to do, what we want to do, or what we would like to do politely.

Future Plans

We use be going to to talk about things we plan to do or intend to do in the future.
These are decisions we’ve already made.

✅ Structure:
am / is / are + going to + base form (verb)

Examples:

I’m going to invite my neighbours for dinner.
She’s going to buy a new phone.
We’re going to visit our grandparents this weekend.

💡 Remember:
Use the correct form of be:

Subject	Be verb
I	am
You / We / They	are
He / She / It	is

Example:

I am going to call my friend.
He is going to clean his room.

Desires

A desire is something you really want , something you hope to have or do in the future.
It’s usually possible and realistic.

It comes from your feelings or needs.

Example	Meaning
I desire peace and quiet.	You really want calmness in your life.
She desires to travel the world.	It’s something she really wants to do.
They desire success.	They want to be successful.

💬 In everyday English, we don’t often say “desire” in conversation. It sounds formal or literary.
Instead, we usually say “want” or “would like”.

👉 Desire = Strong “want” (formal word)

Want to = a strong desire

Use want to + verb to talk about something you really plan to do or feel sure about.
It’s direct and very common in everyday English.

✅ Form:
Subject + want to + base form (verb)

Examples:

I want to see my friends this weekend.
She wants to travel next summer.
We want to buy a new car.

🧠 Meaning: You have a clear plan or strong wish to do something.

Would like to = a polite or softer desire

Use would like to + verb to talk about something you want, but in a more polite or gentle way.
It’s often used when we are being nice, formal, or not completely sure.

✅ Form:
Subject + would like to + base form (verb)
(We often say ’d like instead of would like.)

Examples:

I’d like to make a traditional meal.
He’d like to visit Paris one day.
We’d like to go out this Saturday.

🧠 Meaning: You want to do it, but you say it politely — it sounds friendly and nice.

🗣 Compare:

I want to go out tonight. → (simple, direct)
I’d like to go out tonight. → (polite and friendly)

🕐 Talking About the Future

Common Time Expressions

⏰ Expression	Meaning / When	💬 Example Sentence
⏳ in an hour	60 minutes from now	I’m going to call you in an hour.
📅 this Saturday	The coming Saturday	We’re going to a concert this Saturday.
📆 in two months’ time	Two months from now	She’s going to start a new job in two months’ time.
🌸 next April	The April that’s coming	They’re going to travel to Japan next April.
🕑 at two o’clock tomorrow	A specific time tomorrow	I’m meeting my teacher at two o’clock tomorrow.
🌞 the day after tomorrow	Two days from today	We’re going to visit our grandparents the day after tomorrow.
🎓 the year after next	Two years from now	I’m going to finish university the year after next.
🚀 in 2060	A specific year in the future	People might live on Mars in 2060.

These words help make your future sentences more natural and specific.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Present Perfect + ever/ never

October 21, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We use the present perfect tense to talk about experiences or actions in the past when we don’t say exactly when they happened.
We care about the result or the experience, not the specific time.

✅ Example: I’ve visited Paris.
(It happened at some time before now, but we don’t say when.)

🧩 How to form the Present Perfect

Subject	have / has	past participle
I / You / We / They	have	seen
He / She / It	has	eaten

📝 Form:

have / has + past participle

Examples:

He has watched lots of movies.
We have visited many cities.

🚫 Using Never

We use never to say that something has not happened at any time in our life.

Meaning: not ever

🧱 Structure:

Subject + have/has + never + past participle

Examples:

He has never watched a football match.
I have never seen snow.
We have never eaten sushi.

⚠️ Don’t use not and never together:
❌ I haven’t never been to Japan.
✅ I’ve never been to Japan.

❓ Using Ever

We use ever in questions to ask about someone’s life experiences.

Meaning: at any time in your life

🧱 Structure:

Have / Has + subject + ever + past participle + … ?

Examples:

Have you ever boiled an egg?
Has she ever met a famous person?
Have they ever ridden a horse?

🌟 Quick Summary

Word	Use	Example
ever	to ask about experiences	Have you ever been to London?
never	to say something hasn’t happened	I’ve never been to London.

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 2

Complete the questions and discuss the topics with your classmates.

Practice 2

Introduction to Articles

October 20, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Articles are small but powerful words in English! We use them before nouns to show if we are talking about something general or specific.

Let’s review how and when to use a, an, the, and no article in clear steps.

The Definite Article – the

We use the when the listener knows exactly what we’re talking about — something specific, unique, or already mentioned.

✅ Use “the” for:

Something both people know about:
→ I’m going back to the city tomorrow.
Famous buildings or landmarks:
→ We visited the Empire State Building.
Something unique (only one):
→ People all over the world love music.

🟡 Example:

I saw the movie you told me about.
(It’s clear which movie.)

The Indefinite Articles – a / an

We use a or an when we talk about one thing for the first time, or something not specific.

✅ Use “a / an” for:

When you mention something new:
→ I bought a book yesterday.
When you mean “one” of something:
→ I had an idea this morning.
When you talk generally (not a specific one):
→ Would you like a coffee?

💡 Tip:

Use a before consonant sounds → a dog, a student, a car
Use an before vowel sounds → an apple, an hour, an umbrella

Zero Article – no article (Ø)

Sometimes, we don’t use a, an, or the at all!
This is called the zero article (Ø).

✅ Use no article for:

People or things in general:
→ Tourists love visiting New York.
→ Dogs are friendly animals.
Uncountable nouns:
→ I love music and coffee.

🟡 Example:

I enjoy listening to music.
(We’re not talking about specific music.)

🧩 Comparative Table: Articles in English

Type	Form	Use	Example
Definite article	the	Specific or known person/thing; unique items; landmarks	We went to the beach. / The moon is bright.
Indefinite article	a / an	One, first mention, not specific	I saw a movie. / She has an umbrella.
Zero article (Ø)	—	General ideas, plural or uncountable nouns	Music is relaxing. / People are friendly.

🧠 Grammar Tip

🔹 Use a/an when you mention something for the first time.
🔹 Use the when both people know what you’re talking about.
🔹 Use no article (Ø) for things in general or uncountable nouns.

For more information about articles visit:

Articles (Part 1)

Articles (part 2)

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Past Participle

October 19, 2025October 20, 2025 teacherjulieta4 Comments

A past participle is a verb form we use with have or has to make the Present Perfect tense.

Examples:

I have visited Spain.
She has seen that movie.

🧠 The past participle tells us that something happened before now, but we don’t say exactly when.

The three main verb forms

In English, every verb has three main forms:

Base Form	Past Simple (Verb II)	Past Participle (Verb III)
go	went	gone
eat	ate	eaten
watch	watched	watched

We use:

Base form → for now (I go to school every day.)
Past simple → for yesterday (I went to school yesterday.)
Past participle → with have/has (I have gone to school.)

Regular verbs

For regular verbs, the past participle ends in -ed (just like the past simple).

Base	Past	Past Participle
work	worked	worked
play	played	played
visit	visited	visited

Examples:

I have visited my grandparents.
We have played soccer many times.

Irregular verbs

Some verbs don’t follow the “-ed” rule.
These are called irregular verbs. You must learn them.

Base	Past	Past Participle
go	went	gone
see	saw	seen
do	did	done
eat	ate	eaten
have	had	had

Examples:

I have gone to Italy.
She has seen that movie before.
He has done his homework.

Why is it important?

You need the past participle to make the Present Perfect tense, which is used to talk about life experiences:

Have you ever been to Canada?
I have never tried sushi.
We have visited many cities.

📘 Common Irregular Verbs

This is a basic list of the most common irregular verbs in English.
It’s a great place to start, but remember, there are many more irregular verbs that you’ll learn as you continue studying.

👉 Focus on a few verbs each week and use them in real sentences.
The more you read, listen, and speak, the easier it will be to remember new ones naturally.

Keep this table as your starter guide, and you’ll build your verb knowledge step by step.

# Base Form
(Verb I) Past Simple
(Verb II) Past Participle
(Verb III) Example Sentence
1 be was / were been I’ve been to Italy.
2 become became become He’s become more confident.
3 begin began begun The class has just begun.
4 break broke broken I’ve broken my glasses.
5 buy bought bought She’s bought new shoes.
6 choose chose chosen Have you chosen a movie?
7 come came come They’ve come home.
8 do did done He’s done his homework.
9 drink drank drunk She’s drunk all the juice.
10 drive drove driven He’s driven to work today.
11 eat ate eaten Have you eaten yet?
12 feel felt felt I’ve felt tired all day.
13 find found found I’ve found my keys.
14 forget forgot forgotten I’ve forgotten your name!
15 get got got I’ve got a new job.
16 give gave given They’ve given me a gift.
17 go went gone We’ve gone to the park.
18 have had had She’s had breakfast already.
19 know knew known Have you known her long?
20 leave left left She’s left her bag at home.
21 make made made He’s made a cake.
22 meet met met We’ve met before.
23 read read /rɛd/ read /rɛd/ I’ve read that book.
24 say said said She’s said sorry.
25 see saw seen I’ve seen that movie.
26 take took taken We’ve taken lots of photos.
27 tell told told He’s told me the story.
28 think thought thought I’ve thought about it.
29 wear wore worn I’ve worn this jacket before.
30 write wrote written He’s written three emails.

#	Base Form (Verb I)	Past Simple (Verb II)	Past Participle (Verb III)	Example Sentence
1	be	was / were	been	I’ve been to Italy.
2	become	became	become	He’s become more confident.
3	begin	began	begun	The class has just begun.
4	break	broke	broken	I’ve broken my glasses.
5	buy	bought	bought	She’s bought new shoes.
6	choose	chose	chosen	Have you chosen a movie?
7	come	came	come	They’ve come home.
8	do	did	done	He’s done his homework.
9	drink	drank	drunk	She’s drunk all the juice.
10	drive	drove	driven	He’s driven to work today.
11	eat	ate	eaten	Have you eaten yet?
12	feel	felt	felt	I’ve felt tired all day.
13	find	found	found	I’ve found my keys.
14	forget	forgot	forgotten	I’ve forgotten your name!
15	get	got	got	I’ve got a new job.
16	give	gave	given	They’ve given me a gift.
17	go	went	gone	We’ve gone to the park.
18	have	had	had	She’s had breakfast already.
19	know	knew	known	Have you known her long?
20	leave	left	left	She’s left her bag at home.
21	make	made	made	He’s made a cake.
22	meet	met	met	We’ve met before.
23	read	read /rɛd/	read /rɛd/	I’ve read that book.
24	say	said	said	She’s said sorry.
25	see	saw	seen	I’ve seen that movie.
26	take	took	taken	We’ve taken lots of photos.
27	tell	told	told	He’s told me the story.
28	think	thought	thought	I’ve thought about it.
29	wear	wore	worn	I’ve worn this jacket before.
30	write	wrote	written	He’s written three emails.

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Choose a card and say the base form – simple past – past participle.

Example:

go – went- gone

If you don’t remember, you can check the table of irregular verbs

Superlatives

October 18, 2025October 20, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

Talking About the # 1

We often compare things to say how they are different or similar.
When we want to talk about something that is at the top, the best, the biggest, or the most interesting, we use the superlative form.

Superlatives show that one thing has the highest level of a quality.
For example:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
This café has the most delicious desserts in town.

Let’s learn how to form and use them!

1️⃣ Forming Superlatives

We form superlatives in different ways depending on the type of adjective.

Type of adjective	Form	Example
Short adjectives (1 syllable)	adjective + -est	small → the smallest Tokyo is the smallest apartment I’ve ever seen.
Adjectives ending in -e	adjective + -st	nice → the nicest She’s the nicest person I know.
Short adjectives (CVC pattern)	double the last consonant + -est	big → the biggest That’s the biggest dog I’ve ever seen.
Long adjectives (2+ syllables)	the most + adjective	beautiful → the most beautiful Paris is the most beautiful city in Europe.
Irregular adjectives	good → the best / bad → the worst / far → the farthest	This is the best movie ever!

🟢 Remember: Always use “the” before the superlative.
❌ Mount Everest is highest mountain.
✅ Mount Everest is the highest mountain.

2️⃣ Superlatives with Nouns

We can also use superlatives + noun to describe people, places, or things:

She’s the youngest student in the class.
That was the most exciting game this year.
This is the least expensive restaurant in town.

🟡 Note: We use the least + adjective for the opposite meaning:

This is the least interesting book I’ve read.

3️⃣ Common Phrases with Superlatives

Superlatives are often used with expressions like:

in the world / in the city / in the group
- He’s the best player in the team.
I’ve ever…
- That’s the most delicious cake I’ve ever eaten!

🧠 Grammar Focus

Adjective Type	Comparative	Superlative
Short	tall → taller than	tall → the tallest
Ending in -e	nice → nicer than	nice → the nicest
CVC	big → bigger than	big → the biggest
Long	beautiful → more beautiful than	beautiful → the most beautiful
Irregular	good → better than	good → the best

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Look at the card.

Say the opposite superlative.

Example: the most expensive -> the cheapest

Practice 2

Look at the cards and complete the sentences with the correct superlative.

Practice 3

Speaking

Complete the questions using a superlative.

Share your answers with your classmates.

Comparatives, Non-equatives and Equatives

October 18, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

Talking about similarities and differences

When we describe cities, people, or things, we often say how they are different or similar.
In English, we use comparatives and equatives to do this.

1️⃣ Comparatives

Showing Differences

We use comparative adjectives to show the difference between two people, things, or places.

Add -er for short adjectives (small → smaller).
Use more + adjective for long adjectives (beautiful → more beautiful).

Type	Form	Example
Short adjectives (1 syllable)	adjective + -er + than	Paris is smaller than London.
Adjectives ending in -e	adjective + -r + than	Rome is nicer than Madrid.
Short adjectives (CVC pattern)	double last letter + -er + than	New York is bigger than Boston.
Long adjectives (2+ syllables)	more + adjective + than	Tokyo is more expensive than Seoul.
Irregular adjectives	better / worse / farther	This café is better than that one.

🟢 Use “than” after the adjective.
🟢 Don’t use “more” and “-er” together.
❌ “more bigger than” → ✅ “bigger than”

2️⃣ Non-Equatives

Showing That Two Things Are Not the Same

A non-equative sentence shows a difference, but in a softer way than a comparative.
We use not as + adjective + as o say they are different.

Form	Meaning	Example
not as + adjective + as	not the same / weaker comparison	The countryside isn’t as crowded as the city.

Example	Meaning
The city is not as quiet as the countryside.	The city is noisier.
This café is not as big as that one.	That one is bigger.
My car is not as new as yours.	Yours is newer.

🟡 Tip:
“Non-equative” simply means “not equal” — two things are different in some way.

💡 “Not as…as” is often used to make a comparison sound softer or more polite:

“This hotel isn’t as comfortable as the other one.” (gentler than “worse than”)

3️⃣ Equatives

Showing That Two Things Are the Same

An equative shows that two things are equal in some way.

We use as + adjective + as to say two things are the same.

Form	Meaning	Example
as + adjective + as	the same	My town is as quiet as yours.
just as + adjective + as	completely equal (stronger)	This park is just as beautiful as the beach.

Example	Meaning
My house is as big as yours.	The houses are the same size.
Today is as cold as yesterday.	The temperature is the same.
This park is as beautiful as the beach.	They are equally beautiful.

🟡 Tip:
“Equative” simply means “ equal” — two things are similar.

🧠 Grammar Focus

✅ Comparatives:

Use -er + than for short adjectives.
Use more + adjective + than for long adjectives.
Use better / worse / farther for irregular adjectives.

✅ Non-equatives:

Use not as + adjective + as → “not as tall as,” “not as interesting as.”

✅ Equatives:

Use as + adjective + as → “as fast as,” “as nice as.”

Let’s practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

October 16, 2025October 19, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

How to talk about past events and experiences

Have you ever wondered whether to say “I went” or “I’ve been”?
Both talk about the past — but they don’t mean the same thing.

In English, we use the Simple Past to describe actions in a finished time and the Present Perfect to describe experiences or actions that are connected to now.

The Simple Past — Finished Time

We use the Simple Past to talk about completed actions or situations that happened in the past.
The time is specific and finished.

✅ Structure:

Subject + past form of the verb

Example	Meaning
I visited New York in 2018.	The trip is finished.
She studied English last year.	That time is over.
We didn’t go to the party yesterday.	The event is finished.

🕓 Common Time Expressions:

yesterday
last week / last year
in 2010
two days ago
when I was a child

💡 Tip: If you say when something happened → use the Simple Past.

The Present Perfect — Experience and Connection to Now

We use the Present Perfect to talk about past actions or experiences that are still relevant now.
The focus is on the result or the experience, not on when it happened.

✅ Structure:

Subject + have/has + past participle

Example	Meaning
I have visited New York.	I know that city — the experience is relevant now.
She has lived here for ten years.	She still lives here.
We haven’t finished our homework yet.	It’s not done now.

🕓 Common Time Expressions:

ever / never
just / already / yet
for / since
recently / lately / so far

💡 Tip: Don’t say when with Present Perfect. The exact time is not important.

Comparing the Two

Simple Past	Present Perfect
Focus on finished time	Focus on experience or result
Time is known or completed	Time is not mentioned or still continuing
“I saw that movie last week.”	“I have seen that movie before.”
“She worked in Spain in 2019.”	“She has worked in Spain.”
“We met in high school.”	“We have met before.”

💬 Think like this:

Simple Past = WHEN it happened
Present Perfect = IF it has happened (and still matters)

Real-Life Examples

🗣️ Everyday English:

“I’ve lost my keys!” (They’re still lost — problem now!)
“I lost my keys yesterday.” (Problem finished — I found them later.)

💼 At work:

“I’ve already sent the email.” (It’s done now — result matters.)
“I sent the email this morning.” (It happened earlier, time finished.)

💬Talking about experiences:

“Have you ever been to Italy?”
“Yes, I went there two years ago.”

🧠 Quick Review

✅ Simple Past:

finished time
“When?” is clear
used with: yesterday, last week, in 2010

✅ Present Perfect:

experience or result
“When?” is not important
used with: ever, never, for, since, already, yet

💡 Remember:
If the time is finished → Simple Past
If the time connects to now → Present Perfect

Let’s Practice

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Complete the questions and discuss the topics with your classmates

Quantifiers

October 16, 2025October 30, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

Quantifiers tell us how much or how many things we have.
We use them to talk about food, drinks, objects, and other things in daily life.

🍎 Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Type	Examples	Question	We say…
Countable nouns (we can count: 1, 2, 3…)	apples, bananas, eggs, books	How many…?	a / some / any / a few / many / not many
Uncountable nouns (we can’t count)	water, rice, sugar, milk	How much…?	some / any / a little / much / not much

🟢 Countable = we can count them (one, two, three…)
🔵 Uncountable = we cannot count them easily (water, milk, rice…)

☕ A / Some / Any

Word	When we use it	Example
a / an	for one thing (singular countable)	I have a banana. 🍌
some	in positive sentences	There is some coffee. ☕
any	in negative sentences and questions	There isn’t any milk. / Do we have any eggs? 🥚

🍚 How much…? / How many…?

Question	Use	Example
How many…?	with countable nouns	How many bananas are there? 🍌🍌
How much…?	with uncountable nouns	How much water do you drink? 💧

🗣️ We use “How many” when we can count things.
We use “How much” when we cannot count them.

🍓 Talking about Quantity

We can show if there is a lot, a little, or not much of something.

Countable nouns	Uncountable nouns
a lot (of) → I have a lot of friends.	a lot (of) → We drink a lot of water.
a few → I have a few apples.	a little → There’s a little milk.
not many → There aren’t many buses today.	not much → There isn’t much coffee left.

💡 a few = a small number (for countable nouns → apples, cars, friends)
💡 a little = a small amount (for uncountable nouns → milk, rice, water)
💡 not many = only a small number (used with countable nouns)
💡 not much = only a small amount (used with uncountable nouns)
💡 a lot / lots = a big number or amount