Lesson Plan: Comparative and Superlative Adjectives (with Exceptions)

Age Group: ESL students, 12 years old
Topic: Minions, Smurfs, Superheroes, and Cartoon Heroes
Grammar Focus: Comparative and Superlative Adjectives (with Exceptions)

Objective:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to use comparative and superlative adjectives (including irregular forms and exceptions) to describe different Minions, Smurfs, Superheroes, and other cartoon heroes.

1. Warm-up (5 minutes):

Discussion:
Ask the students some warm-up questions:

• “Who is your favorite cartoon hero?”
• “Which superhero do you think is stronger, Hulk or Superman?”
• “Who is funnier: the Minions or SpongeBob?”

 

2. Explanation of Comparative and Superlative Adjectives (15 minutes):

1. Regular Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives are used to compare two things.
Superlatives are used to compare three or more things.

How to form them:

• Short adjectives (1 syllable): Add -er for comparatives, and -est for superlatives.
  • Example: strong → stronger → the strongest
  • “Hulk is stronger than Thor. But Hulk is the strongest Avenger.”
• Adjectives ending in -e: Add -r for comparatives and -st for superlatives.
  • Example: nice → nicer → the nicest
  • “Smurfette is nicer than Brainy Smurf.”
• Adjectives ending in consonant + vowel + consonant: Double the final consonant and add -er or -est.
  • Example: big → bigger → the biggest
  • “Gru’s robot is bigger than the Minions’ invention.”
• Adjectives with two or more syllables: Use more for comparatives and most for superlatives.
  • Example: beautiful → more beautiful → the most beautiful
  • “Smurfette is more beautiful than the other Smurfs.”

2. Irregular Comparatives and Superlatives

Some adjectives don’t follow the regular rules. Here are the most common irregular adjectives:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
good	better	the best
bad	worse	the worst
far	farther/further	the farthest/furthest
old	older / elder	the oldest / the eldest
much	more	the most
little	less	the least

• “Superman is better than Batman at flying, but Batman is the best at using gadgets.”
• “Megatron is worse than Starscream, but the Joker is the worst villain.”

3. Special Cases (Exceptions)

• Adjectives ending in -y: Change -y to -i and add -er or -est.
  • Example: funny → funnier → the funniest
  • “Kevin is funnier than Bob, but the Minions are the funniest characters in the movie.”
• Some adjectives don’t take -er or -est: Adjectives like perfect, dead, unique, complete, and empty cannot have comparative or superlative forms because they are absolute. You cannot be “more dead” or “the most perfect.”

3. Practice with Minions, Smurfs, and Superheroes (10 minutes)

Examples with Minions and Smurfs:

• Bob is shorter than Kevin. (comparative)
• Kevin is the tallest of all the Minions. (superlative)
• Smurfette is more beautiful than Brainy Smurf.
• Papa Smurf is the oldest of all the Smurfs.

Examples with Superheroes:

• Superman is stronger than Batman.
• Hulk is the strongest of all the Avengers.
• Spider-Man is more flexible than Captain America.
• Wonder Woman is the most powerful superhero in the Justice League.

4. Exercise 1: Complete the Sentences (Comparative) (10 minutes)

Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative form of the adjective in parentheses:

1. Gru is __________ (funny) than the Minions.
2. Smurfette is __________ (smart) than the other Smurfs.
3. Batman is __________ (strong) than Robin.
4. Spider-Man is __________ (fast) than Iron Man.
5. Minions are _________ (small) than superheroes.

5. Exercise 2: Complete the Sentences (Superlative) (10 minutes)

Fill in the blanks with the correct superlative form of the adjective in parentheses:

1. Bob is the __________ (short) Minion in the group.
2. Gru is the __________ (evil) villain in the Despicable Me movies.
3. Smurfette is the __________ (beautiful) Smurf of them all.
4. Hulk is the __________ (strong) superhero in the Avengers.
5. Minions are the __________ (funny) cartoon characters ever!

6. Exercise 3: Irregular Comparatives (10 minutes)

Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative or superlative form of the adjective:

1. Superman is __________ (good) at flying than Batman.
2. The Joker is the __________ (bad) villain in Gotham.
3. Hulk runs __________ (far) than Iron Man.
4. Gru is __________ (bad) at planning than the Minions, but Megatron is the __________ (bad) of all the villains.

 

7. Semi-Controlled Practice: Pair Work (10 minutes)

Task: In pairs, students choose 3 cartoon characters or superheroes and create sentences using comparative and superlative adjectives.
For example:

• “Batman is taller than Robin, but Superman is the tallest.”
• “Minions are funnier than Smurfs, but SpongeBob is the funniest.”

 

8. Free Practice: Class Discussion (10 minutes)

Task: Have a class debate or discussion on who is the strongest, funniest, or smartest cartoon character or superhero. Encourage students to use comparative and superlative adjectives.

• “Who is stronger, Hulk or Thor?”
• “Who is funnier, Minions or Smurfs?”
• “Who is the smartest superhero?”

 

 

Homework:

Write a short paragraph comparing three cartoon characters or superheroes using comparative and superlativeadjectives.

Example:
“In the Avengers, Hulk is the strongest, but Captain America is braver. Iron Man is the smartest of all. Thor is taller than Spider-Man, but Hulk is the tallest.”

This lesson adds more depth by including irregular adjectives and special cases, offering students a broader understanding of comparative and superlative adjectives while keeping the content fun and engaging through well-known characters like Minions, Smurfs, and Superheroes.