Lesson 5: Grammar-Degrees of Comparison , Tense , Relative Pronouns and Using Modals
Students, here are brainstorming questions or activities focused on degrees of comparison, tenses, relative pronouns, and modals to help deepen your understanding and practice:
1. Comparison Contexts Activity
- Activity: Create a list of adjectives (e.g., tall, smart, fast). Write down different scenarios or contexts where you can use these adjectives in various degrees of comparison (e.g., “John is tall,” “Tom is taller than John,” “Mike is the tallest of all”). For each adjective, come up with a set of sentences using the positive, comparative, and superlative forms.
2. Tense Transformation Challenge
- Activity: Write a short story or paragraph in one tense (e.g., past tense). Then, transform the entire text into different tenses (e.g., present, future, perfect). Pay attention to how the meaning and nuances change with each tense. For example, convert “She walked to the park” into “She is walking to the park” and “She will walk to the park.”
3. Relative Pronouns Matching Game
- Activity: Prepare two sets of cards: one set with sentences that include blanks for relative pronouns (e.g., “The book ____ I borrowed was amazing”) and another set with relative pronouns (e.g., who, which, whose). Shuffle both sets and match the relative pronouns to the appropriate sentences. Discuss why each relative pronoun fits the blank.
A. The Positive Degree
The Positive degree usually compares a person or a thing or an idea.
The Positive degree does not offer comparison. It just tells us about the existence of two equal persons, objects or situations. The persons or things compared in this degree are often introduced with as….as or so……as. For example:
- Today’s English lesson is as clear as yesterday’s but today’s illustrations are not so clear as the yesterday’s ones.
- Awoke is as strong as his friend, Tahiro.
- Awoke is not so strong as his friend, Tahiro.
- Awoke is tall.
- Helen is beautiful.
- The book is very interesting.
- The room is wide.
B. The Comparative Degree
A comparative degree compares two persons, objects or situations to show the lesser or greater degree of the quality. This degree is often introduced with “than”. When we use this degree, we add “-er” to adjectives of one or two syllables and more or less when the syllables are more than two or if the comparison is with adverbs. For more clarity, look at the following examples
Slow—–slower, big—-bigger, slow—-slower strong—— stronger, happy-
–happier, beautiful—– more beautiful, slow—-more slowly, clear–
—more clearly.
Important points you need to remember:
- Do not use double comparatives
Example:
- This sentence is more clearer than the previous one.(not correct)
- This sentence is clearer or more clear than the previous one. (correct)
There are adjectives that should not have comparative forms because their meanings express the qualities to the highest possible degree. Here are few of them: perfect, dead, single, unique, round, square. The implication is that if something is perfect, it cannot be a better or less perfect.
Example: 1. Saron is more perfect in her spoken English than her written one. ( incorrect)
- Sometimes adding “-er” to adjectives is the same as using more/ less +adverb
Example
- Aweno is quicker than Madalcho in answering questions in the classroom. (correct)
- Aweno answers questions more quickly than Madalcho in the classroom.(correct)
If the adjective is of more than one syllable, it takes less or more in its comparative form.
Example:
- Firehiwot is more intelligent than her sister Bezawit is. (correct)
- Firehiwot is intelligenter than her sister Bezawit is. (incorrect)
- In modern English, the expressions, “than me” and “ than I” are both acceptable.
Example: The waiter was angrier than I or The waiter is angrier than me.
- The words prefer, senior, junior, inferior are followed by “to” not “than”
Example:
- Mesfin prefers coffee to tea. (correct)
- Mesfin prefers coffee than tea. ( incorrect)
- Parallel strength or growth is expressed with double comparatives
Here are some examples of double comparatives:
- The more you read, the better you think.
- The less money I spend, the more I save.
- The less you worry about others, the more you aggravate your own problem.
- Take care in using the following irregular comparative forms:
good…..better, bad…. worse, many or much….more, little…less
Example: Silence is better than talking nonsense.
Poverty is worse than death.
C. The Superlative Degree
A superlative adjective expresses the extreme or highest degree of a quality. We use this degree to compare people, objects or situations more than two in number. The pattern of this adjective is the + superlative form of the adjective + noun (object).
Adjectives of one or two syllables or adverbs take”- est “and in its irregular form least and most are used. When this degree is
used, it is common to use the prepositions in or of
Examples:
- Azalech is the tallest girl in the family; moreover, she is the most intelligent girl in managing the family of her siblings.
- Rukia is the least active participant in English classes but she is the most humorous girl of all us after class time.
Summary:
| Forms | Description |
| 1. Positive Degree | a description of one person, thing, action, event, etc. |
| 2. Comparative Degree | to compare 2 things, people… |
| 3. Superlative Degree | to compare more than 2 things, people |
Tense : Simple Present Tense and Present Perfect Tense
A. Simple Present Tense and Present Perfect Tens
I. The Simple Present Tense
Uses
I. to talk about presently happening actions but cannot be expressed mostly in continuous forms. Some of the verbs which are not mostly used in –ing form are: see, hear, taste, think, consider, wish, love, hate, feel, have, believe, trust, etc.
Examples:
1. Now I am understanding what he is teaching. (incorrect)
2. Now, I understand what he is teaching. (correct)
3. I always think the positive side of any work but most people often prefer to focus on limitations.
II. to describe an action that happens every day
Examples
1. My friend always speaks English; that is why he has now become a fluent speaker.
2. She usually watches English channels; she pronounces words nearly like native speakers.
3. We always discuss our assignments in English.
III. to talk about general truths or universal facts
Examples:
1. Blood carries oxygen in our body.
2. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
3. Human being inhales oxygen and exhales out carbon dioxide.
IV. to talk about future planned action
Example:
1. Zumra leaves for London tomorrow.
V. to talk about past actions on the headlines of newspapers
Example:
1.The headline in “The Ethiopian Herald English daily says, “The Prime Minister Confers with the Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Yesterday.
VI. to narrate past action
Example:
1. The book discusses the importance of co-existence for mutual benefits. The author further argues that when only people strengthen their unity, they achieve substantial growth and prosperity.
VII. to talk about timetables or schedules
Example:
- The film begins at 6 p.m. in the evening.
- The meeting starts at 8 a.m. in the morning.
- The exam begins on Tuesday and ends on Friday.
B. The Present Perfect Tense
Uses
I. to describe an action that began in the past and is still going on right at the time of speaking
Examples:
1. Muhaba has worked in this office for the last forty years (still she is working in the same office).
2. Andabo has not uttered a word to me since he arrived at the station.
3. Writing a textbook is themost challenging academic activity that I have ever faced
II. to express an action when the doer is not clearly known
Example:
1. Someone has taken my bag.
2. Somebody has lost the key.
III. . … with just, already, and yet .
Just= a short time ago
1. ’’ Would like something to eat?’’ ‘’No thanks. I’ve just had it now.’’
already =We use already to say that something happened sooner than expected.
2.” What time is Abel leaving?” “He has already gone.”
Yet=until now and shows that the speaker is expecting something to happen.
3. I’ve written the letter but I haven’t posted it yet?
Using Relative Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
Relative pronouns are used at the beginning of an adjective clause or a dependent clause that modifies a noun.
The three most commonly used relative pronouns are who, which and that. The pronoun “Who” has two other forms, the object form whom and the possessive form whose. The pronoun Who is mostly used as a subject (nominative case) for people and whom is used as an object (as
accusative case).
Examples
- The musician who composed this music has been awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Jimma University. (subject/ nominative)
- Example b: The witnesses whom I interviewed gave me conflicting
evidences.(object/accusative)
The pronoun “whose” can be used for people, animals or things to show possession or belonging
Example: The man whose daughter won the gold medal in the college is a good reader.
Sometimes “of which” can be used for animals to show possession
Example: A dog of which one of its eyes is hurt is still very fierce when a stranger comes to home.
“Which” is used for animals and things
Example: The book which I bought yesterday has a lot of errors but I found it useful to teach different proverbs. (subject/ nominative)
Johnson bought the top hybrid car which will help him save on gas. (object/ accusative)
“That” can be used for people, animals or things.
Example
The man that you visited in prison has been found a scapegoat.
My car that I bought three years ago runs on electricity and gas.
“That” versus “which“
Both “That” and “which” are used to start two different types of adjective clauses, called essential and non-essential clauses. Essential (defining) (restricted) clauses always indicate a clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence because it defines or identifies the noun it refers to. An essential clause does not take a comma before it.
Example: Lelisa wore the shoes that he bought in Italy. (What shoes? The
ones that she bought in Italy. (The clause identifies the shoes.)
“Which” may also be used to introduce an essential clause.
Example: Lelisa wore the shoes, which he bought in Italy.
Which is used in a non-essential (non-defining clauses) modify an animal or a thing. A non-essential clause is one that
Secondary, non-essential information about a noun that has already been fully identified. A non-essential clause is separated from its noun with a comma:
Example: Lelisa wore her best leather shoes, which she bought in Italy. Since Lelisa has only one best shoes bought in Italy, it is not important to modify it with a relative pronoun.
Who vs whom
The relative pronoun “who” may cause confusion because it has both a subject form “who” and an object form “whom”. The key to choosing between these forms is to see what the pronoun is doing in its own clause.
- Use who if the pronoun is the subject of the verb in the dependent clause.
Example: The people who just boarded the plane are patriots of this country.
(The pronoun “who” is subject of the verb boarded.)
- Use whom if the pronoun is the object of the verb in the dependent clause.
Example: The woman whom I met in in Institute of Technology campus is a perspicacious person.(The pronoun is object of the verb met.)
- Use whom if the pronoun is the object of a preposition in the dependent clause.
Example: The agent with whom I spoke was able to help me. (The pronoun is object of the preposition with.)
Using suggest, should, ought to and had better
- The word “suggest” is used when you want to recommend something politely.. It is followed by gerund ( –ing form) and that; not by infinitive
Example:
- I suggest taking a nap before going to work.(correct)
- I suggest to take nap before going to work.(incorrect)
- I suggest that you can take nap before going to work. (correct)
The word “should” is used to show obligation, give recommendation or an opinion.
Example
- You should stop eating sweaty food.
- We should finish this work before the rain falls.
The modal verb “ought to” is used to express an obligation, demand, threat or an expectation that someone should do. “Should” and “ought to” have the same meaning although “ought to” is much more formal and is not commonly used in spoken English.
Example:
- You ought to listen to him carefully before you respond to him.
- We ought to pass strong decision to save our country.
Look at the affirmative, negative and question (interrogative) forms:
- Affirmative: You ought to talk to him courteously and slowly.
- Negative: You ought not to talk to him courteously and slowly.
- Interrogative: Ought you talk to him courteously and slowly?