Superlative Adjectives- Reversi Memory Games

Superlative Adjectives- Reversi Memory Games
Instructions for teachers
Choose which set of cards you want to use with your class and cut up one set per group of
two to four students. Cut off the left-hand column with the explanations (to keep and use
later), but don’t cut between the two other columns – leave the opposites or synonyms
connected to each other. Give out the cards and ask students to fold them so that there
are synonyms or antonyms on each side, taking a quick look at both sides as they do so. It
doesn’t matter which side is up as they lay the folded cards on the table before they start
playing the game.

To play the game, students must choose a card and guess what is on the other side, then
turn over and check. They must get exactly what is on the other side, but if there is more
than one option (divided by a slash) just one of the options is enough (i.e. they don’t need
to say all the words that are written there). If they guess correctly, they can do the same
with other cards, continuing until they make a mistake. If they guess something which isn’t
on the other side of the card, play passes to the next person. The next person can do the
same cards as the previous person did, different cards, or (probably) a mix of the two.
Cards which were guessed correctly stay turned over, to be guessed in the opposite
direction the next time.

There are three different ways of scoring the game:
-

Students choose any cards they like each time, and the longest string of correct
guesses in a row during the game (e.g. one player doing seven cards in a row before
making a mistake) wins the game

-

Students choose any cards they like each time, and the total number of correct
guesses over the whole game wins the game (added up together, with each correct
guess of the same card also counting as a point, e.g. 23 correct guesses over the
length of the game)

-

Students lay the cards in a single column on the table to represent a ladder, and must
start at the bottom of the ladder each and every time, with the person who first reaches
the top or gets highest before the teacher stops the game winning

If students get stuck, you can give them a minute or two to look at both sides of all the
cards and/ or work together rather than competing (but with the same game rules).

After finishing the game, ask students to unfold the cards and group together cards by
which make the superlative the same way (just looking at the words in italics, because the
other ones follow different rules). Then give them the descriptions in the left-hand column
of the table to match to each of those groups to help. Students check with an un-cut-up
version of the worksheet, then test each other (orally) in pairs.

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

1

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers
Opposites version

one

syllable

+ est

the broadest/ the widest

the narrowest

the longest

the shortest

the most powerful/ strongest

the weakest

the highest/ tallest

the lowest

the loosest

the tightest

the bluntest

the most pointed/ sharpest

the gentlest/ smoothest

the roughest

one

syllable

+ double

letter +

est

the biggest/ largest

the smallest

the coolest/ coldest

the hottest/ warmest

the thickest/ fattest

the thinnest

the driest

the wettest

the most

+ one

syllable

the most boring

the most fun/ most interesting

the most fake

the most real

the most bored

the most excited/ most interested

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

2

two

syllables

+ est

the noisiest

the quietest

the most complicated/ most difficult/

hardest/ trickiest

the easiest/ the simplest

the most

+ two

syllables

the most local

the most cosmopolitan/ most

international

the most relaxing

the most stressful

the most careful

the most careless

the most tiring

the most energising

the most worthwhile

the most pointless

the most

+ three

or more

syllables

the cheapest

the most expensive

the most dangerous/ riskiest

the safest

the most personal/ most private

the most public

the most modern

the most traditional/ old-fashioned

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

3

-y

changes

to –iest

the earliest/ soonest

the latest

the happiest

the unhappiest/ saddest

the cleanest

the dirtiest

the most serious

the silliest

the nastiest

the nicest

the most beautiful/ best looking/ most

handsome/ prettiest

the ugliest

Irregular

the best

the worst

the closest/ nearest

the farthest/ furthest

the eldest/ oldest

the youngest

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

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Synonyms version
Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

one syllable

+ est

the broadest

the widest

the fastest

the quickest/ speediest

the highest

the tallest

the neatest

the tidiest

the most powerful

the strongest

one syllable

+ double

letter + est

the hottest

the warmest

the biggest

the largest/ bulkiest

the most +

one syllable

the most entertaining

the most fun

the most confused

the most lost

two syllables

+ est

the simplest

the easiest

the most +

two syllables

the most tiring

the most exhausting

the most afraid

the most frightened/ most scared

the kindest

the most caring

the most concerned

the most nervous/ most worried

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

5

the most +

three or more

syllables

the priciest

the most expensive

the most important

the most significant

the most disgusting

the most revolting

the most delicious

the tastiest

the most fashionable

the trendiest

-y changes to

–iest

the noisiest

the loudest

the richest

the wealthiest/ most loaded

the angriest/ most irritated

the most annoyed

the most dangerous

the riskiest

the most amusing

the funniest

Irregular

the furthest

the farthest

the oldest

the eldest

the best looking/ prettiest

the most beautiful

the best known

the most famous

the best value

the most reasonable

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2019

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