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Comparing Places- Comparatives Random Pelmanism Card Game

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

A fun card game to practise describing places and comparative adjectives, with many adjectives of place names.

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Lesson Plan Content:


Comparing places comparatives random pelmanism card game

with countries and nationalities vocabulary

 

Instructions for teachers

Decide which set(s) of cards you want to use with your class (countries, cities, etc) and if you want to include the adjectives on the cards, or not. Cut up one set of cards per group of two to four students, cutting off the adjective parts if you don’t want to use it. If you are going to let students look at the suggested phrases, also make copies of that worksheet.

Ask the groups of students to spread the cards face down across the table. One student turns over two cards and tries to compare those two places, e.g. “Paris is much bigger than Cologne” or “Spanish food is far more famous than Norwegian food”. If their partner agrees with the comparison and no one has used the same sentence before, they can keep those cards and score two points. You will need to decide if they have to use a different adjective each time, or if the same adjective with a different adverb (e.g. “slightly dirtier” after someone else has already said “much dirtier”) counts as a different sentence.

If they can’t think of any suitable comparison, if they repeat what has been said before or if they say something that isn’t true, they have to turn the cards back face down in the same places as before.

Play then passes to the next person. Students do the same round and round their group until all the cards are gone or the teacher stops the game. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

To make the game easier and/ or quicker to finish, the game can also be played with the cards face up, either from the beginning of the game or whenever it is clear that the students are making few successful comparisons.

 

Useful phrases for comparing places

…is

a little/ slightly

quite a lot/ considerably/ substantially

far/ much

 

more beautiful – uglier

bigger/ larger – smaller

cheaper – more expensive

cleaner – dirtier

closer to/ nearer… - further from…

cloudier

colder – hotter

more corrupt

more cosmopolitan

more dangerous/ riskier – safer

more democratic – more repressive

more developed – more old-fashioned/ more primitive

drier – more humid/ wetter

drier – rainier/ wetter

further east/ more easterly – further west/ more westerly

flatter – more mountainous

better for… - worse for…

more historic

more important

longer

more modern – more traditional

further north/ more northerly – further south/ more southerly

poorer – richer/ wealthier

more popular

more powerful – weaker

snowier

more stable – more unstable

more touristic

more tropical

wider

windier

than

 

Cards to cut up

Countries to compare

 

Argentina

  

 

Argentinian

 

Australia

 

Australian

 

Austria

  

 

Austrian

 

Belgium

 

Belgian

 

Brazil

  

 

Brazilian

 

China

 

Chinese

 

Croatia

  

 

Croatian

 

Cyprus

 

Cypriot

 

Denmark

  

 

Danish

 

Egypt

 

Egyptian

 

England

  

 

English

 

Ethiopia

 

Ethiopian

 

Finland

  

 

Finnish

 

France

 

French

 

Georgia

  

 

Georgian

 

Germany

 

German

 

Greece

  

 

Greek

 

Iceland

 

Icelandic

 

India

  

 

Indian

 

Indonesia

 

Indonesian

 

Iraq

  

 

Iraqi

 

Ireland

 

Irish

 

Israel

  

 

Israeli

 

Italy

 

Italian

 

Jamaica

  

 

Jamaican

 

Japan

 

Japanese

 

 

 

Jordan

  

 

Jordanian

 

Lithuania

 

Lithuanian

 

Malta

 

 

Maltese

 

Mongolia

 

Mongolian

 

North Korea

  

 

North Korean

 

Norway

 

Norwegian

 

Pakistan

  

 

Pakistani

 

Peru

 

Peruvian

 

Poland

  

 

Polish

 

Portugal

 

Portuguese

 

Russia

  

 

Russian

 

Scotland

 

Scottish

 

South Africa

  

 

South African

 

South Korea

 

South Korean

 

Spain

  

 

Spanish

 

Sweden

 

Swedish

 

Switzerland

 

 

Swiss

 

Taiwan

 

Taiwanese

 

Thailand

  

 

Thai

 

Czech Republic

 

Czech

 

The Netherlands

 

 

Dutch

 

The US

 

American

 

Turkey

 

 

Turkish

 

Ukraine

 

Ukrainian

 

Vietnam

 

 

Vietnamese

 

Wales

 

Welsh

 

Regions etc to compare

Central America

Central American

 

Central Asia

 

Central Asian

 

Central Europe

  

Central European

 

East Asia

 

East Asian

Eastern Europe

Eastern European

 

Latin America

  

 

Latin American

 

MENA

  

 

MENA

 

North Africa

 

North African

 

North America

 

 

North American

Northern Europe

Northern European

 

Scandinavia

  

 

Scandinavian

 

South America

South American

 

South Asia

  

 

South Asian

 

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian

Sub- Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan African

 

The Atlantic

  

 

Atlantic

 

The Pacific

  

 

Pacific

 

The Antarctic

 

Antarctic

 

The Arctic

  

 

Arctic

 

The Caribbean

 

Caribbean

 

The Equator

  

 

Sub-Equatorial

The (Global) South

 

Southern

The Mediterranean

 

Mediterranean

  

The Middle East

 

Middle Eastern

 

The Balkans

  

 

Balkan

 

The EU

 

EU

 

 

Cities to compare

 

Athens

  

 

Athenian

 

LA

 

Angelino

 

Florence

  

 

Florentine

 

Frankfurt

 

Frankfurter

 

Geneva

  

 

Genevan

 

Guangzhou/ Canton

 

Cantonese

 

Moscow

  

 

Muscovite

 

 

Milan

 

Milanese

 

Naples

  

 

Neapolitan

 

Paris

 

Parisian

 

Rome

  

 

Roman

 

Birmingham

 

Brummie

 

Venice

  

 

Venetian

 

Vienna

 

Viennese

 

Liverpool

  

 

Liverpudlian/ Scouse

 

Bologna

 

Bolognese

 

Boston

 

 

Bostonian

 

 

Glasgow

 

Glaswegian

 

Hamburg

 

 

Hamburger

 

Indianapolis

 

Hoosier

 

Manchester

  

 

Mancunian

 

Milan

 

Milanese

 

San Francisco

  

 

San Franciscan

 

 

Sarajevo

 

Sarajevan

 

Warsaw

  

 

Varsovian

 

Washington D.C.

 

 

Washingtonian

 

Newcastle

  

 

Novocastrian/ Geordie

 

 

 

Comparative adjectives presentation

Without looking above, write the correct comparative form of each word below.

…is

 

beautiful                   –              ugly

big              large             –         small

cheap                  –              expensive

clean                        –               dirty

close to           near…        –            far from…

cloudy

cold                         –               hot

corrupt

cosmopolitan

dangerous                      –               safe

democratic                 –                repressive

developed            –                  old-fashioned

dry       –         humid         wet         rainy

flat                      –                mountainous

good for…              –             bad for…

historic

important

long

modern              –                 traditional

poor         –            rich            wealthy

popular

powerful                 –               weak

stable                  –               unstable

snowy

touristic

tropical

wide

windy

than

Check your answers above. Other answers may be possible.

What are the rules for making comparative adjectives?

Write suitable expressions in the empty column above (second from the left). Then use the mixed answers under the fold to help.

--------------------------cover, fold or cut------------------------------

Mixed answers

a little                                              considerably                                 far

much                                              quite a lot                                       slightly                substantially

 

 

Country words presentation

Without looking above, write the country word for each nationality word below.

 

Argentinian

 

Australian

 

Austrian

 

Belgian

 

Brazilian

 

Chinese

 

Croatian

 

Cypriot

 

Danish

 

Egyptian

 

English

 

Ethiopian

 

Finnish

 

French

 

Georgian

 

German

 

Greek

 

Icelandic

 

Indian

 

Indonesian

 

Iraqi

 

Irish

 

Israeli

 

Italian

 

Jamaican

 

Japanese

 

Jordanian

 

Lithuanian

 

Maltese

 

Mongolian

 

North Korean

 

Norwegian

 

Pakistani

 

Peruvian

 

Polish

 

Portuguese

 

Russian

 

Scottish

 

South African

 

South Korean

 

Spanish

 

Swedish

 

Swiss

 

Taiwanese

 

Thai

 

Czech

 

Dutch

 

American

 

Turkish

 

Ukrainian

 

Vietnamese

 

Welsh

Look at the cards for any you aren’t sure about, the first time trying to memorise them with your pens down.

Check your answers above.

 

Nationality words presentation

Without looking above, write the correct nationality adjectives for each country below.

Argentina

 

Australia

 

Austria

 

Belgium

 

Brazil

 

China

 

Croatia

 

Cyprus

 

Denmark

 

Egypt

 

England

 

Ethiopia

 

Finland

 

France

 

Georgia

 

Germany

 

Greece

 

Iceland

 

India

 

Indonesia

 

Iraq

 

Ireland

 

Israel

 

Italy

 

Jamaica

 

Japan

 

Jordan

 

Lithuania

 

Malta

 

Mongolia

 

North Korea

 

Norway

 

Pakistan

 

Peru

 

Poland

 

Portugal

 

Russia

 

Scotland

 

South Africa

 

South Korea

 

Spain

 

Sweden

 

Switzerland

 

Taiwan

 

Thailand

 

Czech Republic

 

The Netherlands

 

The US

 

Turkey

 

Ukraine

 

Vietnam

 

Wales

 

Look at the cards for any you aren’t sure about, the first time trying to memorise them with your pens down. 

Check your answers with the cards. Then test each other:

  • Read out a country word and nationality word (in either order) and get your partner to repeat them back with the country word first
  • Say a nationality word and see if your partner can say the country
  • Say a country word and see if your partner can say the nationality
  • Read out a country word and nationality word and get your partner to identify which it is and say the other version

Do the same with the other place names below.

 

 

Athenian

 

Angelino

 

 

Florentine

 

Frankfurter

 

 

Genevan

 

Cantonese

 

Muscovite

 

 

Milanese

 

 

Neapolitan

 

Parisian

 

 

Roman

 

Brummie

 

 

Venetian

 

Viennese

 

Liverpudlian/ Scouse

 

Bolognese

 

Bostonian

 

 

Glaswegian

 

 

Hamburger

 

Hoosier

 

 

Mancunian

 

Milanese

 

San Franciscan

 

Sarajevan

 

 

Varsovian

 

Washingtonian

 

Novocastrian/ Geordie

 

 

 

Athens

 

 

LA

 

Florence

 

 

Frankfurt

 

Geneva

 

 

Guangzhou/ Canton

 

Moscow

 

 

Milan

 

Naples

 

 

Paris

 

Rome

 

 

Birmingham

 

Venice

 

 

Vienna

 

Liverpool

 

 

Bologna

 

Boston

 

 

Glasgow

 

Hamburg

 

 

Indianapolis

 

Manchester

 

 

Milan

 

San Francisco

 

 

Sarajevo

 

Warsaw

 

Washington D.C.

 

 

Newcastle

 

 

 

 

---------------------cover, fold or cut------------------------

Help for the task above: 

-an                                                                -eapolitan                                                    -egian

-er                                                                 -ese                                                              Geordie

Hoosier                                          -ian                                                               -ino

-n                                                                   -ovocastrian                                                -rummie

Scouse                                           -tian                                                              -tine

-udlian                                            -unian                                                           Varsovian

-vite

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