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ESL Lesson Plan · CEFR A1

Comparative Adjectives ESL Lesson Plan (A1, 60 Minutes)

A complete 60-minute A1 lesson on Comparative Adjectives, built round the theme "Animals and Cities".

  • CEFR A1
  • 60 minutes
  • Teenagers and adults
  • Grammar
  • Comparatives and Superlatives
  • Comparative Adjectives

About this lesson

Who it is for. High beginners who know common adjectives (big, small, tall, fast, cheap, expensive, hot, beautiful) and be. They compare things with very or more + short adjective (An elephant is more big) and forget than.

Everything the lesson needs is on this page: the language analysis, the timed stages with the teacher's own words and instruction-checking questions, the differentiation, the printable handouts and the answer key.

At a glance

Level
CEFR A1 (Beginner)
Learners
Teenagers and adults
Length
60 minutes. For 45 minutes, run only "Comparison cards" of the two tasks in "Freer practice" and cut "Feedback and wrap-up" to board-based error correction.
Skills
Speaking
Language focus
Grammar: Comparative Adjectives (bigger than, more expensive than)
Framework
PPP (presentation, practice, production)
Materials
Pictures of an elephant, a horse, a cheetah, a turtle, Colombo and Nuwara Eliya (or described in words), Handout 1 (Kasun's postcard), Handout 2 (practice), Handout 3 (comparison cards).
Preparation
About 10 minutes: print Handouts 1 to 3, one per learner, and read the language analysis. The answer key is for you, not the class.

Aims

Main aim. To present and practise comparative adjectives with -er, -ier, more, and the irregular forms better and worse, with than.

Learning outcome. By the end of the lesson, students can write and say 6 sentences comparing animals, places and things, e.g. An elephant is bigger than a horse. Colombo is hotter than Nuwara Eliya.

  • Subsidiary aim. To review adjectives for describing animals and places.
  • Subsidiary aim. To practise the weak form of than.
  • Subsidiary aim. To develop speaking through a guessing game.

Language analysis

What to know before the lesson: the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language, and the problems learners usually have with it.

Form

AdjectiveRuleComparative
One syllable+ -ersmall → smaller, tall → taller, fast → faster, cheap → cheaper
One syllable ending in -e+ -rnice → nicer, large → larger
One vowel + one consonantdouble the consonant + -erbig → bigger, hot → hotter, thin → thinner
Two syllables ending in -y-y → -ierhappy → happier, busy → busier, easy → easier
Two or more syllablesmore + adjectiveexpensive → more expensive, beautiful → more beautiful
Irregulargood → better, bad → worse

Form: notes

  • comparative + than: An elephant is bigger than a horse.

Meaning and use

  • We use comparatives to compare two people, animals or things.

Pronunciation

  • Weak than /ðən/: bigger than /ˈbɪɡə ðən/.
  • Weak -er /ə/: taller /ˈtɔːlə/.

Concept-checking questions

  • An elephant is bigger than a horse. How many animals are we comparing? (Two.) · Which one is big? (Both.) Which one is more big? (The elephant.) · Can I say more big? (No, bigger.)

Anticipated problems and solutions

ProblemSolution
more + short adjective (more big).Syllable clapping: one clap → -er.
Missing than or using that / of (bigger that).Board -er + than in colour.
Spelling (biger, happyer).Spelling rules table; quick spelling quiz.
more betterHighlight irregular forms.

Board plan

Left: adjectivesCentre: rulesRight: pronunciation
big · small · tall · fast · slow · hot · cold · cheap · expensive · beautiful · heavy · good · bad
short: + -er → taller · big → bigger · happy → happier · long: more + adj → more expensive · good → better · bad → worse · comparative + than · not: more big ✗
than /ðən/ · bigger than /ˈbɪɡə ðən/

CEFR A1 · 60 minutes · Teenagers and adults

Procedure: Comparative Adjectives, step by step

Warm-up5 minutes · T → Ss, whole class

Aim: To activate adjectives and introduce the idea of comparing.

Show the elephant and the horse. Ask: "Is the elephant big? Is the horse big?" (Yes, both.) "Which is very, very big?" (The elephant.)

Show the cheetah and the turtle. Ask: "Which is fast?" Elicit adjectives and board them on the left.

Presentation20 minutes · Individual, pairs, whole class

Aim: To present comparatives in context. To clarify form, meaning and pronunciation.

Part A: Context (8 minutes)

Give out Handout 1. Say: "Read Kasun's postcard from Nuwara Eliya. Is Nuwara Eliya hotter or colder than Colombo?" (3 minutes.)

ICQs: "Who is the postcard from?" (Kasun.)

Students answer the true / false questions. Pairs compare. Check as a class.

Part B: Language clarification (12 minutes)

Meaning. Board An elephant is bigger than a horse. Ask the CCQs.

Form. Students find comparatives in the postcard. Sort them on the board: colder, smaller (-er); bigger, hotter (double); busier (-ier); more beautiful, more expensive (more); better (irregular). Elicit the rules.

Syllables. Clap the syllables: cold (1), beau-ti-ful (3). Ask: "One clap: -er or more?"

than. Highlight than after the comparative. Board bigger that ✗.

Pronunciation. Drill weak than: bigger than, colder than, more expensive than.

Controlled practice10 minutes · Individual, then pairs, then whole class

Aim: To practise the forms accurately.

Give out Handout 2. Say: "Exercise A: write the comparative. Exercise B: write sentences. Six minutes."

ICQs: "Do you write than in Exercise B?" (Yes.)

Pairs check. Nominate students to read answers. Check spelling on the board.

Freer practice18 minutes · Pairs, then groups, then individual

Aim: To use comparatives in a game and in writing.

Comparison cards (8 minutes). Give each pair a set of cards (Handout 3). Students take two cards and make as many true comparative sentences as they can: A bicycle is cheaper than a car. A car is faster than a bicycle. One point for each correct sentence.

ICQs: "How many cards do you take?" (Two.)

Guess what I'm thinking (6 minutes). In groups, one student thinks of an animal. Others ask: "Is it bigger than a dog?" "Is it faster than a horse?" until they guess.

Writing (4 minutes). Students write 4 sentences comparing their town with another town they know.

Monitor and note errors.

Feedback and wrap-up7 minutes · Whole class

Aim: To give feedback and consolidate.

Two students read their sentences about their town.

Board four sentences from your notes (two with errors). Students correct them.

Set the homework.

Homework Write 6 sentences comparing two members of your family or two of your friends (My brother is taller than me. My sister is busier than my mother.).

PPP (presentation, practice, production). Stage times add up to 60 minutes.

Differentiation

Support
Give weaker students the rules table on a card. Let them use only one-syllable adjectives in the card game.
Stretch
Stronger students add much and a bit: An elephant is much bigger than a horse. They use less + long adjective: A bicycle is less expensive than a car.

Adapting the lesson

ForWhat to change
A large class (40 or more)Keep the pairwork in "Freer practice" in fixed pairs rather than a mingle, and take feedback from four or five pairs instead of the whole room. Run "Comparison cards" once, with two pairs reporting, rather than hearing every pair. Monitor one half of the room during "Controlled practice" and the other half during "Freer practice".
A class with no photocopierPut the exercises from Handout 2: Practice on the board for learners to copy into their notebooks, and read any text aloud twice instead of printing it. Handout 1: Kasun's Postcard works read out from the front: learners note what they need rather than holding a card. The board plan above is this lesson's minimum - with that on the board, it runs on no paper at all.
An online classSend Handouts 1 to 3 in the chat before the lesson and put the board plan on a shared slide. Use breakout rooms for "Comparison cards" and visit each room once. Have learners type the controlled answers in the chat, so you see every answer at once instead of nominating.
A different age groupWith young learners, cut the writing at the end and give that time to the speaking task; keep the drilling short, and let them draw or mime where the plan allows it. With adults, keep the writing and ask for a short spoken summary in place of anything drawn or mimed.

Checking learning

8 out of 10 or better on Handout 2, Exercise A. Students use than after the comparative in their sentences. Students choose -er or more correctly.

Teacher's reflection

Did the syllable clapping help with -er or more? Which spelling rules caused problems?

Handout 1: Kasun's Postcard

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

Dear Amma,

Nuwara Eliya is great! It's colder than Colombo, so I'm wearing my jumper every day. The town is smaller than Colombo and it's quieter too. There are fewer cars, so the air is better.

The tea plantations are more beautiful than in the photos. Lake Gregory is bigger than our lake at home. The hotel is more expensive than our hotel last year, but the food is better!

Tomorrow we're going to Horton Plains. Dad says the walk is longer and harder than the walk at Sigiriya. I'm happier here than in Colombo. It's not hotter, it's not busier, it's perfect!

Love, Kasun

True (T) or False (F)?

  • Nuwara Eliya is hotter than Colombo. ______
  • Nuwara Eliya is smaller than Colombo. ______
  • The hotel is cheaper than last year's hotel. ______
  • The walk at Horton Plains is longer than the walk at Sigiriya. ______
  • Kasun is happier in Nuwara Eliya. ______

Handout 2: Practice

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________

A. Write the comparative.

B. Write sentences with a comparative and than.

  • tall → ______________ · 2. big → ______________ · 3. happy → ______________ · 4. expensive → ______________ · 5. good → ______________
  • nice → ______________ · 7. hot → ______________ · 8. beautiful → ______________ · 9. easy → ______________ · 10. bad → ______________
  • a cheetah / fast / a turtle → ______________________________
  • a car / expensive / a bicycle → ______________________________
  • Colombo / hot / Nuwara Eliya → ______________________________
  • my homework today / easy / my homework yesterday → ______________________________

Handout 3: Comparison Cards (cut up)

Useful adjectives: big · small · fast · slow · heavy · light · expensive · cheap · hot · cold · sweet · useful · interesting

Write 4 sentences comparing your town with another town.

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

an elephanta mousea horse
a cara bicyclea plane
ColomboNuwara EliyaJaffna
a mangoa watermelona banana
a phonea laptopa book
summerthe rainy seasonwinter in London

Answer Key

Handout 1

Handout 2, Exercise A

Handout 2, Exercise B

Common errors to watch for

  • F · 2. T · 3. F · 4. T · 5. T
  • taller · 2. bigger · 3. happier · 4. more expensive · 5. better · 6. nicer · 7. hotter · 8. more beautiful · 9. easier · 10. worse
  • A cheetah is faster than a turtle. · 2. A car is more expensive than a bicycle. · 3. Colombo is hotter than Nuwara Eliya. · 4. My homework today is easier than my homework yesterday.
ErrorCorrection
An elephant is more big than a horse.An elephant is bigger than a horse.
Colombo is hotter that Kandy.Colombo is hotter than Kandy.
My sister is more happy.My sister is happier.
This is more better.This is better.

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About this lesson plan

Written by RCF English to the RCF English international standard: levelled by the CEFR, original throughout, and suitable for classrooms in any country. Last reviewed 22 September 2026.

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