1. Pedagogical Grammar Prof. Penny Ur "“Superlative Adjectives Yasmine Abed Majeda Hallak

2. The use We use the superlative adjectives to compare somebody\something with the whole group he\she\it belongs to(Swan,2005). Bill Gates is the richest one. Barak Obama Oprah Winfrey Bill Gates

3. Spelling Rules 1. When the adjective is one syllable, we use the form “the+ adjective +est”. The mouse is the smallest animal. mouse rabbit squirrel

4. 2.When the adjective ends with e, we add the +adjective+ st The hippopotamus is the largest animal. hippopotamus pig calf

5. 3. When the adjective has one syllable and ends with consonant, vowel,consonant, we double the last letter and then we add est. The horse is the biggest animal. horse goat lamb

6. 4.When the adjective is two syllables and ends in “y”, we drop the “y” and add –iest to the adjective. The zebra is the funniest animal. monkey cat zebra

7. 5. When the adjective has more that one syllable and does not end with “y”, we use the form the most\least + long adjective Angelina Jolie is the most beautiful woman. Sara Netanyahu Tzipi Livny Angelina Jolie

8. 6.There are some exceptions: good the best bad the worst far the farthest little the least The orange juice is the best drink. Red Bull is the worst drink. Cola beer orange juice Red Bull

9. far the farthest USA is the farthest country to Israel. Italy USA Jordan

10. Fast Anse Answer: Procedure: Let’s write complete sentences that contain the superlative forms using the adjectives below. cheetah deer wolf

11. Slow Answer: tortoise snail lizard

12. Large Answer: tiger fox elephant

13. Scary Answer(s): hyena bulldog bear

14. Big Answer: goose ostrich hen

15. Intelligent Answer(s): donkey dolphin chimpanzee

16. KITTEN GERMAN SHEPHERD COW ANSWER(S): Good (friend to human beings)

17. Further Options of Practice: Answer the following questions with complete sentences. You can work individually, in pairs or in groups. 1. What is the closest planet to earth? 2. What is the highest mountain in the world? 3. What is the widest river in the world? 4. What is the healthiest type of food? 5. What is the shortest month in the year? 6. What is the most beautiful tourist attraction in Israel? 7. What is the most ancient road in your city\village? 8. What is the biggest city in the world?

18. Theoretical Background Explicit Teaching: Norris and Ortega (2001) state that explicit instruction of grammar is needed in the classroom as well as implicit teaching. The students should be provided with an explanation of the grammatical structure in order for them to acquire it correctly. The procedure of teaching the superlatives starts with an explicit explanation of the use, form and different spelling rules of the grammatical feature. Presentation-Practice-Production In the procedure, the teacher presents the grammatical feature to students, allows them to practice it adequately, and asks them to produce it later. The teacher could give further exercises as homework.

19. Theoretical Background Output Hypothesis: Swain (1995) states that students should produce the language through speaking and\or writing. When producing the language, they become more aware of what they lack and what is needed to fill in the gaps. In the procedure, students are given three pictures along with the related adjective. They are pushed to produce the language using the superlative form either orally or by writing. The Interaction Hypothesis: Learners interact with each other and with more proficient speakers of the language to negotiate for meaning. In some of the slides, students can interact with the teacher and with each other to get the answer. They can argue with each other and discuss different options of answers (scariest animal, the most intelligent, and the best friend to humans).

20. Theoretical Background Noticing: Teachers need to find ways to make their students notice the input presented in the lesson. In other words, teachers have to draw the students' attention and have them notice a certain structure. In the procedure, the use of visual aids is an efficient way to draw the students’ attention to the comparison aspect of the addressed grammatical feature. It is important to state that we must present no less than three pictures to indicate the aspect of the group.

21. Bibliography Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., Finegan, E. (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage (Third Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

22. Thank You for Listening! Majeda and Yasmine