12 Amazing Places

UNIT

Comparative and
Superlative Adjectives

Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado

River, near Page, Arizona, USA
Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Review the Grammar
page 374 page 383 page 391 page 399
Comparative Superlative Possessive
Adjectives Adjectives Pronouns; Whose Connect the
Grammar to Writing
page 402
373
 LESSON 1 Comparative Adjectives

EXPLORE

CD3-37
1 READ the article about Mount Everest and K2. Notice the words in bold.

Two Amazing Mountains

Two mountains in the Himalayas are very well known around the world: Mount Everest and
K2. Mount Everest is more famous than K2 because it’s the highest mountain in the world.
However, K2 is more difficult to climb and more dangerous. In fact, very few climbers reach
the top of K2. About 20 percent of all climbers die in their attempt.

What makes K2 more challenging1 than Mount Everest? First, the

weather on K2 is often worse than on Mount Everest. High winds,
storms, and heavy snow make the climb very difficult. K2 is also
steeper than Mount Everest. The climb to the top typically
takes ten days longer as well. It usually takes 75 days to
climb K2. The average expedition to climb
Mount Everest is about 65 days.

1
challenging: very difficult

An expedition climbs K2.

374  
2 CHECK. Read the list of adjectives in the chart. Which mountain does each adjective
describe? Check (✓) the correct column. Then compare your answers with a partner.

Adjective Mount Everest K2

higher ✓

more famous

more difficult

more challenging

steeper

more dangerous

3 DISCOVER. Complete the exercises to learn about the grammar in this lesson.

A Find these sentences in the article from exercise 1. Write the missing words.

1. Mount Everest is K2 because it’s the highest mountain in the world.

2. However, K2 is to climb and .

3. What makes K2 Mount Everest?

4. First, the weather on K2 is often on Mount Everest.

B Look at these sentences from exercise A. What do these words show? Circle T for true or F for
false for each statement below. Then discuss your answers with your classmates and teacher.

1. These words show differences between two things. T F

2. These words show how two things are similar. T F

UNIT 12  LESSON 1   375

 LEARN
12.1 Comparative Forms of Short Adjectives
Comparative
Be Than
Adjective
Ted older his brother.
is
Lucia younger than Katya.
Planes are faster buses.

1. Use a comparative adjective + than to talk Eduardo is taller than Joe.

about the difference between two people, Brazil is larger than Colombia.
places, or things. My computer is smaller than my notebook.

2. Than is not necessary when the second item A: Do you prefer this hotel or the Grand Hotel?
in the comparison is understood by both the B: The Grand Hotel. It’s nicer.
speaker and the listener.

3. For short adjectives (one syllable), add -er to old older

the end of the adjective. new newer
high higher
REAL ENGLISH
4. When a short adjective ends in CVC*, big bigger
One is often used with comparatives
double the final consonant and add -er. fat fatter
to avoid repeating the noun, or
5. When a short adjective ends in -e, add -r. nice nicer when the noun is understood by
both the speaker and the listener.
6. Some adjectives have irregular comparative good better
forms. bad worse This house is older than that one.
far farther (one = house)

A: Is this table OK?

* consonant + vowel + consonant B: That one’s bigger. Let’s sit there.

4 Complete each sentence with the comparative form of the adjective in parentheses.
Add than when necessary.

1. Mount Everest is higher than (high) K2.

2. K2 is (low) Mount Everest.

3. K2 is (steep) Mount Everest.

4. The weather on K2 is (bad) on Mount Everest.

5. The weather on Mount Everest is (good) the weather on K2.

6. The climb to the top of Mount Everest is (short) the climb to

the top of K2.

7. The climb to the top of K2 is (hard) the climb to the top of

Mount Everest.

8. Expeditions to the top of Mount Everest are long, but expeditions to the top of K2 are
(long).

376  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 5 SPEAK. Compare people in your class. Use the comparative form of the adjectives in
the box.

tall   short   old   young

Junko is taller than Sonia.

12.2 Comparative Forms of Long Adjectives

Comparative
Be Than
Adjective
This hotel more famous that one.
is
The new store more expensive than the old store.
The brown shoes are more comfortable the blue ones.

1. For long adjectives (two or more modern more modern

syllables), put more before the adjective careful more careful
to make the comparative form. expensive more expensive

2. When a long adjective ends in easy easier REAL ENGLISH

consonant + -y, change the -y to -i pretty prettier Add -er to some two-syllable
and add -er. friendly friendlier adjectives to make the
3. Some short adjectives are used with Soccer is more fun comparative form.
more than. than golf. quiet quieter
simple simpler
narrow narrower

6 Complete each sentence with the comparative form of the adjective in parentheses.

1. (interesting) The movie about Mt. Everest was more interesting than the book.

2. (expensive) Paris is Lisbon.

3. (quiet) Quebec City is Mexico City.

4. (beautiful) The beach is the city.

5. (sunny) Miami is Seattle.

6. (crowded) Mumbai is Toronto.

7. (relaxing) A vacation in Hawaii is a vacation in New York City.

8. (busy) People in big cities are people in small towns.

9. (noisy) Bangkok is Boston.

10. (scary) The climb to the top of K2 is the climb to the top of
Mount Everest.

UNIT 12  LESSON 1   377

 7 WRITE & SPEAK. Use the adjectives from the box to compare two places or things. Then
share your sentences with a partner.

crowded    expensive    famous    interesting    pretty

Istanbul is more interesting than Orlando.

My sunglasses were more expensive than my shoes.

12.3 Questions with Comparatives

Yes/No Questions Short Answers
Comparative
Be Subject
Adjective
Is Brazil larger than Canada? No, it isn’t.
Are planes faster than trains? Yes, they are.

Questions with Which and Who Answers

Wh-
Noun Be
Word

café is better? The Bistro.

Which
more expensive, the red
shoes are The blue ones.
ones or the blue ones?
Which is bigger, Tokyo or Osaka? Tokyo.

Who is older, you or your sister? My sister.

1. Remember: The verb comes before the Is Mount Everest higher than K2?
subject in Yes/No questions with be. Are you taller than your brother?

2. Wh- questions with Which or Who are Which mountain is higher?

often about a subject. Who is taller, you or your brother?

8 Put the words in the correct order to make Yes/No questions and questions with Which.

1. higher / is / Which / mountain

Which mountain is higher?

2. hotel / is / Which / cheaper

3. Which / difficult / more / course / is

4. new / your / bigger / Is / apartment

378  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 5. your / new / Is / farther away / apartment

6. worse / is / rain or snow / Which

7. closer / Which / is / bus stop / to your house

8. neighborhood / Which / safer / is

9 Read each statement. Write a question about the underlined word(s) or phrase(s).

1. Monaco is smaller than Grenada.

Which is smaller , Monaco or Grenada ?

2. No, Australia isn’t bigger than Russia.

?

3. The bus is more convenient than the subway.

, or ?

4. My parents’ house is nicer than my apartment.

, or ?

5. My brother is older than my sister.

, or ?

6. No, my city isn’t larger than New York.

7. English is more difficult than my language.

, or ?

8. Shopping online is more fun than shopping in a store.

, or ?

10 SPEAK. Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions 6–8 from exercise 9. Use your own
answers, not the answers in the book.

Student A: Is your city larger than New York City?

Student B: Yes, it is. Mexico City is huge!

UNIT 12  LESSON 1   379

 PR ACTICE
11 WRITE, READ & SPEAK.

A Complete the conversation with the comparative form of the adjectives in parentheses.

Kay: Guess what? We’re going to Rome in January!

Alex: 
Rome, Italy? In the middle of winter? Isn’t it (1) better (good) to go there in
the summer?

Kay: Maybe, but airfares are much (2) ( low) in the winter.

Alex: Well, sure. They’re (3) (cheap) because no one wants to go there then.

Kay: That’s true. In the summer, it’s a lot (4) (crowded). I like to go to
places in the winter when it’s (5) (quiet). I like the off season.

Alex: Yes, but the off season is usually (6) (cold) and
(7) (rainy), too.

Kay: That’s OK. Even in the rain, no city is (8) (interesting) than Rome!

B Work with a partner. Read the conversation from exercise A. Then discuss these questions.

1. Why is Kay going to Rome now?

2. What do you think? Is it better to go to a place in the off season? Why, or why not?

3. Do you go to places in the off season? Where?

12 EDIT. Read the questions and answers on the travel site about Edinburgh, Scotland. Find and
correct five more errors with comparative adjectives.

Edinburgh, Scotland
better
Q: 
I’d like to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. Airfares are more good in the winter. Is the
winter a good time to visit?

A: Edinburgh is a great place to visit any time of the year! Of course, the temperatures
in the winter are cold than in the summer, but it’s usually not very cold. Also, in the
winter, the days are more short than in the summer.

Q: Which is a better place to stay, a hotel or a bed and breakfast?

A: It’s usually easyer to meet people in a bed and breakfast, and they are often cheap
than hotels. Sometimes, they are more far from the center of the city than hotels,
so be sure to look on a map.

380  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

13 READ, WRITE & SPEAK.

A Read the information in the chart. Then use the adjectives from the box below to write
sentences comparing the two mountains.

Mount Everest Mount Kilimanjaro

1. Height 29,035 feet 19,340 feet

2. Difficulty 4 out of 5* 1 out of 5*

3. Length of expedition 65 days 8 days

4. Weather bad not usually bad

5. Number of climbers per year 400+ 20,000+

(* Scale: 1 = easy; 5 = very difficult)

bad   crowded   dangerous   difficult   high   long   popular

Mount Everest is higher than Mount Kilimanjaro.

B Work with a partner. Compare your sentences from exercise A.

C Ask and answer questions about the differences between Mount Everest and Mount
Kilimanjaro. Use the information from exercises A and B.

Student A: Which mountain is higher?   Student B: Mount Everest.

14 SPEAK & LISTEN.

A Work with a partner. Look at the photos. How are the two places different?

Phuket, Thailand

Prague, Czech Republic

UNIT 12  LESSON 1   381

 B Listen and complete the chart with information about Phuket and Prague.
CD3-38-39

Phuket Prague

Description Tropical beaches, mountains, Beautiful city with many historical

jungle buildings

Average rainfall inches (160 cm) inches (50 cm)

each year

Good weather February to April July and August

Average high °F (33°C) °F (21°C)

temperature

Tourists million each year million each year

Tourist activities Beaches, scuba diving, Historic places such as the Old
or attractions swimming, safaris Town Square, Prague Castle, and
the Charles Bridge, museums,
cafés, and parks

C Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions about Phuket and Prague. Use the
comparative form of the adjectives from the box.

close exciting hot/warm old

cold/cool fun interesting relaxing
entertaining historic modern sunny/rainy

Student A: Which place is colder? Student B: Prague.

Student A: Is Phuket colder than Prague? Student B: No, it isn’t. Prague is colder than Phuket.

D Work in a group. You just won a free trip to one of the places from exercise A. You can go
camping in Phuket, or you can go to a very luxurious hotel in Prague. Which trip do you want
to take? Why? Discuss your ideas.

Student A: I want to go to Prague and stay in a hotel.

Student B: Me, too. A hotel is nicer than a tent.

Student C: I don’t. I want to go to a beach in Phuket. It’s more relaxing.

15 APPLY.

A Compare two places you know. Write five sentences in your notebook.

Mexico City is bigger than Miami, Florida.

Mexico City is more crowded than Miami.

B Work with a partner. Share your sentences from exercise A. Then ask and answer questions
about your places. Use Yes/No questions and questions with which.

Student A: Which city is more expensive?

Student B: Miami.

382  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 Superlative Adjectives LESSON 2

EXPLORE

CD3-40
1 READ the article about the National Museum of Anthropology.
Notice the words in bold.

The National Museum of Anthropology

The National Museum of Anthropology1 (Museo Nacional de Antropología) in Mexico
City is the largest museum in Mexico, and it is one of the most interesting museums in
the world. As you walk through the exhibits, you learn about the history of ancient 2 cultures
in Mesoamerica: the area from central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Each room in the museum has artifacts3
from a different region and culture.

The museum has the biggest collection in the world of artifacts from life before the
Spanish arrived in the Americas. Two of the most famous artifacts in this museum are the
huge Aztec sunstone and a beautiful jade 4 mask.

The museum doesn’t just have exhibits about ancient cultures. There are also exhibits
about life in different parts of Mexico today. A visit to this museum is the best way to learn
about Mexican culture, both old and new.

1
anthropology: the study of people and their cultures 3
artifacts: objects used by people a very long time ago
2
ancient: very old 4
jade: a green or white stone used for jewelry or ornaments

Jade death mask of Mayan King Pakal,

National Museum of Anthropology,
Mexico City, Mexico

UNIT 12  LESSON 2   383

 2 CHECK. Read the questions. Circle Yes or No.

1. Is the National Museum of Anthropology the largest museum in Mexico? Yes No

2. Is it one of the most interesting museums in the world? Yes No

3. Does it have many artifacts from life before the Spanish

arrived in the Americas? Yes No

4. Does the museum only have artifacts from Mexico? Yes No

3 DISCOVER. Complete the exercises to learn about the grammar in this lesson.

A Find these sentences in the article from exercise 1 on page 383. Write the missing words.

1. The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is

museum in Mexico, . . .

2. . . . and it is one of museums in the world.

3. The museum has collection of artifacts from life before the

Spanish arrived in the Americas.

B Look at the sentences from exercise A. What do these words show? Circle T for true or F for
false for each statement. Then discuss your answers with your classmates and teacher.

1. We use these words to talk about differences between two things. T F

2. We use these words to talk about how one thing is different from many others. T F

Stone of the Sun (Aztec

Calendar), National
Museum of Anthropology.
Mexico City, Mexico

384  
LEARN

12.4 Superlative Forms of Short Adjectives

Superlative
The
Adjective
That’s newest building in the city.
This is the largest classroom in the building.
Benny’s is closest restaurant to our office.

1. The superlative form shows that one person, place, Roberto is the tallest student in our class.
or thing is different from others in some way. That’s the oldest building in the city.

2. For short adjectives (one syllable), add -est to the young the youngest
adjective to make the superlative form. old the oldest

3. When a short adjective ends in CVC*, double the big the biggest
consonant and add -est. thin the thinnest

4. When a short adjective ends in -e, add -st. nice the nicest

5. The comes before a superlative adjective. ✓ Dilma is the youngest student in our class.
✗ Dilma is youngest student in our class.
6. Some adjectives have irregular superlative forms. good the best
bad the worst
far the farthest

*consonant + vowel + consonant

4 Complete each sentence with the correct superlative form of the adjective in parentheses.

1. It is the largest (large) museum in Mexico.

2. The museum is (good) way to learn about history and culture.

3. It has (big) collection of

REAL ENGLISH
artifacts from Mesoamerica.
The superlative form is very common
4. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is one after one of. Use a plural noun after
one of + superlative.
of (old) museums in the world.
He’s one of the youngest people
5. (cheap) way to get to the in the school.
That’s one of the most famous
museum is by subway.
restaurants in Rome.

6. This is (small) room in the

museum, but the exhibit is very interesting.

7. That museum has one of (nice) restaurants in the city.

8. (fast) way to get to the museum is by taxi.

UNIT 12  LESSON 2   385

 12.5 Superlative Forms of Long Adjectives
The Most Adjective
This is beautiful park in Paris.
the most
That is expensive hotel in the world. REAL ENGLISH
The infinitive (to + verb) often
1. For long adjectives (two or modern the most modern follows the superlative.
more syllables), put the most useful the most useful
Flying is the fastest way
before the adjective to make beautiful the most beautiful
to travel.
the superlative form.
Chinese is the most difficult
2. When a long adjective ends in easy easiest language to learn.
consonant + -y, change the -y pretty prettiest The Super Mall is the best
to -i and add -est. friendly friendliest place to shop.

5 Complete each sentence with the superlative form of the adjective in parentheses.

1. (modern) The United Arab Emirates has the most modern cities in the world.

2. (expensive) The Ginza in Tokyo is one of places to shop.

3. (beautiful) Central Park is park in New York City.

4. (interesting) The history exhibit was part of the museum.

5. (famous) The Louvre is museum in the world.

6. (crowded) That’s street in the city.

7. (helpful) This guide book is .

8. (exciting) Seoul is the city in South Korea.

People walk by a modern building in Seoul, South Korea.

386  
 6 SPEAK. Work with a partner. Talk about places in your country such as cities, buildings, and
museums. Use the superlative form of the words in the box and your own ideas.

beautiful   crowded   exciting   famous   interesting   ugly

Times Square is one of the most famous places in New York City.

12.6 Questions with Superlatives

Yes/No Questions Short Answers
Be Subject Superlative
Is that store the best place to shop? No, it isn’t.
Are they the most difficult units in the book? Yes, they are.

Questions with Who/What Answers

Who/
Be Superlative
What
Who are the most interesting students in our class? Ed and Sue are.
What is the best place to shop? The Bistro.

1. Remember: The verb comes before the Is this museum the best one?
subject in Yes/No questions with be. Are you the oldest person in your family?

2. Remember: The word order in a question does Who is the youngest person in the class?
not change when a question with Who or What What’s the hottest place on Earth?
asks about a subject.

7 Use the words in parentheses to write questions with the superlative.

1. (Who / old person) Who is the oldest person in your family?

2. (What / good place) to study?

3. (this supermarket / cheap) ?

4. (What / interesting museum) to visit?

5. (Who / your good friend) ?

6. (Which city / big) in your country?

7. (you / young) in your family?

8. (What / nice restaurant) in this city?

8 SPEAK. Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions from exercise 7.

Student A: Who’s the oldest person in your family?

Student B: My grandmother. She’s 90.

UNIT 12  LESSON 2   387

 PR ACTICE
9 Complete the paragraph with the superlative form of the adjectives in parentheses.

The Most Famous Canals of the World

China’s Grand Canal is among (1) the oldest (old) and one of (2)

(long) canals in the world, but there are interesting canals in many parts of the world. The

Canal du Midi in southern France is also one of (3) (early) canals.

(4) (important) canals today for shipping are the Suez Canal and the Panama

Canal. (5) (busy) canal in the world is the Kiel Canal in Germany. About

35,000 ships pass between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea through this canal every year. One of

(6) (new) canals in the world is the Narmada Canal in India. Some canals aren’t

used for shipping any more, but they are popular destinations for tourists. (7)

(good) way to see the canals is on a boat, of course! (8) (popular) canals for

cruises are in France and Great Britain.

10 EDIT. Read the information. Find and correct five more errors with the superlative form
of adjectives.

The Best Place to . . .

the
Every year National Geographic asks some of most adventurous explorers for their ideas about
the best places to have exciting experiences. Here are some of their favorites.

• The better place to surf in the world is the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia.
• Most challenging place to kayak is the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Himalayan Mountains.

• The more difficult downhill ski race is Hahnenkamm in Austria.

• One of the hardest trip is across the entire Sahara Desert in North Africa.

• The most amazing place to scuba dive is in the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

• The taller mountain in South America is Aconcagua in Argentina.

A surfer in the Mentawai

Islands, Indonesia

388  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 The driest place in the world

11 SPEAK.

A Work with a partner. Partner A, look at this page. Partner B, look at page A7.

B Ask Partner B questions to complete the chart. Then answer B’s questions.

Partner A: What is the biggest art museum in the world?

Partner B: What do you think?

Partner A: I think it’s the Louvre.

Partner B: No, the Metropolitan Museum is the biggest. It’s in New York.

Geography Trivia
Big art museum? High waterfall? Small country?
Metropolitan Museum
The largest country in the Dry place? The biggest desert in the
world is Russia. world is the Sahara.

The largest islands in the world The smallest ocean in the Long river?
are Australia and Greenland. world is the Arctic.

12 LISTEN & SPEAK.

A Listen to the conversations. What activity do the speakers want to do? Match each
CD3-41-43
conversation with the correct topic. Write the letter on the line.

Conversation 1 a. look at wildlife

Conversation 2 b. go shopping

Conversation 3 c. visit museums

B Listen again. Match each place with its attraction. Write the letter on the line.
CD3-41-43

1. Zurich a. wildlife

2. The Galápagos Islands b. a shopping street

3. Berlin c. museums
UNIT 12  LESSON 2   389
 C Complete the statements with information from the listening. Use the superlative form of the
adjectives in the box.

big    expensive    famous    good    rich    unusual

1. Berlin has some of the best museums in Europe.

2. The Louvre in Paris .

3. The Hermitage Museum .

4. The Galápagos Islands .

5. Zurich .

6. shop at these very expensive places.

D Compare your sentences from exercise C with a partner.

E Work with a partner. What is the best place in your area to do the activities listed?

eat lunch go for a walk look at wildlife shop for clothes

enjoy a beautiful view live ride a bicycle shop for groceries

The best place to shop for clothes is . . .

13 APPLY.

A Work with a partner. Write a “Top-ten” list for a visitor to your city. Think about restaurants,
parks, stores, museums, and so on. Use the superlative form of the adjectives in the box or
your own ideas. Use each adjective only once.

amazing famous interesting old

beautiful good large popular
cheap high modern small
expensive historical new dangerous

Top-Ten List
San Francisco, California
1. The most beautiful park is Golden Gate Park.

B Share your list with your classmates.

390  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 Possessive Pronouns; Whose LESSON 3

EXPLORE

CD3-44
1 READ the article about Frank Gehry. Notice the words in bold.

Frank Gehry: An Unusual Architect

Modern architecture is changing the look of our cities. Frank Gehry, a Canadian
architect, is making us think about architecture in new ways.

It’s easy to spot1 a Gehry building. When you see one, you immediately think,
“Whose crazy idea was that?”

Gehry’s buildings are unique.2 Most buildings have straight lines, but not Gehry’s.
His have curved lines. Also, most buildings have soft colors such as gray, brown, or
white, but not Gehry’s. His are bright and surprising. For example, the Experience
Music Project (EMP) museum in Seattle, Washington, is red, gold, and purple!

Gehry’s most popular building is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Some people love Gehry’s style, but others don’t like it at all. Whose opinion do
you agree with?

1
spot: to find with your eyes; to see or notice
2
unique: one of a kind

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao,

Spain, designed by Frank Gehry

UNIT 12  LESSON 3   391

 Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center
for Brain Health by Frank Gehry,
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

2 CHECK. What makes Gehry’s buildings different from other buildings? Complete the chart
below with the descriptions from the box.

bright colors curved lines soft colors straight lines surprising colors

Gehry’s Buildings Other Buildings

curved lines

3 DISCOVER. Complete the exercises to learn about the grammar in this lesson.

A Find these sentences in the article on page 391. What does His mean in each sentence?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence.

1. His have curved lines.

a. Gehry b. Gehry’s buildings c. most buildings

2. His are bright and surprising.

a. Gehry b. most buildings c. the colors of Gehry’s buildings

B Discuss your answers from exercise A with your classmates and teacher.

392  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

LEARN

12.7 Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Possessive
Noun
Adjective Pronoun
my mine.
your yours.
his his.
That is her car. That car is hers.
our ours.
your yours.
their theirs.

1. Use a possessive pronoun in place of a A: Is this your phone?

possessive adjective + noun. B: It’s her phone. = It’s hers.

2. When a possessive pronoun replaces a singular This is my book. Hers is on the desk.
noun, use the singular form of the verb. These are my keys. His are on the desk.

3. Do not put a noun after a possessive pronoun. ✓ The book is mine.

✗ That is mine book.

REAL ENGLISH
Possessive pronouns are often used
to make comparisons.

Edgar’s house is bigger than mine.

My car is older than yours.

4 Read the sentences. Circle the possessive pronouns. Then draw an arrow back to the noun
that each possessive pronoun replaces.

1. Their buildings are traditional, but his are not.

2. His colors are bright and surprising, but theirs are different.

3. Our architecture is very different from theirs.

4. San Francisco is my favorite city. What’s yours?

5. His apartment is bigger than hers.

6. That notebook isn’t his. He took my notebook by mistake.

7. Is that my phone or yours?

8. Please call me on John’s phone. I left mine at home. Here’s his number.

UNIT 12  LESSON 3   393

 5 Change the underlined words in each sentence to a possessive pronoun.

1. This isn’t my house. It’s my parents’ house. theirs

2. I like this apartment. It’s more convenient than my apartment.

3. My city is modern. Your city is very old.

4. I told her about my country, and she told me about her country.

5. I like this neighborhood better than their neighborhood.

6. My husband’s favorite restaurant is Vito’s. My favorite restaurant is

Café India.

7. Takeshi’s class is in Room 203. Our class is in Room 205.

8. Here’s my address. What’s your address ?

12.8 Wh- Questions with Whose

Questions with Whose Answers
Whose Noun
car did you take? We took Sara’s car.
Whose idea was it? It was mine.
book is this? It’s Brent’s.

1. We often use Whose + noun for questions A: Whose computer is this?

about possession. B: It’s Gemma’s.

2. It is not necessary to state the noun when it A: Look at that beautiful car in the parking lot.
is understood by both the speaker and the B: Whose is it?
listener.
A: Whose are these?
B: They’re mine.

3. Be careful! Whose and Who’s (Who is), A: Whose apartment is best for the party?
sound the same. B: Tom’s is.

A: Who’s your favorite classmate?

B: Tom is.

4. Be careful about the word order in questions Question about a Subject:

with Whose + noun. A: Whose car goes faster?
B: Carl’s does.

Question about an Object:

A: Whose car did you take?
B: We took Sally’s.

394  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

6 Complete each question with Whose or Who’s.

1. Whose apartment is bigger, yours or mine?

2. city is warmer in January, yours or Kareem’s?

3. your teacher?

4. class are you in?

5. backpack is this?

6. the student from Australia?

7. next?

8. sitting behind Tara?

9. book is this?

10. jacket is on the chair?

7 Read each statement. Make a question about the underlined words.

1. It was Helen’s idea. Whose idea was it?

2. Those are Ali’s glasses.

3. It’s Linda’s notebook.

4. My apartment is closer than Jane’s.

5. It’s Greg’s turn.

6. That’s Susan’s pen.

7. That’s my phone.

8. Julie’s car is behind ours.

9. We used John’s computer.

10. I borrowed David’s book.

8 SPEAK. Work with a partner. Point to things in the room. Ask and answer questions
with Whose.

Student A: Whose is this?

Student B: It’s Hiro’s. OR It’s mine.

UNIT 12  LESSON 3   395

 PR ACTICE
9 Circle the correct words to complete the conversation.

Felix: (1) Our / Ours class is ending soon. Let’s have a party.

Alicia: 
Good idea, but (2) who’s / whose apartment is big enough for (3) our / ours whole
class? (4) My / Mine isn’t. It’s too small. How about (5) your / yours ? Is it big enough?
You live with (6) your / yours cousin, right?

Felix: Yes, but (7) our / ours place isn’t big enough either. There isn’t even enough space for
(8) our / ours furniture!

Alicia: How about Camila’s apartment? She lives with her sister. I think (9) their / theirs place
is pretty big.

Felix: Yeah, it’s big enough, but (10) their / theirs apartment isn’t very close.

Alicia: True. How about Lenny’s? His apartment is closer.

Felix: Oh, good idea!

Alicia: Do you want to ask him?

Felix: Well, he’s really more (11) your / yours friend, not (12) my / mine. I don’t know him
very well.

Alicia: Yeah, but (13) who’s / whose idea was this party anyway, huh?

Felix: OK, OK. I’ll ask him.

10 EDIT. Read the conversation. Find and correct five more errors with possessive pronouns and
questions with Whose.

Meg: I just finished the design for our architecture class a few minutes ago. Did you finish
yours
your yet?

Toshi: Yes, I finished mine last night. Juan and Tony finished their last week. They’re always
ahead of everyone else.

Meg: Did they show you theirs?

Toshi: No, they didn’t want to show it to me because my wasn’t finished yet.

Meg: I’m sure their is good. Their designs are always really good. Who’s design is that
over there?

Toshi: Oh, that’s Ana’s.

Meg: Whose Ana?

Toshi: She’s Diana’s roommate. Her designs are always very unusual.

396  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 11 LISTEN & SPEAK.

a b

A Look at the photos. Then listen to the

CD3-45 c
description of each building. Match
the buildings to their architects. Write
the letter on the line.

1. Zaha Hadid

2. Jacques Herzog and

Pierre de Meuron

3. Frank Gehry

B Complete the paragraph about the buildings in exercise A. Use his, her, hers, their,
and theirs.

Three Different Designs

These three buildings, by different architects, are great examples of modern

architecture. (1) designs are all unusual. Gehry’s building is different

from the others because he uses bright colors and different shapes. Hadid’s

building has a traditional shape, and some people say (2) design is

easier to look at than Gehry’s. (3) has smooth lines and curves, while

(4) doesn’t. Herzog and de Meuron’s building is famous for its unique

shape. Unlike Gehry’s and Hadid’s buildings, (5) has no straight lines,

and the outside of (6) building has white letters all over it.

UNIT 12  LESSON 3   397

 C Take a survey. Ask five classmates the questions in the chart and take notes on their answers.
Use his, hers, or theirs in your questions and answers.

Classmate’s Name Whose building do you like? Whose building don’t you like?

Student A: Whose building do you like?

Student B: Zaha Hadid’s building is my favorite. I like hers because . . .

D Look at your notes from exercise C. Which building was the most popular? Report to
the class.

12 APPLY.

A Art museums are often in very unusual buildings. In your notebook, draw a design for a
modern art museum. Think about these questions when you draw your design.

Is the design modern or traditional? Are the windows large or small?

Does it have curved or straight lines? Are the colors bright or soft?

B Work in a group. Discuss and compare your designs from exercise A. Decide on the best
one. Use mine, yours, his, hers, or theirs in your discussion.

Student A: Let’s look at yours first.

Student B: Yours is good. It’s better than mine, but I really like Helen’s.

Student C: Yes, I like hers, too.

C In your notebook, write five sentences about the designs from exercise B. Compare your
design with your classmates’ designs.

My design is more traditional than Helen’s.

Hers is more modern. It’s very unusual.
Mine has . . .

398  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES

 Unit 12 Review the Grammar

Charts 1 READ, WRITE & SPEAK.

12.1–12.4
12.5–12.6 A Read the information in the chart. Then complete each sentence with the comparative or
superlative form of the adjective in parentheses.

The Largest Pyramids in Egypt

The Red Pyramid The Great Pyramid The Pyramid of Khafre

Name of Pharaoh Sneferu Khufu Khafre

Original height 341 feet 480.6 feet 471 feet

Size 59.7 million cubic feet 591.1 million cubic feet 78 million cubic feet

Year built around 2581 B.C. around 2560 B.C. around 2532 B.C.

The Pyramids
One of (1) the most famous (famous) places in the world is in Egypt. It’s the site of the
Pyramids of Giza. Many people go there to see the Great Pyramid. The Great Pyramid is, of course,
(2) (large) pyramid in Egypt. It is also (3) (tall).
Khufu’s son, Khafre, also built a pyramid in Giza. It is (4) (small) than the
Great Pyramid, but it looks (5) (tall) because it’s on a hill.

The (6) (popular) pyramids in Egypt are the Pyramids of Giza,

but many people also visit the Red Pyramid, the pyramid for Khufu’s father, in Dahshur. Some
people say the Red Pyramid is (7) (good) than the Great Pyramid
because it’s a quiet place to visit. It’s
(8) (far) from
Cairo, so there aren’t a lot of tourists
there.

The Red Pyramid is

(9) (old)
true pyramid in the world. It is also
(10) (small)
of all of the Egyptian pyramids. It is
definitely an interesting pyramid to visit.

B Work with a partner. Ask and answer five questions about the pyramids. Use Yes/No questions
and Wh- questions with Which and Whose. Use the information in the chart in exercise A.

Student A: Whose pyramid was the largest?

Student B: Khufu’s. Whose pyramid was the smallest?

UNITTHE
UNIT 12   REVIEW 12  LESSON 3   399
GRAMMAR  
Review the Grammar Unit 12

2 EDIT. Read the information about the Anasazi cliff dwellings. Find and correct five more
errors with the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives.

The Anasazi Cliff Dwellings

the
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado has most

interesting ruins in the United States. They are ancient

cliff dwellings—homes in cliffs. They belonged to the

Anasazi people. The Anasazi were Native Americans.

They were some of the earlyest people in North America.

They lived in the Mesa Verde area from 600 to 1300.

The Mesa Verde National Park has 600 cliff dwellings.

There were two types of rooms in the dwellings. Kivas,

Ruins of the Anasazi Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde
or round rooms, were for families, so they were largest
National Park, Colorado
than the other kind of room.

Next to Mesa Verde National Park is the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. Mesa Verde is crowded

than the Ute Park, so Ute Park is sometimes a best park to visit. It also has beautiful cliff dwellings.

It’s one of the most interesting place to visit in North America.

Charts 3 LISTEN, WRITE & SPEAK.

12.1, 12.2,
12.5, 12.6 A Listen to the conversation. Then choose the correct answer for each question.

CD3-46
1. What are they discussing? a. hotels near Mesa Verde b. tours of Mesa Verde

2. Do they make a final decision? a. Yes. b. No.

B Listen again. Complete the chart with information about the ways to visit Mesa Verde. Write
CD3-46 NI if no information is given.

Type Length Cost Other Information

Bus tour 4 hours

Van tour

Jeep tour

Car rental

400  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJEcTIVES

ADJECTIVES
C Write sentences about the ways to visit Mesa Verde. Use comparatives and superlatives of
the adjectives in parentheses.

1. (long)

The bus tour is longer than the jeep ride.

The van tour is the longest.

2. (cheap)

3. (comfortable)

4. (fun)

5. (educational)

6. (expensive)

D Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions about the ways to visit Mesa Verde.

Student A: Which tour is the longest? Student B: The van tour.

4 APPLY. Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.

1. From exercise 3, what do you think is the best way to see Mesa Verde? Why?

The best way to see Mesa Verde is by jeep because. . . . The bus tour is more . . . , but it’s . . .

2. What’s the most famous historical site in your area? What are some ways people can visit it
(bus tour, walking tour, and so on)? What is the best way to visit it? Why?

 is the most famous site in . You can visit it on a bus tour or on a walking

tour. The best way to visit it is a bus tour because . . .

UNIT 12   REVIEW

UNITTHE
12  LESSON 1   401
GRAMMAR  
Connect the Grammar to Writing

1 READ & NOTICE THE GRAMMAR.

A Read the comparison. What two places does the writer compare? Discuss with a partner.

Two Beaches
I like to go to two different beaches in
Hawaii, Waimea and Waikiki. Waimea is
my favorite. It is farther from my home
than Waikiki is, but it is one of the most
beautiful beaches on the whole island.

Sometimes the waves in Waimea are

very big. Then I go to Waikiki because
it’s a safer place to swim. The waves at
Waikiki are always smaller than the
waves at Waimea. Waikiki Beach is more
crowded than Waimea, but it is closer
to my home, so it’s more convenient. I’m
very lucky to live in Hawaii.
Waimea Beach, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

B Read the comparison in exercise A again. Underline the comparative and superlative
adjectives. Then work with a partner and compare answers.

C Complete the chart with information from the comparison in exercise A. What are the
differences between Waikiki and Waimea?

Two Beaches

Waimea Waikiki

farther from home

GRAMMAR FOCUS

In the comparison in exercise A, the writer uses comparative and superlative

adjectives to describe how the beaches are different from each other and from
other beaches.

Remember: Use comparative adjectives to compare two things. Use

superlative adjectives to compare three or more things.

It is farther from my home than Waikiki is, but it is one of the most beautiful
beaches on the whole island.

402  COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE ADJEcTIVES

 Write a Comparison between Two Places

2 BEFORE YOU WRITE. Choose two places to compare. How are these places different from
each other? Complete the chart with the differences between the two places. Use the chart
from exercise 1C as a model.

Two Places

(place 1) (place 2)

3 WRITE a comparison between two places. Use the information from your chart in exercise 2
and the paragraph in exercise 1A to help you.

Writing Focus Pronouns

Writers use pronouns to refer to something a second time and not repeat the
same noun. This helps make their sentences and paragraphs more interesting
and helps make them sound more natural.

With no pronouns:
I go to two different beaches in Hawaii, Waikiki, and Waimea. Waimea is
my favorite. Waimea is farther from my home than Waikiki, but Waimea is one of
the most beautiful beaches on the whole island.

With pronouns:
I go to two different breaches in Hawaii, Waikiki and Waimea. Waimea is
my favorite. It is farther from my home than Waikiki, but it is one of the most
beautiful beaches on the whole island.

4 SELF ASSESS. Read your comparison. Underline the comparative and superlative adjectives.
Then use the checklist to assess your work.

I used the comparative adjectives correctly. [12.1–12.2, 12.3]

I used the superlative adjectives correctly. [12.4–12.5, 12.6]
I used a plural noun after one of the (adjective) + -est. [12.4]
When I referred to a noun for the second time, I used a pronoun. [WRITING FOCUS]

UNIT 12   CONNECT THE GRAMMAR TO WRITING  403