Home Learning: Comparatives and Superlatives

Subject: English | Year: 4

Estimated Time: 30-40 Minutes

Name: _________________________ Class/Set: ____________ Due Date: ____________

The Purpose

Why are we doing this? To consolidate your ability to compare objects and people accurately by applying suffix rules and using irregular adjective forms in your writing.

Instructions

1. Examine: Study the WAGOLL (What A Good One Looks Like) table below. Notice how the base adjective changes when we compare two things (comparative) or more than two things (superlative).

Adjective	Comparative (+er)	Superlative (+est)	Rule
Tall	Taller	Tallest	Just add suffix
Happy	Happier	Happiest	Change 'y' to 'i'
Big	Bigger	Biggest	Double the consonant

2. Complete: Copy the following table into your exercise book and fill in the missing gaps. Be careful with your spelling rules!

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
Small
Funny
Hot
Good
Bad

3. Apply: Write four high-quality sentences in your exercise book using the prompts below. Ensure your handwriting is neat and you use a capital letter and full stop for every sentence.
   • Write a sentence comparing the weather today to the weather yesterday (use a comparative).
   • Write a sentence about the best book you have ever read (use an irregular superlative).
   • Write a sentence comparing a mouse, a cat, and a lion (use a superlative).
   • Write a sentence about a time you felt worse than usual (use an irregular comparative).

Success Criteria (Checklist)

☐ I have correctly applied the 'y' to 'i' spelling rule.

☐ I have doubled the final consonant for short-vowel adjectives (e.g., 'thinner').

☐ I have used the irregular forms 'better/best' and 'worse/worst' correctly.

☐ I have used neat, joined-up handwriting in my exercise book.

Challenge / Extension (Optional)

Contrast: Write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) describing a race between a superhero and a villain. Use at least three different comparative adjectives and two superlative adjectives to make your description exciting.

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⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE & MARK SCHEME (DO NOT PRINT FOR STUDENTS)

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Teacher’s Post-Task Briefing

1. Model Answers / Expected Outcomes

Task 2 Table Answers:

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
Small	Smaller	Smallest
Funny	Funnier	Funniest
Hot	Hotter	Hottest
Good	Better	Best
Bad	Worse	Worst

Task 3 Sentence Examples:

• Comparative: Today is cloudier than it was yesterday.
• Irregular Superlative: The best book I have ever read is 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes.
• Superlative: Out of the three animals, the lion is the strongest.
• Irregular Comparative: I felt worse on Tuesday when I had a cold than I do today.

2. Common Misconceptions to Flag

• The "Double-Up" Error: Students often try to use 'more' or 'most' alongside the suffix (e.g., "more taller" or "most biggest"). Remind them that the suffix -er/-est does the job on its own for these short words.
• Irregular Confusion: 'Gooder' and 'Badder' are very common errors at Year 4. Explicitly highlight that 'better' and 'worse' are "rule breakers".
• Consonant Doubling: Many students forget to double the consonant in CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) words like 'big' or 'hot'.

3. Classroom Discussion Starters (The 'Pedagogical Pulse')

• Oracy Link: Ask students to look at an object in the room and find three things that are 'smaller' than it. Can they find the 'smallest' thing in the whole classroom?
• Critical Thinking: Why do some adjectives like 'beautiful' or 'expensive' not take the -er or -est suffix? (This seeds the ground for Year 5 work on multi-syllabic adjectives using 'more' and 'most').