ESL resources - comparative adjectives

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Everybody's Everything Everyday

Posted by Jacqueline Richards

Language point: comparative adjectives

"Everyone wants to be the biggest, fastest and best at everything", grumbled George the Gorilla - himself a hopeless incompetent. He was so jealous of the blue whale - the biggest mammal and the fastest animal - the cheetah. He wanted to be everybody's everything everyday - to be as heavy as the heaviest man, for example - 76 stones 5 lb (but he himself only weighed 9 stones 4 lb - give or take a few ounces). There was a hope, to be everybody's everything everyday, however that he could live as long as the oldest man - 113 years - but he had a long time to live yet to get to be that aged and he certainly wasn't the cleverest - (although he had always tried hard at school, his MENSA results were atrocious).

He looked up into the night sky at the biggest planet - Jupiter - his home on Earth wasn't too bad when it came to size - compared, of course to Mercury. He longed to be everybody's everything everyday - to live in the biggest country - the USSR - (but his home was nothing but a small island on the outer regions of a tiny jungle) or indeed in the biggest city - Tokyo (but he didn't think he could stand the other 11 million people living there). Perhaps a big castle to be everybody's everything everyday (like Windsor - the biggest castle in the world) or the largest palace (the Imperial Castle in Peking) - but both were miles and miles away from his tiny mud hut. He had to admit it ... George the Gorilla was broke - poverty - stricken and poor - he hadn't ever won the biggest jackpot on the lottery, nor even sniffed the biggest ever diamond (1 1/4 lb).

He may have to travel - through the longest tunnel for example (Simplon from Switzerland to Italy 12 1/3 miles) or across the largest, deepest ocean (the Atlantic) if he was truly going to be a record - breaker of the biggest, fastest and best type. But his battered old jalopy car didn't resemble the fastest jet powered engine (with the fastest land speed of 608 miles per hour) and he didn't have enough money to buy a ticket for the fastest train (the French electric locomotive at 205 miles per hour). Of course, he could go by air (but the fastest official air speed record - 2 070 .102 miles per hour filled him with dread and he was terribly frightened of heights). He'd just have to settle for walking (though I dare say he would never quite manage the fastest steps - 8.58 miles in one hour). Downhill might be easier to be everybody's everything everyday - jumping off the highest mountain - Mount Everest (29 028 feet above sea - level) skiing perhaps - he marvelled at the bobsleighers who conquered unto 84 miles per hour. If swimming was more of his idea of record -breaking and fantastic feats -then George the Gorilla may dive down to the depths of Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean (36 198 feet below sea - level). But frankly, these days, he was getting a bit old and he tired so much more easily than in his younger days. Being everybody's everything everyday was quite some feat.

Activity
Name ten things that are big, fast, slow, small, best and worst
Name three other adjectives for biggest, fastest, slowest, smallest, best and worst.
Find three things that are big, fast, slow, small, best and worst in your classroom

recipe
Topsy - Turvy Record - Breakers
Ingredients
6 oz self - raising flour
pinch of salt
4 oz butter or margarine
4 oz caster sugar
1 tsp grated orange rind
3 tablespoons of milk
2 oz melted butter
1 oz almonds, blanched and cut into slivers
1 oz soft brown sugar
2 eggs

Well grease eight castle pudding moulds - pour equal amounts of melted butter into each - then sprinkle almonds and brown sugar. Sift the flour and salt together. Cream the aft, sugar and orange rind until creamy. Beat the eggs and add a tablespoon of flour with each. Fold in the rest of the flour and add the milk then divide the mixture between the moulds. Cover each mould with foil and steam for about 35 minutes. Alternatively, bake in the centre of a moderate oven (355 F - gas mark 4) for 20 -25 minutes. Turn out onto a warm dish and serve with apricots.

© Jacqueline Richards 2005

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