How people do things: comparative adverbs
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use adverbs to compare how things happen and know the difference between key adjectives and their adverbial forms.
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- Before a consonant or at the end of a word the SSCs [um/un] are identical nasal sounds.
- When ‘um’ and ‘un’ come before a vowel the ‘m’ and ‘n’ are pronounced as two different oral sounds.
- Adverbs describe verbs, whereas adjectives describe nouns.
- 'Plus' or 'moins' go before adverbs to compare how things happen, e.g. Inès arrive plus vite: Inès arrives more quickly.
- 'Better' is both adjective and adverb in English. In French, the adjective is 'meilleur(e)' and the adverb is 'mieux'.
Keywords
[um/un] - sound-symbol correspondence pronounced as the nasal sound in ‘parfum’
Adverb - word that describes a verb or an adjective
Adjective - word that gives information about a noun
Common misconception
There is only one word for 'better' in French: 'meilleur'.
The adjective 'meilleur(e)' means 'better' in French and describes a noun, e.g.'il a un meilleur ordinateur' ('he has a better computer'). To describe an action as 'better' we use the adverb 'mieux', e.g. 'il chante mieux' ('he sings better').
Teacher tip
Students often struggle with the difference between 'meilleur(e)' and 'mieux' - which is which? It is worth emphasising that 'meilleur(e)' has masculine and feminine forms, which can only be the case for an adjective, whereas 'mieux' does not change as it is generally used to describe verbs.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put the festivals in chronological order, starting with New Year's Eve.
Q2.Find the odd one out.
Q3.Match the French and English.
Q4.Match the French and English.
Q5.Write the correct word to say 'the cat is smaller' - 'le chat est grand'.
Q6.Write in English: 'ce cahier est plus grand'.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Say these words aloud. Which is the odd one out?
Q2.Which word is not an adverb?
Q3.The word 'meilleur' (better) is used to describe which type of word?
Q4.Complete the translation of 'Alain learns quickly but Sam learns more quickly' - 'Alain apprend vite mais Sam '.
Q5.Complete the translation of 'Sophie draws well but Amir draws better' - 'Sophie dessin bien mais Amir '.
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: How people do things: comparative adverbs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 French lesson on: How people do things: comparative adverbs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 French lessons from the Friends and family: comparison with adjectives and adverbs unit, dive into the full secondary French curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.