Comparative and Superlative (and ‘key’ word transformation)
Common mistakes when doing the ‘key’ word transformation activity. If you do the following, you won’t get a full mark but a partial one:
- 5 words is the maximum: so if your sentence is ok but you wrote 6 words, you won’t get a full mark (2) but just 1 mark (=partially correct answers). Very important!: let me remind you that contractions are 2 words, so if you write “haven’t”= have+not, 2 words.
- The sentence can be grammatically correct but you didn’t use the ‘key’ word, smart alec…
- You gave two possible sentences…again, smart-ass [;)], if you’re up for giving two possible asnwers, both must be correct.
- You changed the ‘key’ word. Remember! You can’t modify it.
- You misspelled the word.
- You changed the tense of the original sentence.
- A ‘key’ word transformation activity on Comparatives/Superlatives (from Flo-Joe).
- Match the items on the left with the items on the right.
- Choose the correct form for each question.
Objective: First Certificate (FCE) 
I have just done the exercise and i have some doubts:
In the first sentence, I wrote “such a” but it was wrong, is it because food it is a uncountable name?
In the second one, can I use “hadn’t” instead of “didn’t have”?Is that a big mistake?
In the third one, I wrote “haven’t seen” instead of writing “have never seen”. Is my choice right?
The others mistakes were because i haven’t read carefully the summary where it said the structures can be appear in that exercise.
Best regards,
Maribel
March 9, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hi Maribel,
You can use ‘such’ with an uncountable noun (and adjective) or with a plural countable noun (and adjective). You can use ‘such a’ or ‘such an’ with a singular countable noun (and adjective)
e.g.
a) Such ideas are hard to understand.
b) It was such a long journey that it took a day to get over it.
Regarding the 2nd answer, didn’t have to or hadn’t. When the word ‘have’ is used as a main verb, we negate the sentence by using “didn’t have” (or “don’t have, etc.): “He didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t drive her home”. When the word ‘have’ is used as an auxiliary verb that forms the perfect tense with a past participle, we negate the sentence by using “hadn’t”, not “didn’t have”: “He hadn’t done it when I got there.”
In the third sentence, you have to add ‘never’ and ‘such a/ a more’.
And next time, read carefully first ;)!
Thanks for posting!
tutorelena
March 9, 2008 at 8:56 pm
i really again the knowledge and understanding through reading this, which are usefull to me us a student.
aron
June 16, 2008 at 7:12 pm
hi
me comparative and superlative samples
necessar
elif
January 1, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Q MAS MARICAS
PEFO
November 9, 2010 at 9:54 pm
RESPONDAN
PEFO
November 9, 2010 at 9:56 pm