معالم في العالم · Programme: Describing famous monuments · Grammar: Comparative and superlative
By the end of this lesson, I can:
- I can name five famous monuments in the world.
- I can say where they are and when they were built.
- I can compare monuments: older than, the oldest, the tallest…
- I can write a short text about a famous monument.
🖼️ Picture dictionary قاموس مصوّر
tap 🔊 to listen📚 كلمات الدرس
12 كلمة من هذا الدرس في القاموس المدرسي: المعنى بالعربية والفرنسية، والنطق، ومثال.
📖 Read: Five wonders on our class wall أقرأ
Our class made a poster of five famous monuments.
🇹🇳 The amphitheatre of El Jem is in Tunisia. The Romans built it in the 3rd century. It is about 1,800 years old, and 35,000 people could sit in it!
🇪🇬 The pyramids of Giza are in Egypt. They are more than 4,500 years old. They are the oldest monuments on our poster.
🇫🇷 The Eiffel Tower is in Paris, France. The workers started it in 1887 and finished it in 1889. It is 330 metres tall.
🇨🇳 The Great Wall of China is the longest monument in the world. It is thousands of kilometres long.
🇦🇪 The Burj Khalifa is in Dubai. It is the newest monument on our poster: it was finished in 2010. It is 828 metres tall, the tallest building in the world!
Which one is the most beautiful? We think El Jem, of course!
Do you understand? أفهم
Answer in your copybook first, then check.
- Who built the amphitheatre of El Jem?
Answer
The Romans, in the 3rd century.
- Which monument is the oldest on the poster?
Answer
The pyramids of Giza.
- When did the workers finish the Eiffel Tower?
Answer
In 1889.
- Which monument is the newest?
Answer
The Burj Khalifa (2010).
- Find a comparative and a superlative in the text.
Answer
more than / the oldest, the longest, the newest, the tallest, the most beautiful.
🧩 Grammar القواعد
Comparative (2 things): adjective + -er than / more + adjective + than.
The pyramids are older than El Jem.
Superlative (the top of a group, 3 or more): the + adjective + -est / the most + adjective.
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building. El Jem is the most beautiful!
Irregular: good ➡️ better ➡️ the best, bad ➡️ worse ➡️ the worst.
المقارنة بين شيئين: er + than أو more ... than. التفضيل المطلق (الأعلى في مجموعة): the + الصفة + est أو the most + الصفة الطويلة.
How old are they?
Comparative and superlative
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| old | older than | the oldest |
| new | newer than | the newest |
| tall | taller than | the tallest |
| big | bigger than | the biggest |
| famous | more famous than | the most famous |
| beautiful | more beautiful than | the most beautiful |
| good | better than | the best |
Superlative ➡️ always the: the tallest, the most famous.
💬 Useful expressions عبارات مفيدة
Describing a monument
Comparing monuments
🔊 Pronunciation النطق
Worked examples أمثلة محلولة
Try first, then read the solution.
Compare: El Jem / old / the Eiffel Tower.
Step-by-step solution
- old is short ➡️ older.
- Add than.
✓ El Jem is older than the Eiffel Tower.
Complete: The Burj Khalifa is … (tall) building in the world.
Step-by-step solution
- One building at the top of all buildings ➡️ superlative.
- Short adjective ➡️ the + tall + est.
✓ The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world.
Complete: The pyramids are … (famous) monuments in Egypt.
Step-by-step solution
- fa-mous has two syllables ➡️ long adjective.
- Superlative ➡️ the most + adjective.
✓ The pyramids are the most famous monuments in Egypt.
⚠️ Common mistakes أخطاء شائعة
⭐ Remember أحفظ
- Famous monuments: El Jem (Tunisia), the pyramids of Giza (Egypt), the Eiffel Tower (France), the Great Wall (China), the Burj Khalifa (Dubai).
- Comparative: older than, more famous than.
- Superlative: the oldest, the tallest, the most famous.
- good ➡️ better ➡️ the best; bad ➡️ worse ➡️ the worst.
- Built in + year: The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
Quick quiz اختبار سريع
4 questions · instant feedback1. Where is the amphitheatre of El Jem?
2. Which monument is the oldest?
3. The Burj Khalifa is … building in the world.
4. When was the Eiffel Tower finished?
✍️ Write: A famous monument أكتب
Write a short text (50–70 words) about a famous monument in Tunisia or in the world.
Steps
- Give the name of the monument.
- Say where it is.
- Say when or who built it.
- Describe it: old, big, tall, beautiful…
- Compare it with another monument.
- Say why you like it.
A model text to compare with (after writing mine)
My favourite monument is the Great Mosque of Kairouan. It is in the centre of Tunisia. It is very old: people built it more than 1,300 years ago. It has a big courtyard and a tall square minaret. It is older than the Eiffel Tower, and for me it is more beautiful! It is one of the most famous monuments in Tunisia. I want to visit it with my class.
One good example among many: compare, don’t copy.
😊 The lighter side استراحة
Rome was not built in a day.
I am in Paris, I am made of iron and I am 330 metres tall. What am I?
Answer
The Eiffel Tower.
Why did the pyramid go to school? — To be the top of the class!
✅ Exercises تمارين
All exercises →6 exercises on three levels, with new questions every time.
- Choose the right answerTo do
- ClassifyTo do
- Situation 1To do
- Situation 2To do
Practise: Monuments in the World
True or false, complete, choose, classify and situations: instant correction with explanations.
Got the lesson? Try it yourself
6 exercises · instant correction · new questions every time
Start the exercisesPictures: Twemoji (CC-BY 4.0). Texts, explanations and exercises: Scolaire.tn.