As students begin studying the French construction for comparative adjectives, visuals can provide helpful reinforcement. Use simple images with obvious comparative qualities and short sentence descriptions to help students practice their grammar and have fun at the same time. In this activity, students will create a chart that illustrates the comparative and superlative sentences they will write.
This activity can be as simple or as challenging as you would like. Limit your students to comparison with regular adjectives (using plus/le plus or moins/le moins) or add in irregular adjectives (bon/mauvais). To get students started, provide them with an image and sentence in the base form column and ask them to complete the other squares, changing the. To allow for more creativity, show students the example above and ask them to fill in all the squares on their own with the blank template provided.
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Student Instructions
Create a chart that illustrates various sentences comparing people and objects based on the adjectives provided.
Engage students by bringing familiar classroom items (books, pencils, erasers) for hands-on activities. Letting students physically compare objects helps them internalize the use of French comparative and superlative adjectives.
Speak example sentences using the objects, such as "Ce livre est plus lourd que ce cahier". Hearing patterns helps students gain confidence with new structures.
Invite students to pick two classroom items and say or write a comparative sentence in French. Peer sharing builds comfort and reinforces learning.
Ask small groups to rank 3–5 objects using superlative forms (le plus, le moins). Collaborative talk deepens understanding and makes grammar meaningful.
Create a visual reference listing key phrases like plus…que, moins…que, and le/la plus…. Having sentence frames visible supports ongoing use and student independence.
French adjectives of comparison are words used to compare people or objects, expressing differences or similarities in qualities like size, age, or happiness. They often use constructions like plus...que (more...than), moins...que (less...than), or aussi...que (as...as).
Use simple images that clearly show differences or similarities, and pair them with short descriptive sentences. Have students create charts with visuals and write comparative, superlative, and equality sentences to reinforce learning.
An example is: Marie est plus grande que Paul (Marie is taller than Paul). This uses the structure plus ... que to compare two people.
Have students draw a chart with columns for the base form, comparative, equality, and superlative. Provide an adjective and have students fill in each cell with a sentence and illustration that demonstrates the comparison.
Regular adjectives use patterns like plus/moins ... que, while irregular adjectives (such as bon and mauvais) have unique comparative forms: meilleur (better), pire (worse).