Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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• tag
• arrest
• take your time
• distinction

• graffiti
• gang
• mark your territory
• spray paint

• crochet
• illegal

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Scientists learn about early man from the pictures he left on cave walls. Markings on the walls of modern cities can tell you about them and the people who live there too.

There are all sorts of graffiti. Gangs like to write words on buildings and structures to mark their territory. Artists without a place to show their work paint pictures on the side of the road using spray paint. Some graffiti artists become well-known and later sell their works. But graffiti is illegal and expensive for people to clean up or paint over.

There is a lot of graffiti in Ella’s neighborhood. Listen to her talk about it with Jason.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Ella

Jason

Ella:  So there’s tons of graffiti in my neighborhood, and I’m actually a fan, but I feel kind of disappointed because it’s not artistic and they’re just tags.

Jason:  Oh man. I see, I see. So you’re glad that there’s people in your neighborhood who are interested in graffiti but they’re not terribly good at it.

Ella:  Yeah, exactly. I mean, when you go to Amsterdam or London it’s just like beautiful works of art that people actually put time and effort into, and you’re not gonna get worried about being arrested for it, you know. But here I feel like you only have like five seconds to make your move, and then it’s just not very creative and it’s more a mark of your territory.

Jason:  Is graffiti not illegal in other places? I thought it was illegal everywhere.

Ella:  I don’t know. I don’t know about the legality of it, but I remember seeing people do spray painting during the middle of the day, and they were just taking their time, when I was in Europe. So I thought that was pretty neat, ‘cause you’ll never, ever see that out here in the United States.

Jason:  Yeah, I think legally there isn’t really a distinction between, you know, like a beautiful piece with multiple colors, and just like, words.

Ella:  The newest type of graffiti is this crochet art. I’ve seen someone act like a homeless person, and they were just kinda knitting. And then when no one’s looking they’ll just stand up and crochet this little scarf around a pole and then run away.

Jason:  That is an interesting type of graffiti. That is a lot more interesting than a random word on a wall. I look forward to seeing some crochet graffiti.

Grammar Point

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