Are these cities similar?
Unsplash (2012). Manhattan [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/a8tXsM | Smith, M. (2015). London [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/mlwHE5 | Marck, D. (2008). San Diego [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/ZChrYr | Edblom, K. (2012). Cancun [photo]. Taken from https://goo.gl/crPkV0
New York City is as multicultural as London
San Diego is not as hot as Cancun
In this section, you are going to learn how to compare things that share one specific feature.
Think about the places you want to visit around the world.
How can you describe these places?
Interesting? Historic? Multicultural? Expensive? Entertaining?
When was the last time you went on holidays?
Where did you go?
Now think about some places where you would like to go on vacation soon! Feeling excited? We are sure you are! But it is always difficult to make a decision about where to go. So you have to compare your options.
Here you will have to make some decisions about spending a holiday with your friends. You will also compare hotels and attractions. This will help you to make the best decision.
By the end of this topic you will:
Recognise the use of the structure as… as, using touristic information to compare places and things which share features.
Activity 1
Imagine you are planning your holidays. You are travelling with your friends, and your job is to find the best hotel for everyone.
Check the information about two hotels where you are interested in staying in.
In the following activity visit and explore the following websites. After reading, decide if the statements are True or False.
Click on Activity 1.
Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. Mandalay Bay has 3,209 hotel rooms,[1] 24 elevators and a casino of 135,000 square feet (12,500 m2). Adjacent to the hotel is the 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2). The resort opened on March 2, 1999, with grand opening festivities that included the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, and John Goodman) leading a procession of 200 motorcycles to Mandalay Bay's front doors, and a concert by Bob Dylan at the House of Blues. Average rates are around 264 dollars plus taxes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandalay_Bay
Aria Resort and Casino is a luxury resort and casino. It is part of the City Center complex and located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Aria consists of two curved glass and steel high-rise towers adjoined at the centre. It opened on December 16, 2009, as a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development. At 4,000,000 sq ft (370,000 m2) and 600 ft (180 m) in height, it is the largest and tallest structure at City Center. The resort opened on December 16, 2009, in the same month as several other City Center properties such as The Crystals, an attached retail shopping complex. There are 16 restaurants as well as 10 bars and clubs within Aria. The only casino within the City Center complex is located at Aria, it is called Zarkana. Cirque du Soleil, CKX, Inc. and it's subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises created a permanent show at Aria celebrating Elvis' music entitled Viva Elvis. A room is about 199.00 dollars plus taxes.
Text adapted from Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aria_Resort_and_Casino
Imagines of PublicDomainPicture.net.
Woman with a thought- bubble taken from https://goo.gl/WpeVaw
Las Vegas taken from https://goo.gl/I6KJZC
Activity 2
When we travel, we usually share with our friends our experiences during the trip, the places we visited, the food we ate, and the people we met.
You are going to listen to three people (Laura, Miguel and Erick) talking about their experiences during their last holidays.
Read the statements below and choose the correct option.
Click on Activity 2.
Activity 3
Now that you know which is the best hotel in Las Vegas. You have to send an email to your friends explaining your decision. It is vital that you mention the features (expensive, near, far, famous, affordable) that helped you choose where to stay.
Check the rubrics before doing the activity to make sure your text includes all the features.
Activity 4
In the reading activity, you were planning a holiday abroad. You compared two hotels. Now compare two places in your country that you really recommend to visitors.
Write some sentences with the structure as…as and record yourself giving some recommendations about two places for visitors to visit while in your country. In this activity, you are going to record yourself. The recording should be between 2 and 4 minutes.
Use the rubrics to assess yourself when you have finished.
Imagines de PublicDomainPicture.net. (without date).
Girl tourist read the map.
Taken from https://goo.gl/gRpFmw
The comparative as…as expresses that two things have similar aspects of quality (Adjective) or manner (Adverb). As is followed by an adjective or an adverb.
Read the following sentences in Spanish and translate them into English. You can know your score at the end of the exercise.
Remember that the names of countries and cities always are always written in CAPITAL letters. Do not use contractions.
Murphy, R. (2012). English Grammar in Use. Intermediate. Fourth Edition. Cambridge: CUP.
Cambridge Dictionary (2017). As … as [electronic publishing]. Retrieved on May 16th, 2017 at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/gramatica/gramatica-britanica/as-and-as-expressions/as-as
Frankfurt International School (whithout data). Comparative/ Superlative [electronic publishing]. Retrieved on May 16th, 2017 at https://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/comp.htm