Your English Test guide

🐮 WANT TO KNOW MORE? Ask Mrs T, our resident grammar expert! ① Click here: https://t.me/MrsT_IELTS_bot ② Open the Main Menu. ③ Select Free Chat with Mrs T. ④ Copy and send her the following question: "Can you explain the advanced rules for forming comparative and superlative adjectives in English? I'm particularly interested in adjectives that allow both -er/-est and more/most, such as sourer/more sour, cleverer/more clever and politer/more polite. Why do some forms sound more natural than others? How do syllable count, word endings, stress, pronunciation and established usage influence our choices? Please explain special cases, such as happier versus more happy when contrasting two qualities, and any differences between British and American English. Give me clear examples, explain when both forms are grammatically correct but one is preferred, and finish with a short B2–C1 practice exercise."

HE SOUREST DAY GRAMMAR CHALLENGE! English comparatives aren't always as straightforward as they seem! Some adjectives take -er, others take more, and some allow BOTH. 🎯 HOW TO PLAY We've chosen seven adjectives. For each word, decide which comparative form is normally accepted: 🅰️ Add -er (or -ier) 🅱️ Use more + adjective ©️ Both forms are correct Be careful! Four adjectives accept both forms, but three normally follow just one pattern. Can you score 7/7 without leaving a sour taste in your mouth? 😝 #EnglishGrammar #LearnEnglish #SourestDay

🐮 Hilda reveals the answers! 🎧 Listen carefully as Hilda reads all seven sentences. Did you hear the extra /ɪd/ syllable in sentences 1, 3 and 5? 🎯 How many did you get right? 3 out of 3?

🐮 THE BOVINE VIEW: PRONUNCIATION QUIZ! Read the seven sentences below and tick ALL the correct answers. 💡 CLUE: Look at whether the word is a verb or an adjective!

🐮 IT'S FRIDAY! IT'S BOVINE DAY! Welcome back to The Bovine View! Let's see what our two cows have to say this week! 🐕 MAKE A DOG'S DAY! Yesterday, 22 October, Americans celebrated National Make a Dog's Day, an occasion encouraging people to pamper their four-legged friends, support animal shelters, or even adopt a dog in need of a loving home. But dogs haven't just found their way into our homes. They've also made themselves very comfortable in the English language! 🇬🇧 THE ENGLISH BEHIND IT Did you know that dog isn't just a noun? It's also a verb! To dog someone means to follow, pursue or trouble them persistently. For example: Problems dogged him throughout his career. But dogged can also be an adjective meaning determined, persistent and unwilling to give up. She showed dogged determination to succeed. Here's where English pronunciation gets interesting! The verb dogged has just one syllable: /dɒɡd/. The adjective dogged has two: /ˈdɒɡɪd/. Same spelling, different pronunciation! And it's not alone. Other words with interesting -ed pronunciations include: • aged • blessed • crooked • cursed • learned • ragged • legged In certain uses, these words have an extra syllable that disappears in others. This is partly a legacy of older English, when the -ed ending was more frequently pronounced as a separate syllable. 🎯 PRACTICE TIME: THE -ED PRONUNCIATION CHALLENGE! In the quiz below you will see seven sentences. Some contain words ending in -ed that have an extra syllable, pronounced /ɪd/. Your task is to tick ALL the sentences where you think this extra syllable is pronounced. 💡 A BIG CLUE! Look carefully at how each word is used. Is it a verb (an action) or an adjective (a word that describes someone or something)? In this quiz, words used as adjectives are more likely to have the extra /ɪd/ syllable. ✅ Choose your answers in the poll below. 🐄 After you've voted, reveal the hidden video below! Hilda will read all seven sentences so you can check your answers. #TheBovineView #EnglishPronunciation #LearnEnglish