the Superlative (Pre-Intermediate Level)

Lesson Introduction

Dubai is a changing city. Read about how this city is changing, how people feel about the change and what they think about Dubai today.

Vocabulary to Note (as used in the article):

1. crane - a machine for picking up heavy things, used at construction sites
   
2. villa - (in the UAE) a house with garden; not an apartment
   
3. closely - very carefully
   
4. foreigner - a person from a different country
   
5. ruler - the leader of a country
   
6. port - a place that ships come to, pick up or drop off things, and then go
   
7. trade - buying and selling between countries
   
8. tower - a tall building or other structure
   
9. symbol - a thing which gives special meaning to something
   
10. freezone - a place in a country to do business freely
    
11. tourist - a person who visits a different city, country or place
    
12. century - 100 years
    
13. decide - to choose something
    
14. emirate - a state in the UAE

Article with Sentence Completion Exercise (Read and choose the correct words to complete each sentence.):

To preview article, open (in new window) a printable copy, without sentence completion exerecise.
Dubai: the Biggest and the Best

The tallest building, the most expensive hotel, the most cranes...  1. These These are This is the things we can find in Dubai today.  2. Dubai is Dubai has Dubai a city in the United Arab Emirates. It is  3. build builds building new towers, hotels, villas, highways and bridges. Many new people are going there  4. for work to work are work and live. It is changing so much, and other cities and countries  5. watching are watch are watching closely.


Some people do not like the change. They were born in  6. UAE a UAE the UAE , but their country is not the same. They  7. say are say saying , “There are too  8. more many much foreigners,” and they feel it is not their home now. But these changes come from the  9. country's countries country rulers. The rulers want to make it  10. better a better the better place.


Sheikh Zayed was the most important ruler and the first president  11. of on for the country. He built up  12. Abu Dubai Abu Dhabi Abudhabi . Sheikh Rashid was the ruler of  13. Dubai he Dubai, he Dubai. He built two new ports there. After he  14. dead died is died in 1990, his sons became rulers.  15. The younger Younger A youngest son, Sheikh Mohammed, is the ruler now. He is changing Dubai into a rich, modern city.


In 1979, Sheikh Rashid  16. is build build built the World Trade Center. This tower became a symbol for Dubai.  17. At In On the 1980’s Jebel Ali port and Jebel Ali freezone  18. opening opens opened . These made Dubai  19. a is a the very important port and trading city.


 20. At In On the end of the 1990’s, Dubai built  21. the tall the tallest tallest building in the Middle East, the Emirates Towers.  22. It Its It's also built the most expensive hotel in the  23. world the world, the world. The Burj Al Arab. Soon, Dubai became an important city for tourists and for  24. shop to shop shopping .


The  25. most big bigger biggest and fastest changes began after the year 2000. This was the  26. start end last of the 21st century. Sheikh Mohammed decided that anyone could buy a home. So more people started coming  27. in to for Dubai for working and living. Dubai is now  28. a famous the famous famous city. It has the biggest and the best of many things. Other cities, other emirates and other  29. countries country's country is now want to be  30. same like same like Dubai.

321 words
Story composed by BD, adapted from the Superlative at A Word A Day (in the UAE).

Warning:  This will replace all answers above.

True or False:

1. We can find many changes in Dubai, like new towers, hotels, villas, etc.
   True False
   
2. Some people don't want Dubai to change so much.
   True False
   
3. Sheikh Zayed changed Dubai into a modern city.
   True False
   
4. The World Trade Center was built in 1980.
   True False
   
5. Anyone from any country can buy a home in Dubai today.
   True False
   
     

Vocabulary Review
(Write the meaning of each word listed):

1. A villa is...
   
   
2. Foreigners are...
   
   
3. A port is...
   
   
4. A tower is...
   
   
5. A century is...
   
   
     

Answers to All Questions in a pop-up box.
Feel free to challenge or disagree with any answers posted and offer suggestions.
Expansion Activities

The following activities may be assigned in a classroom setting in order to enable sutdents to understand the aritcle better and improve their grammar:

1. After talking about the article, have students write a 25 word summary of it.
   
2. Have students write 10 sentences using superlatives.
   
3. Prepare a vocabulary test from the words listed.
   
4. Prepare a spelling test on all proper nouns in the article.
   
5. Have students write a paragraph about their favorite building in Dubai.
   
6. Have students write a paragraph about one of the UAE's leaders.
   
7. Have students tell whether they think change in the UAE is good or bad and why.

the Superlative (Intermediate Level)

Lesson Introduction

The superlative is an expression from grammar. It is used to describe and compare. The article below talks about Dubai and the UAE, and how the superlative has become a symbol for Dubai. Read the article to better understand the meaning of superlative.

Vocabulary to Note (as used in the article):

1. annoyed - an unpleasant feeling
   
2. identity - image
   
3. native resident - a person who was born in a place
   
4. effective - successful
   
5. late - dead
   
6. tranform - to change
   
7. resource - natural things which have value
   
8. found - to create
   
9. field - a special area (of study, business, etc.)
   
10. interference - coming in the middle of or controlling
    
11. retail - business of selling
    
12. industry - type of business, or business area
    
13. freehold - land or property sold for permanent use
    
14. recognizable - can be seen or understood

Difficult? Try Pre-Intermediate Level

The Article (Read carefully, then complete the comprehension exercises which follow. Open printable copy in new window.):

The Superlative, A Symbol of Dubai

Today in Dubai and the UAE the superlative can be heard everywhere. Some examples of this are the tallest building, the biggest shopping mall, the largest man-made island, the first underwater hotel, and so on.

Some people may feel annoyed at the use of so many superlatives, but this makes the UAE an interesting place to be in. The country is making a new identity for itself and Dubai, with its superlatives, has shown the way to do this.

Changes in the Country

Not everyone accepts the way the country is changing. More foreigners are entering the country and some native residents are feeling that it is no longer their home. But the changes which are taking place in Dubai, and the rest of the UAE, have come from its rulers. It is the course that they have chosen for their country.

Three rulers have been most effective in bringing about these changes. The first was the late Sheikh Zayed. He was the first ruler and founder of the UAE. The second was the late Sheikh Rashid, the ruler of Dubai until his death in 1990. He started Dubai on the path of change. Next was his son and present ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed. He has been the biggest force for change. It is his leadership that is now transforming the country.

These leaders have not wasted the valuable resources of the UAE, but have used them to develop it. Oil is the most important of these. The rulers of Dubai are preparing for the day when there will be no more.

Ports and Freezones

The first step in bringing about change and developing Dubai was to increase trade. The emirate had already had a history of trading. The Dubai Trade Center, built in 1979, became a symbol of that and a way to make trade an important part of Dubai's future as well.

The next step was the construction of a second large shipping port in Jebel Ali, in the 1980’s, and the founding of Dubai’s first freezone. A freezone would be a closed-off area within the country where companies could operate with little tax or government interference. Dubai, by chance, had found a new way to succeed in business. It would repeat these steps to gain success in other fields.

The 21st Century

It was the new port and freezone, that really began the use of the superlative in the UAE. The port in Jebel Ali was the largest man-made port in the world. Soon there were other success stories, like Emirates Airlines for the airline industry. Success also came in tourism and in retail. The Dubai Shopping Festival with its Global Village became part of a growing retail industry.

By the end of the 1990’s Dubai was ready to become a city of superlatives. Emirates Towers were built, and with them the tallest tower in the world outside of Asia and North America. The Burj Al Arab became the most expensive and tallest hotel in the world. Later there was the start of freehold property sales. This has made the Dubai model for success even more popular.

Now, in the 21st century, the superlative has become a recognizable symbol of Dubai’s success. It is a symbol that the rest of the UAE and other Gulf states are trying to create for themselves.
562 words

Article composed by BD, adapted from the Superlative at A Word A Day (in the UAE).

Comprehension Exercises

Sentence Completion:


1. Which is not an example of a superlative?
   the tallest building a huge tower the first undersea mall
   
2. What is it that some native residents do not accept?
   that there are changes in the country the way the country is changing the country's rulers
   
3. Which ruler is now having the greatest effect on change in the UAE?
   Sheikh Mohammed Sheikh Rashid Sheikh Zayed
   
4. What happened in 1990?
   Sheikh Rashid started Dubai on the path of change. Sheikh Rashid died. Dubai was transformed.
   
5. Dubai's World Trade Center was a symbol of Dubai's future and a symbol of
   change an increase in trade Dubai's past
   
6. Why was the founding of Jebel Ali port important?
   Because it was Dubai's first large port. Because it became a successful model of business. Because it was part of a freezone.
   
7. What effect did the new Jebel Ali port and freezone have on Dubai?
   People began to use superlatives to talk about Dubai. It led to other success sotries in Dubai. Both of the above statements
   
8. Which is not an example of growth in the retail industry?
   Emirates Airlines the Dubai Shopping Festival the Global Village
   
9. When can we say that Dubai became a city of superlatives?
   in 1990 around 1999 still not yet
   
10. What has made the Dubai model of success more popular?
    Emirates Towers the Burj Al Arab freehold property sales .
    
    

True or False:


1. Everyone in Dubai and the UAE likes to talk about the biggest..., the best..., the first... and so on.
   True False
   
2. Foreigners are causing many changes to take place in the UAE.
   True False
   
3. In a freezone, the government carefully controls business activity.
   True False
   
4. When Emirates Towers were built, there were no taller towers in Europe.
   True False
   
5. The superlative is a symbol of Dubai's success.
   True False
   
   

Pronoun References & Word Meanings
(Tell what the highlited pronouns refer to and define the listed words):


1. this at the end of the 2nd paragraph refers to~
   
   
2. these in the last paragraph under Changes in the Country refers to~
   
   
3. It, the first word in the first paragraph of The 21st Century refers to~
   
   
4. A superlative is~
   
   
5. A symbol is~
   
   
   

Answers to All Quesions in a pop-up box.
Feel free to challenge or disagree with any answers posted and offer suggestions.
Expansion Activities

The following activities may be assigned in a classroom setting in order to enable sutdents to understand the aritcle better and write in a similar manner:

1. Each section under the three sub-headings may be summarized in a sentence.
   
2. The article may be summarized in 50-75 words.
   
3. Student may describe some of the changes taking place in Dubai, the UAE or the place where they live.
   
4. Students, alone or in pairs, may search online, read about and report on (orally) the history of the Dubai Trade Center or Jebel Ali port.
   
5. Students may iscuss some of the new projects being built in Dubai, the UAE and other Gulf countries now.
   
6. Students may make a list of 10 sentences using the superlative.

the Superlative (Advanced Level)

Lesson Introduction

A popular expression in grammar, the superlative, indicates excess. This is something seen in great supply in Dubai today. This article from A Word A Day (in the UAE) looks at what has led to the emergence of this aggrandized use of the concept in the UAE and the Gulf region at large.

Vocabulary to Note (as used in the article):

1. reign - to rule or be in a high position
2. chart - to plan a course or way in some detail
   
3. spearhead - to lead
   
4. dispossessed - being without a home or land of one's own
   
5. cynic - a person who questions or doubts many things
   
6. enrich - to make rich
   
7. innovative - new and creative
   
8. instigator - a person who starts or encourages something
   
9. foray - a move into
   
10. squander - to waste
    
11. diminish - to make or become less
    
12. illicit - not legal
    
13. merchandise - products for sale
    
14. iconic - very visible and having greatness
    
15. commission - to give an order to make or start something
    
16. regime - a system of rules
    
17. ascendancy - high, prominent position
    
18. herald - to announce the coming of
    
19. daring - brave, without fear or hesitation
    
20. ventrue - a business activity

Difficult? Try Intermediate Level

The Article (Read carefully, then complete the comprehension exercises which follow. Underlined words refer to the vocabulary above; words in green are to be defined. Open printable copy in new window.):

The Superlative

These days the superlative reigns supreme in the UAE, especially in Dubai. Some of the popular references include the tallest building, biggest shopping mall, most luxurious hotel, largest-manmade island, first underwater hotel, most number of cranes, fastest growing population, and so on.

Some may find it excessive and annoying, but it is certainly one of the things that makes the UAE experience a unique one. It is a country that is trying to chart a new and distinct identity and, thanks to Dubai's sense of adventure and ambition, it has found a way to do that.

Not everyone agrees with the course the country is taking. Although spearheaded by the country's leaders, some among the local population feel disillusioned. They see change all around them and a massive influx of foreigners. To them it is nothing short of an invasion and they are the dispossessed.

Nevertheless, it is a transformation from within. Change has not been imposed by outsiders, but rather sought and indeed chased after by the country's rulers. A cynic might say that it is just a way for them to further enrich themselves. But there are easier and far less innovative ways to do that.

From Ports to Freezones

No, there has been a sincere determination to transform the country by the most important among its rulers--the late Sheikh Zayed, founding ruler of Abu Dhabi and the federation, the late Sheikh Rashid, prime instigator of Dubai's initial forays into trade and commerce, and the present ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed, the guiding force behind that emirate's breakaway development. (See rulers of the UAE.)

These leaders have had visions that they have pursued and have invested in with the nation's oil wealth. They have avoided squandering that wealth, and it is especially to the credit of Dubai's rulers that they could effectively plan for the day when those resources would begin to diminish.

Part of Dubai's success in charting new economic territory has to be attributed to a bit of luck. It naturally sought to build upon its historic position as a small regional trading hub--a runner of sorts of sometimes illicit merchandise between regional ports. Focussing on trade and commerce the iconic Dubai Trade Center was constructed as early as 1979. It at once became an early symbol of Dubai's ambitions.

The 1980's saw the commisioning of a second large shipping port in Dubai and the region's first freezone--essentially a zone within the country which allowed foreign investors and traders to function outside of local tax and other regulatory regimes. Dubai had stumbled upon a new business strategy that it would eventually expand to include a wide variety of industrial, commericial and intellectual fields.

A New Century

The ascendency of the superlative emerged from this. Jebel Ali port, in time, became part of a huge and highly profitable shipping and trade zone. Likewise the rapid success of Emirates Airlines suggested that the same could happen within the aviation sector. This led on to a realization of the potential of the tourism sector, while at the same time the retail sector had begun to experiment with concepts like the "shopping festival" and the "global village."

Success in one area led to a determination to repeat the process in other areas, with a continual ramping up of the product each step along the way. By the late 1990's the stage was set in Dubai for an era of superlatives.

Emirates Towers, one of which would be the tallest tower outside of Asia and North America, and the Burj Al Arab hotel, the tallest and arguably most luxurious hotel in the world, heralded the start of a new century. The runaway success of the concept of freehold that has emerged since, has added to the frenzy of development that is beginning to characterize the whole of the Arab Gulf region.

(The excessive use of ) the superlative, which got its start in Dubai, symbolizes the daring and self-confidence of the government, the builders, the disigners and all of those involved in these projects and ventures. It is a symbol to revel in not only for Dubai and the UAE, but for all of the oil rich Gulf states.
701 words
Article composed by BD. Original, the Superlative, at A Word A Day (in the UAE).

Comprehension Exercises

Sentence Completion:


1. The UAE is attempting to create for itself a corporate unique multi-cultural identity.
   
2. Some of the locals expats leaders feel left out and intimidated by the change sweeping the country.
   
3. The rapid transformation of the country is being driven by outside forcesthe country's leaderseconomic concerns .
   
4. The leader initially responsible for setting Dubai off on course toward economic development was Sheikh Rashid Zayed Mohammed .
   
5. The nation's vast oil wealth has not enriched the country's rulersbeen wisely investedbeen squandered .
   
6. The Dubai Trade CenterJebel Ali PortEmirates Airlines was an early symbol of Dubai's ambitions.
   
7. Dubai's portsThe region's first freezoneForeign investors was/were part of new business strategy that would lead to success in a wide variety of fields.
   
8. The Global Village was a concept that grew out of Dubai's attempt to develop its aviation tourism retail sector.
   
9. The success that Dubai achieved in various aspects of its economy was part of a carefully devisedan evolvinga well-proven strategy.
   
10. The latest impetus to the rapid development of Dubai and the entire Gulf region has been the concept of the superlative luxury freehold .
    
    

True or False:


1. This article speaks to the ambitions of not only Dubai but all of the Gulf region.
   True False
   
2. The drive for great achievement and economic development began in the UAE with the start of a new century.
   True False
   
3. The oil wealth in the region played little part in the country's efforts to diversify its economy.
   True False
   
4. The Emirates Towers became known as the tallest and arguably most luxurious hotel in the world.
   True False
   
5. Use of the superlative in the Gulf is symbolic of a belief that almost anything can be achieved.
   True False
   
   

Word Meaning From Context
(Define the words below, after reviewing their use in the passage):


1. disillusioned:
   
   
2. transformation:
   
   
3. breakaway:
   
   
4. runner:
   
   
5. revel:
   
   
   

Answers to All Questions in a pop-up box.
Feel free to challenge or disagree with any answers posted and offer suggestions.
Expansion Activities

The flow of the discourse in the article suggests a number of useful options for study and further practice in language. The following activities may be assigned in a classroom setting:

1. Summarizing of the article in 50-100 words.
   
2. Listing of the factors (presented in the article) that have led to the present day, excessive use of superalatives when talking about projects and other developments in the Gulf region.
   
3. Taking one of the present-day projects listed in the article's opening paragraph and researching it for either presentation or group discussion.
   
4. Taking one of the early projects or developments referenced later in the article and writing a detailed report on its history.
   
5. Researching (if need be) and discussing the role of any of the leaders mentioned in the article in spearheading development within the UAE.
   
6. Analyzing and discussing the use of the superlative in other societal contexts, such as in sales and marketing, the arts, politics, etc.
7. Using the superlative in a creative writing assignment of real or fictional basis.