Products

Unit 5

Comparatives and superlatives

Form

Adjectives have the following comparative and superlative forms.

single syllable
-ly endings
multi-syllable
irregular

Note!

adjective
big
early
expensive
good
bad

comparative
bigger
earlier
more expensive
better
worse

superlative
the biggest
the earliest
the most expensive
the best
the worst

All comparisons can be made in two ways.

Product X is better than product Y.
Product Y isnt as good as product X.
Product X is better as product Y.

Future arrangements
Form

Future arrangements can be made in the following ways.

Were launching the new product in Frankfurt..
The show starts at 10.30 tomorrow morning.

Use

These forms are used in the following ways.

to describe events that have been arranged
Were meeting the researchers tomorrow.
Theyre bringing out a new model next month.
to refer to fixed timetables or schedules
The plane leaves at 10.40.
The dinner finishes at 11.00pm.

Note!

Will is not used to describe future arrangements.

I will meet Jordi on Friday.
Im meeting Jordi on Friday.

Future intentions
Form

Future intentions can be expressed in the following ways.

Were going to print the brochures in Egypt.
Ill put a price list in the post for you.

Use

These forms are used in the following ways.

to describe existing intentions
Were going to increase the research budget.
Im going to visit our markets in the USA.
to express spontaneous intentions
The phone rings: Ill get it.
A customer asks for information: Ill send you a brochure.

Products

Grammar practice
Comparatives 1
and superlatives

Complete the advertisement with the correct form of the words in brackets.

PocketPA2000 The next generation of

personal digital organiser gets connected
lighter
The new PocketPA2000 is a (1light) __________________
and
far (2powerful) __________________ version of the best-selling
PocketPA digital organiser.
The new version now has the (3fast) __________________ chip on
the market, allowing it to take full advantage of the (4modern)
__________________ technology available today. Now fully
WAP-compatible, PocketPA2000 can surf the Internet, making
it our (5good) __________________ digital organiser to date.
The newly-designed interface is (6easy) __________________ to
use than ever before and at just 140 x 105mm it is still (7small)
__________________ than many of its leading competitors.
Priced at 640, the PocketPA2000 will certainly be one of the
(8competitive) __________________ products in the fast growing
digital organiser market.

Futures 2

Complete the dialogues with the correct form of the words in brackets.
1 A:
B:
2 A:
B:
3 A:
B:
A:
B:
4 A:
B:
5 A:
B:
6 A:
B:
7 A:
B:
8 A:
B:
9 A:
B:
10 A:
B:

Products

are you flying

When (you / fly) __________________
to New York?
I (leave) __________________ on Wednesday morning.
What time (the plane / land) __________________ ?
It (land) __________________ at 2.50 in the morning.
Where (we / meet) __________________ this afternoon?
In the boardroom, I think.
Theres already a meeting in there this afternoon.
Oh, OK.Then we (meet) __________________ in Minas office.
Im afraid Mr Jacobson isnt available at the moment. Can I take a message?
No, its OK, I (send) __________________ him an email.
Have you thought about the colour of the new jackets?
Yes, we have.They (be) __________________ blue.
Have you seen the itinerary for the press launch?
No, I havent. When (the press / arrive) __________________ ?
Hurry up! The plane (leave) __________________ in half an hour.
OK. OK. I (just / call) __________________ the office.
I think some of our products are looking a bit old now.
I know. We (update) __________________ the range. Were just not sure when.
What (you / call) __________________ the new product?
No idea. We (do) __________________ some market research next month.
Our competitors (bring out) __________________ a new product in June.
I know.Thats why we (bring forward) __________________ the launch of our own
new product by three weeks.
Unit 5

29

Vocabulary practice
Describing 1
products

Use the clues below to find 18 adjectives in the puzzle describing products.
A

Describe a product that

1 has the latest technology
2 does not work properly
3 fits a lot into a small space
4 is too old-fashioned
5 does not cost a lot
6 is very uninteresting
7 is very big
8 never breaks down
9 can be carried anywhere
Word formation

Unit 5

is not weak
is very small
costs a lot
is used by a lot of people
is not very thick
can be used in different ways
is not very long
is not old
cheap to run

Complete the table.

adjective
accurate
available
____________
____________
comfortable
____________
efficient
____________

30

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

opposite
inaccurate
____________
incapable
____________
____________
inconvenient
____________
____________

noun
____________
____________
____________
flexibility
____________
____________
____________
popularity

Products

Product 3
warranties

Use the following words to complete the warranty below.

guarantee
return

replacement
consumer
condition
wear and tear

customer service
non-standard

Under the terms of this 1__________________, the customer has the right to
2__________________ any product that is defective or in a poor 3__________________ .
This does not apply to any product that has suffered natural 4__________________ or
has has been damaged through negligence or fitted with 5__________________ parts
as the result of a customer installation.
All damaged or faulty goods should be sent to the 6__________________ department
and you will be issued with a 7__________________ product of the same type. This
will not affect your 8__________________ rights.

Dimensions 4

Complete the table.

adjective
high
long
____________
deep
fast
____________

Describing 5
products

measurement
centimetres / metres
centimetres / metres
____________
centimetres / metres
kilometres per hour
kilogrammes

Match the opposite adjectives then use one of each pair to complete the sentences.
positive
huge
brand new
exciting
reliable
attractive
strong
economical
portable
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Products

noun
height
____________
____________
width
____________
____________
____________

negative
heavy
tiny
weak
ugly
out of date
expensive
boring
defective

tiny
Compared to the huge old version, this ones ____________
.
The S2000 is ____________ so you can carry it with you wherever you go.
Its design had become ____________ so we had to stop making it.
Low fuel consumption makes it one of the most ____________ cars on the road.
We had to withdraw the new product due to a ____________ component.
Customers found the design sample ____________ and lacking any real interest.
Most people thought it looked ugly but some found it very ____________ .
Its ultra-hard plastic casing means its very ____________ .

Unit 5

31