Intermediate English - Unit 3
Human and Natural Wonders World Records
In this unit, students compare human and natural wonders using superlatives. They describe places, ask measurement questions, and prepare short spoken and written products about amazing places and meaningful world records.
Learning Outcome: To compare human and natural wonders using superlatives, questions, measurements, and clear descriptive examples.
Unit Map
Move through the topic from meaning to grammar, then from grammar to speaking and writing products.
Human Wonders and Natural Wonders
A wonder is an impressive place, object, or creation. Some wonders come from nature. Other wonders are created by people.
Places made by nature
Natural wonders include rivers, mountains, forests, waterfalls, canyons, deserts, caves, beaches, and other places created by the natural world.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Caño Cristales is one of the most beautiful rivers in Colombia. The Amazon is one of the most important natural wonders in the world.Places made by people
Human wonders include buildings, monuments, walls, cities, pyramids, bridges, towers, and historic places created by human effort.
The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous human wonders in the world. Burj Khalifa is one of the tallest buildings in the world. Cartagena is one of the most popular cities in Colombia.Audio 1 - Introduction
Listen for the difference between natural wonders and human wonders.
What Is a Superlative?
A superlative shows that something is number one in a group. We use superlatives to describe the biggest, tallest, longest, most beautiful, or best example in a category.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative | Compares two things. | The Amazon is longer than the Magdalena River. |
| Superlative | Shows number one in a group. | Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. |
Subject + be + the + superlative
Subject + verb to be + the + superlative + noun or complementMost superlatives need the because they point to the top example in a group.
The Great Wall is one of the most famous human wonders in the world. Cartagena is the best place to visit during a long weekend.The + adjective + -est
the tallest, the longest, the highest, the largestUse -est with many one-syllable adjectives and some short two-syllable adjectives.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. The Amazon is one of the longest rivers in the world.Audio 2 - Short Superlatives
Listen and repeat short superlatives with -est.
| Rule | Adjective | Superlative | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add -est | tall | the tallest | It is the tallest building in the city. |
| Ending in e: add -st | large | the largest | It is one of the largest walls in the world. |
| Consonant + vowel + consonant: double the final consonant | big | the biggest | This is the biggest canyon in the region. |
| Ending in y: change y to i + -est | pretty | the prettiest | It is one of the prettiest towns near the coast. |
The most + adjective
the most beautiful, the most important, the most popularUse the most with long adjectives. Do not add -est to these adjectives.
Caño Cristales is one of the most beautiful rivers in Colombia. The Amazon is one of the most important natural wonders in the world.Good, bad, and far
good - the best | bad - the worst | far - the farthestThese adjectives do not follow the regular -est or the most patterns.
Cartagena is the best place to visit during a long weekend. That was the worst trip of my life.Audio 3 - Long Superlatives
Listen and repeat long superlatives with the most.
Audio 4 - Irregular Superlatives
Listen to the irregular forms: the best, the worst, and the farthest.
One of the Most...
Use this structure when something is not necessarily number one, but it belongs to a small group of excellent or famous examples.
One of the most + plural noun
Subject + is + one of the most + adjective + plural noun + complementThe noun after this expression is plural because the sentence talks about one item inside a group.
Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities in Colombia. The Great Pyramid is one of the most famous human wonders in the world.Use plural nouns
Correct: one of the most beautiful cities Incorrect: one of the most beautiful city| Use in | Use of |
|---|---|
| in the world, in Colombia, in South America, in the city, in the country | of my life, of all time, of the three places, of all the cities I know |
| The Amazon is one of the most important rivers in the world. | That was the best trip of my life. |
Questions and Measurements
Students need question forms to compare places naturally. They also need measurement language to answer with real-world facts.
What is the most...?
- What is the most beautiful river in Colombia?
- What is the tallest mountain in the world?
- What is the best place to visit during a long weekend?
- What is the most famous human wonder in the world?
Ask for measurements
- How tall is it? Use this for buildings, towers, people, and trees.
- How high is it? Use this for mountains, altitude, and elevated places.
- How long is it? Use this for rivers, roads, walls, and bridges.
- How old is it? Use this for monuments, cities, and historic places.
Audio 5 - Superlative Questions
Listen to question forms students can use in interviews and discussions.
Audio 6 - Measurements
Listen to model answers with meters tall, meters high, kilometers long, and years old.
| Question | Answer structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How tall is the building? | It is + number + meters tall. | It is 828 meters tall. |
| How high is the mountain? | It is + number + meters high. | It is 8,849 meters high. |
| How long is the river? | It is + number + kilometers long. | It is 6,400 kilometers long. |
| How old is the monument? | It is + number + years old. | It is 2,000 years old. |
Audio 7 - Big Numbers
Listen to common numbers students need when describing measurements and records.
Country Wonders Rating Chart
This chart prepares students to compare countries and organize superlative sentences before speaking or writing.
| Country | Human Wonder | Natural Wonder | Superlative Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Lost City | Caño Cristales | Caño Cristales is one of the most beautiful rivers in Colombia. |
| China | The Great Wall | Zhangjiajie Mountains | The Great Wall is one of the most famous human wonders in the world. |
| Egypt | The Pyramids | The Nile River | The Nile is one of the longest rivers in the world. |
| United Arab Emirates | Burj Khalifa | Arabian Desert | Burj Khalifa is one of the tallest buildings in the world. |
Final Product Models
These are the unit products from the document. The detailed practice activities can be added later, but students can already see the language goals.
Country Wonders Rating Chart
Students choose countries, identify one human wonder and one natural wonder, and write accurate superlative sentences.
- Use at least four countries.
- Include human and natural wonders.
- Write one clear superlative sentence per country.
Commercial Video
Students promote the best place to visit during a long weekend in Colombia.
- Use at least three superlatives.
- Use one one of the most sentence.
- Use one the best sentence.
- Include two You can... sentences and one You should... sentence.
World Record Blog Entry
Students imagine new world records that help people and the planet.
- Choose a helpful world record.
- Explain why it matters.
- Use superlatives and measurement language when possible.
Audio 8 - Cartagena Commercial Model
Listen to a model for the commercial video product.
Audio 9 - World Record Blog Model
Listen to a model opening for the blog entry.
Grammar Summary
Use this section as a quick reference before speaking, writing, or preparing a presentation.
Short adjectives
the + adjective + -est
the tallest building the longest riverLong adjectives
the most + adjective
the most beautiful city the most important natural wonderIrregular forms
good - the best | bad - the worst | far - the farthest
Cartagena is the best place to visit.Questions
What is the most...? How tall is it?
What is the tallest mountain in the world? How long is the river?Suggested Lesson Order
This sequence follows the document and keeps the unit progressive.
| Lesson | Main Focus | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Human and natural wonders | Classify examples and activate vocabulary. |
| 2 | Superlative meaning | Understand number one in a group. |
| 3 | Short and long adjective forms | Use -est and the most accurately. |
| 4 | Irregular superlatives | Use the best, the worst, and the farthest. |
| 5 | Questions and measurements | Ask and answer factual questions about places. |
| 6 | Country wonders chart | Organize comparisons by country. |
| 7 | Commercial video planning | Prepare a persuasive travel script. |
| 8 | World record blog entry | Write about helpful records for the future. |
| 9 | Presentation and feedback | Share final products and revise language. |
Assessment Criteria
The final assessment can measure grammar, vocabulary, speaking, writing, and listening in a balanced way.