Comparative Clues. A Fun Guessing Game to Practice Comparative Adjectives

Comparative Clues

Comparative Clues

Looking for a dynamic speaking activity to help your students practice comparative adjectives in English? The Comparative Clues guessing game is a student favorite! This free PDF activity encourages learners to describe objects, people, and places using comparative structures—all while having fun and improving fluency.

🎯 Learning Objective

Students will practice using comparative forms to describe and guess key vocabulary, reinforcing their understanding of grammar and descriptive language in context.

🧾 What You’ll Need

One copy of the Comparative Clues worksheet per pair of students.
A quick review of comparative grammar rules before starting.

🧠 How to Play: Step-by-Step Instructions

Review comparative forms with the class.
Begin the activity by reminding students how to form and use comparatives (e.g., faster than, more useful than, as expensive as).
Give a demo using three clues.
Example word: Computer
- It’s more useful than a radio.
- It’s as expensive as a TV.
- It’s smaller than a fridge.
  Ask the class: “What am I describing?”
Pair up the students.
Divide your class into pairs (Student A and Student B) and hand out the appropriate worksheet to each partner.
Give the instructions.
Each student will see a bolded word or phrase at the top of each clue box. Their job is to give three comparative clues to help their partner guess what the word is—without saying it!
Create their own clues.
At the bottom of each worksheet are three blank boxes. Ask students to choose three words or names of their own and write three clues for each using comparatives.
Begin the activity.
Students take turns giving clues while their partner tries to guess the answer. Encourage the use of pronouns (e.g., It is bigger than…) and remind students not to say the word itself!
Wrap up with a class challenge.
Ask a few pairs to read their original clues aloud for the class to guess the word. It’s a great way to consolidate learning and build speaking confidence.

📌 Why This Activity Works

Promotes logical thinking and grammar accuracy
Develops speaking and listening skills
Encourages creativity with language
Suitable for a wide range of levels (especially A2–B1)

🔁 Extension Ideas

Turn it into a competition: Give points for correct guesses within three clues.
Use thematic vocabulary: Tailor the mystery words to your unit (e.g., food, technology, famous people).
Have students create new worksheets: Use their original clues in the next class.

📥 Download the Comparative Clues Worksheet

👉 [Get the free PDF here]

Comparative Clues Download

Perfect for warm-ups, revision lessons, or grammar-focused pair work.

🔍 SEO Keywords

Comparative Clues