ESLSongs

Practise comparative & superlative adjectives in the ESL classroom with this fun folk song, “Grab me a jar” by Alan Smith Robertson (on Spotify, published under the stagename Grumpy Old Man), which also addresses the dangers of alcohol.

This song contains FOURTEEN comparative or superlative adjectives: bad, big, crazy, fast, good, great, loud, open, pretty, stupid, wild, willing & young. It also includes two comparatives using the srtructure “as… as…”

This song comes with a PDF worksheet and is also available on Spotify as well as on Youtube. If you do not have access to either of these streaming services you can also download the song in mp3 format. To see other suggestions on how to use this song in class, click here.

Lyrics

Grab me a jar and I’ll tell you a tale about the best night of my life
It happened when I was a much younger man and more open to rolling the dice
The night was still young and the music was louder than anything I’d ever heard
My head started spinning the barman was grinning as I spoke to the prettiest girl

When I woke up next morning, I didn’t know where I was, my head felt like it could explode
My heart beat faster than a bat out of hell, I thought I was having a stroke
I’d lost all my money, there was blood on my shirt, I couldn’t even say my own name
It was the wildest night that I’ll never forget though I cannot remember a thing

…I’ve got to find my address
The night’s been crazier than I could have guessed
‘Cause when I drink things get out of control
So show me the way to go home

Show me the way to go home (thank you, sir)
I’m tired and I want to go to bed
I had a little drink about an hour ago
And it’s gone right to my head

I got the baddest tattoo
And I’m also missing a tooth
‘Cause when I drink things get out of control
So show me the way to go home…

Now ten years have passed and I still tell the tale about the biggest mistake of my life
It happened when I was more stupid than now and more willing to give things a try
Now my body still aches from the beating it got, but I guess that it could’ve been worse
‘Cause at least I survived, I don’t know how or why, not knowing is my greatest curse
So I drink to remember that night I forgot, and I drink to relive that binge
but the music is never as loud as it was and the girls are as ugly as sin.

Suggested activity: fill the gaps

Download this exercise (PDF)

Do you know the rules about how to form the comparative and the superlative? Look at the adjectives below. Do you know their meaning? Try to convert them into their comparative and the superlative forms: bad, big, crazy, fast, good, great, loud, open, pretty, stupid, wild, willing, young.

Look at the lyrics below. Put an appropriate adjective from the first exercise in its comparative or superlative form into each of the gaps, then listen to the song to check your answers.

Grab me a jar and I’ll tell you a tale about the ¹____________ night of my life
It happened when I was a much ²____________ man and ³____________ to rolling the dice
The night was still young and the music was ⁴____________ than anything I’d ever heard
My head started spinning the barman was grinning as I spoke to the ⁵____________ girl

When I woke up next morning, I didn’t know where I was, my head felt like it could explode
My heart beat ⁶____________ than a bat out of hell, I thought I was having a stroke
I’d lost all my money, there was blood on my shirt, I couldn’t even say my own name
It was the ⁷____________ night that I’ll never forget though I cannot remember a thing

…I’ve got to find my address
The night’s been ⁸____________ than I could have guessed
‘Cause when I drink things get out of control
So show me the way to go home

Show me the way to go home (thank you, sir)
I’m tired and I want to go to bed
I had a little drink about an hour ago
And it’s gone right to my head

I got the ⁹____________ tattoo
And I’m also missing a tooth
‘Cause when I drink things get out of control
So show me the way to go home…

Now ten years have passed and I still tell the tale about the ¹⁰____________ mistake of my life
It happened when I was ¹¹____________ than now and ¹²____________ to give things a try
Now my body still aches from the beating it got, but I guess that it could’ve been ¹³____________
‘Cause at least I survived, I don’t know how or why, not knowing is my ¹⁴____________ curse
So I drink to remember that night I forgot, and I drink to relive that binge
but the music is never as loud as it was and the girls are as ugly as sin

Song: Grab me a jar © 2024, Alan Smith Robertson
Permission is granted to reproduce the song for classroom use & the worksheet is published under the Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA