Let’s practice forming superlative adjectives with a dialogue about saving money at the grocery store.
To review comparatives, see PART ONE of this interview.
Before we do the dialogue, let’s review the superlatives that we’ll need.
Dialogue:
Replace the adjectives in red with their superlative forms.
Speaker 1 – A radio show host
Speaker 2 – Mrs. Johnson, author, home-maker, and expert money saver
Host: As you all know, Mrs. Johnson is a home-maker and mother of three, and the author of the award-winning book, “Living Well With Less”. Today, we are going to focus on the chapter called, “Grocery shopping: Know Your Frenemy.
Welcome, Mrs. Johnson. It’s great to have you back, to give us more tips on how to save money.
Mrs. Johnson: It’s lovely to be here.
Host: What do you mean when you say that your local grocery store is a ‘frenemy’?
Mrs. Johnson: Well, grocery stores are friends, because we all need food and supplies, and because they are important businesses in our communities. But they are not as friendly as they appear. Like an enemy, they do everything possible to manipulate and confuse us, in order to take as much of our resources from us as they can. When we are aware of their dirty tricks, we can protect ourselves, and our wallets much better!
Host: You make stores sound so devious. What sorts of covert things do grocery stores do?
Mrs. Johnson: Oh gosh, the list is endless. One of the SNEAKY things about supermarkets is their design. Every aspect of the store is carefully organized to make customers stay in it for the LONG amount of time possible, and to be subjected to the LARGE number of temptations and scams possible.
But for average consumers, like us, food is one of the IMPORTANT items on the budget. It’s shocking to me how ill-informed and lackadaisical people are about how to buy it properly.
One of the GOOD examples of this is how the milk products are located at the FAR point from the entrance. People usually need at least one milk product, and this forces the HIGH number of people to walk through the entire store, even if they just need a few items.
Host: I always wondered about that. Okay, and what’s with the massive shopping carts, these days? They are absurdly large.
Mrs. Johnson: Right? That is one of the OBVIOUS ploys that stores use. People tend to buy more, the bigger the cart, so stores provide the BIG carts that they think people will accept. Don’t accept it. Use a basket, even if it means you have to bring your own.
Host: Oh wow. I had no idea grocery stores were so deceptive! How can we defend ourselves?
Mrs. Johnson: My advice is to think of food shopping as a battle, a mission. The first thing you need is a plan of attack. The RELIABLE defense you can give yourself is a meal plan for the week, and a list of all of the items you will need.
The BAD thing you can do is walk into a store when you are uninformed and ill-prepared. So bring your list, eat well, and know that you are about to walk into frenemy territory… oh, and read my book! [laughs]
Host: [Laughs]. Yes! It’s a great read guys. You’re gonna love it. Thank you so much, Mrs. Johnson, for taking the time to talk with us about your informative and life changing book!
Audience: [Wild applause]
