The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya

A2 homework · Comparatives and superlatives · Reading, grammar and writing

1. Read the text

The Asian Games open in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 19 September 2026 and run until 4 October. It is one of the biggest sports events in the world. More than forty sports are on the programme, and thousands of athletes take part. Some sports, like athletics and swimming, are older than the Games themselves. Others, like skateboarding and sport climbing, are newer and very popular with young fans.

Fans can watch fast races in the pool, exciting team matches, and quiet, careful sports like archery. Tickets for the finals are usually more expensive than tickets for the first rounds, because the finals are the most exciting days. For many athletes, this event is the most important competition of their lives.

Grammar box: comparatives and superlatives

We use comparatives to compare two things and superlatives to compare one thing with a whole group.

Examples: Swimming races are faster than marathon races. Football is the most popular sport in the world.

2. Complete the sentences

Write the comparative or superlative form of the adjective in brackets. Use than or the where you need them.

1. In the water, swimmers are ______ than runners. (fast)

2. The 100-metre sprint is ______ race at the Games. (fast)

3. In Japan, baseball is ______ than cricket. (popular)

4. Football is ______ sport in the world. (popular)

5. The new stadium is ______ than the old one. (big)

6. Many fans think the opening ceremony is ______ part of the Games. (good)

7. Finals are ______ than early matches. (exciting)

8. Some skateboarders are ______ athletes at the Games. (young)

3. Choose the correct form

Choose the correct comparative form for each sentence.

1. Badminton is ___ than golf in many Asian countries.

• more popular
• popularer
• most popular
• the more popular

2. This year’s marathon route is ___ than the old one.

• more long
• longer
• longest
• the longer

3. Table tennis balls are ___ than tennis balls.

• lightest
• more light
• lighter
• the most light

4. For me, watching a final is ___ than reading about it.

• interestinger
• the most interesting
• most interesting
• more interesting

5. Which sport is ___ to learn, swimming or sport climbing?

• easier
• more easy
• easiest
• the easier

4. Match the sports

Match each sport with its description.

• athletics
• swimming
• badminton
• judo
• cycling
• sport climbing

• running, jumping and throwing events
• racing in a pool
• hitting a shuttlecock over a net
• a martial art that began in Japan
• racing on bikes
• going up a wall with your hands and feet

5. Your turn: write

Which sport at the Asian Games would you most like to try? Write 40-60 words. Say why, and use at least one comparative (for example, 'more exciting than') and one superlative (for example, 'the best').

This lesson is interactive: open this page in a browser to fill in the answers and get them checked automatically. Teachers can copy the lesson and edit every part of it.