My Friends and I
Primary 4 · English
My Friends and I
Lesson 4 of 5
45 min
Mutesi wants to tell her cousin about her friends. “Uwase is the tall one with the big smile,” she says. “And Keza is the funny one!” Now her cousin can find them easily.
Today you will read a funny story about a very tall man. Then you will learn to describe your friends and compare them.
Listen to the story (audio, read by Darshan Soni), or open the Storybooks Rwanda page to read it in Kinyarwanda and French too.
His hoe was too short. His doorway was too low. His bed was too short. His bicycle was too short. This man was too tall!
He made a very long hoe handle. He made very high door frames. He made a very long bed. He bought a very high bicycle. He sat on a very high chair. He ate with a very long fork.
He left his house and lived in a big forest. He lived for many years.
too means more than is good: the bed was too short, so his feet did not fit. very just means a lot: a very long bed is fine for him.
I have three good friends: Uwase, Keza and Habimana.
Uwase is tall and thin. She has short black hair and a big smile. She is kind and helpful. When I forget my pencil, she always shares hers. She is ten, like me.
Keza is short and strong. She has long braids. She is very funny. She tells jokes and makes us laugh. Keza is eleven, so she is older than Uwase and me.
Habimana is nine. He is the youngest. He is shorter than Uwase, but he is taller than Keza. He is quiet, but he is the best footballer in our class.
Uwase is the tallest, Keza is the shortest, and Keza is the oldest. We are all different, and that is why our friendship is fun!
— Mutesi
Why did the man make a very long bed?
Because his old bed was too short for him.
Who is the funniest of Mutesi's friends? How do you know?
Keza. She tells jokes and makes them laugh.
Who is the youngest?
Habimana. He is nine.
| What they look like | What they are like |
|---|---|
| tall, short, thin, strong short hair, long hair, curly hair, braids a round face, a big smile | kind, helpful, funny, quiet, clever, friendly, brave, honest |
Ask: What does she look like? — She is tall and has short hair.
Ask: What is she like? — She is kind and helpful.
Keza is older than Uwase. Habimana is taller than Keza.
Uwase is the tallest. Habimana is the youngest.
| Word | Two people | Three or more | Spelling rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| tall | taller than | the tallest | just add -er / -est |
| big | bigger than | the biggest | short word ending consonant–vowel–consonant: double the last letter |
| funny | funnier than | the funniest | y changes to i |
| good | better than | the best | irregular: learn it! |
When you compare friends, say kind things. Everyone is good at something!
Write a paragraph about two or three of your friends. Describe what each one looks like and what each one is like. Then compare them with -er than and the -est.
Speak: Play “Who is it?” Describe a classmate without saying the name: “She is tall. She has braids. She is the best singer in our class.” Your friends guess who it is.
Tip
Two people? -ER THAN. Three or more? THE -EST
Keza is shorter than Uwase. Keza is the shortest of all.
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
Complete: Uwase is ___ (tall) than Habimana.
Answer: taller
Complete: Keza is the ___ (funny) of my friends.
Answer: funniest (y changes to i)
Write the -er form of big.
Answer: bigger (double g)
Correct the mistake: Habimana is more tall than Keza.
Answer: Habimana is taller than Keza.
Describe your best friend in two sentences.
Answer: Example: My best friend is short and has curly hair. She is clever and very kind.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
Who is the oldest of Mutesi's friends?
