Unit 17: Grand Canyon
Unit Goal
Can-do: Understand and use everyday English to talk about the Grand Canyon.
In this unit, you will learn words about the Grand Canyon and practice grammar for facts and opinions, complete and incomplete sentences, adjectives, and subject and predicate.
What Is the Grand Canyon?
The Grand Canyon is a famous canyon in Arizona, USA.
The Colorado River flows through it.
Many people visit the Grand Canyon because it is a beautiful natural wonder.
Vocabulary
| Word | Simple Meaning |
|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | A very large and famous canyon in Arizona. |
| Arizona | A state in the United States. |
| Colorado River | A river that runs through the Grand Canyon. |
| canyon | A deep valley with steep sides. |
| red rock | Rock that is red in color. |
| visitors | People who come to see a place. |
| hike | To walk a long distance for fun. |
| rafting | Traveling on a river in a raft. |
| helicopter rides | Trips in a helicopter. |
| air | The gas around us that we breathe. |
| natural wonder | A beautiful place made by nature. |
Grammar 1: Fact or Opinion
Fact
A fact is true and can be checked.
Example: The Grand Canyon is in Arizona.
Opinion
An opinion is what someone thinks or feels.
Example: The Grand Canyon is the most beautiful place in the world.
Fact clues: dates, places, numbers, true information.
Opinion clues: beautiful, amazing, best, exciting, wonderful.
Grammar 2: Complete and Incomplete Sentences
Complete Sentence
A complete sentence has a subject and a predicate (action or information).
Example: Visitors hike in the canyon.
Incomplete Sentence
An incomplete sentence is missing important information.
Example: Because it is beautiful.
Ask yourself:
- Who or what is the sentence about?
- What happens?
Grammar 3: Adjectives (Comparative and Superlative)
Comparative Adjectives
Use comparative adjectives to compare two things.
Pattern: adjective + er / more + adjective
Example: This canyon is bigger than that canyon.
Superlative Adjectives
Use superlative adjectives to compare three or more things.
Pattern: the + adjective + est / the most + adjective
Example: The Grand Canyon is one of the biggest canyons.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| big | bigger | biggest |
| small | smaller | smallest |
| beautiful | more beautiful | most beautiful |
Grammar 4: Subject and Predicate
Subject: who or what the sentence is about.
Predicate: tells what the subject does or gives information about it.
| Sentence | Subject | Predicate |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors hike in the canyon. | Visitors | hike in the canyon |
| The Colorado River flows through the canyon. | The Colorado River | flows through the canyon |
| Helicopter rides are exciting. | Helicopter rides | are exciting |
Worked Examples
Example 1: Fact or Opinion?
Sentence: The Grand Canyon is in Arizona.
Answer: Fact
Why? We can check this information.
Example 2: Complete or Incomplete?
Sentence: Visitors hike near the river.
Answer: Complete sentence
Why? It has a subject (Visitors) and a predicate (hike near the river).
Example 3: Comparative or Superlative?
Sentence: The Grand Canyon is bigger than many canyons.
Answer: Comparative
Why? The word "bigger" compares things.
🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích
Ví dụ 1: Đây là fact vì Grand Canyon thật sự nằm ở bang Arizona và có thể kiểm tra thông tin này.
Ví dụ 2: Đây là câu hoàn chỉnh vì có chủ ngữ (Visitors) và vị ngữ (hike near the river).
Ví dụ 3: Từ "bigger" là dạng so sánh hơn của "big", dùng để so sánh giữa các canyon.
Useful Sentences
- The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder.
- The Colorado River flows through the canyon.
- Many visitors hike there.
- Some people enjoy rafting.
- Helicopter rides give a great view.
- The red rocks are beautiful.