🍂 Autumn Poetry, Everyday English & Comparatives

🍁 Восеньская паэзія, жывая ангельская і ступені параўнання прыметнікаў

🍎 Exercise 1. John Keats & To Autumn — Quiz

🎯 Task / Заданне

Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets. The answers will help you discover the story behind one of the best-known autumn poems in English literature.

Выберыце слушную форму дзеяслова ў дужках. Так вы пазнаёміцеся з гісторыяй аднаго з самых вядомых ангельскіх вершаў пра восень.

🍂 John Keats ________ one of the major English Romantic poets. (be) was has been were
🌿 He ________ in London in 1795 and became interested in literature while he was still young. (be born) has been born was born is born
📚 Before devoting himself fully to poetry, Keats ________ medicine. (study) studied has studied was study
✒️ By 1819, he ________ several poems that would later become classics of English literature. (write) wrote had written has wrote
🚶 In September 1819, Keats ________ near Winchester when the autumn landscape caught his attention. (walk) had walked was walking walks
🌾 He later explained that the beauty of the fields ________ him during one of his walks. (strike) struck had strike was striking
🍎 The landscape ________ him to write To Autumn. (inspire) was inspiring inspired has inspire
☀️ In the poem, Keats ________ autumn not simply as a cold or gloomy season, but as a time of abundance and ripeness. (present) presented presents has presenting
🐝 The first part of the poem ________ on fruit, flowers, bees and the warmth left from summer. (focus) is focus focuses focused
🌾 Later, autumn ________ almost like a person resting after the work of the harvest. (describe) is described describes has described
🎵 In the final part, Keats asks where the songs of spring are, but then ________ that autumn has its own music. (show) showed shows is showing
📖 To Autumn ________ in 1820, and generations of readers have continued to read it ever since. (publish) published was published has publish

Keats wrote the poem on 19 September 1819; it was first published the following year.

🍁 Exercise 2. Poetry Vocabulary

🎯 Before Reading

Read the words and expressions before reading the poem.

🌫️ mist — туман
🍐 mellow fruitfulness — спелая, багатая ўрадлівасць
☀️ maturing — той, што даспявае, набліжаецца да поўнай спеласці
🍇 vine — вінаградная лаза
🏡 thatch — саламяная страха
🍎 ripeness — спеласць
🎃 gourd — гарбуз / плод гарбузовых
🌰 hazel — ляшчына
🐝 to cease — спыняцца
🌾 granary — свіран, зернясховішча
🌬️ winnowing wind — вецер, што развейвае мякіну пры ачыстцы зерня
🌾 furrow — баразна
😴 drowsed — задрыманы, усыплены
🌺 poppy — мак
🌾 gleaner — чалавек, які збірае рэшткі ўраджаю пасля жніва
🎒 laden — нагружаны
🍏 cider-press — прэс для выціскання яблычнага соку
🌇 hue — адценне
🦟 gnat — мошка
😢 to mourn — смуткаваць
🐑 to bleat — бляяць
🦗 cricket — цвыркун
🐦 redbreast — малінаўка
🐦 swallow — ластаўка
🎶 to twitter — шчабятаць

🍂 John Keats — To Autumn

🌾 I

🌫️ Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

☀️ Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

🍇 Conspiring with him how to load and bless

🏡 With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

🍎 To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,

🍐 And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

🎃 To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

🌰 With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

🌸 And still more, later flowers for the bees,

🐝 Until they think warm days will never cease,

🍯 For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

🌾 II

🍂 Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

🌾 Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

🏚️ Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

🌬️ Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

🌾 Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,

🌺 Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

🌼 Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

🧺 And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

🌉 Steady thy laden head across a brook;

🍎 Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

💧 Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

🍁 III

🌱 Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

🎵 Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

🌇 While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

🌸 And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

🦟 Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

🌿 Among the river sallows, borne aloft

🌬️ Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

🐑 And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

🦗 Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

🐦 The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,

🕊️ And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

🎥 Exercise 3. Autumn — Video

🍁 Why Do Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?

YouTube

🌿 Before Watching

Прачытайце выразы перад праглядам відэа.

🍂 this time of year — у гэты час года 🌇 the days are getting shorter — дні становяцца карацейшымі 🌬️ the weather is getting cooler — надвор’е становіцца халаднейшым 🍁 change colours — мяняць колер 📅 pretty soon — даволі хутка ➡️ head into autumn — набліжацца да восені, уступаць у восеньскі перыяд ✨ brightly coloured leaves — яркае рознакаляровае лісце 🍃 pick something up — падняць нешта 😍 admire something — любавацца нечым 🌲 stay green — заставацца зялёным 🎨 different shades of red, orange and yellow — розныя адценні чырвонага, аранжавага і жоўтага 🍂 drop to the ground — ападаць на зямлю 🔍 take a close look at something — уважліва разгледзець нешта ☀️ capture energy from sunlight — атрымліваць энергію сонечнага святла 🌱 make their own food — выпрацоўваць сабе ежу 🫣 cover something up — хаваць, закрываць нешта 🌤️ less and less sunlight — усё менш і менш сонечнага святла 👀 be there all along — быць там увесь гэты час ⏳ while you can — пакуль ёсць магчымасць ❄️ as winter approaches — з набліжэннем зімы 📦 stash something away — адкласці, назапасіць нешта 🔋 save up energy — назапашваць энергію 🌳 break off from the branches — адрывацца ад галін ❄️ live through the winter — перажыць зіму 🔄 start all over again — пачацца нанова ✨ one’s time to shine — час праявіць сябе, «зорны час»

▶️ Watch the Video

🎥 SciShow Kids — Why Do Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?

💬 After Watching

🍁 Why are most leaves green during spring and summer, and what changes when autumn begins?
🌳 What happens to a tree as winter approaches, and how does it prepare to live through the winter?
✨ The video says that autumn is the other colours’ “time to shine”. What do you think is special about autumn, and what do you personally enjoy most about this time of year?

🇵🇱➡️🇬🇧 Exercise 4. Polish → English

🎯 Task / Заданне

Read the Polish sentences aloud and translate them into natural English. Try to use vocabulary from our previous lessons where possible.

🍂 Jesienią dni są krótsze i chłodniejsze.
☕ Dzisiaj jestem trochę zmęczony, więc chcę odpocząć w domu.
📚 Mam dużo pracy, ale chcę wszystko skończyć dzisiaj.
🚨 Coś się wydarzyło, dlatego trochę się spóźnię.
📩 Nie znam jeszcze odpowiedzi. Napiszę do ciebie później.
📱 Telefon często mnie rozprasza, kiedy pracuję.
🌿 Po pracy potrzebuję trochę czasu, żeby odpocząć i odzyskać energię.
🎬 Film był dobry, ale nie spełnił moich oczekiwań.
🔍 Wczoraj przypadkiem znalazłem bardzo ciekawy artykuł.
😌 Staram się zachować spokój, kiedy mam dużo pracy.
🍁 Ta ulica jest piękniejsza jesienią niż latem.
🌡️ Dzisiaj jest chłodniej niż wczoraj.
🌳 Ten park jest jednym z najpiękniejszych miejsc w mieście.

⚖️ Exercise 5. Degrees of Comparison of Adjectives

🍂 Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

🎯 Task: Read the table and compare the examples. Remember the patterns you need most often in everyday English.

🍁 Type	🧩 Rule	🌿 Comparative	🏆 Superlative	💬 Example
🍏 Short adjective	-er / -est	cold → colder	cold → the coldest	Today is colder than yesterday.
☀️ Adjective ending in -e	-r / -st	nice → nicer	nice → the nicest	September is nicer than November.
🍂 Consonant + -y	y → i + -er/-est	happy → happier	happy → the happiest	I feel happier when the sun is shining.
🔥 Short vowel + consonant	double the final consonant	hot → hotter	hot → the hottest	July is usually hotter than October.
🎨 Long adjective	more / the most	more beautiful	the most beautiful	Autumn is more colourful than winter.
⚖️ Two things are equal	as + adjective + as	—	—	Today is as warm as yesterday.
🚫 Two things aren't equal	not as + adjective + as	—	—	November is not as warm as September.
👍 good	irregular	better	the best	I feel better today.
👎 bad	irregular	worse	the worst	The weather is worse today.
📍 far	irregular	farther / further	the farthest / furthest	This café is further from my house.

🍎 Three Things to Remember

🍏 Comparative + than

colder than · better than · more interesting than

🍂 Today is colder than yesterday.

🏆 the + superlative

the coldest · the best · the most interesting

🌳 This is the most beautiful park in the city.

🚫 Never use two comparative forms together

❌ more colder → ✅ colder

❌ more easier → ✅ easier

❌ the most cheapest → ✅ the cheapest

🌿 Useful Intensifiers

🍃 Expression	🇧🇾 Значэнне	💬 Example
much colder	значна халаднейшы	It is much colder today.
a lot better	нашмат лепшы	I feel a lot better now.
a little warmer	крыху цяплейшы	Tomorrow will be a little warmer.
far more interesting	значна цікавейшы	The book was far more interesting than I expected.

🍎 Exercise 5. Degrees of Comparison — Mini Quiz

🎯 Task / Заданне

Choose the correct option. Focus only on the rules that are most useful in everyday English.

🍏 With most short adjectives, we normally form the comparative with…

-er

more

-est

🌳 With most short adjectives, we normally form the superlative with…

more

-est

-er

🍂 With many longer adjectives, we normally use…

more / most

-er / -est

much / many

🌡️ Which sentence is correct?

Today is colder that yesterday.

Today is colder than yesterday.

Today is more colder than yesterday.

🏡 Which sentence is correct?

This café is quieter than the one near my office.

This café is more quieter than the one near my office.

This café is quietest than the one near my office.

🎨 Which form is correct?

beautiful → beautifuller → beautifullest

beautiful → more beautiful → most beautiful

beautiful → more beautiful → beautifulest

🍁 Which set is correct?

good → better → best

good → gooder → goodest

good → more good → most good

🌧️ Which set is correct?

bad → badder → baddest

bad → worse → worst

bad → more bad → most bad

📍 Before a superlative, we normally use…

a

the

than

⚖️ To say that two things are equal, we use…

as + adjective + as

more + adjective + as

adjective + than + adjective

💡 Remember

🍏 small → smaller → the smallest

🍁 happy → happier → the happiest

🔥 hot → hotter → the hottest

✨ interesting → more interesting → the most interesting

👍 good → better → the best

👎 bad → worse → the worst

📍 far → farther/further → the farthest/furthest

🍂 Exercise 6. Comparatives & Superlatives in Real Life

🎯 Task / Заданне

Put the adjective in brackets into the correct form.

🍁 Autumn evenings are usually __________ than summer evenings. (cool)
🌇 The days are getting __________ as winter approaches. (short)
🌳 This park looks much __________ in October than it does in November. (colourful)
☕ This little café is __________ than the crowded place we visited last week. (quiet)
📚 I can concentrate __________ when I put my phone in another room. (well)
😌 I feel much __________ today because I finally finished the work that had been piling up. (relaxed)
🎬 The documentary was __________ than I had expected. (interesting)
📱 Getting distracted is one of the __________ problems I have when I work from home. (common)
🌧️ Yesterday’s weather was __________ than today’s. (bad)
🚶 Walking through a park is sometimes __________ than staying at home all evening. (refreshing)
🗣️ This expression sounds __________ in everyday conversation than the formal alternative. (natural)
🍂 October is usually one of the __________ months for autumn colours. (beautiful)
🧠 The __________ a topic becomes, the more time I need to think it through. (complicated)
🌿 After a stressful week, even a quiet evening can feel __________ than an expensive night out. (good)

📖 Exercise 7. Reading & Big Vocabulary Revision

🎯 Task / Заданне

Read the sentences aloud and translate them into Belarusian. Pay attention to the expressions from our previous lessons and think about situations in which you could actually use them.

😩 I’ve been feeling a little drained lately, so I’m going to slow down this weekend and give myself some time to recharge.
📱 I really need to lock in this afternoon, because I keep getting distracted whenever I check my phone.
🚨 Something came up at work, so I’m running a bit late, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I know exactly when I can arrive.
📢 Please keep me posted if the plan changes; I’d rather know beforehand than find out at the last minute.
🧘 Even when everything seems to be going wrong, I try to keep my composure instead of jumping to conclusions.
🎯 I had been looking forward to the trip for months, but unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
🔍 I came across a fascinating article while I was looking for something completely different, and I’d like some time to think it through.
😮‍💨 I felt incredibly relieved when I realised that the problem was much easier to solve than I had expected.
🤯 When work starts piling up, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and tense, so I try to deal with one thing at a time.
😅 My bad — I sent you the wrong version of the document, but I’ve tweaked it now and everything should be clear.
🍕 If you’re thinking of getting something to eat after class, I’m down — I haven’t had a proper meal all day.
🕵️ That message looks a little sus, so don’t open the attachment until you clarify who actually sent it.
💸 There’s nothing wrong with being proud of something you bought, but constantly showing everyone how expensive it was can look like flexing.
🎵 No cap, I’ve heard that song dozens of times, but it somehow hits different when you listen to it alone on a quiet autumn evening.
🌿 Low-key, I’d rather stay at home tonight than go somewhere crowded; I’m still getting used to having such a busy schedule.
📚 I’ve wasted enough time today, and if I don’t lock in now, the whole evening is going to become completely haphazard.
😤 Don’t get salty just because somebody disagrees with you; hear them out, think it through, and explain your own point of view calmly.

🌙 Exercise 8. Final Discussion

💬 Task / Заданне

Answer in full sentences. Try to use at least three expressions from today’s lesson.

🍂 Do you think autumn is mainly a season of endings, or can it also feel like a new beginning? What changes in your own life, mood or daily routine when autumn arrives?