A2 · Opinion
Following comparisons and reasons in a short review
Read for meaning first. Then return to the text for vocabulary, language choices, and evidence.
Before you read
Build the context out loud.
- How do you get to work or school? Is it fast, cheap, or comfortable?
- Have you ever used a shared bike or a shared scooter in a city?
- When you read a review, what information helps you trust the writer?
First pass: keep moving when one word is unfamiliar. Dotted words open optional help; every word also appears in the vocabulary bank below.
In March, Riverton opened its new bike share. There are now thirty bike stations downtown, and you can rentTo pay money to use something for a short time.Useful chunks: rent a bike · rent a car a bike with a phone app for $2 a ride or $25 a month. I normally take the Number 12 bus to work, so I decided to try the bikes for three weeks. Here is my honest opinion.
What I liked
For short trips, the bikes are faster than the bus. My commuteThe trip you make regularly between your home and your work.Useful chunks: my daily commute · a short commute is about two miles. By bus, it takes 25 minutes because the bus stops often and Main Street is always full of traffic. By bike, it takes only 12 minutes. A monthly passA ticket that lets you travel as many times as you want for one month.Useful chunks: buy a monthly pass · a $25 monthly pass is also cheaper than my monthly bus pass, which costs $40. The bikes are heavy but comfortable, and the lights turn on automatically, so I felt safe after dark.
What I didn’t like
The app is the worst part. Twice, it showed free bikes at a stationA place where you pick up or leave a shared bike, or where a bus or train stops.Useful chunks: bike station · an empty station, but when I arrived, the station was empty. Mornings are the most difficult time because everyone wants a bike before 9:00. In the evening, the stations near my office are often full, so returning a bike is harder than finding one. Rain is another problem. On the wettest day of the month, I took the bus.
Is it worth it?
My verdictA final opinion or decision after you think about something carefully.Useful chunks: my verdict · give a verdict: the bike share is better than the bus for me, most of the time. It is the cheapest and fastest way to get to work, and I feel more awake when I arrive at the office. However, the city needs more bikes at the busiest stations, and the app has to be more accurateCorrect and true in every detail.Useful chunks: accurate information · more accurate. I’m going to buy a monthly pass in April, but I’ll keep my bus card in my bag for rainy days.
My rating: 4 out of 5
Original text written for Thomas’s Classroom Reading Lab.
Words in context
Useful vocabulary and chunks
Learn the word with the partners it naturally keeps.
station
A place where you pick up or leave a shared bike, or where a bus or train stops.
bike station · an empty stationrent
To pay money to use something for a short time.
rent a bike · rent a carcommute
The trip you make regularly between your home and your work.
my daily commute · a short commutemonthly pass
A ticket that lets you travel as many times as you want for one month.
buy a monthly pass · a $25 monthly passverdict
A final opinion or decision after you think about something carefully.
my verdict · give a verdictaccurate
Correct and true in every detail.
accurate information · more accurateCheck your reading
Comprehension check
Choose the answer best supported by the text. Check your choices when you finish the whole set.
01Why is the bus slower than the bike on the writer’s commute?
02How much can the writer save each month with a bike pass instead of a bus pass?
03What was the problem with the app?
04Why was it sometimes difficult to return a bike after work?
05What is the writer going to do in April?
Language in the text
Comparing and giving reasons
The writer compares the bike share with the bus using comparatives, such as faster than and cheaper than, and superlatives, such as the worst and the busiest. She uses because to give a reason and so to show a result.
A short adjective takes -er plus than to compare two things.
A long adjective uses the most. Because introduces the reason.
Bad has an irregular superlative: the worst.
So introduces the result. Harder than compares two actions.
Superlatives say that one option is number one in a group.
Check your reading
Language focus check
Use the surrounding meaning, not only the shape of one sentence.
01Choose the correct comparison of the two passes.
02Choose the correct superlative.
03In which sentence does the second part show a result?
04Choose the correct superlative of bad.
Read like a writer
How a short review stays fair
The writer tests the bike share in real life, shows both sides with numbers and examples, and gives a careful final opinion instead of a simple yes or no.
A real test
Readers know that the opinion comes from real experience over time, not from one ride.
I decided to try the bikes for three weeks.
Numbers as evidence
Exact numbers make the comparison easier to check and to trust.
By bus, it takes 25 minutes... By bike, it takes only 12 minutes.
Both sides before the verdict
Two clear sections show the good and the bad before the writer decides.
What I liked... What I didn’t like...
A limited recommendation
The writer does not say the system is perfect for everyone, so the verdict sounds honest.
My verdict: the bike share is better than the bus for me, most of the time.
From reading to speaking
Build your response
Work through the stages in order. Answer before opening the model.
01GistWhat is the writer’s general opinion of the bike share?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
In general, she thinks the bike share is better than the bus, but she believes the app and the busy stations need to improve.
02Main pointsGive two advantages and two problems from the review.
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
One advantage is that the bike is faster than the bus. It is also cheaper. The biggest problem is the app, and another problem is rain.
03AnalyzeWhy does the writer give 4 out of 5 and not 5 out of 5?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
She gives 4 because the bikes are cheap and fast, but the app is not accurate and some stations are often empty or full.
04ReactWould the bike share be a good choice for your commute? Why or why not?
Useful ways to begin
Compare with a model response
For me, it would not be a good choice because my commute is longer than ten miles, so a bus or train is faster.
Speak
Take a position
Compare two ways to get to work or school in your city. Say which one is the fastest, the cheapest, and the most comfortable, and give reasons with because and so.
Write
Make the reading useful
Write a 100-word review of a service you use, such as a bus line, a gym, or a phone app. Use three comparatives, two superlatives, and one sentence each with because and so. End with a rating.