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Can a dorm room be cozy? Opposite adjectives for a room

A1 students learn opposite adjectives and have got in this ESL lesson plan about a college dorm room.

Grammar
Adjectives in opposite pairs, before a noun or after be (My room isn't dark. It's bright.), very and really, and have got with the American question Do you have…?
Topic
Describing a room: a small dorm room for two at a US college, then the student's own, with words such as cozy, bright, blanket and mini-fridge.
Activities
A move-in poster to read, two listenings about a cozy box and a room tour, self-checking drills, a chat, an open-the-box video tour and a short post about the student's room.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, dorm life!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the wordsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: your dorm room

    • Look at the photo: a dorm roomPictureUnlock
    • Read the posterReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: a cozy box

    • Listen to Priya and SamListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to Mateo's room tourListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and sort the wordsSort into columnsUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: a cozy room

    • Study the scheme: have got + adjectivesGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with have gotFill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the opposites into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: a room tour

    • Choose the right repliesChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: a video tour of your roomOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Write a post: my roomWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record yourself: a tour of your roomSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • blanket
  • mini-fridge
  • cozy
  • bright
  • warm
  • drink
  • send

Grammar: opposite adjectives and have got

One small room shared by two students raises two questions: what does it have, and what is it like? Learners answer with have got and adjectives (I've got a warm blanket. My room is bright.), learn the adjectives in opposite pairs, and ask Do you have…? the American way.

have got + adjectives: a cozy room

Say what your room has got and what it's like.

Before a noun or after is and are

An adjective goes before its noun (a cozy room, warm blankets) or after is and are (My room is cozy.), but never after the noun: a room cozy is a mistake.

Before a noun

  • a cozy room
  • a soft pillow
  • warm blankets

After is / are

  • My room is cozy.
  • The pillow is soft.
  • The blankets are warm.

Six pairs of opposite adjectives

The scheme pairs warm and cold, bright and dark, big and small, quiet and noisy, soft and hard, new and old, so a negative leads straight to its opposite: It isn't big. It's small.

AdjectiveOpposite
warmcold
brightdark
bigsmall
quietnoisy
softhard
newold

Very, really, a or an, and no -s

Very and really make an adjective stronger: It's a really bright room. An comes before a vowel, as in an old rug, and adjectives never take -s: two warm blankets.

very, really, a/an and no -s

Make it strong: My room is very cozy. It's a really bright room. Use a or an before the adjective: a big window, an old rug (an before a, e, i, o, u). No noun, no a: It's very cozy. (not It's a very cozy.) Adjectives never take -s: two warm blankets (not warms).

Have got with every person

I've got, you've got, we've got and they've got, but has got for he, she and it: Mateo has got a roommate. Say no with haven't got or hasn't got: The room hasn't got a bathroom.

WhoYes ✓No ✗
II've got a soft pillow. (= I have got)I haven't got a TV.
youYou've got a cozy room.You haven't got a rug.
he, she, itMateo has got a roommate. ('s got)The room hasn't got a bathroom.
weWe've got two closets.We haven't got a couch.
theyThey've got two desks.They haven't got candles.

Do you have…? Yes, I do.

Questions use Do you have…?, and the short answers are Yes, I do and No, I don't. I don't have a TV means the same as I haven't got a TV, and Americans often say it.

  • Do you have a mini-fridge? – Yes, I do.
  • Do you have a TV? – No, I don't.
  • I don't have a TV.= I haven't got a TV. Americans often say this.

Common mistakes

  • I've got a room cozy.

    I've got a cozy room.

    adjective + noun

  • My pillows are softs.

    My pillows are soft.

    no -s on adjectives

  • Mateo have got a roommate.

    Mateo has got a roommate.

    he, she, it → has got

  • Do you have a lamp? – Yes, I have.

    Do you have a lamp? – Yes, I do.

    Do you have…? → Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

More lessons on this grammar: Adjectives and adverbs lessons and exercises

Try the opposite adjectives exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 10 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • describe a room with opposite adjectives: My room isn't dark. It's bright.
  • put an adjective before a noun or after be, with no -s: a cozy room, The pillows are soft.
  • say what they've got and haven't got: I've got a soft pillow. The room hasn't got a bathroom.
  • ask Do you have…? and answer Yes, I do. or No, I don't.
  • make an adjective stronger with very or really: It's a really bright room.

Lesson 15 of English A1.1 · Hello, World is the third lesson in the unit Home sweet home. It builds on have got and Do you have…? from lesson 6 and on lesson 7, where adjectives described people and very or really made them stronger; lesson 16 brings it all back in the unit's review. A shared dorm room at a US college is small, so the opposites have a clear job: It isn't big. It's small.

A spin wheel about students' own rooms opens the lesson, followed by ten words, from pillow and mini-fridge to cozy and bright, with pictures and audio. Students then read a Move-in Day poster from Residence Life, with its list of things to bring, and answer true-or-false and multiple-choice questions. Two listenings follow (both AI-voiced): Priya and Sam plan the cozy box, then Mateo shows his room, and students sort what he has got and hasn't got. The grammar chapter pairs the scheme with four exercises: choosing the right words, writing have got, dragging opposites into sentences and picking the right sentence, each checked as students answer. The speaking chapter is a chat with Mateo, then an open-the-box video tour of the student's own room.

For homework, students put words in order and unscramble the lesson's words, two exercises that check themselves. They also write a short post about their room and record a tour of it, and both go to the teacher.

Grammar:
have got · adjectives · opposites · Do you have…?
Topic:
dorm room · college · home · roommates

Teaching tips

  • Act out the opposites before the scheme: shiver for cold, cover your eyes for bright, whisper for quiet. Students call out the adjective, then its opposite.
  • Pause after the first listening and ask what's in the cozy box. Then play Mateo's tour and have students listen for the rug, the lamp and the plant.
  • Go around the class with Do you have…?: a lamp, a rug, a mini-fridge. Accept only Yes, I do or No, I don't, never Yes, I have.
  • For online classes, make the open-the-box tour real: students turn the camera to their room and answer each box with I've got and an adjective.

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The whole course: English A1.1 · Hello, World

32 lessons for complete beginners in simple American English, from the verb to be to can and can't. Eight units cover greetings, family, numbers, home, food, daily routines, the town and free time, and each ends with a review lesson. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Hello!

    greetings, the verb to be, countries and nationalities, yes/no questions

    1. Lesson 1Hi, hey, howdy or aloha?The verb to be with I and you
    2. Lesson 2Ellis Island: where are they from?He's, she's, they're: the verb to be
    3. Lesson 3Six languages at the UNYes/no questions with be and short answers
    4. Lesson 4Review: hello from the Statue of LibertyThe verb to be and yes/no questions, reviewed

  2. Unit 2 My people

    family members, possessive adjectives, have got, describing people

    1. Lesson 5Why is Mother's Day in May?Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her
    2. Lesson 6Best in show!Have got and the possessive 's
    3. Lesson 7National Best Friends DaySubject pronouns, possessives and describing people
    4. Lesson 8Review: Bobbie the Wonder DogPossessives, have got and 's, reviewed

  3. Unit 3 Numbers all around

    numbers and dates, a/an and plurals, phone numbers and prices

    1. Lesson 9Why is March 14 Pi Day?Numbers 0 to 100, decimals and US dates
    2. Lesson 10How old is the General Sherman tree?A, an and plurals, with big numbers and How old…?
    3. Lesson 119-1-1 and other numbers to knowSaying phone numbers, emails and prices
    4. Lesson 12Review: 102 floors and 1,860 stepsNumbers, dates, ages and prices, reviewed

  4. Unit 4 Home sweet home

    rooms in a house, this, that, these and those, furniture, opposites

    1. Lesson 13A house with 132 roomsThis is, these are and plurals
    2. Lesson 14Boston's skinny house: where's the bed?This, that, these, those and Where's…?
    3. Lesson 15 · you're hereCan a dorm room be cozy?Opposite adjectives and have got
    4. Lesson 16Review: homes for everyoneShowing and describing a home, reviewed

  5. Unit 5 Food I love

    likes and dislikes, present simple questions, ordering food

    1. Lesson 17Pancakes for breakfast?I like, I don't like and plural nouns
    2. Lesson 18New York pizza or Chicago deep-dish?Present simple questions and short answers
    3. Lesson 19A coffee to go, please!Ordering food with I'd like and Can I have…?
    4. Lesson 20Review: lunch from a food truckI like, Do you like and I'd like, reviewed

  6. Unit 6 My day

    telling the time, daily routines, days of the week, prepositions of time

    1. Lesson 21What time is it in Times Square?Telling the time and daily routines
    2. Lesson 22Who brings the mail?The present simple with we and they
    3. Lesson 23Is it morning in Hawaii?Prepositions of time with parts of the day
    4. Lesson 24Review: a New York morningTime, routines and days, reviewed

  7. Unit 7 My town

    places in town, prepositions of place, giving directions

    1. Lesson 25Main Street, USAPrepositions of place: near and next to
    2. Lesson 26Meet me at Union SquarePresent simple questions and negatives with we and they
    3. Lesson 27Turn left on 42nd StreetImperatives for giving directions
    4. Lesson 28Review: streets for peoplePlaces, the present simple and directions, reviewed

  8. Unit 8 Free time

    hobbies, can and can't, sports, making plans

    1. Lesson 29Can you play Scrabble?Can and can't for ability
    2. Lesson 30Can you surf?Can for ability and how well
    3. Lesson 31Saturday morning: Little LeagueFree time and making plans
    4. Lesson 32Review: a book for every childCan, can't and free time, reviewed

Questions about this lesson

What are opposite adjectives?
Opposite adjectives are pairs of describing words with opposite meanings, like warm and cold or bright and dark. Learning them in pairs gives you two words at once and an easy way to correct something: The floor isn't warm. It's cold. The A1 lesson Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai teaches six such pairs for describing a small college room.
What are some common opposites in English?
Common English opposites include big and small, warm and cold, new and old, plus bright and dark, quiet and noisy, and soft and hard. Say a negative, then its opposite: The pie shop isn't quiet. It's noisy. This desk chair isn't soft. It's hard. Here hard means not soft; in a hard test, its opposite is easy.
What adjectives can you use to describe a room?
Useful adjectives for a room are big, small, bright, dark, quiet, noisy and cozy. Add warm or cold for how it feels and new or old for the things in it: My blanket is warm. I've got an old rug. In a US college dorm, where two students often share about 150 to 200 square feet, small and cozy get plenty of use.
What's the difference between have got and have?
For things you own or a place has, have got and have mean the same: I've got a roommate means I have a roommate. He, she and it take has got or has. Americans often prefer have, especially in questions and negatives: Do you have a mini-fridge? I don't have a couch. The gap-fill in Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai accepts both haven't got and don't have.
Is it "a room cozy" or "a cozy room"?
A cozy room is correct, because English puts an adjective in front of the noun it describes: a soft pillow, a big window. After is or are, the adjective comes last instead: The pillow is soft. With very or really, the order is a really cozy room, never a room really cozy.
Do adjectives take -s in the plural?
No: English adjectives stay the same with plural nouns, so only the noun changes: a warm blanket, two warm blankets. The rule holds after are too: My pillows are soft, not softs. Learners often add the -s by mistake when the noun is plural, so check every adjective in a sentence like We've got two big closets.
Is it "Yes, I have" or "Yes, I do" after "Do you have…?"
Answer Yes, I do or No, I don't, because the question is built with do: Do you have a lamp? Yes, I do. Do you have a roommate? No, I don't. Yes, I have is the answer to Have you got…? instead. Match the short answer to the first word of the question.
How do I teach opposite adjectives to beginners?
Teach each adjective together with its opposite, then use the pair to correct a sentence: My rug isn't new. It's old. In the A1 lesson Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai, a scheme lists six pairs, a drag-and-drop asks for the missing opposite in eight sentences, and students then use the words about their own room in a chat and an open-the-box video tour.
What's a good game for practicing opposites in English?
An either-or question game works well: every answer needs one word from a pair. Is your room bright or dark? Is it quiet or noisy? Put the questions on a spin wheel or in boxes and take turns. The A1 lesson Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai does both, from Is your bedroom big or small? on its warm-up wheel to a box tour of the student's room.
How do you practice opposite adjectives one-to-one?
Describe the student's room wrongly on purpose and let them correct you with the opposite: Your room is dark! No, it isn't. It's bright. Then ask for a camera tour and keep going: Is your bed soft? Is your desk new? The chat in Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai is built for a single learner, who answers questions about their own room.
What's good homework for practicing adjectives to describe a room?
A short post about the student's own room is good homework: is it big or small, bright or dark, and what's in it? For example: My room is small, but it's very cozy. I've got a warm blanket. In the A1 lesson Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai, students also record a tour of the room, and the teacher reviews both after two self-checking drills.
Are there interactive exercises for opposite adjectives?
Yes: self-checking drills and chats work well for opposites and have got. The page of the A1 lesson Can a dorm room be cozy? on edio.ai plays four parts with no account: a move-in poster, a dialogue about a cozy box, a gap-fill with has got, haven't got and Yes, I do, and a chat about your own room. The opposites drag-and-drop is locked with the rest.
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