English 3
Unit 5 Food Choices By the end of this lesson you will be able to:•
Talk about food using expressions like a bottle of, a quart of, a loaf of, etc.•
Use quantifiers like a little, a few, very little and very few.•
Use too, too much, too many and enough.•
Talk about eating habits.Learning Objectives
Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Introduction
Since I am on a diet, my eating habits have changed a lot. Now I have on my fridge mostly healthy food, let me see: I have a carton of eggs, a big bottle of orange juice, two litters of soy milk, a loaf of wholewheat bread, some butter, three jars of different types of jams, 500 grams of turkey ham. There is also one kilo of meat, ½ a kilo of chicken and two kilos of salmon in the freezer. And I have also, a lot of vegetables and fruit. Food is a topic we always use, since we have the need to eat every day. That is why, this is a really important subject and you will learn expressions to talk about quantities. The amount of food you eat, or the one you need when you prepare a meal can be express in measures, weight and containers. This is what you will learn, how to express amounts of food by using these measures. In the end of the lesson you will learn to use too much, too many and enough while talking about eating habits and food. So tell me, what do you have in your fridge?Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Talking about quantities of food
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A little + uncountable nouns, means “a small amount” “I have a little coffee in the jar”.•
Very little + uncountable nouns, means “almost none” “We have very little sugar, can you buy more please?”•
Less + uncountable nouns, it is used to compare quantities. “My kids are drinking less milk”. As you already know uncountable nouns are used to talk about the nouns you cannot count like: water, coffee, rice, bread, cheese, meat, money, time, etc.Talking about quantities of food
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Not much + uncountable nouns, means “a small amount” Pablo doesn’t have much money, he is broke. Learning notes: In a conversation is more common to say “A little bit”, instead of “A little”, it means the same, “a small amount”. Example: I have a little bit of milk in the fridge, I need to buy more.Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Talking about quantities of food
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A few + countable nouns, means “a small number” I have a few pieces of chicken in the freezer.•
Very few + countable nouns, means “almost none” My son eats very few vegetables, he needs to eat more.•
Fewer + countable nouns, it is used to compare quantities. Natural juices have fewer calories. As you already know countable nouns are used to talk about the nouns you can count.Talking about quantities of food
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Not many + countable nouns, means “a small number” We didn’t buy many bottles of wine for the party. Learning notes: In a conversation is more common to say “less” with plural countable nouns, instead of “fewer”, it is not correct but acceptable while speaking. In writing, “fewer” should be used. Example: I’m eating less chocolates, since I’m on a diet. I’m eating fewer chocolates.Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Talking about quantities of food.
Food containers/items, are also called partitives. For plurals, the name of the container must change to the plural form, not the food word.•
A carton of juice – two cartons of juice.•
A loaf of bread two loaves of bread.•
A bottle of water two bottles of water.•
A bag of rice – two bags of rice.Talking about quantities of food.
Weights and measures, are used to talk about specific amounts of food. A liter of/ a quart of 1 liter= 1.1 quarts A kilogram of/ a pound of 1 kilo= 2.2 pounds Examples: Please, buy a liter of alcohol in the drugstore. You need at least 2 kilos of meat for the barbeque. Give me a quarter of pecans. They bought a dozen eggs. Marie wants 200 grams of ham.Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Too, too much, too many and enough.
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Use too much with uncountable nouns: There is too much bread, please don’t buy more.•
You can use too much also with verbs. Rafael exercises too much.•
Use too many with countable nouns: I have too many students in my classroom.•
Use too with adjectives and adverbs. The street is too noisy. (adjective) You eat too quickly. (adverb)Too, too much, too many and enough.
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Enough + countable and uncountable nouns. I have enough time to eat with you. We bought enough apples to bake the apple pie.•
Enough with verbs. I eat enough.•
Enough with adjectives and adverbs, The food is spicy enough. (adjectives) My dad cooks well enough. (adverbs).Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011
Vocabulary: Quantifiers or Units for food
Rice a spoonful, a bowl, a sack, a box, a bag. Pasta and Noodles a bowl, a bag, a small amount Bread a loaf, a piece, a slice Wine A glass, a bottle Beer a mug, a bottle, a glass, a keg Juice A glass, a bottle, a carton, a jug Meat A piece, a slice, a steak Butter An ounce, a spoonful, a bar Coffee A cup, a spoonful, a jarVocabulary: Uncountable nouns
Liquids: water, wine, beer, coffee, tea, juice, soda, milk, oil, etc. Meat: beef, chicken, pork, veal, *deer, *rabbit. (*Talking about food). Grains: coffee, sugar, salt, rice, beans, cereal, pepper, cinnamon, etc. Others: Cheese, butter, bread.Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011 My name is James and I am living in Korea, today I went to the market to buy some groceries and it was an amazing experience. I went to an open market and I bought some food, like: a few vegetables (onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados) and some fruit (apples, oranges, bananas and strawberries), a kilogram of rice, a bottle of olive oil, a loaf of garlic bread, a carton of eggs, a kilo of chicken, beef and tuna; as well as a quarter of shrimps. The most fantastic thing is that everything in this place is fresh and cheap.
Closing
In this lesson you learned to talk about food using quantities. Since eating is a daily habit, you should learn how to communicate in English properly to refer to amounts of food. Remember we always prepare meals for our family, friends and ourselves, this activity implies to go to the supermarket and buy the right amounts of food. In this case you will need to express by using measures, weight and containers while getting the food you need. You also learned to use the expressions too much, too many and enough while talking about your eating habits. So tell me, what do you have in your fridge?Enseñanza e Investigación Superior A. C. Todos los Derechos Reservados© 2011 McCarthy, Michael. Et al. (2008) Touchstone Full Contact 3.Cambridge University Press. Murphy, R., et al. (2009): Grammar in Use Intermediate Student's Book with answers. Cambridge University Press. Heacock, P. (2008): Cambridge Dictionary of American English. Cambridge University Press.
