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Section 1 / 4
Warm-up
Speaking Boost A2 · Unit 21
Cooking by Feel
Recipes, quantities, steps and kitchen safety
A2 · Unit 21GrammarWords to learn💬 Speaking-heavy
1.1
Today’s grammar
Focus: a little / a few / much / many · enough · sequence in recipes.
1.2
Talk first
- Do you cook every day?
- What is the easiest dish you can make?
- Who taught you to cook?
1.3
After this lesson you will be able to...
- Describe how to cook a simple dish step by step.
- Use a little, a few, much, many and enough.
- Talk about kitchen safety.
- Use smell, sound and touch to know when food is ready.
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Section 2 / 4
Vocabulary
2.1
Words to learn
| to chop | нарізати Chop the onion carefully. |
| to boil | варити, кип’ятити Boil the water first. |
| to fry | смажити Fry the eggs for two minutes. |
| to stir | помішувати Stir the soup slowly. |
| to pour | наливати Pour the milk into a cup. |
| a pan | сковорідка Put the pan on the stove. |
| a pot | каструля The pot is hot. |
| a spoon | ложка Use a big spoon. |
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Section 3 / 4
Grammar
3.1
A little, a few, much, many
For UNCOUNTABLE nouns we use a little, not much, how much: a little salt, not much sugar. For COUNTABLE nouns we use a few, not many, how many: a few eggs, not many apples.
“A little” and “a few” are positive (there is some). Without “a”: “little” and “few” mean “almost none”: I have little time. We have few friends here.
| Add a little salt, please. |
| I need a few eggs. |
| There isn’t much milk. |
| We don’t have many tomatoes. |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: a little / much — для незлічуваних (salt, milk), a few / many — для злічуваних (eggs). little / few без a — майже нема.
3.2
Enough
Enough means “the right amount”. It goes BEFORE a noun: Do we have enough eggs? And AFTER an adjective or adverb: The soup is hot enough. You are not cooking long enough.
Add to + verb: I don’t have enough time to cook today.
| Do we have enough salt? |
| The water is hot enough now. |
| I don’t have enough eggs for the cake. |
| She is old enough to cook alone. |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: enough + іменник, прикметник + enough. enough to cook — достатньо, щоб готувати.
3.3
Recipe language
A recipe often has sequence words: First, Then, Next, After that, Finally. We use imperatives for each step: Wash the potatoes. Chop the onion. Fry for five minutes.
Use your senses: Listen, the oil is hot when it makes a sound. Smell: the bread is ready when it smells sweet. Touch: the cake is ready when it is soft but firm.
| First, wash the potatoes. |
| Then, chop the onion and fry it for five minutes. |
| Next, add a little salt and some water. |
| Finally, stir and wait ten minutes. |
🇺🇦 Коротко українською: First, Then, Next, Finally + наказовий спосіб. Запах, звук і дотик підкажуть, що їжа готова.
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Section 4 / 4
Speaking
4.1
Easy — warm up your speaking
- Do you like cooking?
- What is your favourite meal?
- Who cooks in your house?
- Can you cook an egg?
- Do you cook rice or potatoes more often?
- Do you use a lot of salt?
- Do you have a favourite spoon?
- How many meals do you eat a day?
- Do you cook for other people?
- What do you cook on Sunday?
- Do you like soup?
- Is your kitchen big or small?
4.2
Medium — say more
- How do you make a cup of tea? Explain step by step.
- How do you cook an egg? Use first, then and finally.
- Which sounds in the kitchen tell you that food is ready?
- How do you know the oil is hot, without seeing it?
- Tell me about a dish that you cooked for someone special.
- How do you cut vegetables safely?
- What do you do when you burn the food?
- What is a good first dish for a beginner?
- How much salt do you add to soup?
- How many eggs do you use for a cake?
- Describe the smell of your favourite meal while cooking.
- How do you keep your kitchen safe?
4.3
Deeper — explain and give reasons
- Is cooking at home better than eating out? Why?
- Why do people like cooking together?
- What is a traditional dish from your country, and how is it made?
- How can cooking be easier for people with different needs?
- What do we learn from cooking?
- Should children learn to cook at school? Why or why not?
- How has cooking changed since your grandmother’s time?
- If you could cook for any famous person, who would it be and what would you make?
4.4
More questions
- How many eggs do we need?
- How much sugar do you put in tea?
- Do you have enough milk?
- Could you add a little salt?
- What do you cook first?
- What do you do after you boil the water?
- Do we have enough bread?
- How long do you fry an egg?
- What do you pour into a cup in the morning?
- Do you stir the soup often?
- How do you know the pasta is ready?
- What do you cook in a pot?
4.5
Opinions and what-ifs
- Do you think everyone should know how to cook?
- Would you like to learn a new dish? Which one?
- What if you had no kitchen? What would you eat?
- Is it better to cook with a recipe or without?
- Which is nicer: cooking alone or with someone?
- Would you prefer a big kitchen or a small, cosy one?
- Is homemade food better than restaurant food? Why?
- What advice would you give to a person who burns everything?