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GENERAL ENGLISH · PRACTICAL SKILLS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

FOOD FOR
THOUGHT
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1 Warm up

Read the sentences and try to understand the meaning of the phrases in bold. Then match each
phrase with the correct definition.

We always eat out when it’s a special occasion like a family birthday. However, if we’re too
tired to cook, we just pick up a takeaway.

1. quickly go to get something

2. have a meal in a restaurant

When I was little, I used to pick at my food. I’m not a fussy eater now, I really like to pig out!

1. not eat very much or not enjoy food very much

2. eat a lot, eat too much

My dad is trying to cut down on sugar. He’s also going to give up drinking coffee.

1. stop doing something completely

2. use less of something

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Let’s just heat up some soup for lunch. ... It’s taking ages – why don’t you turn the heat up?

1. make something hot

2. make something stronger or more powerful

I’ve already cut up the strawberries for the fruit salad. Can you mix them in with the other
fruit in the bowl?

1. use a spoon to add something to what you’re preparing

2. use a knife to make small pieces

What do you notice about the phrases in bold?

2 Reading

Read the article about dinner party reality shows and answer the questions.

Why do we enjoy watching people prepare food?

1.

Do the guests always enjoy the food?

2.

What happens if people don’t cook the food themselves?

3.

How do the TV producers make sure the shows are interesting?

4.

How does the writer feel about this type of TV show?

5.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Food for thought
Why we love watching cooking programmes on TV
1.
Reality TV has never been more popular. We’ve seen
people on dates, at the doctor’s and moving to a
new house. But surely the most popular topic for
reality TV shows is food. And when food and cooking
are combined with a competition for prizes, it’s a
winning formula. One of the longest running shows
features different people taking turns to cook each
other meals. Each meal is scored and the host with
the highest score wins some money at the end of the
week.
2.
So why do we enjoy these shows so much? Well,
there are several reasons. First of all, we all think we
can do better. When we watch the host cutting up
some vegetables or mixing in the egg whites, we like
to think, "That’s not the right way to do it!"
3.
We also enjoy watching the guests eating ... or not
eating. Some of the food is amazing and guests pig
out happily, while others pick at their salad, saying,
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"I don’t really like vegetables." Sometimes guests are
on special diets: "I gave up meat ten years ago", or
"I’m trying to cut down on sugar." This creates a big
challenge for the hosts, who may have to produce
two different dishes.
4.
Some of the more "creative" hosts have not even
bothered to cook! They’ve just picked up a takeaway
to heat up for their guests. They don’t usually win the
prize money, though.
5.
And what about the arguments? The TV producers
like to turn up the heat by putting people together
who have very different ideas about life. We love
watching the "discussions" that result.
6.
Will we ever get tired of this type of programme? My
guess is no, because within this format, there are so
many variations in food, people and homes. In my
opinion, this type of TV show is even better than
eating out at a fancy restaurant!
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Work in A/B pairs. Read the article again and match the words/phrases in bold with their meanings
below. Then explain your words to your partner.

Student A

1. took the time to do something a bit difficult

2. a situation where people try to be the best at doing something
3. includes something as the main part
4. following special eating plans for medical or other reasons

Student B

1. several things that produce very good results together

2. a difficult situation where someone has to find a way to solve a problem
3. a person who has invited guests to their home
4. things that are a bit different from other similar things

Articles are informal texts. In this article, the writer

includes sentences or words in quotation marks to
make the text more interesting for the reader in
different ways.

Find examples of these uses of this punctuation.

1. Reporting what someone thinks

2. Reporting what someone says (3 examples)
3. To suggest that we are adding an extra meaning to a word, as a joke (2 examples)

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3 Language point

Phrasal verbs are multi-word verbs which are very common in natural spoken and informal written
English. They usually have two parts, verb + particle (preposition or adverb), but some phrasal verbs
have three parts. When you learn a phrasal verb, you have to learn three things: the form, the meaning
and the grammar.

Learning about form means that you notice which verbs and particles can go together. Look back at
the phrasal verbs from the Warm up and add the correct particles to the diagram:

You also need to know the meaning of the phrasal verb; this information was presented in the Warm
up. In addition, as with any new vocabulary, you should also pay attention to collocations, or other
words which often appear in the same sentence. Match the phrasal verbs with the collocations from
the article:

1. cut up a. at a fancy restaurant

2. mix in b. a takeaway

3. pig out c. egg whites

4. pick at d. happily

5. gave up e. meat

6. cut down f. on sugar

7. pick up / heat up g. the heat (in the article this is used to mean that the situation
becomes more difficult)
8. turn up h. their salad

9. eat out i. vegetables

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Finally, you need to look at the grammar of the phrasal verbs. There are four basic types.

Type 1: verb + adverb
This verb cannot take
an object
(intransitive).
Type 2: verb +
preposition / This
verb takes an object
(transitive) but it
cannot separate.
Type 3: verb +
preposition / This
verb takes an object
(transitive) and it can
separate.
Type 4: verb + two
particles / Three-part
phrasal verb - these
take objects but don’t
usually separate.

eat out / pig out
pick at something
cut something up / cut down on
give something up / something
heat something up /
mix something in /
pick something up /
turn something up

What’s the difference in word order between Type 2 and Type 3?

There are some special rules for Type 3 phrasal verbs. Compare these two sentences - they are both
correct.

1. I cut up the vegetables.

2. I cut the vegetables up.

You can choose which word order to use. If you are not sure if a phrasal verb is Type 2 or Type 3,
which sentence would be safer to use?

However, if the object is a pronoun, then you must separate a Type 3 phrasal verb.

1. I cut them up. (incorrect: I cut up them.)

2. I gave it up. (incorrect: I gave up it.)

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4 Practice

Find and correct mistakes in some of these sentences. If the sentence is correct, put a tick next to it.

1. Are you going to eat that straight from the fridge, or are you going to heat up it?
2. Do you have any bananas? Mix in them with the other ingredients.
3. I’m just going to pick up a curry for dinner tonight.
4. I’m really cold. Do you think we could turn the up heat?
5. I’m sorry, I can’t eat this dessert. I’ve given up chocolate.
6. I’m too tired to cook. Do you want to eat up tonight?
7. If you don’t like pineapple, just leave it. I don’t want to watch you pick it at.
8. Maybe you should cut on down sweets.
9. My grandmother is a great cook. We always pig out when we eat dinner at her house.
10. Please cut this tomato out for the salad.

5 Speaking

You are going to roleplay a dinner party in pairs or small groups. Your teacher will tell you who is the
host and who are the guests. Your meal includes soup, main course and dessert.

Before you start the roleplay, quickly complete the card with ten phrasal verbs from the Warm up and
six items of vocabulary from the reading. Write the words in random spaces.

When everyone is ready, start the roleplay like this:

• Host: I hope everyone likes soup!

While you speak, try to use the words on your card. Use as many words as possible in a natural way.
Try to complete horizontal, vertical or diagonal lines of four words.

At the end of the activity, answer these questions.

1. How many words did you use?

2. Were you able to make any lines?
3. Do you think you used all the words correctly or do you want to check any sentences with your
teacher?

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6 Extra practice/homework

Put these words in order to make sentences. If there are two possible word orders, write them both.

you / way home? / up / on your / pick / for me / Can / it /

1.

the fruit / I / in / mix / need / now. / to

2.

heat / I’ll / it / the microwave / to / up. / use

3.

I’m / pig / planning / out / to / tonight!

4.

cut / down / I’m / on / snacks. / to / trying

5.

at / food. / picking / Please / stop / your

6.

for / given / health / She’s / them / up / reasons.

7.

will cook / up / faster. / the heat / it / Turn / so

8.

eating / this / weekend. / out / We’re

9.

can / by / cutting / help / them / up. / You

10.

In sentences 1, 3, 7, 8 and 10, what do you think the pronouns it and them refer to?

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7 Optional extension

When you visit someone’s home for dinner, it’s polite to bring a gift like the ones in the pictures.
Match the words below with one of the pictures to create a phrase that describes a gift.

bouquet of / box of / coffee table / flavoured / guest / potted / scented / tin of

1 ... plants 2 ... candles 3 ... chocolates 4 ... flowers

5 ... oils and vinegars 6 ... cookies 7 ... book 8 ... soap

Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Which three gifts do you think are the best? Which gift is the worst?
2. Do you have any other good ideas for gifts for a host?
3. What sort of gifts for hosts are traditional for guests to give hosts in your country?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
Explain the activity and do the first one as an example with the class. Students continue the exercise alone and then
check answers. Check pronunciation as well, there is a lot of linking in the bold items between the final consonant
sound of the first word and the initial vowel sound of the second. Pose the follow-up question diagnostically
to see if students are familiar with the concept of phrasal verbs. If students aren’t very familiar with these, the
Language point will support them.
Part 1
1. pick up 2. eat out

Part 2
1. pick at 2. pig out

Part 3
1. give up 2. cut down on

Part 4
1. heat up 2. turn up

Part 5
1. mix in 2. cut up

Phrases in bold: they are all phrasal verbs: verb + preposition/adverb (particle).

2. Reading

10 mins.
Explain the context and go over the instructions for the first reading activity. Give students a couple of minutes
to read the article to find the answers and check these with the class. Then set up A/B pairs and ask students to
return to the article to match four words with their definitions. They should use the context to help them. A+B
pairs can then explain the words to each other before you check answers (and pronunciation).
Finally, go over the follow-up task with the whole class. Students who are preparing for the Cambridge B1
Preliminary exam will benefit from this information about writing articles. Note that American English uses double
speech marks. These are increasingly accepted in British English as well. If you haven’t got time for this final task,
it’s fine to move on to the next stage of the lesson.
1. Because we think we can do better.
2. No, some guests say they don’t like certain foods.
3. They don’t usually win the prize.
4. They bring together guests with very different ideas about life.
5. Very positive - it’s better than eating out at a fancy restaurant.

Student A
a. bothered b. competition c. features d. on special diets

Student B

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1. a winning formula 2. challenge 3. host 4. variations

Quotation marks:
1. "That’s not the right way to do it!" 2. "I don’t really like vegetables." / "I gave up meat ten
years ago," / "I’m trying to cut down on sugar."
3. Some of the more "creative" hosts have not even
bothered to cook! - the writer is using "creative" to
suggest that the host may be cheating. / We love
watching the "discussions" that result. - the writer is
suggesting that "discussions" are more like arguments.

3. Language point

10 mins.
This is a thorough presentation of the main points involved in mastering phrasal verbs. Students should understand
that this is a very important language area as they progress to higher levels. For this grammar presentation,
students need to know the following terms: preposition, adverb, collocation, object and pronoun. A particle is a
general-purpose word which refers to the preposition or adverb part of the phrasal verb.
Go over the examples and activities in each of the sections. It would be worth getting students into a routine of
investigating these three aspects of phrasal verbs whenever they are encountered. You may also want to point
out to students that a good English-English dictionary will show them whether a phrasal verb takes an object and
whether it separates.
Answers: 1 pick at; 2 cut down on; 3 mix in; 4 eat/pig out; 5 cut/give/heat/pick/turn up
1. i 2. c 3. d 4. h 5. e 6. f 7. b 8. g 9. a

In Type 2, the object must follow the particle, while in Type 3 the object can go after the verb and before the
particle.
Number one.
Part 2

4. Practice

10 mins.
Go over the instructions with the class. Students can work alone, and then check answers in pairs. Finally, check
answers with the whole class. If you have time, ask students to read the sentences out loud in pairs.
NOTE: If students are finding this difficult, skip the speaking stage and do the extra practice/homework exercises
in class for additional support.
1. ...heat it up 2. Mix them in...
3. correct 4. ...turn up the heat/turn the heat up
5. correct 6. ... to eat out tonight?
7. ...pick at it. 8. ... cut down on sweets
9. correct 10. Please cut this tomato up...

5. Speaking

13 mins.
Go over the instructions and assign host and guest roles. You could aim for three or four in a group, but pairs
would also work. Make sure students know that they are going to practise phrasal verbs and other vocabulary

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from the lesson and that they need to use their imagination. The bingo card focuses students’ attention on the
target language and records their production.
Give students a few minutes to prepare their cards. It’s more fun if they write their words in random squares.
Monitor and support as necessary.
Then students recombine into their dinner party and start the conversation as in the example. Again, monitor and
support as necessary and make a note of any errors for feedback later, as well as any good sentences that you
hear. Make sure everyone has a chance to speak.
Conclude this stage by going over the follow-up questions, checking sentences, or by offering error correction
and feedback. You could also ask students to write a few "perfect" sentences from the dinner party as a record.
Note: even adult students enjoy winning a small bingo prize!

6. Extra practice/homework

2 mins to explain.
These exercises can be assigned for homework or used instead of the speaking activity if the class needs more
support. If you use these for homework, make sure that you mark the exercises in a future class, or collect them
from students and mark them yourself outside class. If you prefer, you can make the answers available to students
and they can check their own answers.
1. Can you pick it up for me on your way home? 2. I need to mix in the fruit now. / I need to mix the
fruit in now.
3. I’ll use the microwave to heat it up. 4. I’m planning to pig out tonight!
5. I’m trying to cut down on snacks. 6. Please stop picking at your food.
7. She’s given them up for health reasons. 8. Turn up the heat so it will cook faster. / Turn the heat
up so it will cook faster.
9. We’re eating out this weekend. 10. You can help by cutting them up.

7. Optional extension

10 mins.
These exercises are designed as a cooler activity if you have time in your lesson. In this activity, students identify
and evaluate popular gifts for hosts. They can discuss the follow-up questions in pairs or small groups. This is a
good opportunity for sharing cultural information if you have students from different countries in the class. Note:
a coffee table book is a large colourful book with lots of photos that people keep on their coffee table. It often
shows beautiful places, towns and cities, food or art.

1) potted plants
2) scented candles
3) box of chocolates
4) bouquet of flowers
5) flavoured oils and vinegars
6) tin of cookies
7) coffee table book
8) guest soaps

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