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Chapter 2 – An Afternoon In The Kitchen
Situation: Mrs. Anderson is baking cakes when her daughter Debbie gets home from school.
Debbie: Mom, I am home.
Mrs. Anderson: How was school? How did you do on the test?
Debbie: School was OK, and I did great on the test. Mom, I was so worried about that test , but now I feel great. What a relief!
Mrs. Anderson: I am glad to hear that.You have been studying so hard the past few weeks. Now, you can relax and enjoy life.
Debbie: What are you cooking? It smells so good.
Mrs. Anderson: I am baking cakes. This is your favorite carrot cake.
Debbie: It looks really yummy. And I see muffins over there too. You were busy, weren’t you?
Mrs. Anderson: Yes. Jeff has to take something to school tomorrow. So, those muffins are for him. Don’t touch them.
Debbie: Can I have a piece of carrot cake? I want to enjoy life right now.
Mrs. Anderson: You don’t want to wait until after dinner?
Debbie: It looks inviting, and I bet it is delicious. No, I don’t want to wait. Can I, mom?
Mrs. Anderson: OK, go ahead.
Debbie: Did you see the new recipe that was posted on Today Cooking’swebsite? I believe it was called Scrumptious Pie.
Mrs. Anderson: No, I did not. But I want to try that recipe. Your dad loves pie.
Debbie: So do I.
Mrs. Anderson: So does Jeff. Our whole family is crazy about pie.
Debbie: When do you want to try the new recipe? I want to learn too. Should we bake a cherry pie or an apple pie?
Mrs. Anderson: Since this is the cherry season, let’s make a cherry pie. Tomorrow, I will get some cherries at the supermarket, and we can start baking in the afternoon when you get home from school.
Debbie: I need to finish a science project, and I will not get home until 3:30. Will it be too late to start baking, mom? If it is, you can start without me.
Mrs. Anderson: 3:30 PM is fine. I will prepare dinner early, and then I will have everything ready for our baking session before you get home.
Debbie: Make sure that we still have enough sugar and eggs, mom. It seems like you were using a lot of sugar and eggs baking the cakes and muffins today.
Mrs. Anderson: Don’t worry. We still have plenty of sugarand a lot of eggs, enough to make at least ten pies.
Debbie: Ten pies, huh? Ten sounds like a good number, but let’s not overdo it. Let’s make nine and a half pies instead.
Mrs. Anderson: OK, we will make nine and a half pies tomorrow. No more, no less.
Debbie: It is a deal.
Mrs. Anderson: Enough about baking pies. I need to start working on today’s dinner. It is three o’clock already. Your dad and Jeff will be home soon. I am sure they will be very hungry and will want dinner right away.
Debbie: What do we have for dinner tonight?
Mrs. Anderson: I will make roast beef and cream of mushroom soup.
Debbie: It has been a long time since you made cream of mushroom soup. Do you need any help, mom?
Mrs. Anderson: No, go do your homework and leave the cooking to me.
Debbie: Thanks, mom. Call me whenever dinner is ready. I do not want to be late for roast beef, cream of mushroom soup, carrot cake and muffins.
Mrs. Anderson: The muffins are for Jeff. Do not touch them!
Debbie: I know, mom. Just kidding.
Questions/Answers Practice
Come up with similar questions and answers.
| Q: What are you doing? | A: I am preparing breakfast. |
| Q: What is she cooking? | A: She is cooking steak. |
| Q: What is your plan after work? | A: I plan to bake a cake for Mary. |
| Q: Is the turkey ready? | A: No, it is not done yet. |
| Q: How do you like your steak? Rare, medium or well done? | A: Well done, please. |
| Q: What happened to the ribs? | A: I overcooked them, and they were burned. |
| Q: How should I bake the cherry pie? | A: Bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. |
| Q: How is my chicken soup? | A: It is very tasty. |
| Q: How is my fish? | A: It tastes very good. |
| Q: How is my stew? | A: Not too sweet, not too salty. Just perfect. |
| Q: Do you like my muffins? | A: I love them. |
| Q: What should I put in my stew? | A: A lot of ingredients besides salt. |
3) Comprehension test
- Why is Debbie feeling great?
- What kind of cake does Debbie like?
- Why did Mrs. Anderson bake muffins?
- Why does Debbie want a piece of cake now?
- What is the name of the new recipe that Debbie saw on Today Cooking’s website?
- Why does Mrs. Anderson want to bake a cherry pie?
- When will Debbie get home tomorrow? Why?
- How many pies will they bake tomorrow?
- What will Jeff want when he gets home?
- What will Mrs. Anderson cook for dinner?
- Why doesn’t Debbie want to be late for dinner?
4) Discussion
a) Should boys learn how to cook?
- What is the most popular cake or food in your country?
- What is your favorite baking recipe?
GRAMMAR REVIEW NOUNS
Common nouns can be classified as either count or noncount nouns.
1) Count nouns:
Count nouns refer to people, animals, things or places that can be counted. Count nouns can be singular or plural and are generally preceded by words indicating quantity or number (one, four, many, several, a few, every, a lot of) or by an article (a, an, the).
An afternoon
A science project
The new recipe
Ten pies
A and an are indefinite articles and do not point to any person, animal, thing or place in particular.
I drove by a gas station before I got home yesterday. I saw a blue 1950 Corvette on my way to work.
A and an always precede a singular noun. Use the indefinite article a before words which start with a consonant, a sounded h (example: a horse) or a long u (example: a utensil). Use an before words which start with a vowel, except long u, and before words beginning with a silent h (example: an hour)
A cherry pie A house
An apple pie
An urgent message
The isa definite article and is used to indicate a specific person, animal, thing or place. The can precede singular or plural nouns.
Did you see the new recipe that was posted on Today Cooking’s website? I looked at the new houses on Bolsa Street yesterday.
Note:
The is not used with nouns indicating people, animals or things in general.
Most of the times, cats do not like dogs. (No the because we are talking about cats and dogs in general)
I hate to listen to distressing news. (No the because we are talking about distressing news in general)
2) Noncount Nouns:
Noncount nouns refer to anything that cannot be counted such as:
- Substances: water, air, sugar
- Abstractions: luck, bravery, beauty
- Fields of study or sports: chemistry, baseball
Noncount nouns are usually preceded by words such as some, much, a little, and are always expressed in the singular form with a few exceptions.
You were using a lot of sugar (vs. you were using a lot of eggs) She needs some encouragement before taking the test.
Note:
Noncount nouns that refer to abstractions, sports, fields of study usually are not preceded by an article or any other word.
He watches baseball every weekend.
I do not like physics
The company expects loyalty from its employees.
Questions/Answers Practice
Pair the students and have them practice the following questions and answers. Ask them to come up with similar questions and answers.
Q: Does your son like soccer?
A: No, my son likes basketball.
Q: Can you speak English?
A: I can speak excellent English.
Q: Would you like some coffee?
A: Yes, please.
Q: How much salt should I put in the soup?
A: Just a little bit.
Q: How many oranges did you buy?
A: Just a few.
Q: How much water do you need?
A: Not too much. Q: How many cakes did you bake?
A: Not too many.
Q: What do the Milikan high school’s students
A: They want to play football. want for sport?
Q: How do wild animals survive during the winter?
A: With great difficulties.
Q: How are the houses on Bolsa Street?
A: They are very small.
Q: How long does it take you to clean a house?
A: On an average, it takes me an hour to clean a house.
Q: What did you put in your soup?
A: I put in a little bit of salt and a lot of tomatoes.