Vocabulary for dining outVocabulary for dining outStarters or appetizers are the food that you eat in the restaurant before the big part of the meal, themain course. The main course is usually the part of the meal with meat, fish or chicken andvegetables. The last part of the meal is called dessert and is usually sweet food or fruit.

steak chocolate cake grilled fish salad roast chicken pizza ice creamsoup shrimp cocktail pasta fruit beef stew garlic breadbreadsticks sorbet apple pie

Expressing preferencesExpressing preferencesNow we are going to talk about preferences. The word ‘preference’ is a noun and the verb is ‘pre-fer.’ We use these to talk or ask questions about the things we like more than other things. We use‘prefer’ when we want to talk in general about things that we like more than other things.

Look at these sentences:I prefer chicken to steak.

This is how we use ‘prefer’ in a question:Do you prefer fruit salad to ice cream?

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Lesson Lesson Dining outDining out2222Exercise 1: Put these foods into the correct place in the table.

Starters/Appetizers Main course Desserts

When we ask a question with ‘prefer’ we can also say it this way:Do you prefer fruit salad or ice cream

We can also ask questions this way:Which do you prefer, chicken or fish?If we talk about actions with ‘prefer’, we always use a gerund (verb + ing), when we speakinformally.Look at these sentences:I prefer drinking milk to drinking water.He prefers eating fish to (eating) steak. (we don’t need to repeat the gerund).

When we speak formally we use a special form of the verb called the infinitive. We make theinfinitive by using ‘to + base verb’.

Look at these examples of verbs, gerunds and infinitives:

When we want to talk formally about preferences for actions, we use the infinitive together with‘rather than’. Look at these examples:I prefer to eat at home, rather than (to eat) at the restaurant.She prefers to drink red wine, rather than (to drink) white wine.

When we answer a question, using ‘prefer’ we can say the sentence two different ways. Look at these sentences:Do you prefer tea to coffee?I prefer tea to coffee.

We can’t say ‘I prefer tea or coffee’.

Which do you prefer, drinking tea or coffee?I prefer drinking tea to (drinking) coffee.I prefer to drink tea, rather than (to drink) coffee.I prefer tea. (we don’t need to repeat both alternatives)

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Verb Gerund Infinitiveeat eating to eatdrink drinking to drinkwatch watching to watchgo going to gohave having to havedo doing to do

Let’s review what we have learned about sentences, questions and answers using ‘prefer’.Look at the following table:

As you can see, there are many different ways to talk about preferences, asking questions andgiving answers.

Would ratherSometimes when we talk about preferences, we want to talk aboutreal choices instead of general likes and dislikes. In this type ofsituation we don’t use ‘prefer’. We use a different verb, would rather. Look at these examples:I would rather drink tea than (drink) coffee.Would you rather drink red or white wine?

When we use ‘would rather’ we mean that we want the first thing more than the second thing. Thisis not a general preference; it means I want it now instead of the other choice. When we tell some-one something we always use would rather with than. Let’s look an the examples again so you can see how we make a sentence:I would rather drink tea than (drink) coffee.

When we ask a question we use would rather with or because we are asking about a choice. Look at the example again to see how we make a question:Would you rather drink red or white wine?

When we want to make a negative sentence, we use would rather not.I would rather not drink red wine.We only focus on the negative alternative.

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Sentence Question Answer

Nouns I prefer chicken to Do you prefer chicken I prefer chicken (to steak. to steak? steak).

Which do you prefer, chicken or steak?

Gerunds I prefer eating chicken Do you prefer eating I prefer eating+ Noun to (eating) steak. chicken to (eating) steak? chicken to (eating) steak.Gerund I prefer eating to Do you prefer eating I prefer eating(action) drinking. to drinking? (to drinking).

Which do you prefer, eating or drinking?

Infinitives I prefer to eat chicken Do you prefer to eat I prefer to eat chickenrather than (to eat) chicken rather than rather thansteak. (to eat) steak? (to eat) steak.

I prefer to eat chicken.

Negative I prefer not to eat meat.infinitive

Look at these sentences and questions using would rather:She would rather have salad than soup.We would rather drink beer than wine.Would he rather have tea or coffee?I would rather eat at home than in a restaurant.Would you rather have fish or chicken for your main course?I would rather not eat meat.

Agreeing Agreeing Now we are going to look at ways that we can agree with someone when they talk aboutpreferences. When you agree you think the same or have the same opinion or preference as theperson that you are talking to. There are two ways of agreeing with someone when they talk about their preferences or opinions;these are me too and so (auxiliary verb) I.

Let’s have a look at some sentences to see how we use these expressions:Mike: I prefer red wine to white wine.Susan: Me too! I love red wine.

We can also agree by saying the sentence like this:Mike: I prefer red wine to white wine.Susan: So do I. I love red wine.

Let’s have a look at another example:Mike: She prefers meat to chicken.Susan: So do I. I prefer meat to chicken.

Notice that with each of these examples, when Mike speaks, he is using a normal verb (not anauxiliary verb, or the verb ‘to be’) and Susan agrees by using the auxiliary verb ‘do’. We alwaysuse this auxiliary verb when we agree with someone if they are using a normal verb to talk abouttheir preferences or opinions.

Now look at these sentences and see how Susan agrees with Mike:Mike: I am hungry.Susan: So am I.

Here is another example.Mike: I would rather have fish than chickenSusan: So would I.

Here is one more example.Mike: I can cook.Susan: So can I.

Did you notice that when Mike speaks he uses am, can, and would? When Susan agrees with him,she uses the same verbs in her reply. We always use the same verb as the person we agree with ifwe use the verb to be or a modal verb like can, could, will and would.

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Here are some sentences where people talk about their preferences and other people agree withthem.Mike: I prefer beer to wine.Susan: So do I.

David: I would rather have ice cream than chocolate cake.Peter: So would I.

Peter: I am having fish for dinner.Susan: So am I.

Sometimes people talk about negative opinions or preferences. When we want to agree with anegative opinion or preference said by another person, we reply in a different way. To make a sen-tence with a negative agreement we use either or neither. Let’s look at some examples of conversations where people are making negativestatements and other people agree with them.Peter: I don’t like tomato soup.Mike: Neither do I.Mike could also agree with Peter this way:Mike: I don’t either.

Let’s have a look at some more examples like this.Susan: I don’t like coffee.David: I don’t either.orDavid: Neither do I.

Susan: I don’t like milk.Mike: Neither do I.orMike: I don’t either.

In each of these sentences the first speaker is using ‘I don’t’

Let’s look at some sentences using different verbs.Mike: I’m not hungry.David: Neither am I.orI’m not either.

Susan: I can’t cookPeter: Neither can I.orPeter: I can’t either.

Notice that when we use neither, the verb is always positive. This is very important because nei-ther has a negative meaning (not either) and can’t be used with a negative verb. Also, we mustchange the order of the subject and the verb when we use neither.

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Look at the table to see how we make sentences with neither:

Let’s look at some examples using these expressions.I don’t like chocolate cake. Neither do I.

He can’t go to the restaurant.She can’t either.

They aren’t very hungry.Neither are we.

Example: I love fruit and vegetables.So do I.

I don’t like wine. ______________________________

I don’t like black coffee. ______________________________

I can’t drink red wine. ______________________________

I haven’t got a drink. ______________________________

I would rather have some ice cream.______________________________

I am a vegetarian.______________________________

I like to eat at a restaurant.______________________________

I can’t stand oysters.______________________________

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Negative meaning Verb Subject

Neither am I.Neither is he.Neither are we.Neither does it.Neither have I.Neither has she.Neither can they.Neither would you.

Exercise 2: Read the sentence and write how you agree with it.

I have to go on a diet.______________________________

I can eat chocolate every day.______________________________

DisagreeingDisagreeingWhen we talk to other people, we don’t always agree withthem. When we have a different idea from that person, wedisagree with them. We disagree with people talking about neg-ative ideas by using different expressions. Look at these examples:Oh! I do (am/can/have/will/would)Really! I do (am/can/have/will/would)I like it.

We disagree with people talking about positive ideas by using different expressions. Look at theseexamples:Oh! I don’t (am not/can’t/haven’t/wont/wouldn’t)Really! I don’t (am not/can’t/haven’t/wont/wouldn’t)

Let’s look at some examples in sentences.I prefer soup to salad.Oh! I don’t

She doesn’t like paella.Really! I do.

I would rather have beer than wine.Oh! I wouldn’t.Look at the tables below. They show all the different ways that we can agree and disagree.

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Verb Positive sentences Agree Disagree

normal I prefer meat to fish. So do I. Oh! I don’t.I do too. Really! I don’t.

normal I like ice cream. So do I. Oh! I don’tI do too. Really! I don’t

am/is/are She is hungry. So am I. Oh! I’m not.I am too. Really. I’m not.

have He has a beer. So have I. Oh! I haven’t.I have too. or Really! I haven’t orSo do I. Oh! I don’tI do too. Really! I don’t.

can He can cook So can she. Oh! She can’tShe can too. Really! She can’t

would He would rather have So would we. Oh! We wouldn’trather wine than beer. We would too. Really! We wouldn’t

Example: I can’t eat bland food. (agree)Neither can I.

I can speak English well. (agree)__________________________________

I love horror movies. (disagree)__________________________________

Dan doesn’t like baseball. (agree)__________________________________

Our teacher prefers to eat at home. (agree)__________________________________

I don’t like to go to the movies. (disgaree)__________________________________

They can go out late at night. (disagree)__________________________________

I would rather not go to the theater tomorrow. (disagree)__________________________________

They would like to have a party. (agree)__________________________________

I am crazy about Italian food. (agree)__________________________________

They think healthy food isn’t delicious. (agree)__________________________________

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Verb Negative sentences Agree Disagree

normal I don’t like ice cream. Neither do I. Oh! I do.I don’t either. Really! I do.

am/is/are She isn’t hungry. Neither am I. Oh! I am.I’m not either. Really. I am.

have He hasn’t got a beer. Neither have I. Oh! I haveI haven’t either. or Really! I have orNeither do I. Oh! I do.I don’t either. Really! I do.

can He can’t cook Neither can she. Oh! She can.She can either. Really! She can.

would He would rather not Neither would I. Oh! We would.rather have wine. Me neither. Really! We would.

Exercise 3: Read the statement and agree or disagree.

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Do you prefer playing football or baseball?___________________________________________________

Would you rather go to the cinema or to the opera?___________________________________________________

Would you rather study English or Chinese?___________________________________________________

Do you prefer eating at home or eating at a restaurant?___________________________________________________

Would you rather drink tea or coffee?___________________________________________________

Would you rather live in a city or in the suburbs?___________________________________________________

Do you prefer taking the bus or the metro?___________________________________________________

Would you rather be a doctor or a dentist?___________________________________________________

Would you rather work in the morning or in the evening?___________________________________________________

Which color do you prefer, blue or red?___________________________________________________

Exercise 4: Answer the questions with your own information

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ReadingReading

1). What are Pam and Sue looking for?

2). Why are they so hungry?

3). What kind of food does Tino’s have?

4). Do Pam and Sue both like Italian food?

5). What kind of Italian food don’t they like?

6). What kind of soup don’t they like?

7). What would Sue prefer?

8). What do the girls order?

9). Do they ask for an extra salad?

10). What do they order to drink?

Pam: I’m really hungry!Sue: So am I. Let’s eat at the next place we come to.Pam: Sounds good to me.Sue: Okay. What does this sign say?Pam: Tino’s Quick Italian Food. I would prefersomething quick. Let’s eat here. I adore Italian food.Sue: I do, too. Let’s see what they have.(In the r(In the restaurant)estaurant)Waiter: Here are the menus, ladies.Sue: Thanks. We’ll only need a minute. What looks good, Pam?Pam: I don’t know. I really don’t like cheese raviolis.Sue: Neither do I. And I don’t like minestrone soup.Pam: I don’t either. Let’s get the spaghetti and meatballs. I like that the best.Sue: It’s not my favorite but since they don’t have lasagna, I can eat that.Pam: Waiter! We are ready. We would like the spaghetti and meatballs. And an extraorder of garlic bread.Waiter: And what would the ladies like to drink?Pam: Let’s be adventurous, Sue. Two glasses of white wine.Sue: Sounds good. And can you please hurry?! The noise you hear is my stomach growling.

Pam and Sue are looking for a good restaurant to eat at. They are both reallyhungry because they haven’t yet eaten lunch

Read the story and answer the questions.

ANSWER KEY Lesson 22

Exercise 1: Put these foods into the correct place in the table.

steak chocolate cake grilled fish salad roast chicken pizza ice creamsoup shrimp cocktail pasta fruit beef stew garlic breadbreadstickssorbet apple pie

Exercise 2: Read the sentence and write how you agree with it.

I don’t like wine. Neither do I.

I don’t like black coffee. I don’t either.

I can’t drink red wine. Neither can I.

I haven’t got a drink. Neither do I.

I would rather have some ice cream.So would I.

I am a vegetarian.So am I.

I like to eat at a restaurant.So do I.

I can’t stand oysters.Neither can I.

I have to go on a diet.So do I.

I can eat chocolate every day.So can I.

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Starters/Appetizers Main course Desserts

salad steak chocolate cakesoup grilled fish ice creamshrimp cocktail roast chicken fruitgarlic bread pizza sorbetbreadsticks pasta apple pie

beef stew

Exercise 3: Read the statement and agree or disagree.

I can speak English well. (agree)I can, too.I love horror movies. (disagree)Oh, I don’t! Dan doesn’t like baseball. (agree)Neither do I.Our teacher prefers to eat at home. (agree)So do I.I don’t like to go to the movies. (disgaree)Oh, I do.They can go out late at night. (disagree)Really! I can’t.I would rather not go to the theater tomorrow. (disagree)Oh, I would.They would like to have a party. (agree)We would, too.I am crazy about Italian food. (agree)So am I.They think healthy food isn’t delicious. (agree)I do, too.

Exercise 4: Answer the questions with your own information.

Do you prefer playing football or baseball?I prefer playing _______________________Would you rather go to the cinema or to the opera?I would rather go to _________________Would you rather study English or Chinese?I would rather study _________________Do you prefer eating at home or eating at a restaurant?I prefer eating _________________________Would you rather drink tea or coffee?I’d rather drink ________________________Would you rather live in a city or in the suburbs?I’d rather live ____________________________Do you prefer taking the bus or the metro?I prefer _______________________________Would you rather be a doctor or a dentist?I would rather be _______________________Would you rather work in the morning or in the evening?I’d rather work in the __________________________Which color do you prefer, blue or red? I prefer ________________________________

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ReadingReading

1). What are Pam and Sue looking for?They are looking for a restaurant

2). Why are they so hungry?They haven’t yet eaten lunch.

3). What kind of food does Tino’s have?It has quick Italian food.

4). Do Pam and Sue both like Italian food?Yes, they do.

5). What kind of Italian food don’t they like?They don’t like cheese ravioli.

6). What kind of soup don’t they like?They don’t like minestrone soup.

7). What would Sue prefer?Sue would prefer lasagna.

8). What do the girls order?They order spaghetti and meatballs.

9). Do they ask for an extra salad?No, they ask for an extra order of garlic bread.

10). What do they order to drink?They order white wine.

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vocabulary listvocabulary listNOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVES ADVERBS PREPOSITIONS dish agree delicious after aboutlayer cook favorite always atmilkshake focus grilled definitely betweenrecipe prefer prawn formally fromskewer wait pretty informally onsteak really over

today onusually towell with

CONJUNCTIONS QUESTION WORDSand whatbut what about or what kind

whenwherewhichwhy