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LESSON 22

Lesson Dining out

Vocabulary for dining out

Starters or appetizers are the food that you eat in the restaurant before the big part of the meal, the

main course. The main course is usually the part of the meal with meat, fish or chicken and

vegetables. The last part of the meal is called dessert and is usually sweet food or fruit.

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

steak chocolate cake grilled fish salad roast chicken pizza ice cream
soup shrimp cocktail pasta fruit beef stew garlic bread
breadsticks sorbet apple pie
Starters/Appetizers Main course Desserts

Expressing preferences
Now 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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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 speak
informally.
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 the
infinitive by using ‘to + base verb’.

Look at these examples of verbs, gerunds and infinitives:

Verb Gerund Infinitive

eat eating to eat
drink drinking to drink
watch watching to watch
go going to go
have having to have
do doing to do

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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Let’s review what we have learned about sentences, questions and answers using ‘prefer’.
Look at the following table:
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 chicken
rather than (to eat) chicken rather than rather than
steak. (to eat) steak? (to eat) steak.
I prefer to eat chicken.

Negative I prefer not to eat meat.

infinitive

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

Would rather
Sometimes when we talk about preferences, we want to talk about
real choices instead of general likes and dislikes. In this type of
situation 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. This
is 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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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
Now we are going to look at ways that we can agree with someone when they talk about
preferences. When you agree you think the same or have the same opinion or preference as the
person 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 an
auxiliary verb, or the verb ‘to be’) and Susan agrees by using the auxiliary verb ‘do’. We always
use this auxiliary verb when we agree with someone if they are using a normal verb to talk about
their 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 chicken
Susan: 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 if
we use the verb to be or a modal verb like can, could, will and would.

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LESSON 22
Here are some sentences where people talk about their preferences and other people agree with
them.
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 a
negative 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 negative
statements 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.
or
David: Neither do I.

Susan: I don’t like milk.

Mike: Neither do I.
or
Mike: 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.
or
I’m not either.

Susan: I can’t cook

Peter: Neither can I.
or
Peter: 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 must
change 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:
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.

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

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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I have to go on a diet.
______________________________

I can eat chocolate every day.

______________________________

Disagreeing
When we talk to other people, we don’t always agree with
them. When we have a different idea from that person, we
disagree 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 these
examples:
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.

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’t
I 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 or
So do I. Oh! I don’t
I do too. Really! I don’t.

can He can cook So can she. Oh! She can’t

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

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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 have

I haven’t either. or Really! I have or
Neither 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.

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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LESSON 22
Exercise 4: Answer the questions with your own information

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?

___________________________________________________

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Reading
Read the story and answer the questions.
Pam and Sue are looking for a good
restaurant to eat at. They are both really
hungry because they haven’t yet eaten lunch

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 prefer
something quick. Let’s eat here. I adore Italian food.
Sue: I do, too. Let’s see what they have.
(In the r 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 extra
order 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.

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?

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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 cream
soup shrimp cocktail pasta fruit beef stew garlic breadbreadsticks
sorbet apple pie

Starters/Appetizers Main course Desserts

salad steak chocolate cake
soup grilled fish ice cream
shrimp cocktail roast chicken fruit
garlic bread pizza sorbet
breadsticks pasta apple pie
beef stew

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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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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LESSON 22
Reading
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 list
NOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVES ADVERBS PREPOSITIONS
dish agree delicious after about
layer cook favorite always at
milkshake focus grilled definitely between
recipe prefer prawn formally from
skewer wait pretty informally on
steak really over
today on
usually to
well with

CONJUNCTIONS QUESTION WORDS

and what
but what about
or what kind
when
where
which
why

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