Everyday Dialogues

Making a Grocery List

In this lesson, you will learn useful words to use at a
grocery store. You will also learn words for containers and
quantities. Try to make your next grocery list in English.

Pre-Reading

A. Warm-Up Questions

1. W
 hat food items do you buy every
time you go to a grocery store?

2. W
 hat grocery items do you
only buy once in a while?

3. W
 hat products are the most expensive
to buy at a grocery store in your country?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. be out of a) soap that you use to wash plates, cups, and other dishes
2. sugar b) a baked product used for making sandwiches or toast
3. flour c) twelve
4. bread d) to not have any left
5. loaf e) a glass or plastic container that holds food such as jam or sauce
6. toothpaste f) a sweetener
7. cereal g) a container that you squeeze something out of such as toothpaste
8. dish detergent h) a breakfast food made from grains such as wheat or oats
9. a dozen i) a baked mound of bread that you slice up for single servings
10. jar j) a substance that you clean your teeth with
11. tube k) a powder made from grains such as wheat, used for making bread

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practise your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practise.

Ruth: I’m out of sugar and flour. I’m going to the grocery store. Can I get anything for you?

Anna: Uh, let me think. I need some bread.

Ruth: How much do you want?

Anna: I’d like two loaves.

Ruth: Do you need anything else?

Anna: No, I think that’s all. Do you want me to pay you now?

Ruth: No. That’s okay. You can pay me when I get back.

Anna: Okay. Thanks. See you later.

Ruth: Bye.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. I ’m out of sugar and flour. 6. Do you need anything else?

• I don’t have any milk. • Is that everything?

• I need some peas and carrots. • Is that all?

2. Can I get anything for you? 7. No, I think that’s all.

• Do you need anything? • That’s everything.

• Have we run out of anything else? • No, that’s it.
• Are we out of anything else?
8. Do you want me to pay you now?
3. I need some bread.
• Should I pay you now?
• some eggs • Should I give you the money now?
• some peanut butter
• some toothpaste 9. N
 o. That’s okay.
• some soap You can pay me when I get back.
• some tuna
• No. That’s fine. You can pay me later.
• some cereal
• It’s okay. I’ll get it later.
• some dish detergent

4. How much do you want?

• How much do you need?

• How much should I get?

5. I ’d like two loaves.

• I need two dozen.

• I need a carton of eggs.
• I could use one jar.
• Could you get me one tube?
• I need three bars.
• Just two small cans.
• I just need one box.
• I could use one large bottle.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

I’m out of             and flour.

Ruth:
I’m going to the             store. Can I get anything for you?

Anna: Uh, let me think. I need some             .

Ruth: How much do you want?

Anna: I’d like two             .

Ruth: Do you need anything             ?

Anna: No, I think that’s all. Do you want me to             you now?

Ruth: No. That’s okay. You can pay me when I get             .

Anna: Okay. Thanks. See you             .

Ruth: Bye.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Vocabulary Review
Match the quantity or container on the left with the product on the right.

1. a tube a) of tuna

2. a dozen b) of peanut butter

3. a can c) of dish detergent

4. a bar d) of cereal

5. a loaf e) eggs

6. a jar f) of toothpaste

7. a box g) of soap

8. a bottle h) of bread

My Staples
In English, the word staple refers to something you buy regularly
for basic needs. Milk, eggs, and toilet paper are examples of staples.
Make a list of your top 10 staples and compare it with a partner’s list.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Write a dialogue with a partner using phrases from page 3.
One of you will be going to buy groceries and the other will
need groceries. Practise and present the dialogue to your class.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. What are the two girls (Ruth and Anna) mainly talking about?

2. Why does Ruth (the first speaker) need to go out?

3. What will Ruth (the first speaker) pick up for her roommate?

4. What will Anna (the second speaker) do when her roommate gets back?

Task 2

WHICH CONTAINER?

Many grocery products come 1. 5.

in specific containers.
2. 6.

Listen to your teacher say 3. 7.

products. Which container does
4. 8.
each product usually come in?
Write the container you need to
look for in the grocery store
beside each number.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Beg – Low Int / CLB 2–3

In this lesson, students learn words for foods and
other products that they will buy at a grocery store.
They also learn quantities and containers.
TIME: 1.5 hours
TAGS:  everyday dialogues, groceries, grocery shopping,
food, products, list, supermarket, shopping, store,
quantity, container, roommate, CLB, LINC, PBLA

Pre-Reading Listening Practice

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS Have students complete the dialogue by listening

to the recording or by having two students read
Discuss as a class or in small groups. Answers will vary.
the completed dialogue from page 2.

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW

1. d 3. k 5. i 7. h 9. c 11. g CLB Skill Competencies

2. f 4. b 6. j 8. a 10. e Listening: I. Interacting with Others,

IV. Comprehending Information
Dialogue Reading

Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs. Vocabulary Review

1. f 3. a 5. h 7. d
CLB Skill Competencies
2. e 4. g 6. b 8. c
Reading: IV. Comprehending Information
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done
CLB Skill Competencies

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

Practice

Have your students read the dialogue again and My Staples

practise subbing in some of the different expressions.
Answers will vary.

CLB Skill Competencies

CLB Skill Competencies
Reading: IV. Comprehending Information
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done Writing: III. Getting Things Done

(continued on the next page...)

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Write Your Own Dialogue TASK 2

Read this list out slowly to your students: I need... They will listen
Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model. to the grocery item (e.g., peanut butter) and write the word that it
comes in (e.g., jar). Don’t read out the answers. Answers may vary.

CLB Skill Competencies 1. peanut butter (answer: jar)

2. toothpaste (tube)
Writing: II. Reproducing Information
3. eggs (carton)
4. tuna (can)
5. dish detergent (bottle or box)
Review (Assessment Tasks)
6. cereal (box or bag)
7. tomato sauce (jar, can, or bottle)
The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes
8. crackers (box)
and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson. You can assess this task orally by asking each student to read
the list back to you. You will need to remind your students of the
Personalize your own Listening and Speaking Task Assessment
products in order for them to read the full list to you. You can write
forms for your students’ portfolios by using Assessment Tools
the words on the board or say them out loud again. For example:
in the Resources section: https://esllibrary.com/resources
Student: You need a jar of peanut butter,
TASK 1 a carton of eggs, a can of tuna, etc.

Play the audio from this lesson. Then assign the questions. You
can decide if you want your students to say or write the answers. CLB Skill Competencies

1. T he girls are talking about what groceries they need. Listening: III. Getting Things Done,
2. T he first speaker needs to go to the IV. Comprehending Information
grocery store to pick up some sugar and flour.
3. T he first speaker will pick up two
loaves of bread for her roommate.
(continued on the next page...)
4. T he second speaker will pay her roommate for
the bread when she returns from the grocery store.

CLB Skill Competencies

Listening: IV. Comprehending Information

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Canadian Language Benchmarks Summary

OVERVIEW

Stage: 1 CLB Range: 2–3* Primary Skill Competency: Listening – IV. Comprehending Information

PAGE TASK SKILL COMPETENCIES

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

2 Dialogue Reading
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

3 Practice
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

4 Listening Practice Listening: I. Interacting with Others, IV. Comprehending Information

5 Vocabulary Review Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

5 My Staples Writing: III. Getting Things Done

6 Write Your Own Dialogue Writing: II. Reproducing Information

7 Review Task 1 (PBLA)** Listening: IV. Comprehending Information

7 Review Task 2 (PBLA) Listening: III. Getting Things Done, IV. Comprehending Information

*Note: **Note:

This CLB range is suggested by ESL Library based on
the descriptors in the Canadian Language Benchmarks
guide: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/language-
benchmarks.pdf
PBLA refers to portfolio-based learning assessment in
the LINC program (though any teacher can use these tasks
for review or assessment). Visit our Resources section for
Assessment Tools that you can print and personalize for
PBLA: https://esllibrary.com/resources

(continued on the next page...)

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Canadian Language Benchmarks Summary cont.

PROFILES OF ABILIT Y

The following descriptors from the Canadian Language Benchmarks

apply to this lesson and are used with permission. For more
detailed information see: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/
language-benchmarks.pdf and visit: https://www.language.ca/

BENCHMARK THE LEARNER CAN:

Speaking • Communicate basic information using simple sentences about immediate needs and personal experiences.
(3) • Give simple descriptions of concrete objects, people, or experiences in a few short sentences.

• Understand expressions used in familiar, everyday situations.

Listening
• Understand short, simple, descriptive communication about
(3)
a person, object, situation, scene, personal experience, or daily routine.

Writing • Write a few words to complete a short, guided text or

(2) answer simple questions to describe a personal situation.

Reading • Understand the purpose and some basic details in very simple,
(2) short texts related to everyday, familiar, personally relevant situations and topics.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

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