Professional Documents
Culture Documents
II
Food
Drink
1900
Hamburger
Coca Cola
soda water
1800
Whisky
1700
Yoghurt
1600
1500
Mushroom
Middle
English
Old English
Tea, coffee
David Crystal. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Language (1995), Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2003, 137.
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Comprehension Worksheet
1. When you think of American food and drink stereotypes, what comes
immediately to your mind? Support your answer, bearing in mind your previous
knowledge about consumerism habits and attitudes of the target language
people.
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Colas advertising and pictures like the one depicted above have significantly
represented American culture? State your reasons.
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3. In your opinion, what did the artist mean by depicting five bottles of coca-cola?
Justify your answer.
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4. Try to identify a food stereotype related to your own culture and support your
answer.
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Date :
On the way back from New Haven we were driving along the
Housatonic(*). It was a beautiful day. We stopped to have dinner but the
restaurants at the rivers edge turned out not to be restaurants at all but dark,
run-down bars with, curiously, no views of the river. So we drove on to
Newtown, where we saw many cars parked around a restaurant that appeared
to have a colonial atmosphere. I said, All those cars are a good sign. Lets
eat there. When we got in, we were in a large dining room with very few
people eating. The waitress seemed slightly giddy. David Tudor ordered
some ginger ale, and after quite a long time was served some Coca-Cola,
which he refused. Later we both ordered parfaits, mine was to be chocolate,
his to be strawberry. As the waitress entered the kitchen, she shouted, Two
chocolate parfaits. When David Tudor explained to her later that he had
ordered strawberry, she said, They made some mistake in the kitchen. I
said, there must be another dining room in this building with a lot of people
eating in it. The waitress said, Yes. Its downstairs and there are only two
of us for each floor and we keep running back and forth.
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(*) - The Housatonic is a river, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United
States. (Internet source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housatonic River).
1. Who are the main characters in this story and what were they looking for?
Account for your answer by quoting from the text.
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2. The narrator said : All those cars are a good sign. Lets eat there. What do
you think he meant by this? Why didnt they choose a restaurant at the rivers
edge? In your own country do people usually behave in the same way?
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3. From the following items, Coca Cola, chocolate and strawberry parfaits, ginger
ale, which do you think are or arent representative of American food
stereotypes? You may consult your dictionary or search the Internet to answer
this question.
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4. In your opinion, what title can you suggest for this text? Account for your
answer.
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5. Based on your previous knowledge about the subject, mark the following
statements either true or false. You may use your dictionary or search the
Internet to answer this question.
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Grammar File
Direct Speech We can show that words are in direct speech by putting the original
words of the speaker in quotation marks: (John says: All those cars are a good sign.
Lets eat there.).
When we dont need or want to repeat the actual words of the speaker, we can use the
Reported Speech (John said (that) all those cars were a good sign. He suggested
eating there.).
We use the Reported speech to report the meaning of what was said, not the exact
words.
We use the Reported speech in a noun clause beginning with that or a wh-word (what,
where, when, etc.). In informal uses, we often omit that.
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Direct speech: John says: All those cars are a good sign. Lets eat there.
-> Reported speech: John said (that) all those cars were a good sign. He
suggested eating there.
. Reporting wh-questions:
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Direct speech: We ask: Where can we eat cheese and bacon hamburgers?
-> Reported speech: We asked where we could eat cheese and bacon
hamburgers.
In indirect speech, we change the words that refer to the speaker's situation (I, my, this)
into words that reflect the different point of view of the person reporting (she, her, that).
We usually change words that refer to the place and the time of speaking to reflect the
point of view of the person reporting.
We also change pronouns to reflect the point of view of the person reporting.
I
my
He/she
His/Her
Place
Time
Here
Now
There
Then, at the time
Today
Yesterday
Tomorrow
This week
That week
Last week
An hour ago
An hour before/earlier
Reported speech
Present simple
She says, "Im hungry."
Present continuous
He says, "I'm drinking a coke"
Present perfect
They say, "Weve been in the cafeteria since 4
oclock."
Present perfect continuous
You say, "I've been drinking coke for seven
years."
Past simple
We say, "We went to the coffee shop yesterday."
Past continuous
She says, "I was drinking coke."
Past perfect
He says, "The meal had already started when he
arrived."
Past simple
She said she was hungry.
Past continuous
He said he was drinking a coke.
Past perfect
They said they had been in the cafeteria
since 4 oclock.
Past perfect continuous
You said you had been drinking coke for
seven years.
Past perfect
We said we had gone to the coffee shop
the day before.
Past perfect continuous
She said she had been drinking coke.
Past perfect
NO CHANGE - He said the meal had
already started when he arrived.
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can
could
may
might
will
would
Note - There is no change to: could, would, should, might and ought to from direct to
reported speech.
We change shall to would in predictions and to should in offers or suggestions:
She says: I shall do it right away!.
We can use must or had to when we report that something was necessary:
He said we must do more!
He says: You must do more!.
Or
He said we had to do more.
In reporting we use verbs such as announce, answer, explain, mention, promise, reply,
say, suggest, tell, warn. The most common of these are say and tell.
Tell or say ?
We use tell if we want to mention the hearer (the person spoken to).
Eg.: She told me (that) David Tudor had ordered strawberry parfaits.
When we dont mention the hearer, we use say.
Eg.: She said (that) David Tudor had ordered some ginger ale.
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Wh-questions
We can report questions with verbs like ask, wonder or want to know:
Direct question
Reported question
John asks: When did you start drinking John asked David when he started drinking
coca-cola, David?
coca-cola.
Someone says: Which way is the Someone wanted to know which way the
restaurant?
restaurant is.
We ask:Where can we eat cheese and We asked where we could eat cheese and bacon
bacon hamburgers?
hamburgers.
Yes/No questions
Reported Yes/No questions have if or whether.
Direct Question
Reported Question
The clients ask: Can we have lunch?- The clients asked if/whether they could have
Yes of course.
lunch.
Peter asks: Is there a fast-food restaurant Peter asked if/whether there was a fast-food
nearby? No.
restaurant nearby.
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We can use agree, offer, promise, refuse and threaten with a to-infinitive:
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
We say: Well pay for the damage.
We offered to pay for the damage.
You say:Ill definitely finish lunch in 15 You promised to finish lunch in 15 minutes.
minutes.
We can also use an object + to-infinitive after advise, invite, remind and warn.
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
He says: I think you should have a cup of He advised me to have a cup of coffee.
coffee.
I say: Dont forget to ring me.
I reminded him/her to ring me.
We can use an ing form after admit, apologize for, insist on and suggest.
Direct Speech
Reported Speech
He says: I really must eat out this He insisted on eating out that evening.
evening.
Claire says: Shall we go to a fast-food Claire suggested going to a fast-food restaurant.
restaurant?
We can use a clause with that after admit, advise, agree, insist, promise,
remind, suggest and warn.
(adapted from Eastwood, John. Oxford Practice Grammar: with answers. 1992.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 318, 320, 322, 324, 326).
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Number:
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2. Report the following sentences. They were all said last week.
brackets:
2. a) Tessa: It was me. I ate all the chocolate ice cream yesterday. (admit)
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2. b) Simon to Susan: Would you like to join me for lunch?(invite)
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2. c) Peter: I really must leave the restaurant now. (insist)
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2.d) Adrian: Im sorry I was rude to the waiter. (apologize)
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(adapted from Eastwood, John. Oxford Practice Grammar: with answers. 1992.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, p.329).
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2.
2. a) Tessa: It was me. I ate all the chocolate ice cream yesterday. (admit).
Tessa admitted having eaten all the chocolate ice cream the day before.
2. b) Simon to Susan: Would you like to join me for lunch?(invite).
Simon invited Susan to join him for lunch.
2. c) Peter: I really must leave the restaurant now. (insist).
Peter insisted on leaving the restaurant then.
2.d) Adrian: Im sorry I was rude to the waiter. (apologize).
Adrian apologized for having been rude to the waiter.
(adapted from Eastwood, John. Oxford Practice Grammar: with answers. 1992. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005, p.329).
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3. Name and address of the person you are writing to: Write the name and
address of the person you are writing to in the left corner;
4. Initial greeting: Put a comma after the name of the person you are writing to:
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Dear Sir, Dear Madam, etc., if you dont know the person you writing to,
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Senders address
Date
Initial greeting
Closing
Signature
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Date :
Imagine that your School Director has decided to expand the range of products you
can eat and drink over meals at school. Fast food and energetic drinks will now be
available in the School canteen.
It would be interesting to find out how you feel about such a decision. Now, bearing
in mind the learnt grammar structure and vocabulary, write a friendly letter to the
School Director, state the problem, make suggestions and propose a healthy Canteen
menu (lunch and snack items).
Write no less than 100 words, respecting the layout of a formal letter.
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Cold and hot drinks (fruit juice, mineral water, milk, tea, coffee).
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