English Vocabulary and Grammar: Food, Weather, Comparisons

Posted on Apr 26, 2025 in English

Unit 9: Food and Ordering

Food Vocabulary

• BREAD
• JAM
• HONEY
• YOGHURT
• BEEF
• MUSHROOMS
• RICE
• LEMONADE
• SALAD
• OLIVES
• PASTA
• PEARS
• CHICKEN
• SWEETCORN
• NOODLES
• LEMONS

Using Articles: A/An

• Use an before vowel sounds: an apple, an olive.
• Use a before consonant sounds: a bottle of lemonade, a cup.
• Do not use a or an with uncountable nouns.

Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Using Some and Any

• Some: Use in positive sentences and when asking for something (requests). Used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
• Any: Use in negative sentences and most questions (asking if something exists). Used with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns. Can also be used in offers.

Examples: Some/Any

• Can I have some…?
• Do you have any beef?
• Do you have any lemons?
• Do you have a lemon?
• Would you like some…?
• Are there any…?
• I’d like some…
• Is there any…? / Is there some…?

Quantifiers: Much, Many, A Lot Of

Scale: A lot of > Quite a lot of > Some > Not many / Not much > None

• Many: Use with countable nouns, mainly in questions and negative sentences. (e.g., How many books? Not many apples.)
• Much: Use with uncountable nouns, mainly in questions and negative sentences. (e.g., How much time? Not much rice.)
• A lot of: Use with both countable and uncountable nouns, mainly in positive sentences. (e.g., A lot of books, A lot of sugar.)

Examples: Quantifiers

• How much time do you spend in the kitchen?
• How many cookbooks do you have?

Kitchen Vocabulary and Verbs

Vocabulary

• BOWLS
• FOOD PROCESSOR
• FORK
• SPOON
• KNIFE
• FRYING PAN
• SAUCEPAN
• KETTLE
• MICROWAVE
• OVEN
• PLATES

Verbs

• BAKE
• BOIL
• CHOP
• FRY
• MIX
• ROAST
• CUT

Numbers, Fractions, and Dates

• 1,000,000,000: A billion
• 1,000,000: A million
• 1,000: A thousand
• 100: A hundred
• 9.6: Nine point six
• 25°C: Twenty-five degrees Celsius
• 1/4: A quarter
• 1/3: A third
• 1/2: A half
• 2/5: Two fifths
• 06/12/2005: The sixth of December two thousand five (UK) / June twelfth, two thousand five (US)

Asking for Restaurant Recommendations

• I’m/We’re looking for…
• What’s your favourite…?
• Do you know anywhere that…?
• Where’s a good place to…?
• Do I/we need to book/reserve?

Recommending Restaurants

• My favourite place is… because…
• There’s a place called… with…
• You can/can’t sit outside.
• It has wonderful…
• You should/don’t have to…
• I think you should go there…
• It’s very popular.

Phrases for Waiters

• Would you like a starter?
• Would you like some dessert?
• Would you like any side dishes with that?
• Would you like something to drink? / More drinks?
• Would you like to order now? / Are you ready to order?

Phrases for Customers

• Can/Could I/we see the menu, please?
• Can/Could I/we order, please?
• Can/Could I/we have the grilled chicken?
• Can/Could I/we have some more bread, please?
• Can/Could I/we pay now? / Pay by credit card?
• Can/Could I/we sit outside? / Sit by the window?

Unit 10: Weather and Comparisons

Weather Vocabulary

• Precipitation: Rain (adjective: Rainy), Snow (adjective: Snowy), Storms
• Temperature: Hot, Warm, Mild, Cool, Cold, Freezing
• Sky/Air: Clouds (adjective: Cloudy), Fog (adjective: Foggy), Sun (adjective: Sunny), To Shine, Dry, Wet
• Wind: Wind (adjective: Windy), To Blow
• Cold Phenomena: Ice (adjective: Icy), To Freeze
• Other: Lightning, Thunder

Comparative Adjectives

Use comparatives to compare two things (use than).

• Add -er to most one-syllable adjectives (e.g., high → higher).
• For one-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant, double the consonant and add -er (e.g., hot → hotter).
• For adjectives ending in -y, change y to i and add -er (e.g., windy → windier).
• Use more before longer adjectives (two or more syllables, not ending in -y) (e.g., more famous, more expensive).

Irregular Comparatives

• good → better
• bad → worse
• much/many → more
• little → less
• far → further / farther

Example: Comparative

I’m older than my friend.

Natural Wonders Vocabulary

• BEACHES
• MOUNTAINS
• RAINFOREST
• COAST
• DESERT
• ISLANDS
• WATERFALL
• LAKE
• RIVER

Points of the Compass

Superlative Adjectives

Use superlatives to compare one thing to all others in a group (use the).

• Add -est to most one-syllable adjectives (e.g., the tallest).
• For one-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant, double the consonant and add -est (e.g., the biggest).
• For adjectives ending in -y, change y to i and add -est (e.g., the driest).
• Use most before longer adjectives (two or more syllables, not ending in -y) (e.g., the most famous).

Irregular Superlatives

• good → the best
• bad → the worst
• much/many → the most
• little → the least
• far → the furthest / the farthest

Adjective and Noun Collocations

Some adjectives commonly go with specific nouns (collocations). Sometimes, opposite adjectives can be used with the same noun (e.g., high/low temperatures). However, sometimes there isn’t a clear opposite collocation.

Common Collocations Table

This table shows which adjectives typically collocate with which nouns:

Camping Gear and Expressing Preferences

Essential Camping Equipment

• A stove
• Cooking and eating equipment
• A lighter / Matches
• A GPS / Navigation tool
• A tent
• A sleeping bag
• A first-aid kit
• A torch / Flashlight
• A compass
• A map

Giving Preferences

• The most important/useful/best thing(s)…
• “X” is/are more important/useful than “Y”…
• I think we should (take/do)…
• I’d prefer to (take/do)…
• “X” is a better idea than “Y”.