Additional vocabulary

a)Entertaining and eating out. Paying the bill

We’ll split the bill, shall we? (each person will pay for him/herself

Lunch is on me today. (formal: I am paying for you)

Will you join us (come with us) for dinner at the City Plaza hotel? We’d like you to be our guest. (formal: we will pay)

Let me get this. (formal: pay the bill this time)

I was wined and dined every night by our New York office. (invited out to restaurants)

b) Describing service

A new Italian restaurant called Bella Roma has just opened in the High Street, and we went there the other night to try it. I couldn’t help comparing it to the Casa Italia, where we ate last week. In the Bella Roma, the service was impeccable

and quick; at the Casa Italia it’s always a bit sluggish. In the new place the waiters are courteous and friendly without being overbearing. In the other place they tend to be sullen and the service is rather brusque, which I find very off-putting. But at Bella Roma they’ll go out of their way to give you what you want.

Impeccable – perfect, cannot be faulted; sluggish – rather slow; courteous – polite; overbearing – too confident/ too inclined to tell people what to do; sullen – bad-tempered/ unwilling to smile; brusque – quick and rude; off-putting makes you feel you do not want to go there again; go out of their way – do everything possible.

c) Food preferences

I have a sweet tooth and can never say no to cakes and biscuits (love sweet thing).

I won’t have dessert, thanks. You’re lucky being so slim; but I’m afraid I have to count the calories / I have to be a bit calorie-conscious these days. (be careful how many calories I eat)

I like to end the meal with something savoury like cheese. (salty in flavour or with herbs)

Ben’s a bit of a fussy eater. (person who has very particular demands when eating)

No, thanks, I won’t have wine. I’m teetotal (never drink alcohol)

Before I book the restaurant, do you have any particular dietary requirements? (formal: special needs or things someone cannot eat)

I won’t have any more wine, thanks. I don’t want to overdo it. (eat or drink too much)

d) Entertaining at home

A: Why not come home and eat with us? You’ll have to take pot luck. (eat what we’re eating, nothing special)

B: Thank you. Shall I bring a bottle? (usually means a bottle of wine)

A: Should I wear a suit on Friday?

B: No, no, it’s not a dinner party (rather formal dinner with guests), it’s just an informal get-together. (informal group of people meeting for a meal/drink/etc.)

A: Does anyone want seconds? (a second helping/serving of a dish)B: Oh, yes please. It was delicious.

A: Can I pour you some juice? Say when. (tell me when I have served enough)

B: When! (That’s enough, thanks)

A: Help yourself to some nibbles. (things like nuts, crisps, etc., before a meal)

A: We leave at six. We can grab a bite to eat on the way.(have a quick meal)

B: Or we could get a takeaway when we get there. (ready-cooked meal bought to take home)

Ex. 1 Rewrite the underlined parts of these sentences using expressions from A.

1. No, please. Put your credit card away. I’m inviting you for dinner. (Use an informal expression)
2. Let me pay for this one. You can pay next time. (Use an informal expression)
3. Visitors to the company’s head office in London are always taken out to the best restaurants. (Use a phrase with two words which rhyme with each other)
4. Fancy coming with us for lunch tomorrow?
5. When we eat out as a group, each person usually pays for their own food and drink. (Use a shorter expression meaning the same)
6. I’d like to pay for you at the theatre tomorrow night (Use a formal expression)

Ex.2 Rewrite the underlined parts of these sentences using expressions from A-D to describe food and drink preferences.

1. I never drink alcohol. (Use an adjective)
2. I don’t really like sweet things. (Use an idiom)
3. Are there things you can’t or mustn’t eat? (Use a formal/ polite expression)
4. Just a small portion for me, please. I don’t want to eat too much (Use an expression that means the same)
5. She’s become very careful about how many calories she’s eating. (Give two different ways of saying the same thing)
6. Sasha is such a choosy person when it comes to food. It’s difficult to find things she likes. (Use an expression that means the same)

Ex. 5 Study the text and do the exercises that follow.