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🥣 12 Minutes • Theme: Breakfast Around the World

Containers and portions for food and drink

Learn how to talk about food and drinks at breakfast time!

💡 How to use this lesson

👩‍🏫 FOR TEACHERS

Teach this lesson in 12 minutes. Help students read the 4 simple rules, then let them check their answers in the practice section.

🎓 FOR LEARNERS

Read the rules carefully first to learn the food container words. Next, complete the 12 practice activities below.

📚 4 Core Grammar Rules

01 Hot / Cold / Bowl

Use a cup of for a hot drink and a glass of for a cold drink. Use a bowl of for soup, rice or cereal.

• My uncle drinks a cup of coffee at six.

• She eats a bowl of porridge.

✅ Right: a cup of tea / a glass of juice

❌ Wrong: a bowl of tea

02 Slice / Piece

Use a slice of for food cut flat and thin (like bread, cheese or ham). Use a piece of for a bit of other food (like fruit or chicken).

• Dad cuts a slice of cheese for me.

• I want a piece of melon.

✅ Right: a slice of ham / a piece of fruit

❌ Wrong: a slice of rice

03 Always Need "OF"

The word of is always needed between the container and the food. The food has no "a" after "of".

• I eat a bowl of noodles for lunch.

• He has a bowl of porridge.

✅ Right: a bowl of rice

❌ Wrong: a bowl rice / a bowl of a rice

04 Plural Containers

For more than one, add -s or -es to the container only. Keep the food word the same.

• We drink two bottles of water on the bus.

• She eats three slices of toast.

✅ Right: two bowls of rice / three glasses of water

❌ Wrong: two bowl of rices

Example Sentence Pattern

"I have a bowl of porridge with a slice of melon."

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Practice Arena

Complete all 12 exercises below to test your knowledge!

A Choose the correct sentence

1. Choose the correct sentence for a cold drink at breakfast: (portion)

____ a. She drinks a cup of milk with ice. ____ b. She drinks a glass of milk with ice. ____ c. She drinks a glass milk with ice.

2. Choose the correct sentence for a flat, thin food: (portion)

____ a. Ben eats a slice of toast with butter. ____ b. Ben eats a slice toast with butter. ____ c. Ben eats a bowl of toast with butter.

3. Choose the correct sentence for two hot drinks: (plural)

____ a. They order two cups of coffee for breakfast. ____ b. They order two cup of coffees for breakfast. ____ c. They order two cups of coffees for breakfast.

B Rewrite the sentence with the portion in brackets

4. Mum eats yoghurt for breakfast. (a bowl)

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

5. I want bacon with my eggs. (a piece)

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

6. Grandpa drinks hot tea in the morning. (a cup)

____ (Type the complete sentence here...)

C Fill in the gaps

7. We need three ____ (glass) of fresh orange juice for our breakfast.

8. Can I have a ____ of omelette with some sweet syrup? (portion)

9. Lucy eats a bowl ____ fresh strawberries and coconut flakes every morning. (word)

D Correct the error in a short message to a friend

📩 Message from Anna: "Hi! I am eating a bowl a porridge right now."

10. Rewrite the sentence correctly: (link)

____ (Type corrected sentence...)

📩 Message from Tom: "Can you buy two bottles of waters for our picnic?"

11. Rewrite the sentence correctly: (plural)

____ (Type corrected sentence...)

📩 Message from Mia: "I would like a slice of a ham on my toast please."

12. Rewrite the sentence correctly: (portion)

____ (Type corrected sentence...)

Containers and Portions for Food and Drink

Containers and portions for food and drink

💡 How to use this lesson

📚 4 Core Grammar Rules

"I have a bowl of porridge with a slice of melon."

Practice Arena

A Choose the correct sentence

B Rewrite the sentence with the portion in brackets

C Fill in the gaps

D Correct the error in a short message to a friend

Related lessons

Reading: Breakfasts in Japan and Turkey

Speaking: Breakfast Around the World

Breakfast Around the World: Vocabulary and Pronunciation

Writing: Breakfast Around the World

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