Hibiscus Teach · Picture vocabulary
Kitchen essentials
Learn twelve useful words for things you use at the table and in the kitchen. Say what you use them for and ask for things politely.
Created by Denis M., British English teacher.
Look, name, use
Name twelve items, explain their use, practise knives, glasses and a pair of tongs, and make polite requests.
Start with both unlabelled posters. Speak aloud before choosing Numbered practice. Open help whenever you need it. Writing is optional for speaking tasks.
Use Enlarge poster for a closer look. Scroll the enlarged poster with touch, a mouse or arrow keys.
On my own: name anything you recognise, then try the matching activities.
With my tutor: invite a short response before matching. Follow up: which objects do you use every day?
Your route: name the pictures, listen and repeat, use the words, then try final recall. Start with one picture set and take a break whenever you need.
On a small screen, revealed labels use a wider poster so you can read them. Scroll sideways, or choose Numbered practice to fit the whole picture again.
British English master recording
One continuous recording by Libby. Every Listen button plays a measured section of this same MP3.
Full recording transcript
Kitchen essentials. At the table and cooking utensils. Listen to each word and example, then say them aloud.
Plate. A plate. Put the bread on a plate.
Bowl. A bowl. I would like a bowl of soup.
Glass. A glass. Two glasses. Can I have a glass of water, please?
Knife. A knife. Two knives. I need a knife and fork.
Fork. A fork. I eat pasta with a fork.
Spoon. A spoon. I eat soup with a spoon.
Whisk. A whisk. Beat the eggs with a whisk.
Spatula. A spatula. Use a spatula to turn the pancake.
Ladle. A ladle. Serve the soup with a ladle.
Tongs. A pair of tongs. Use the tongs to pick up the bread.
Grater. A grater. Grate the cheese with a grater.
Colander. A colander. Drain the pasta in a colander.
One knife. Two knives. One glass. Two glasses. A pair of tongs. These tongs are clean. This pair of tongs is clean. Two pairs of tongs.
Can you help me set the table? Of course. What do we need? Four plates, four glasses, and a knife and fork for each person. Do we need bowls and spoons? Yes, we're having soup first. All right. I'll get them.
Could you pass me the colander, please? Here you are. Are you draining the pasta? Yes. Then I need the grater for the cheese. Shall I put the tongs on the table? Yes, please. We can use them to serve the salad.
Can you pass me the ladle, please? Here you are. Thank you. Could you pass me the spatula, please? Of course. Can I have a glass of water, please? Yes, of course.
Choose a Listen button for a model. Press it again to stop.
A. At the table
Which objects can you already name? Which do you use every day?
1plate2bowl3glass4knife5fork6spoonText alternative: describe the pictures
You can match words to these descriptions instead of using the image.
- A wide, shallow, round white dish.
- A deep, round white dish with an open top.
- A tall, transparent drinking container without a handle.
- A table utensil with a handle and a rounded metal blade.
- A metal eating utensil with four points at one end.
- A small metal eating utensil with a curved, bowl-shaped end.
Match words to pictures, reading left to right across the top row, then the bottom row. Use each word once.
Word bank: fork · plate · knife · spoon · glass · bowl
Vocabulary and pronunciation support
- 1. a plate
Plural / quantity: plates.
Put the bread on a plate. - 2. a bowl
Plural / quantity: bowls.
I would like a bowl of soup. - 3. a glass
Plural / quantity: glasses.
Can I have a glass of water, please? - 4. a knife
Plural / quantity: knives.
I need a knife and fork. - 5. a fork
Plural / quantity: forks.
I eat pasta with a fork. - 6. a spoon
Plural / quantity: spoons.
I eat soup with a spoon.
Picture 4 is a table knife.
Name each object aloud, or use these optional answer boxes. Open the text descriptions above for nonvisual practice.
B. Cooking utensils
Which objects can you already name? Which do you use every day?
7whisk8spatula9ladle10tongs11grater12colanderText alternative: describe the pictures
You can match words to these descriptions instead of using the image.
- A handle attached to several loops of thin metal wire.
- A flat, slotted black head on a long handle.
- A deep metal cup at the end of a long handle.
- Two joined metal arms with black gripping ends.
- A metal box with rough-edged holes and a black handle.
- A metal bowl with many holes, two handles and a raised base.
Match words to pictures, reading left to right across the top row, then the bottom row. Use each word once.
Word bank: ladle · grater · whisk · colander · spatula · tongs
Vocabulary and pronunciation support
- 7. a whisk
Plural / quantity: whisks.
Beat the eggs with a whisk. - 8. a spatula
Plural / quantity: spatulas.
Use a spatula to turn the pancake. - 9. a ladle
Plural / quantity: ladles.
Serve the soup with a ladle. - 10. a pair of tongs
Plural / quantity: tongs; two pairs of tongs.
Use the tongs to pick up the bread. - 11. a grater
Plural / quantity: graters.
Grate the cheese with a grater. - 12. a colander
Plural / quantity: colanders.
Drain the pasta in a colander.
The slotted spatula is also called a turner or fish slice. The ladle serves soup; the smaller spoon is for eating it. The colander drains pasta and is not a fine-mesh sieve.
Name each object aloud, or use these optional answer boxes. Open the text descriptions above for nonvisual practice.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Name two things you use every day.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: What do you use them for?
Possible model response
I use a glass for water and a spoon for soup.
Learn, listen and say
Open each poster’s vocabulary support after trying the matching task. Say the word and its example phrase aloud.
The k in knife is silent. In knife / knives, the final consonant changes from an f sound to a v sound. Glasses has an extra syllable compared with glass.
Stress the first syllable in ladle, grater, spatula and colander.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Say knife, two knives, glass and two glasses.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Which sounds change?
Possible model response
One knife, two knives. One glass, two glasses.
What is it for?
Choose the correct word. Use each of the twelve words once.
Open the twelve function clues
colander · fork · ladle · glass · grater · spoon · tongs · plate · whisk · knife · bowl · spatula
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Explain what one utensil is for.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: What shape helps it do that job?
Possible model response
You use a grater to grate cheese. You use tongs to pick up food.
Small words, useful grammar
Use a with the singular nouns here: a plate, a bowl, a glass, a knife, a fork, a spoon, a whisk, a spatula, a ladle, a grater and a colander.
Say tongs or a pair of tongs. These tongs are clean. This pair of tongs is clean. For two tools, say two pairs of tongs.
One knife, two knives. One drinking glass, two glasses. Cutlery is a category word for knives, forks and spoons: say some cutlery.
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Say one sentence about tongs and one about a pair of tongs.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Which verb changes, and why?
Possible model response
These tongs are clean. This pair of tongs is new.
Choose the correct form: eight questions
Listen to two short conversations
Listen and answer. Listen again if needed, then open the transcript and practise both roles.
Getting the table ready
Read the conversation
Alex: Can you help me set the table?
Sam: Of course. What do we need?
Alex: Four plates, four glasses, and a knife and fork for each person.
Sam: Do we need bowls and spoons?
Alex: Yes, we're having soup first.
Sam: All right. I'll get them.
Check understanding: three questions
Finishing the meal
Read the conversation
Alex: Could you pass me the colander, please?
Sam: Here you are. Are you draining the pasta?
Alex: Yes. Then I need the grater for the cheese.
Sam: Shall I put the tongs on the table?
Alex: Yes, please. We can use them to serve the salad.
Check understanding: three questions
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Take both roles in one conversation, changing one request.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Why do you need that item?
Possible model response
Could you pass me the ladle, please? Here you are. Thank you. I need it to serve the soup.
Ask for what you need
Can you pass me the …, please?
Could you pass me the …, please?
Can I have a …, please?
Here you are.
Thank you.
Say a request for each situation before opening its sample. With a tutor, change roles. Several polite requests are acceptable.
R1. You need the flat tool for turning a pancake.
Possible model response
Could you pass me the spatula, please?
R2. You are ready to serve soup into bowls.
Possible model response
Can you pass me the ladle, please?
R3. You want some water with your meal.
Possible model response
Can I have a glass of water, please?
R4. You need the tool for grating cheese.
Possible model response
Could you pass me the grater, please?
Make it personal
- Which three items do you use most often? What do you use them for?
- Which of these items do you not have at home?
- What do you usually eat from a bowl? What do you eat from a plate?
- Do you prefer preparing a meal or clearing the table afterwards? Why?
- Describe one object without saying its name. Can your partner identify it?
Speak for 20–45 seconds: Choose one question and answer it.
On my own: speak aloud, then compare with the model.
With my tutor: Ask why, or request an example.
Possible model response
I use a bowl, a spoon and a glass every day. I eat cereal from a bowl. I prefer preparing a meal because I enjoy cooking.
A meal for four
Plan the items you need to prepare, serve and eat vegetable soup, pasta with grated cheese, salad and water. Discuss what you need and why. Use at least six target words. Several answers are possible; you do not need every object.
With my tutor: plan together, explain your choices and ask your partner for the things you need. Start with: We need four bowls and four spoons for the soup. Could you get the bowls, please?
On my own: look at your kitchen or imagine one. Choose six pictured items you own. Say a sentence about each, then make two polite requests.
Count individual place settings where useful. You do not need four graters or four colanders. This is a speaking task with several sensible plans.
Possible model response
We need four bowls and four spoons for soup, and a ladle to serve it. We need four plates and four forks for pasta, a colander to drain it and a grater for cheese. Tongs can serve the salad. We need four glasses for water. Could you get the bowls, please?
Final recall
Hide labels and word banks. Name the six items in each picture. Then make one request and explain what one cooking utensil is used for. Reveal answers only when you are ready.
Which three words will you practise again?