International Teaching Jobs

Grocery Store Lesson

Listening Exercise

Supermarket Dialoue

      English Functions
      English Grammar

Games

    Concentration

    Hangman

    Shoot Down

English Situations
    At the Airport

    At a Bank

    At a Hotel

    At a Doctor

    At a Grocery Store

    At a Pharmacy

    At a Restaurant
    Job Interviews

    Paying Bills

    On the Telephone

Lesson Plan

At the Grocery Store

Unless you eat out in restaurants every day of the week, you will find yourself at a grocery store at some time to load up on goodies. As most people know, large supermarkets sell more than just food. They can sell everything from aspirin to zippers. There are several vocabulary terms that are commonly used with food and food containers. Look at these examples.

Items

cans- of tuna, peaches packages- of sausage, gravy mix

bottles- of milk, soda box- of cereal, cake mix

jars- of jelly, olives cartons- of milk, eggs

bags- of chips, cookies tubes- of toothpaste

tubs- of butter

Amounts

pound- of hamburger, potatoes bunch- of grapes, bananas

head- of lettuce, cabbage gallon- (quart/pint/liter) of milk

loaf of- bread

Sections in a grocery store

check out line

produce- vegetables, fruit

bakery- bread, pastry, rolls,

canned goods- beans, tomato sauce, tuna fish

dairy- milk, cheese, yogurt

meat/fish/poultry- steaks, salmon, chicken

frozen foods- ice cream, pizza, TV dinners

health and beauty aides- shampoo, toothpaste, lip stick

dry goods- toilet paper, paper napkins, laundry soap

English Dialogue

Students should work together in pairs and read the following dialogue, one student reading one part, the other student reading the other. Note the expressions used in the dialogue and the progression of the conversation. The dialogue can be used as a model to have similar conversations.

Husband: Do you have the shopping list?

Wife: Me? I thought you brought it?

Husband: No. I thought you did. Oh, well, we'll have to rely on our memories.

Wife: We need some refried beans for tostados. I think it's on aisle 3.

Husband: Here it is. Oh look, do you want to get some jalapeño's?

Wife: Are you nuts? Those things will set my mouth on fire. Let's go to the produce section, we need fruit for the

kids’ lunches.

Husband: How about these apples?

Wife: I don't think they want apples. Last time we bought them they were mealy, and they refused to eat them.

These grapes look good. How many should I get?

Husband: Get two bunches, no three. I'll eat some for a snack.

Wife: OK, on to the meat section. You wanted some hamburger, right?

Husband: Yes, get about three pounds. Be sure it's lean. Do we still have plenty of bacon and sausage for

breakfast.

Wife: Yes, but that reminds me, we have no eggs. We should get 2 cartons.

Husband: What size carton- a dozen, a dozen and a half, or two dozen?

Wife: The two dozen carton. We need milk, right?

Husband: Yes, on to the dairy section. Here's the milk. What kind should we get- whole, 2%, or skim? And how

much?

Wife: Get 2%, the kids won't drink skim milk. Get a gallon jug.

Husband: Do we need any cheese?

Wife: Yes, we'll need some for the pizza on Tuesday. Get two large packages. Do we have everything?

Husband: We had better get Kool-Aid; if we don't the kids will have a fit.

Wife: You’re right. I think Kool-Aid is on aisle 7. What flavor- cherry, orange, or grape?

Husband: Get all three. I need some shaving cream and razor blades. Which way to the health and beauty

section?

Wife: It's to the right, three aisles down. We also need deodorant.

Husband: Right, spray or roll on?

Wife: Roll on.

Husband: I just thought of something else. We need some bread and pastry.

Wife: The bakery is that way. How many loaves should we get?

Husband: One loaf of whole wheat and one loaf of sour dough. And a dozen croissants.

Wife: That's everything. Let's go to the checkout.

Husband: Oops. I only have five dollars. Did you bring your checkbook?

Wife: No, but there's an ATM near the front door. You go get the cash and I'll get in line at the check out counter.

After reading, close your book and tell your partner a summary of the dialogue. Then switch and have your partner tell his or her summary. Start like this: This dialogue is about a husband and wife at a grocery store. They bought ...This may seem silly, since you both already know what the dialogue is about, but the purpose is to practice using your English, not to give information or test your reading skills.

Conversation Activities

1. Pair work- discussion

Do you go to the grocery store often? Tell your partner about it using some of the ideas for discussion below.

Your partner should ask questions to get more information.

when do you go
where do you go- a supermarket or local mom and pop store
what kind of food do you usually buy
how often do you go

2. Pair work- role play

The situation: At a grocery store

Working with a partner, role play the situation, using the information below

The roles: A husband and wife or two roommates

     laundry soap                    corn chips                  eggs

         can of tomatoes              salt                            pepper

         oranges                           face soap                   bacon

        onion                               garlic                         bell pepper

        cereal                              rice                            chicken

        12 pack of beer                 milk                           salsap; salsa

        bread                               tissue                         cooking oil

        flour                                brown sugar                honey

        grape jelly                        toilet paper                 Q-tips

        basil leaves                       water melon                 can of pork and beans

        blue berry yogurt              kitchen cleanser          canned apricots