Reading aloud: Reading a recipe aloud

Reading aloud is shown to improve confidence and understanding. These activities have been designed to help you practise your speaking skills in an authentic way.

Instructions and downloads

Take a few minutes to think about the following questions:

When you cook, do you usually follow a recipe?
Do you like watching cookery programmes on TV?
Have you ever read a recipe aloud to someone else?

Callie is going to explain to her friend how to make vegetable curry.

Download the recipe and read it as you listen to Callie reading it aloud.

Reading a recipe by ESOL Nexus

Now read the recipe aloud yourself.

If you would like to improve how you read the recipe aloud, now do activities 1 to 6.

You can print out these activities and try them on paper if you like.

Recipe

Printable worksheet

Task 1 - vocabulary

In this activity, you will focus on the meaning, pronunciation and spelling of some vocabulary used for ingredients in the recipe.

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Task 2 - verbs

In this activity you will focus on verbs used to talk about cooking.

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Task 3 - word stress

In natural spoken English, we don’t pronounce each syllable with the same emphasis (word stress).

For example, the word ‘ingredients’ has four syllables and the main stress is on the second syllable:

o O o o

ingredients

Listen to the example and repeat:

Reading Aloud (reading a recipe) 'Ingredients' - word stress by ESOL Nexus

Now listen to some words taken from the recipe and match them to the correct stress pattern.

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Task 4 - linking sounds

In spoken English, we often add extra sounds between words to link our words together.

As a result, when you listen to a continuous stream of sound of English, It is can be very difficult to identify the individual words.

These extra linking sounds are:

/r/ e.g. Where^/r/are you?

/j/ e.g. My^/j/eyes are blue

/w/ e.g. I'm going to^/w/Africa.

Listen to the examples and repeat:

Linking sounds by ESOL Nexus

Now listen to some phrases taken from the recipe and identify the linking sounds.

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Task 5 - word order

In this activity, you will put words in the right order to make phrases and sentences from the recipe.

Practise saying the phrases and sentences aloud at the same time.

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Task 6 - sentence order

In this final activity, you will think about the order of the recipe.

To help you, think about sequencing words and phrases, such as Firstly, next, after that, etc.

Try to read each stage as you go, paying attention to word stress and linking sounds.

You could listen to the audio of Callie reading aloud to help you.

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Transcript

Vegetable curry (serves 5-6)

Ingredients

3 tbsp (of)* vegetable oil

2 onions

4 cloves (of) garlic

(a) 5cm piece (of) root ginger

3tbsp (of) tomato puree

2 carrots

2 sweet potatoes

2 peppers (red or yellow)

1 large courgette

1 tin (of) chickpeas

200g (of) red lentils

1 large handful (of) sultanas

½ (a) tsp (of) turmeric

½ (a) tsp (of) crushed chillies

1 tsp (of) ground cumin

1 tsp (of)ground coriander

750ml (of) hot vegetable stock

4 large tomatoes

3tsp (of) garam masala

Salt and pepper

150g (of) frozen peas

(and) 1 handful (of) fresh coriander

Method

Firstly, heat the oil in a large pan.

Chop the onions, crush the garlic, and peel and grate the ginger. Add these ingredients to the pan and fry for about five minutes.

Next, chop the sweet potato and slice the carrots, peppers and courgettes. Add these ingredients to the pan and fry for a further 10 minutes.

Then, add the sultanas, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander and stock. Rinse and drain the lentils and the chickpeas and add to the pan.

Chop the tomatoes and stir them into the other ingredients.

After that, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Finally, add the peas and garam masala, and season to taste. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Chop the fresh coriander and add it to the curry before serving.

*The words in brackets (a, and, of) would not usually be included in the ingredients section of a recipe, although they are normally said when the ingredients are read aloud.

tbsp = tablespoon tsp = teaspoon

Discussion

How about having a go at reading a recipe aloud to someone you know?

You could explain how to make Callie’s vegetable curry or choose one of your own recipes.

Visit www.vocaroo.com to record yourself speaking. When you are happy with your recording, email it to a friend; it’s a great way to share recipes.

Finally, tell us about your favourite recipe …

Why do you like it so much?
Is it easy or difficult?
Where did you find it?
Have you shared it with anyone else?

Average:

Your rating: None (5 votes)

Comments

WENDY33600

Submitted by WENDY33600 on Tue, 03/12/2013 - 13:44.

This is interesting!

Reading aloud: Reading a recipe aloud

Comments

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