III. Speech exercises

Ex.1. Speak on table manners you should keep in mind and follow. Which of them you knew before and which are a sort of surprise for you? What would you like to add to the given list.

Text A

The well-mannered Englishman at table holds and keeps his knife in his right hand, his folk in his left, cuts his meat and presses his vegetables onto his fork. The well-mannered American first cuts up all his meat, then places his knife down on the right of his plate, takes his fork in his right hand and with his fork lifts the food to his mouth. He will have coffee (generally with cream) half-way through his dinner before the pudding (which he calls «dessert»).

The Englishman drinks coffee (black usually) after the dinner. And of course Americans are coffee-drinkers rather than tea-drinkers. English coffee considers to be bad. But that’s nothing to what English people would say about American tea. The popular method is to take a pot of hot water and put into it a cotton bag with tea leaves. Sometimes they put a pan of water on the electric stove and just as the water gets warm, throw in a few teaspoons of tea and then pour the mixture into a tea-pot (cold of course), then pour into a cup (or a glass) and then drink it.

Ex. 1. Read and translate the text.

Find which of the sentences are false or true.

1. It is normally for an Englishman to eat second course dishes with the fork in his right hand.

2. The Americans use the fork and the knife while eating the food.

3. The Englishmen prefer coffee with milk.

4. Americans are famous for their tea-making.

5. English tradition is to drink coffee after the dinner.

Unit 6 text laying a table

The formal service is identical for all occasions. No food is set on the table, except ornamental dishes of fruit and flowers. The one unbreakable rule is that everything on the table must be geometrically spaced: the centerpiece in the actual centre: the places at equal distances and all utensils balanced. Beyond this rule you may set your table as you choose.

The places are set with the plates. On the left of each plate, is put the salad fork; the meat fork is put next, and then the fish fork.

On the right of the plate, and nearest to it, is put the silver-or steel-bladed salad knife, or if the salad is one for which no knife is necessary, the knife nearest the plate is the meat knife: next the fish knife, the edge of each toward the plate. Then the soup spoon and then the oyster fork.

Not more than three knives and three forks are on the table at the moment. Additional forks and knives may be put on the table during dinner as they are needed.

A dinner napkin folded square and flat is laid on each plate: very fancy folding are not in good taste.

The goblet or tumbler for water is placed directly above the knives at the right of the plate: next to it at a slight distance to the right the champagne glass: in front and between these two either the claret glass or the tall-stemmed glass for white wine.