Verbing your food

The 25 words in the box below can be used to express actions involving foods. In other words, these food-related words can all be used as verbs.

Interestingly, these words are not necessarily verbs. In the English language, it depends on how they are used. For example, look at the word salt in the following sentences:

Will you please salt that meat before you grill it?

He poured salt on his eggs.

In the first sentence, salt is indeed a verb. It shows action. In the second sentence, though, salt is a noun. It does not express the action in the sentence. That is expressed by poured.

The words in the box above can be used as nouns or verbs. Choose 10 of them. For each, write a sentence using the word as a verb and another sentence using the word as a noun. (Or, for a

bigger challenge, try using some of the words as a noun and as a verb in the same sentence!) You can change the form of any of the words—grilled, grilling, grills, etc.

What does the richest person in the world make for dinner every night?

Reservations.

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Alex Hated It

How many ways can you find to say, “Alex hated it,” without saying “Alex hated it”? (What Alex hated is a certain food.) Write at least 10 sentences.

1.______________________________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________________________

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5._____________________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________________________

7._____________________________________________________________________________

8._____________________________________________________________________________

9._____________________________________________________________________________

10._____________________________________________________________________________

How many ways can you find to say, “Alex served it,” without saying “Alex served it.” Try to create a different picture with each sentence, but don’t forget to keep the meaning, “Alex served it.”

1._____________________________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________________________

3._____________________________________________________________________________

4._____________________________________________________________________________

5._____________________________________________________________________________

6._____________________________________________________________________________

7._____________________________________________________________________________

8._____________________________________________________________________________

9.____________________________________________________________________________

10.________________________________________________________________________

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for

thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”

—Calvin Trillin

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You Are What You Eat

Transitional expressions, or transitions, help to move readers along smoothly when they read. Without transitions, the writing can sound robotic, like this:

I woke up early. I took a shower. I ate breakfast. I watched television. I argued with my sister. She wanted to eat the last bagel. I grabbed it. I waited for the bus. I fell asleep. I missed the bus.

Transitions help to make the writing flow:

I woke up early and took a shower. Then I ate breakfast while I watched television. I argued with my sister because she wanted to eat the last bagel, but I managed to grab it. Afterward, I waited for the bus. Unfortunately, I fell asleep and missed it.

COMMON TRANSITIONS

first • although • after • afterward • also • and • before • besides • but • or

The story below has no transitions and, therefore, does not read smoothly. It sounds rather choppy and disjointed. Add transitions to make it read more smoothly.

You Are What You Eat

Allison woke up. She knew something was wrong. She had always heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” She wasn’t prepared for this. Next, she whipped back her covers. She stared down at

been a normal girl. Today she was a slice of pepperoni pizza. True, her mother had warned her. She had told her that she had not paid attention. Now that she was an actual slice of fattening she was. She could see how greasy she was. She

. “I’m making myself hungry,” she thought.

her mom calling her down to breakfast. “Hurry up. You’ll be Allison panicked. What was she supposed to wear to school? have any clothes that would fit over pepperoni and cheese.

Allison’s little brother, Leo, was struggling to open his bedroom door. He had been transformed into an ice cream cone. He was

melting, fast.

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The Food Battle

Add transitions to the following story to make it hold together better.

The story that follows has no transitions and, therefore, does not read smoothly. It sounds a bit choppy and disjointed. Add transitions to make it read more smoothly. (Many commonly used transitions are listed in the box, below.)

COMMON TRANSITIONS

first • although • after • afterward • also • and • so • before • besides • but

Alexander hated oatmeal. He really, really, really hated oatmeal. He hated it so much he absolutely refused to eat it.

Alexander’s mother thought oatmeal was very, very, very good for a child. She made it every morning for Alexander. Every morning there was a battle. Alexander whined. He pouted. He cried. He tried feeding the oatmeal to the cat when his mother wasn’t looking. He tried feeding it to his sister, who was only a baby and didn’t understand how awful oatmeal tastes.

Once he even slipped some oatmeal into his shoes. He walked with squishy feet to the bathroom and scraped the oatmeal into the toilet. He flushed it down. He didn’t notice that oatmeal had squished out over the top of his shoes and left little drops all the way from the kitchen to the bathroom.

His mother was on the lookout for oatmeal tricks. She watched Alexander like a hawk every morning. Alexander gave up. Every morning he sighed, held his nose, and choked it down. He felt full then. He felt sick.

His mother felt happy.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like

and let the food fight it out inside.”

—Mark Twain

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