ESL WORKSHEET - Describing food

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

DESCRIBING FOOD

LinguaHouse

Nov. 2, 2025

Level: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Food and Drink; Describing Pictures and Photos; Countable and Uncountable Nouns; Vocabulary Lesson; 13-15 Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 11/02/2025

In this updated lesson, students develop their language and skills in the context of describing food. The lesson starts with the students discussing general questions on the topic. They review different foods and food groups before identifying and practicing positive and negative adjectives to describe tastes and textures. The students then develop their listening and speaking skills with a description of a traditional dish. There is a review of the use of quantifiers and practice activities. There is also an additional food idiom exercise. (by Victoria Aitken)

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio in British English.

AUDIO TRANSCRIPTS

American English
John (American): A typical dish in my country is buffalo chicken wings.
Carmen (Spanish): What does it taste like?
John: The chicken wings are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and the buffalo sauce used is thick and hot. It’s not a healthy meal and can sometimes be greasy, but it’s delicious.
Carmen: Is it easy to make?
John: Yes, but it always tastes better from a restaurant.
Carmen: How often do you eat it?
John: Every Friday. It’s my end-of-the-week treat.

British English
John (British): A typical dish in my country is fish and chips.
Carmen (Spanish): What does it taste like?
John: The fish is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and the chips are thick and crunchy. It’s not a healthy meal and can sometimes be greasy, but it’s delicious.
Carmen: Is it easy to make?
John: Yes, very easy, but it always tastes better from a chip shop.
Carmen: How often do you eat it?
John: Every Friday. It’s my end-of-the-week treat.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/describing-food. Accessed on November 7, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.

Old hand

“MACACO VELHO”

Como se diz em INGLÊS

By Ivy do Carmo Figueiredo

MAIRO VERGARA

Oct. 22, 2025

Dizemos que alguém é “macaco velho” quando essa pessoa é muito experiente em determinado assunto ou profissão. Será que existe uma expressão equivalente na Língua Inglesa?
Existe sim: old hand. Os dicionários monolíngues de Inglês definem essa expressão como uma pessoa muito habilidosa e experiente em algo, já que faz aquilo há muito tempo. Portanto, o equivalente de old hand na nossa língua é “macaco velho”.
A única diferença é que, enquanto há o artigo indefinido an antes de old hand na expressão inglesa, “macaco velho” não precisa de artigo nenhum. É mais comum dizer simplesmente “eu sou macaco velho”, por exemplo.
Que tal vermos algumas frases com old hand para aprendermos a usar essa expressão? Let’s go!

• I’m an old hand at this game. (Eu sou macaco velho neste jogo.)
• After bringing up six kids, I’m an old hand at it. (Depois de criar seis filhos, eu sou macaco velho nisso.)
• Don’t worry. Harry is an old hand at this kind of thing. (Não se preocupe. Harry é macaco velho nesse tipo de coisa.)
• We can trust Silva to negotiate a good deal for us ─ he’s an old hand at the game. (Nós podemos confiar no Silva para negociar um bom acordo para nós ─ ele é macaco velho no jogo.)
• He’s an old hand at working on cars. (Ele é macaco velho em trabalhar com carros.)
• With 25 years on the job, Vinnie was the old hand everyone went to with their problems. (Com 25 anos no cargo, Vinnie era o macaco velho a quem todos procuravam para resolver os seus problemas.)
• In this election, Biden was the old hand, with Harris being the junior, first-term senator. (Nesta eleição, Biden era o macaco velho, com Harris sendo o senador júnior no primeiro mandato.)
• Trump, a newcomer to elective office but an old hand at salesmanship, broke that mold. (Trump, recém-chegado a cargos eletivos, mas macaco velho em vendas, quebrou esse molde.)
• The guide you just hired is an old hand at leading safaris. (O guia que você acabou de contratar é macaco velho em conduzir safáris.)
• His expression didn’t change, but Clements, the old hand, read his eyes. (A expressão dele não mudou, mas Clements, macaco velho, leu os olhos dele.)
• An old hand at photography, Tim has been shooting wildlife as a hobby for the last 13 years. (Macaco velho em fotografia, o Tim tem fotografado animais selvagens como hobby pelos últimos 13 anos.)
• Brad is an old hand at such compositions and has never had any trouble with them. (Brad é macaco velho nessas composições e nunca teve nenhum problema com elas.)

Clique AQUI para baixar o PDF com as frases acima.
Clique AQUI para baixar a gravação com todas as frases em Inglês.

Adaptado de: https://www.mairovergara.com/como-se-diz-macaco-velho-em-ingles/. Acesso em: 07 nov. 2025. © Reis Vergara Idiomas 2025. Todos os direitos reservados.

Present simple X present continuous

PRESENT SIMPLE and

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

What’s the difference?

Perfect ENGLISH Grammar

Improve your ENGLISH

Water boils at 100 degrees.

Study the table below in order to understand the differences between the present simple and the present continuous tenses.

PRESENT SIMPLE	PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Things which are always true: - Water boils at 100 degrees.	Things which are happening at the moment of speaking: - The water is boiling now, so you can put in the pasta.
Permanent situations (or nearly permanent; true for a few years at least): - Julie lives in London.	Temporary situations: - Julie is living in Paris for a few months (usually she lives in London). Situations which are slowly changing: - I'm getting better and better at speaking English.
Habits or things we do regularly: - I drink coffee every morning.	Temporary or new habits: - I'm drinking too much coffee these days because I'm so busy at work. Annoying habits (usually with 'always'): - My flat mate is always leaving the kitchen in a mess!
Future events which are part of a timetable: - My plane leaves at eight tonight. To talk about the future after certain words ('when' 'until' 'after' 'before' 'as soon as'): - I'll call you when I get home.	Definite future plans: - I'm meeting John after class today.
To talk about what happens in books, plays and films: - At the end of the book, the detective catches the killer.	To talk about people in pictures and photos: - In this photo, my mother is walking beside a lake.

Remember:

• We use the present simple with stative verbs. We can't use any continuous tense (including the present continuous tense, of course) with stative verbs.

In this photo, my mother is walking beside a lake.

CLICK HERE to download the explanation above in PDF.

Adapted from: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple-or-present-continuous.html. Accessed on November 7, 2025. © www.perfect-english-grammar.com. All rights reserved.

The present continuous tense

WHEN SHOULD I USE THE 

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE? 

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I'm working at the moment.

Present uses
1. First, we use the present continuous (also called present progressive) for things that are happening at the moment of speaking. These things usually last for quite a short time and they are not finished when we are talking about them.

• I'm working at the moment.
• Please call back as we are eating dinner now.
• Julie is sleeping.

2. We can also use this tense for other kinds of temporary situations, even if the action isn't happening at this moment.

• John's working in a bar until he finds a job in his field. (He might not be working now.)
• I'm reading a really great book.
• She's staying with her friend for a week.

Compare this with the present simple, which is used for permanent situations that we feel will continue for a long time.

• I work in a school. (I think this is a permanent situation.)
• I'm working in a school. (I think this is a temporary situation.)

3. We can use the present continuous for temporary or new habits (for normal habits that continue for a long time, we use the present simple). We often use this with expressions like 'these days' or 'at the moment'.

• He's eating a lot these days.
• She's swimming every morning (she didn't use to do this).
• You're smoking too much.

4. Another present continuous use is for habits that are not regular, but that happen very often. In this case we usually use an adverb like 'always', 'forever' or 'constantly'. Often, we use the present continuous in this way to talk about an annoying habit.

• You're forever losing your keys!
• She's constantly missing the train.
• Lucy's always smiling!

Future uses
5. The next use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In this case we have already made a plan, and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in the future.

• I'm meeting my father tomorrow.
• We're going to the beach at the weekend.
• I'm leaving at three.

We can't use this tense (or any other continuous/progressive tense) with stative verbs, like be, seem, appear, know, believe, think, agree, see, love, hate, want, have, own, etc.

She's constantly missing the train.

CLICK HERE to download the explanation above in PDF.

Adapted from: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-continuous-use.html. Accessed on November 7, 2025. © www.perfect-english-grammar.com. All rights reserved.

The present simple tense

WHEN SHOULD I USE THE

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE?

Perfect English Grammar

Improve your English

The sun rises in the east.

We use the present simple tense (also called “the simple present tense”) in several different situations.

1. We use the present simple when something is generally true. For example:

• The sun rises in the east.
• People need food.
• It snows in winter.
• The sky isn't green.
• Plants die without water.
• Two and two make four.

2. We need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less permanent:

• Where do you live?
• She works in a bank.
• They love coffee.
• She has three children.
• I am married.
• I don't like mushrooms.

3. The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly. We often use adverbs of frequency (such as 'often', 'always' and 'never') in this case (also see the present continuous for new, temporary or annoying habits):

• Do you smoke?
• I play tennis every Tuesday.
• We often go to the cinema.
• She gets up at seven o'clock every day.
• At the weekend, we usually go to the market.
• How often do you study English?
• I don't travel very often.

4. We use the simple present to talk about what happens in books, plays, or films:

• The hero dies at the end of the film.
• A young woman travels through Europe, where she meets different people, and finally falls in love.
• In this book, an army invades Britain.
• The main character is very pretty and works in a bookshop.

5. We use the present simple in the first and the zero conditionals:

• If it rains, we won't come.
• If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.

6. Strangely, we can use this tense to talk about the future. When you are discussing a timetable or a fixed plan, you can use this tense. Usually, the timetable is fixed by an organization, not by us:

• School begins at nine tomorrow.
• Our train leaves at eleven.
• What time does the film start?
• The plane doesn't arrive at seven, it arrives at seven thirty.
• When does the class finish?

7. We also use the present simple to talk about the future after words like 'when', 'until', 'after', 'before' and 'as soon as' in a future sentence:

• I will call you when I have time. (Not: 'will have')
• I won't go out until it stops raining.
• She'll come as soon as her babysitter arrives.
• I'm going to make dinner after I watch the news.
• I'll give you the book before you go.

8. We often need to use this tense with stative verbs (verbs which we don't use in continuous tenses), in situations where we'd usually use the present continuous:

• This soup tastes great.
• You look fabulous.
• I think she is very pretty.
• I am cold.
• I promise I will help you.

It snows in the winter.

CLICK HERE to download the explanation above in PDF.

Adapted from: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-simple-use.html. Accessed on November 7, 2025. © www.perfect-english-grammar.com. All rights reserved.

ESL WORKSHEET - Adjectives vs. adverbs

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

ADJECTIVES VS. ADVERBS

LinguaHouse

Oct. 4, 2018

Level: Intermediate (B1-B2)
Type of language: General English
Tags: Adjectives; Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases; Grammar Practice; Vocabulary and Grammar; 13-15 Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; 18+ Years Old
Publication date: 10/04/2018

In this lesson plan, students practice using adjectives and adverbs with text and visual-based activities. The worksheet is suitable for both classroom use and self-study.

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/adjectives-vs-adverbs. Accessed on November 6, 2025. LinguaHouse.com © 2008–2025. All rights reserved.

Whatever, Whenever, Wherever, etc.

Qual a diferença em INGLÊS entre

WHATEVER, WHENEVER, WHEREVER, etc.?

By Mairo Vergara

MAIRO VERGARA

Aug. 16, 2018

O tema deste post é muito relevante e básico no aprendizado do Inglês. Vamos estudar as palavras formadas pela junção de what (o que), when (quando), where (onde), who (quem), how (como) e which (qual), com o advérbio ever.
Essa combinação resulta nas palavras whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however e whichever, cada uma das quais tem várias possibilidades de uso na Língua Inglesa. Veremos uma série de exemplos dessas possibilidades, para que você possa entender e dominar de fato o uso delas.

WHATEVER
Whatever é o mais versátil de todos os termos que vemos aqui hoje; ele tem seis usos diferentes. Neste primeiro, whatever é usado para enfatizar a falta de restrição, com relação à certa qualidade, quantidade ou escolha. É bem mais simples do que parece, na prática. As traduções podem ser “seja lá o que”, “qualquer” e “o que quer que”.

• Do whatever you like. (Faça seja lá o que você preferir.)
• Take whatever action is needed. (Tome qualquer ação necessária.)
• Each student donated whatever amount he or she could afford. (Cada estudante doava qualquer quantia que ele ou ela podia custear.)
• But whatever they lacked in smarts, they made up for in looks. (Mas seja lá o que lhes faltava em inteligência, eles compensavam na aparência.)

Whatever pode significar “independente do que”:

• You have our support, whatever you decide. (Você tem nosso apoio, independente do que você decidir.)
• Whatever decision he made I would support it. (Independente de qual decisão ele tomasse, eu apoiaria.)
• They do it whatever the weather and regardless of the season. (Eles fazem independentemente de quais sejam as condições meteorológicas e não importando a estação.)

Whatever pode significar simplesmente “o que” ou “qual”, assim como o próprio termo what. Ao usar whatever no lugar de what, dessa maneira, tipicamente o falante quer expressar que está surpreso ou confuso.

• Whatever is the matter? (Qual é o problema?)
• Whatever happened to the news? (O que aconteceu com o noticiário?)
• Whatever has she done today? (O que ela fez hoje?)

Whatever também pode significar “qualquer”:

• They received no help whatever. (Eles não receberam qualquer ajuda.)
• He got no help whatever from his teammates. (Ele não recebeu qualquer ajuda de seus companheiros de time.)
• He received no compensation whatever from the French government. (Ele não recebeu qualquer compensação do governo Francês.)

Whatever pode equivaler à frase “não importa o quê”:

• I want to stay with you whatever. (Eu quero ficar com você, não importa o quê.)
• You should stay with her whatever. (Você deveria ficar com ela, não importa o quê.)
• I have to get there whatever it takes. (Eu tenho que chegar lá, não importa o que seja necessário.)

Por último, whatever pode expressar relutância em lidar com algo, indiferença em relação a algo. As traduções podem ser “tanto faz” e “seja o que for”:

• “I’ll call you later”, I shrugged. “Whatever.” (“Eu vou ligar para você mais tarde”, eu dei de ombros. “Tanto faz”.)
• I’ll get a job, do the shopping, whatever! (Eu vou arrumar um emprego, fazer as compras, seja o que for!)
• Under normal circumstances I would say: whatever, the choice is yours. (Sob circunstâncias normais, eu diria: tanto faz, a escolha é de vocês.)

WHENEVER
Whenever é bem simples; tem apenas dois sentidos. Neste primeiro, equivale a “sempre que”:

• In fact, we grab short breaks whenever we can. (De fato, nós pegamos curtas folgas, sempre que podemos.)
• You can ask for help whenever you need it. (Você pode pedir por ajuda, sempre que precisar.)
• They can increase their salaries whenever they feel like it. (Eles podem aumentar seus salários sempre que eles desejem.)
• Almost 70 per cent admit trying to get out of sports lessons whenever possible. (Quase 70 por cento admite tentar escapar às aulas de esportes, sempre que possível.)
• Full power is available whenever needed. (Potência máxima está disponível, sempre que necessário.)
• I’m just happy whenever I go there. (Eu fico simplesmente feliz, sempre que eu vou lá.)
• The springs in the armchair creak whenever I change position. (As molas na poltrona chiam sempre que eu mudo de posição.)
• Whenever he goes out with friends, half the time he will come home drunk. (Sempre que ele sai com os amigos, metade das vezes ele chega em casa bêbado.)

Whenever também pode equivaler ao seu prefixo when, ou seja, “quando” – do mesmo modo que whatever pode equivaler a what, porém indicando uma ênfase emocional maior:

• Whenever shall we get there? (Quando nós devemos chegar lá?)
• Whenever will you be ready? (Quando você vai estar pronto?)
• Christina Sanchez Jones, whenever will you learn? (Christina Sanchez Jones, quando você vai aprender?)

WHEREVER
Wherever pode equivaler à frase “onde quer que”:

• Meet me wherever you like. (Encontre-me onde quer que você prefira.)
• You can sit wherever you like. (Você pode se sentar onde quer que prefira.)
• I’ll try and use influences wherever I can. (Eu vou tentar usar influências onde quer que eu consiga.)
• I refuse to feel afraid to walk wherever I like. (Eu recuso-me a sentir-me com medo de andar onde quer que eu prefira.)
• It should be available wherever you go to shop. (Deveria estar disponível onde quer que você vá fazer compras.)
• She was followed by press photographers wherever she went. (Ela foi seguida por fotógrafos da imprensa onde quer que ela fosse.)
• Wherever he went, he took his dog with him. (Onde quer que ele fosse, ele levava o cachorro consigo.)
• Garlic is a plant that grows wherever there is a warm climate. (Alho é uma planta que cresce onde quer que haja um clima quente.)

Assim como os termos anteriores, wherever pode equivaler a where, ou seja, “onde”:

• Wherever can he have gone to? (Para onde ele pode ter ido?)
• Wherever did you find it? (Onde você encontrou?)
• Wherever is my arm? (Onde está meu braço?)

WHOEVER
Whoever pode equivaler à frase “quem quer que”:

• Whoever wins should be guaranteed an Olympic place. (A quem quer que vença deve ser garantido uma posição Olímpica.)
• Life for me is going to be pretty good whoever wins the election. (A vida para mim vai ser muito boa, quem quer que vença a eleição.)
• Farmers had to sell to whoever would offer a price for their goods. (Fazendeiros tiveram que vender para quem quer que oferecesse um preço por suas mercadorias.)
• Come out, whoever you are. (Saiam, quem quer que vocês sejam.)
• Whoever you ask, the answer is always the same. (A quem quer que você pergunte, a resposta é sempre a mesma.)
• Whoever’s fault the accident might have been, it certainly wasn’t mine. (De quem quer que a culpa do acidente possa ter sido, certamente não foi minha.)

Assim como os termos anteriores, whoever pode equivaler a seu prefixo who (“quem”):

• Whoever did this is my hero. (Quem fez isto é meu herói.)
• Whoever would want to make up something like that? (Quem iria querer inventar algo assim?)
• Whoever heard of a politician admitting he was wrong? (Quem já ouviu um político admitir que ele estava errado?)

HOWEVER
However pode equivaler ao conectivo “no entanto”:

• However, gaining weight is not inevitable. (No entanto, ganhar peso não é inevitável.)
• There is, however, a way to replicate that success. (Há, no entanto, uma maneira de replicar esse sucesso.)
• This film however never takes itself seriously at all. (Este filme, no entanto, nunca se leva a sério, nem um pouco.)

However é usado para indicar que algo não depende de certa qualidade ou quantidade. Nesse caso, equivale a uma expressão como “seja lá como”, “independentemente de como/quão”:

• However you look at it, you can’t criticize that. (Seja lá como você analisa*, você não tem como criticar isso.)
• However we do things, many people will be disappointed. (Independentemente de como nós façamos as coisas, muitas pessoas vão ficar desapontadas.)
• However hard he tried, he could not control his feelings. (Independentemente do quão árduo ele tentava, ele não conseguia controlar seus sentimentos.)
• He was hesitant to take the risk, however small. (Ele estava hesitante em tomar o risco, independentemente de quão pequeno era.)
• However hard it was, the two of us were together. (Apesar de quão difícil foi, nós dois estávamos juntos.)
• Stand by your article, however offensive some may find it. (Defenda seu artigo, apesar de quão ofensivo alguns possam achá-lo.)

WHICHEVER
Whichever pode significar “qualquer” ou “o que quer que”:

• Choose whichever brand you prefer. (Escolha qualquer marca que você preferir.)
• Choose whichever suits you best. (Escolha o que quer que se adeque melhor a você.)
• Our call is to serve God in whichever way he has equipped us to do so. (Nosso chamado é servir a Deus de qualquer maneira que ele tenha nos equipado para fazê-lo.)

Whichever também pode equivaler às estruturas “qualquer que” ou “qualquer que seja”:

• They were in a position to intercept him whichever way he ran. (Eles estavam numa posição para interceptá-lo, qualquer que fosse a direção para a qual ele corresse.)
• Whichever they choose, we must accept it. (Qualquer que eles escolham, nós devemos aceitar.)
• I would support him 100% whichever his choice may be. (Eu o apoiaria 100%, qualquer que fosse a escolha dele.)

OBSERVAÇÃO:
* “[…] look at it” é literalmente “olhar para” determinada coisa, mas significa, na verdade, analisar, observar com olhos críticos.

Clique AQUI para baixar o PDF com as frases acima.
Clique AQUI para baixar a gravação com todas as frases em Inglês.

Adaptado de: https://www.mairovergara.com/qual-a-diferenca-entre-whatever-whenever-wherever-etc/. Acesso em: 06 nov. 2025. © Reis Vergara Idiomas 2025. Todos os direitos reservados.