Everyday Dialogues

Making a Grocery List

In this lesson, you will learn useful words to use at a
grocery store. You will also learn words for containers and
quantities. Try to make your next grocery list in English.

Pre-Reading

A. Warm-Up Questions

1. W
 hat food items do you buy every
time you go to a grocery store?

2. W
 hat grocery items do you
only buy once in a while?

3. W
 hat products are the most expensive
to buy at a grocery store in your country?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. be out of a) soap that you use to wash plates, cups, and other dishes
2. sugar b) a baked product used for making sandwiches or toast
3. flour c) twelve
4. bread d) to not have any left
5. loaf e) a glass or plastic container that holds food such as jam or sauce
6. toothpaste f) a sweetener
7. cereal g) a container that you squeeze something out of such as toothpaste
8. dish detergent h) a breakfast food made from grains such as wheat or oats
9. a dozen i) a baked mound of bread that you slice up for single servings
10. jar j) a substance that you clean your teeth with
11. tube k) a powder made from grains such as wheat, used for making bread

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practice your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practice.

Ruth: I’m out of sugar and flour. I’m going to the grocery store. Can I get anything for you?

Anna: Uh, let me think. I need some bread.

Ruth: How much do you want?

Anna: I’d like two loaves.

Ruth: Do you need anything else?

Anna: No, I think that’s all. Do you want me to pay you now?

Ruth: No. That’s okay. You can pay me when I get back.

Anna: Okay. Thanks. See you later.

Ruth: Bye.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. I ’m out of sugar and flour. 6. Do you need anything else?

• I don’t have any milk. • Is that everything?

• I need some peas and carrots. • Is that all?

2. Can I get anything for you? 7. No, I think that’s all.

• Do you need anything? • That’s everything.

• Have we run out of anything else? • No, that’s it.
• Are we out of anything else?
8. Do you want me to pay you now?
3. I need some bread.
• Should I pay you now?
• some eggs • Should I give you the money now?
• some peanut butter
• some toothpaste 9. N
 o. That’s okay.
• some soap You can pay me when I get back.
• some tuna
• No. That’s fine. You can pay me later.
• some cereal
• It’s okay. I’ll get it later.
• some dish detergent

4. How much do you want?

• How much do you need?

• How much should I get?

5. I ’d like two loaves.

• I need two dozen.

• I need a carton of eggs.
• I could use one jar.
• Could you get me one tube?
• I need three bars.
• Just two small cans.
• I just need one box.
• I could use one large bottle.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

I’m out of             and flour.

Ruth:
I’m going to the             store. Can I get anything for you?

Anna: Uh, let me think. I need some             .

Ruth: How much do you want?

Anna: I’d like two             .

Ruth: Do you need anything             ?

Anna: No, I think that’s all. Do you want me to             you now?

Ruth: No. That’s okay. You can pay me when I get             .

Anna: Okay. Thanks. See you             .

Ruth: Bye.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Vocabulary Review
Match the quantity or container on the left with the product on the right.

1. a tube a) of tuna

2. a dozen b) of peanut butter

3. a can c) of dish detergent

4. a bar d) of cereal

5. a loaf e) eggs

6. a jar f) of toothpaste

7. a box g) of soap

8. a bottle h) of bread

My Staples
In English, the word staple refers to something you buy regularly
for basic needs. Milk, eggs, and toilet paper are examples of staples.
Make a list of your top 10 staples and compare it with a partner’s list.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Write a dialogue with a partner using phrases from page 3.
One of you will be going to buy groceries and the other will
need groceries. Practice and present the dialogue to your class.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. What are the two girls (Ruth and Anna) mainly talking about?

2. Why does Ruth (the first speaker) need to go out?

3. What will Ruth (the first speaker) pick up for her roommate?

4. What will Anna (the second speaker) do when her roommate gets back?

Task 2

WHICH CONTAINER?

Many grocery products come 1. 5.

in specific containers.
2. 6.

Listen to your teacher say 3. 7.

products. Which container does
4. 8.
each product usually come in?
Write the container you need to
look for in the grocery store
beside each number.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Beg – Low Int

In this lesson, students learn words for foods and TIME: 1.5 hours
other products that they will buy at a grocery store.
TAGS:  everyday dialogues, groceries, grocery shopping,
They also learn quantities and containers.
food, products, list, supermarket, shopping, store,
quantity, container, roommate

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Review

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS 1. f 3. a 5. h 7. d
2. e 4. g 6. b 8. c
Discuss as a class or in small groups. Answers will vary.

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW My Staples

1. d 3. k 5. i 7. h 9. c 11. g
Answers will vary.
2. f 4. b 6. j 8. a 10. e

Write Your Own Dialogue

Dialogue Reading
Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model.
Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs.

(continued on the next page...)

Practice

Have your students read the dialogue again and

practice subbing in some of the different expressions.

Listening Practice

Have students complete the dialogue by listening

to the recording or by having two students read
the completed dialogue from page 2.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Review (Assessment Tasks) SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.

The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes Most other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise
and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until (when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun). Make it a
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson. challenge for your students to find this word in the lesson and
see if they know the alternate spelling.
TASK 1

Play the audio from this lesson. Then assign the questions. You
can decide if you want your students to say or write the answers.

1. T he girls are talking about what groceries they need.

2. T he first speaker needs to go to the
grocery store to pick up some sugar and flour.
3. T he first speaker will pick up two
loaves of bread for her roommate.
4. T he second speaker will pay her roommate for
the bread when she returns from the grocery store.

TASK 2

Read this list out slowly to your students: I need... They will listen
to the grocery item (e.g., peanut butter) and write the word that it
comes in (e.g., jar). Don’t read out the answers. Answers may vary.

1. peanut butter (answer: jar)

2. toothpaste (tube)
3. eggs (carton)
4. tuna (can)
5. dish detergent (bottle or box)
6. cereal (box or bag)
7. tomato sauce (jar, can, or bottle)
8. crackers (box)

You can assess this task orally by asking each student to read
the list back to you. You will need to remind your students of the
products in order for them to read the full list to you. You can write
the words on the board or say them out loud again. For example:

Student: You need a jar of peanut butter,

a carton of eggs, a can of tuna, etc.

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 Making a Grocery List
Everyday Dialogues

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