A DISH I WANT TO COOK

I want to cook spaghetti for my family. Spaghetti is a dish with pasta, sauce, and meatballs. First, I will boil water to cook the pasta. I will add salt to the water. Then, I will heat the sauce in a pan. I want to make the sauce taste rich and delicious. I will add meatballs to the sauce. The meatballs will cook until they are tender. Next, I will drain the pasta and mix it with the sauce. Finally, I will put the spaghetti on plates and sprinkle cheese on top. Cooking spaghetti will be fun and tasty. I hope my family will enjoy it.

Individual Sentences

1. I want to cook spaghetti for my family.
   Pattern: S + V + Inf Phrase + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O

2. Spaghetti is a dish with pasta, sauce, and meatballs.
   Pattern: S + Aux + O + Prep Phrase + O + Conj + O

3. First, I will boil water to cook the pasta.
   Pattern: Adv + S + Aux + V + O + Inf Phrase + V + Poss Adj + O

4. I will add salt to the water.
   Pattern: S + Aux + V + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O

5. Then, I will heat the sauce in a pan.
   Pattern: Adv + S + Aux + V + O + Prep Phrase + O

6. I want to make the sauce taste rich and delicious.
   Pattern: S + V + Inf Phrase + V + Poss Adj + O + V + Adj + Conj + Adj

7. I will add meatballs to the sauce.
   Pattern: S + Aux + V + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O

8. The meatballs will cook until they are tender.
   Pattern: S + Aux + V + Adv Clause + S + Aux + Adj

9. Next, I will drain the pasta and mix it with the sauce.
   Pattern: Adv + S + Aux + V + Poss Adj + O + Conj + V + O + Prep Phrase + Poss Adj + O

10. Finally, I will put the spaghetti on plates and sprinkle cheese on top.
    Pattern: Adv + S + Aux + V + Poss Adj + O + Prep Phrase + O + Conj + V + O + Prep Phrase

11. Cooking spaghetti will be fun and tasty.
    Pattern: V-ing + O + Aux + V + Adj + Conj + Adj

12. I hope my family will enjoy it.
    Pattern: S + V + Poss Adj + O + Aux + V + O

Who Are You Talking To?

Just an example of how this phrase would be said in different environments:
Phrase: "What dish do you want to cook?"

1. Casual: "Hey, what do you want to cook?"

2. Intimate: "Sweetie, what dish would you love to make?"

3. Formal: "May I ask which dish you want to cook?"

4. Business: "Could you share which dish you’d like to prepare and why?"

5. Writing: "Please describe the dish you want to cook and explain why it interests you."

Key Vocabulary

To help you recall the words faster, draw a picture, create a sentence, or a story for each word.

1. Spaghetti – A long, thin pasta.

2. Boil – To heat water until it bubbles.

3. Sauce – A liquid mixture used to add flavor to food.

4. Meatballs – Small balls made of ground meat.

5. Tender – Soft and easy to chew.

Comprehension Questions

Refer back to the story if you need to answer the following questions.

1. What dish do I want to cook?
   Sentence: ________________.

2. What ingredients does spaghetti have?
   Sentence: ________________.

3. What do I add to the water before cooking the pasta?
   Sentence: ________________.

4. How do I want the sauce to taste?
   Sentence: ________________.

5. What do I sprinkle on top of the spaghetti?
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. Spaghetti.

2. Pasta, sauce, and meatballs.

3. Salt.

4. Rich and delicious.

5. Cheese.

Speaking Activity

Practice placing stress on the bolded words to change the message of the sentence.

1. I want to cook spaghetti for my family. (Emphasizes who wants to cook)

2. I want to cook spaghetti for my family. (Emphasizes the dish)

3. I will heat the sauce in a pan. (Emphasizes where it’s cooked)

4. The meatballs will cook until they are tender. (Emphasizes the texture)

5. Cooking spaghetti will be fun and tasty. (Emphasizes the experience)

Writing Activity

Unscramble the Sentences:

1. Spaghetti / family / cook / want / to / I / for / my.
   Sentence: ________________.

2. Sauce / and / pasta / meatballs / with / is / dish / a / spaghetti.
   Sentence: ________________.

3. Sauce / I / heat / the / in / pan / a / will.
   Sentence: ________________.

4. Salt / water / will / the / add / to / I.
   Sentence: ________________.

5. Spaghetti / will / fun / cooking / tasty / and / be.
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. I want to cook spaghetti for my family.

2. Spaghetti is a dish with pasta, sauce, and meatballs.

3. I will heat the sauce in a pan.

4. I will add salt to the water.

5. Cooking spaghetti will be fun and tasty.

Create Activity

Follow the sentence pattern and build sentences with the following words:

Words To Use: spaghetti, sauce, meatballs, tender, cheese

1. S + V + O.
   Sentence: ________________.

2. S + V + Adj + O.
   Sentence: ________________.

3. S + V + O + Prep Phrase.
   Sentence: ________________.

4. S + V + O + Adv.
   Sentence: ________________.

5. S + Aux + V + Adj.
   Sentence: ________________.

Answers:

1. I like spaghetti.

2. The sauce is tasty.

3. I cook meatballs in the sauce.

4. The cheese melts slowly.

5. The spaghetti is tender.

Grammar Activities

Multiple-Choice Questions:

1. What dish do I want to cook?
   a) Pizza
   b) Spaghetti
   c) Soup

2. What do I add to the water before cooking the pasta?
   a) Oil
   b) Salt
   c) Pepper

3. How do I want the sauce to taste?
   a) Rich and delicious
   b) Spicy and hot
   c) Sweet and sour

4. What do I sprinkle on top of the spaghetti?
   a) Cheese
   b) Herbs
   c) Nuts

5. Why do I want to cook spaghetti?
   a) It’s easy to make.
   b) It’s fun and tasty.
   c) It’s my favorite dish.

Answers:

1. b) Spaghetti

2. b) Salt

3. a) Rich and delicious

4. a) Cheese

5. b) It’s fun and tasty

Natural Dialogue

Me: What dish do you want to cook?
Friend: I want to cook spaghetti for my family.
Me: What do you put in the spaghetti?
Friend: Pasta, sauce, and meatballs.
Me: Why do you want to cook spaghetti?
Friend: Because it’s fun to make and tastes delicious!