Chef Marta's Rules (reported commands)

Chef Marta's Rules

She told us not to talk.

B1 · 60 minutes

Strange rules

Task In pairs. Tell your partner, then tell the class.

What's the strangest rule or instruction you've had at work, at school or in a class?

1

Who gave it? Did people follow it?

2

Which of your rules was stranger?

3

Before you read

Task Chef Marta teaches a weekend cooking class. She said these three things. In pairs: What do you think the class cooked? What other rules do you think Chef Marta has? Write two.

1

"Wash your hands. Then wash them again."

"Don't rush the onions: thirty minutes, not ten."

2

3

"Please don't add any more chilli."

My weekend in the kitchen

Task Read Inès's email to her friend Sam. What did the class cook? Did you guess any of Chef Marta's rules?

From: Inès · To: Sam · Subject: My weekend in the kitchen

Hi Sam,

You asked about my cooking class.

Our teacher was Chef Marta, and she was strict. Before we even saw an onion, the chef told us to wash our hands. Twice! Then she told us not to talk while she was cooking. Nobody said a word.

We made a chicken curry. Chef Marta told us that the onions were the most important part, so she told us not to rush them: thirty minutes, not ten. When Jonas, the man next to me, wanted more chilli, she asked him not to add any. He looked sad.

Her knives were beautiful and sharp. She asked me not to touch her knives. I could only use the small one on my board. Of course, I forgot. She gave me a look I will never forget.

She didn't tell us to bring an apron, so I wore my good shirt. My white one. Have you ever seen turmeric on a white shirt? It's still yellow.

On Sunday, she asked me to stir Jonas's sauce while he chopped the coriander. Then it was Jonas's turn: she asked him to taste mine. He said that it needed more salt. Chef Marta tasted it too, and she said that my sauce was "almost good". From her, that's a gold medal!

She didn't ask us to clean the kitchen, but we did it anyway. Nobody wanted that look again. At the end, she told me to come back in the spring for the bread class. She told me that it was even harder than curry.

I think I will. But I'll bring an apron.

Love,

Inès

Did she say it?

Task Did Chef Marta say these things to Inès or the class? Choose, then check in the email.

1

"Add more chilli, Jonas."

She said it

She didn't say it

2

"Don't talk while I'm cooking."

She said it

She didn't say it

3

"Please don't touch my knives."

She said it

She didn't say it

4

"Your sauce is perfect."

She said it

She didn't say it

5

"Clean the kitchen before you go."

She said it

She didn't say it

6

"Come back in the spring for the bread class."

She said it

She didn't say it

Talk about it

Task In pairs. Answer the questions, then tell the class.

Would you like to take a class with Chef Marta? Why or why not?

1

Which of her rules would you follow? Would you break any of them?

2

Instruction or not?

Task In pairs. These sentences are from the email. Put them into two groups.

1

She told us that the onions were the most important part.

2

The chef told us to wash our hands.

3

She asked me not to touch her knives.

4

She didn't tell us to bring an apron.

A

The chef wanted us to do something, or not to do something.

B

No instruction.

Look at the form

Task Look at the email again. Which is correct? Then complete the rules.

1

The chef told us __________ our hands.

wash

washing

to wash

2

She asked me __________ her knives.

don't touch

not to touch

not touch

3

She __________ that my sauce was "almost good".

told

said

4

She told us __________ the onions were the most important part.

that

to

A. tell / ask + person + __________ + verb

B. For a "don't" instruction: tell / ask + person + __________ + to + verb

C. tell + person + that…, but say + __________ + that… (a person, or no person?)

Grammar reference

INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUESTS

INFORMATION

tell / ask + person + (not) to + verb

tell + person + that · say + that

"Wash your hands."

She told us to wash our hands.

She told us that the onions were the most important part. She said that my sauce was "almost good". No person after say.

"Please don't touch my knives."

She asked me not to touch her knives.

"Could you pass the salt?"

She asked Jonas to pass the salt.

tell

orders and instructions: "Wash…", "Don't…"

ask

requests, more polite: "Please…", "Could you…?", "Can you…?"

After to, the verb never changes: She told us to wash (not to washed). Change the pronouns: "your hands" becomes our hands.

CAREFUL

She told us not to bring an apron = she said "Don't bring an apron". She didn't tell us to bring an apron = she said nothing about aprons. I asked her to taste it = she tastes it. I asked to taste it = I taste it.

Find and fix

Task Sam replies to Inès about his pottery class. Six sentences have a mistake. One is right. Find and fix the mistakes.

From: Sam · To: Inès

1

Our teacher said us to sit quietly at the wheel.

2

Then he told us don't touch the clay with dry hands.

3

He didn't tell us to wear old clothes, so I wore my new jeans.

4

Later, he asked me to cleaned the wheel.

5

He told that the clay came from a river near the town.

6

He told us to wash your hands before we started.

7

He asked us not open the windows, because the clay dries too fast.

What did she say?

Task Complete the table. Write what Inès wrote to Sam, or what Chef Marta said.

Chef Marta said

Inès wrote

1

"Put your phones in the box."

2

She asked me to turn on the oven.

3

"Jonas, please don't open the oven door."

4

"Don't put salt in the water yet."

5

She told us to tie our hair back.

6

"Inès, could you wash the big pan?"

Pass it on

Task In groups of three: A, B and C. Play three rounds, so everyone is A once.

A: choose a task you know well, like making tea or using an app. Don't say what it is. Send B five instructions in a private message, with at least one "Don't…" and one "Could you…?"

1

B: report the five instructions aloud to C. Use told me to, told me not to, asked me to or asked me not to.

2

C: guess the task. A: check B's report against your message. Correct anything that changed.

3

Homework

Task A You share a flat. Your landlord left you this voice message while your flatmate was out. Write a message to your flatmate (80–100 words). Report at least five things she told you or asked you, and one thing she didn't ask you to do.

Voice message from the landlord

Task B Match each sentence to its meaning.

"Hi, it's your landlord. Just a few things before the weekend. A plumber is coming on Thursday morning to look at the shower. Could one of you be at home to let them in? Please don't use the shower until then: it's leaking into the flat downstairs. Put the recycling out on Wednesday night, not Tuesday. Oh, and don't park in front of the garage, because my neighbour needs it. Can you send me a photo of the gas meter? And please water the big plant in the hall. It's mine. Thanks!"

1

My boss told me not to come in on Friday.

2

My boss didn't tell me to come in on Friday.

3

Our neighbour asked us not to water her plants.

4

Our neighbour didn't ask us to water her plants.

A

The neighbour said nothing about her plants.

B

The boss said, "Don't come in on Friday."

C

The neighbour said, "Please don't water my plants."

D

The boss said nothing about Friday.

E

The boss said, "Come in on Friday."

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (1)

BEFORE YOU READ / MY WEEKEND IN THE KITCHEN

The dish a chicken curry

DID SHE SAY IT?

She said it 2, 3, 6

She didn't say it 1 (she asked him not to add any); 4 (she said it was "almost good"); 5 (they cleaned anyway, but she didn't ask them to)

INSTRUCTION OR NOT?

A (an instruction) 2, 3

B (no instruction) 1 (information), 4 (she said nothing about aprons)

LOOK AT THE FORM

Which is correct? 1 to wash; 2 not to touch; 3 said; 4 that

The rules A to; B not; C no person (say that, not say us that)

WHAT DID SHE SAY?

1 She told us to put our phones in the box. (asked us to is also fine)

2 "Inès, could you turn on the oven?" (also fine: "Can you turn on the oven?", "Please turn on the oven.", "Turn on the oven, please.")

3 She asked Jonas not to open the oven door. (also fine: asked him, told Jonas / him not to)

4 She told us not to put salt in the water yet. (asked us not to is also fine)

5 "Tie your hair back." (also fine: "Please tie your hair back.")

6 She asked me to wash the big pan.

Rows 1, 3, 4, 6 to not (told us to not put…, asked Jonas to not open…) is also heard; accept it.

TEACHER'S REFERENCE · SKIP OR DELETE BEFORE CLASS

Answer key (2)

FIND AND FIX

1 Our teacher told us to sit quietly at the wheel. (also fine: asked us to sit; and said to sit, with no person, is correct informal English: accept it)

2 Then he told us not to touch the clay with dry hands. (also fine: he told us, "Don't touch the clay…" as direct speech, and told us to not touch)

3 Right.

4 Later, he asked me to clean the wheel.

5 He told us that the clay came from a river near the town. (or: He said that the clay came…)

6 He told us to wash our hands before we started.

7 He asked us not to open the windows, because the clay dries too fast. (asked us to not open is also heard; accept it)

HOMEWORK (B)

1 B · 2 D · 3 C · 4 A (E is not used: it would be My boss told me to come in on Friday)

HOMEWORK (A) (A POSSIBLE MESSAGE)

Hi! The landlord left a message. She told us that a plumber is coming on Thursday morning, and she asked us to be at home to let them in. She asked us not to use the shower until then, because it's leaking downstairs. She told us to put the recycling out on Wednesday night and not to park in front of the garage. She asked us to send her a photo of the gas meter and to water her plant in the hall. She didn't ask us to clean the flat, luckily!

Also fine was coming, was leaking (both still true, so either works); told and asked swapped where the landlord says "please" or "could you"; one thing she didn't ask can be anything she didn't mention.