Here is Level 2, Lesson 8: “The Best Barbecue” adapted from VOA Learning English.
- Listen, read, translate if needed, and practice along with the audio player and dialogue below.
Anna: Thanks for meeting me.
Kelly: Sure.
Anna: I’d like to get your advice on my latest project.
Kelly: Of course. I heard you were sent to cover a big food festival that has all kinds of barbecue. So, how did it go?
Anna: Well, things started out great! But then, well, maybe you should watch it yourself.
Prof. Bot: Hi English learners! Your lesson today is about my favorite food — barbecue! Your assignment is to find passive sentences. What are those, you might ask? In passive sentences the subject receives the action!
For example, “Anna was sent to cover a food festival.”
Passive sentences have a form of the BE verb + the past participle of the main verb. This lesson is LOADED with passive sentences. Hey! That’s a passive sentence, too!
Okay, now, it’s Barbecue Time!
Anna: Today, a Barbecue Battle is being held in Washington, D.C. This festival, which is known as one of the biggest food festivals in the United States, brings together barbecue lovers from all over the country! Barbecue is meat that is cooked over an open fire or on a grill.
Chicken, pork and beef are all common meats to grill on a barbecue! No matter which meat you like to barbecue, the sauce is very important. Sauces are taken very seriously by chefs. Most ingredients are kept secret!
So, can you tell us what is in your barbecue sauce?
Chef 1: No, I can’t tell you.
Anna: So, tell us, what is the secret ingredient in your barbecue sauce?
Chef 2: (says nothing.)
Anna: Sauces are made by the barbecue chefs themselves. Most sauces are made with a tomato sauce, vinegar, and spices.
Prof. Bot: How many passive sentences did you find? Here is one I found:
Today, a Barbecue Battle is being held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Now you try. Turn this sentence from passive to active. Barbecue is loved by Prof. Bot. Professor Bot loves Barbecue!
Good job! And yes, I do.
Anna: There are some areas of the U.S. that are known for their tasty barbecue. The states of Texas, North and South Carolina and the cities of Memphis and Kansas City are known as the Barbecue Belt. People who are loyal to barbecue are really loyal to their favorite barbecue. That is why this festival is called a battle! Let’s ask a couple of people which barbecue is best.
Person 1: Texas, of course!
Person 2: Carolina barbecue is the very best.
Person 3: Kansas City!
Person 4: Memphis style!
Person 3: Kansas City!
Person 5: Texas!
Person 3: Kansas!
Person 5: Texas!
Person 3: Kansas!
Person 5: Texas!
Person 3: I say Kansas.
Person 5: Texas!
Person 3: She keeps saying Texas, I say Kansas.
Anna: This is Anna Matteo reporting.
Anna: Kelly, people feel so strongly about barbecue. Unbelievable! So, what do you think of my project?
Kelly: This is what I think. There is no way that Texas has the best barbecue. I am from Kansas City and we have THE best barbecue in the whole country. My mother and father owned a barbecue restaurant, which was really famous! So, I know barbecue! Anna, I know barbecue! I know barbecue! I know barbecue!
Prof Bot: Oh my. Kelly knows a lot about barbecue! And you know more about passive sentences! Be sure you go to the website to learn even more! Ah! Now, if you’ll excuse me .. I’m hungry
2. Watch the Lesson 8: “The Best Barbecue” American English video lesson.
3. Take the Lesson 8: “The Best Barbecue” quiz to check your American English knowledge. Click here to take the quiz.
4. Answer the following question in the comments section below:
What food is your town or city known for? How is it made?
About the Author
Hello everyone,
My city is famous for a delicious dish which is prepared from semolina moistened with a little water and then evaporated three times. It is irrigated with a spicy vegetable sauce. It is the couscous that we greatly prefer. It is consumed throughout the year.
Hello. I’m Danijela.
I really love barbecue with sauces such beef with barbecue sauce, chicken with gorgonzola sauce also I love meat and no sauce just grilled. In my country various grilled meats are prepared most often cevapi and burgers are prepared which are very tasty.
Thank you very much Maestro Sersea.
In the quiz my score was 4/4.
Hello everyone
I found around ten pasive sentences and in this quiz I got 3 of 4.
What food is your town or city known for? How is it made?
We have a well-known food called pavilion. It is prepared with four basic ingredients: rice, black beans, shredded meat and sliced bananas fried in oil. This dish is not only known in my city but throughout my country. It is a typical national dish.
Hello , hind from Iraq.
My score was 3/4
Thank you very much
Hello everyone !!, In My country we have some grilled meats call asado is the same things like barbecue but without souces is delicius,My score was 4/4 thank You
Lesson 2.8.4 year 2
Quiz lesson number 8: the best bbq quiz
I got a full score!
I am from Punjab, one of the biggest provinces of Pakistan. The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by agricultural and former styles. We have so many famous foods, three of them accurately represent our culture in the best way possible. they are; makky di roti, sarson da saag [prepared with maiz\corn flour and a special kind of spinach] and daal chawal [any kind of lentil and white boiled rice.]
lesson 2.8.4 year 2
Quiz lesson number 8:the best BBQ quiz
I got a full score!
I am from Punjab, one of the biggest provinces of Pakistan.
The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by agricultural and farmer styles. we have so many famous foods. Some of them accurately represent our culture in the best way possible. they are, makky di roti and Sarson da Saag (prepared with maize/corn flour and a special kind of spinach) and the another was is dal chawal (any kind of lentil and white boiled rice.)
Greetings Maestro Sersea
In the Coast North from Honduras is the fried chicken.
First of all, you´ll have to cut in pieces the chicken, season it with salt, then pass every portion on flour and egg you must have a hot oil pan to fry the chicken. Here almost alway is served with a cabbega salad, and it is important to preper another salad we called here Chimol, in Nicaragua is called Pico de Gallo. Basically, you´ll have to cut coriander, onion, chilli or sweet ajies, and tomato and mixed it with a Lemon Juice and salt. It is served with slices of green banana fries some people put them ketchup or spicy sauce.
Incredibly it is the food more saled.
Thank you so much.
Greetings
I did my quiz and I got 100% in this lesson.
Thank you so much
goat meat, we grill it with some spices, we often eat it while having a drink