Diet and Health
Senior 3 · English
Diet and Health
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
A healthy diet must also be a safe one: food can carry germs that cause diarrhoea and other illnesses. Rules about food safety are written for everyone who works in a kitchen, so they focus on the food, not on the person: vegetables should be washed, meat must be cooked. That is the passive with a modal verb. In unit 2 you used the passive in the simple tenses; here you add must, should, can, may and have to.
The school is imagined. The five rules follow the World Health Organization's Five Keys to Safer Food.
GISANZE SECONDARY SCHOOL: KITCHEN RULES
1. Keep clean. Hands must be washed with soap before food is handled and after the toilet is used. All surfaces and utensils should be cleaned before and after use.
2. Separate raw and cooked. Raw meat and fish must be kept away from cooked food. A separate knife and board should be used for raw meat.
3. Cook thoroughly. Meat, eggs and fish must be cooked right through. Soups and stews should be brought to the boil.
4. Keep food at safe temperatures. Cooked food must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours. Hot food should be kept hot until it is served.
5. Use safe water and raw materials. Only safe water may be used for cooking and drinking. Fruit and vegetables have to be washed, especially if they are eaten raw. Food must not be used after its expiry date.
Any problem can be reported to the school nurse.
Check: (1) When must hands be washed? (2) What should be used for raw meat? (3) How long may cooked food stay at room temperature?
(1) Before food is handled and after the toilet is used. (2) A separate knife and board. (3) No more than two hours.
Definition
passive with a modal: modal verb + be + past participle. Vegetables should be washed. The modal never changes: no -s, no to (except in ought to and have to).
contaminate (v): to make food or water dirty or harmful by adding germs or chemicals. Noun: contamination.
expiry date: the date printed on a packet after which the food should not be eaten or sold.
| Modal | Meaning | Passive example |
|---|---|---|
| must | a rule; strong obligation | Meat must be cooked right through. |
| must not (mustn't) | it is forbidden | Cooked food must not be left out for more than two hours. |
| have to / has to / had to | obligation, in any tense | Vegetables have to be washed. · The milk had to be thrown away. |
| should / ought to | advice; the right thing to do | Surfaces should be cleaned after use. |
| can / can't | possibility or ability; permission | Dry beans can be stored for months. |
| may | formal permission; possibility | Only safe water may be used. |
| might / could | weaker possibility | The fish might be contaminated. |
| will | future; certainty | New taps will be fitted next term. |
| Pattern | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | modal + not + be + past participle | Raw meat should not be stored above cooked food. |
| Question | modal + subject + be + past participle? | Can leftovers be eaten the next day? · Does the milk have to be boiled? |
Worked example
Active to passive with a modal
Change: The cooks must wash the vegetables before lunch.
Worked example
Choosing the modal for the meaning
Write one passive sentence about dried beans for each meaning.
The grammar is identical in all four; only the modal changes, and with it the force of the sentence.
Tip
MODAL + BE + V3. Three parts, always in that order, and only the first one changes. If you see is, are or to be right after must, should or can, something is wrong.
Warning
Five keys to safer food (short version), from the World Health Organization (about 1 minute). Name the five keys, then write each one as a rule with a modal passive, as in the kitchen notice.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa.
