enjoy pure show!!!

so let's give!

happy new year!!!!

Have a Minion Christmas;)

Wishing you a very special Christmas!

please don't forget

It is one year today since former South African President Nelson Mandela's passed away. An inspirational man, a strong activist and a voice for human rights. His political struggle and self-sacrifice became and remain an example to millions around the globe.
Let us celebrate his life and legacy.

union is strenght!

reported speech

keep it in your mind!

Past perfect

you bet it will!

this is quite fun, isn't it?

happy thanksgiving everyone!

they're vs there vs their

please take action and sign the petition

this is so so moving..

looks like Marilynn was a wise woman..

revising..

pretty useful

:)

Ladies and Gentlemen, would you please learn these phrases?

100 ways to say "bad"

100 ways to say "good"

be original!!

Want to hang with Bono??

4 things

Other ways to say "I don't like it"

love this one!

wise words

make vs do

how to make a point in English

http://languagelearningbase.com/85399/how-to-make-a-point-in-english

prepositions of movement

useful free apps to improve your English

Extremely useful apps to download on your mobiles or tablets.. have a look!!

http://www.britishcouncil.it/inglese/online/app?utm_source=Newsletter+for+teachers%2C+18+September+2014&utm_campaign=bc_italy_news&utm_medium=email

enjoy your Sunday!

Modal verbs

Frequency adverbs

good advice

Hello September

it's all about love!

:)

Must read it!!!!

http://www.swide.com/art-culture/20-signs-youve-been-living-in-italy-too-long/2014/07/17

present perfect

Different ways to say "very good"

travelling fills your heart with everlasting joy:)

Do

Curious about how allied forces were able to liberate Italy during World War 2?

http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/italy

collocations with take

such a cute story!

so true!

direct and reported speech

when to use can

well, how do you feel today??

everyday language we owe to Shakespeare:)

goose bumps!!!!!! what a blessing!

think positively :)

interesting topic!

Meals and Meal Times in English-Speaking Countries

What's the difference between the words breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner and supper? Read on and find out!

Tanja Batista

Tanja Batista has a BA in English Language and Literature from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Years ago a student of mine came up to me after class, looking quite perplexed. She asked, ''Why do some English people eat dinner at midday or very early in the afternoon?''

That's a good question indeed, and the answer to it is not an easy one. Many foreigners find the terminology and customs that accompany eating in English-speaking countries quite baffling. For example, the word dinner is not only the name of the main evening meal eaten in these countries, but it can also be used for the meal eaten in the middle of the day. To understand this better, let's first travel back in time to the 16th and 18th-century England, where the men and women of nobility had a lot of free time on their hands. 

In the 16th century, the three meals of the day were breakfast, dinnerand supper. The term lunch was not known at the time. Therefore, in the 16th-century England, dinner was the main meal of the day and it was served at around 11 a.m. Over time, meals tended to be eaten later and later in the day and by the 18th century, people had a large, hotbreakfast around 10 a.m. Morning lasted until around 3 p.m. After breakfast, the families ate their main (large) meal of the day, which was called dinner, anytime between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. After dinner camesupper, which tended to be a snack of cold meats or something hot and light - like soup. Times have changed significantly since then: nowadaysdinner is best known as the name of the main evening meal, so let's now look into the eating terminology of modern English-speaking countries in more detail.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. It is usually eaten early in the morning, usually just after a person gets up. Full English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast. It is served together with a beverage such as tea or coffee.

Brunch

Brunch is a meal that is usually eaten in the late morning. It is a combination of breakfast and lunch. The term brunch first appeared in the 19th century among the British upper-classes. Many upper-class houses would give their servants partial or full days off on Sundays. The servants would lay out a buffet spread for their employers in the morning, which combined breakfast and lunch foods. Similarly, people nowadays usually choose to have brunch as a replacement for both breakfast and lunch. Brunch is usually had around 11 a.m. or later.

Dinner and Lunch

In various English-speaking countries, dinner is the name of the main evening meal. However, in some English-speaking regions of the world, the word dinner is still used for a large meal people have in the middle of the day. The people who eat dinner in the middle of the day will call their evening meal supper or tea (and not dinner). In contrast, people who call their evening meal dinner usually refer to a meal eaten in the middle of the day as lunch. In many regions, lunch is smaller than dinner. For example, in Britain, during the week - when most people are at work - lunch will often consist of a sandwich and a drink. Dinner will come after lunch much later in the day (when people stop working) and might include soup, vegetables, meat, potatoes and a dessert. In other words, dinner will be larger than lunch. In the United States, lunch is usually a moderately sized meal eaten between midday and 2 p.m. Many farming communities the English-speaking parts of the world used to have and perhaps still have - the largest meal of the day at midday (noon) and call it dinner (and not lunch). Their evening meal is then called supper and is generally lighter than dinner. Some people depending on where they come from will have a large meal at midday or very early in the afternoon and call it lunch and not dinner.

Luncheon or Lunch

Luncheon is a very formal and rather old-fashioned word for lunch.Lunch was first introduced into society as a ladies' meal in the 18th century.  The Industrial Revolution played an important role in establishing this meal as a modern English midday repast. During the Revolution, many people moved to large towns and cities to work in factories; therefore, it became difficult for workers to return home fordinner at midday. Thus, dinner moved to the evening, when the family could have a large meal together at a more leisurely pace. The rushed midday meal came to be called lunch. Fish and Chips is a popular take-away meal in modern Britain.

Tea

Tea can be a light meal eaten in the afternoon. It usually consists of sandwiches and cakes, with tea to drink. This meaning of tea is used mainly in Britain by middle and upper-class people. It is usually served between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. In some regions, tea can also be a main meal eaten in the early evening. This meaning of tea is often used by working-class people in Britain. In Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, the word tea is often used to refer to the early evening meal.

Supper

Centuries ago, supper was the lighter meal following dinner because in those times dinner was the main meal of the day. Nowadays, the wordsupper is used for a large or light evening meal. The use of the word varies from region to region. Some English-speaking people call their evening meal dinner and some call it supper. Very often, supper is a light meal eaten just before you go to bed at night. In many parts of the United States and Canada, the terms dinner and supper are considered to be synonyms. In some regions the term dinner refers to a very formal evening meal, while the term supper refers to an informal evening meal.

The Use of Articles and Prepositions with Meals

Words referring to meals can be used with or without the articles. For example:

• I have breakfast every day. (no adjective in front of the word breakfast)
• I have a big breakfast every day. (an adjective in front of the word breakfast)

As you can see, an article is used when you are describing a meal. You can describe it with a suitable adjective.

When you want to say that someone eats a meal or wants to eat a meal, then you should use the verb have. An article after the verb have is not necessary when you're not describing a meal in more detail. For example:

• I would love to have breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper right now.correct
• I would love to have a breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper right now.incorrect
• I would love to have a wonderful breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper right now. correct

When you want to say that someone prepares a meal, you can use the verb make. For example:

• I'll go and make breakfast /lunch/dinner/supper.

Warning: Don't say that someone ''makes a breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper.'' It's incorrect. But if you want to describe the meal you're going to make, then you can say, ''I'll make a delicious (adjective) breakfast.''

When you want to talk about what a meal consists of, then you can use the preposition for. For example:

• I had fried eggs for breakfast.

If you want to know more about the evolution of meal terms in the English-speaking world, you can visit this internet site.

Sources

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America/Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press:New York] 2004, Volume 2 (p. 66)

Rituals of Dinner, Margaret Visser [Penguin Books:New York] 1991 (p. 158-9)