General English Level 6 Version 2.1 © 2004 acl Pty Ltd GELEV6 Unit 01 Topic 03.doc Look at the instructions for cooking Zahra’s couscous dish. 1. Listen to Zahra explain her recipe again. 2. Write 1 in the box next to the thing you do first. 3. Write 2 in the box next to the thing you do second. 4. Do this for the other instructions.  1. Add the spices.  2. Put some herbs on it to make it look nice.  3. Add the beans and the cabbage and simmer for 15 minutes.  4. Fry the meat.  5. Add salt and water to the saucepan and wait for it to boil.  6. Add water to couscous in a bowl, stir and wait for 10 minutes.  7. Add the potato, pumpkin, carrots … and simmer for 15 minutes  8. Fry the onion.  9. Steam the couscous over the saucepan for 45 minutes.  10. Toss the couscous with a fork to separate it.  LANGUAGE FOCUS 06 Talking about purpose In this activity we will look at how to talk about purpose - why we do certain things. Zahra and Alex say: Zahra: When the meat starts to brown put the spices in and fry for a few more minutes. Alex: OK. Why do you put the spices in so soon? Zahra: To get a nice full flavour. Zahra tells Alex why she puts spices in so soon, To get a nice full flavour. To get a nice full flavour is a non-finite clause of purpose. Non-finite clauses of purpose tell us why somebody does something. Non-finite means that there is no finite or complete verb in the clause. Zahra says: You have to stir, and then leave it for about ten minutes to let it absorb all the water. Chop the onions and keep them separate to fry them first. : ... I forgot, olive oil. You need it to fry the onions and meat. : After that put the foil over the top to seal it. : … empty the couscous into a bowl and toss it with a fork to separate it. Zahra uses many non-finite clauses of purpose to help Alex understand her instructions, and to explain why each step is important. Information We can also begin non-finite clauses of purpose with the conjunctions, in order to and so as to. These are more formal. We use them in written English or in formal conversations. 25