English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level
ESL/EFL Test #112 [color=blue]“Postcard: France”, question 5
At home we … a big breakfast as you know.
(a) eat
(b) consume
(c) drink
English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level
ESL/EFL Test #112 [color=blue]“Postcard: France”, answer 5
At home we eat a big breakfast as you know.
Correct answer: (a) eat
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woud it be wrong to say consume ?
Hi Joaof,
It doesn’t really work here and certainly not in a short note on a postcard. The first meaning of consume is use up as in: That car consumes a lot of petrol. The use of the verb with food and drink is usually only used in a formal way as in: The police reported that the accused had already consumed 4 litres of beer.
Alan
Hi
In reference to breakfast I guess you could say:
“We consumed all the food in our house for our BIG breakie.”
But in general it is not common to use it in connection with food.
It would not be wrong to say “consume”; on a postcard, it might have a humorous air, or it might imply “eating to excess”.
In a non-humorous context, you might use the phrase “consume breakfast” in e.g. a report on eating habits:
Studies have found that children who consume breakfast are less likely to be overweight.
The average total energy intake was significantly lower for children who did not consume breakfast.
NB In ordinary usage, in British English at least, you would usually “have breakfast”, “have a big breakfast”, etc.
Best wishes,
MrP
in this case souldn’t we have to use the verb in past ? No “eat” but “ate”? Because it’s alredy happened.
Hi judit,
It could be past as well, but then it would refer to a particular breakfast they had. In this case, as there are only present tenses to chose, it means an action which is quite usual:
‘At home we eat a big breakfast’
‘We never have breakfast after 9 am at home’
It implies a common action, performed with a regular timing - it could be on a daily or weekly basis.