Cook can mean prepare food, usually with heat, or describe food heating until ready.

The idea

A person can cook dinner or cook soup for guests. Food can also be the subject: the vegetables are cooking. The regular past is cooked.

Examples

  • I cook dinner on Fridays.
  • She cooked soup for the guests.
  • The vegetables are cooking.
  • We cook together on weekends.
  • He cooked the meal yesterday.
  • Can you cook for two people?

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Watch out

In cook for guests, for names the people the food is prepared for. In the soup is cooking, the soup is being heated, not preparing itself as a person would.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the past form for yesterday. Yesterday he ___ the meal. (cooked / cook)

    Show answer or example answer

    cooked

    Cooked is the regular past form for yesterday.

  2. Choose the preposition for the people receiving the meal. She cooked soup ___ the guests. (for / from)

    Show answer or example answer

    for

    For introduces the people receiving the food.

  3. Choose what is happening to the vegetables. The vegetables are cooking: they are ___. (being heated until ready / preparing a meal)

    Show answer or example answer

    being heated until ready

    The vegetables are being heated until ready.

Use it today

Describe a meal someone cooks and say whom it is for.