Sharing the pleasures of the kitchen, with clauses

I’m having lunch with friends at their home this weekend, and while this is always a treat, it holds extra significance as we have managed the constraints and concerns of COVID-19 so far.

To celebrate, I am preparing Chocolate Macaroon Slice, from ‘Sweet Revenge’, a collection of recipes described as ‘Desserts, cakes and treats’ and available from the Coeliac’s Revenge* shop at www.thecoeliacsrevenge.com

This took me into the way recipes are written. As with most instructions, they work best when composed of short, single clause sentences.

Analysing clauses to identify elements

This is a critical component of understanding the grammar of our English language

The elements of clauses are usually:

the PROCESS (what’s happening) – the verb or verb group
the PARTICIPANT/S (who or what is involved) – the noun or noun group, and
the CIRCUMSTANCES (the how, when, where or why of the PROCESS) – adverbial/s

The following strategy is effective for identifying the elements in any clause. (Humphrey, Droga & Feez, 2012 pp.16-19).

Recipes

The choices we make about the grammar and structure we use when we create texts depend on the topic, purpose and audience for each text.

Recipes are a particular type of text as they are usually read at the same time as the reader is performing the actions. Instructions need to be clear and unambiguous, with the process – the imperative verb (‘put’, ‘rub’, ‘mix’, for example) – at the beginning of each clause.

Purpose: to provide instructions to make a dish from various ingredients

Audience: both children and adults, with a range of skills and understandings of cookery

The following analysis shows the specificity required when constructing clause so recipes can be easily understood and followed.

Chocolate Macaroon Slice (Excerpt only)

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 23cm x 23cm (or equivalent) tin.

For the base, place all ingredients, except the chocolate, into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Press into the base of the prepared tin.

CLAUSE 1: preheat oven to 180C

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
preheat

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
oven

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(Where?)
to 180C

CLAUSE 2: grease and line a 23cm x 23cm (or equivalent) tin

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
grease and line

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
a 23cm x 23cm (or equivalent) tin

CLAUSE 3: for the base, place all ingredients, except the chocolate, into a food processor

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(Why?)
for the base

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
place

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
all ingredients, except the chocolate

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(Where?)
into a food processor

CLAUSE 4: pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
pulse

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(When?)
until

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs

CLAUSE 5: press into the base of the prepared tin

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
press

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(Where?)
into

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
the base of the prepared tin

As with many instructions, the process, the verb, often comes first in the clause.

Women's hands make dough for Azerbaijani dish gutab.

Clause analysis in other texts

You can apply the strategy to clauses from other texts. The structure of each is dependent on the text purpose and intended audience.

Historical recount:

One of the earliest English farmers near Melbourne in Victoria, Isaac Batey, was amazed by the agricultural methods of the Aboriginal people and the productivity they had created.

from Young Dark Emu, Pascoe, 2019 p.24

CLAUSE 1: one of the earliest English farmers near Melbourne in Victoria, Isaac Batey, was amazed by the agricultural methods of the Aboriginal people

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(Who?)
one of the earliest English farmers near Melbourne in Victoria, Isaac Batey,

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
was amazed

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(What?)
by the agricultural methods of the Aboriginal people and the productivity they had created

Narrative:

Moonlight traced pale ribbons over the still harbour as the shearwaters screeched a noisy welcome to 1915.

from Lighthouse Girl, 2^nd Ed., Dianne Wolfer, 2009

CLAUSE 1: moonlight traced pale ribbons over the still harbour

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
moonlight

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
traced

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
pale ribbons

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(Where?)
over the still harbour

CLAUSE 2: as the shearwaters screeched a noisy welcome to 1915.

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(When?)
as

PARTICIPANT (noun/noun group)
(What?)
the shearwaters

PROCESS (verb/verb group)
(What’s happening?)
screeched

CIRCUMSTANCE (adverbial)
(What?)
a noisy welcome to 1915

The process is the same, and you can work through these with your students.

This analysis will help build your students’ understanding and confidence with constructing effective clauses and sentences.

Further information:

For cookery terms, Annie Smithers on ‘Blueprint for Living’ on ABC RN presents the basics of processes such as boiling, steaming and poaching, and others you thought you knew about. She also introduces many that are less familiar, such as poeling. Explore these on ABC RN here.

*THE COELIAC’S REVENGE is dedicated to the principle that gluten-free food should be great food (delicious, satisfying, surprising and beautiful) not just ‘great for gluten-free.’ GF = Great food.