What does catering mean?
Word: Catering
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Catering means the job of preparing and serving food and drink at events such as weddings, parties and conferences.
How do you spell catering?
Syllables: ca - ter - ing
Tricky part: There is only one t, but children often double it and write cattering.
Watch out for: cattering, katering
Memory tip: Picture a waiter at a party carrying one tray on one hand: one tray, one t.
Catering in a sentence
Example 1: Mrs Fernandes runs a small catering business from her kitchen.
Example 2: The catering for the wedding included three kinds of soup.
Example 3: Jamal wants to study catering and open his own cafe one day.
Fun Fact
The word grew from acater, a name used about 600 years ago for the servant who bought food for a big household. Over time the first a was dropped.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
cat_ _ _ _ _
a) uring
b) oring
c) aring
d) ering
Show answer
d) ering. The verb cater keeps its e before the ing is added.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. plumbing 2. catering 3. decorating a. bringing meals and drinks to a crowd of guests b. making a room look attractive with paint, paper or new furniture c. fitting and mending the water pipes in a building
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. A plumber looks after pipes, a decorator makes rooms look nice, and the meals come from the caterers.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
On the morning of the science fair, the catering staff set out sandwiches, fruit juice and plates of biscuits beside the entrence to the hall.
a) 0
b) 1
c) 3
d) 2
Show answer
b) 1. Only entrance is wrong here; it needs an a after the r.
Sound Check
In which word is 'a' pronounced differently?
a) catering
b) carrot
c) bacon
d) danger
Show answer
b) carrot. Carrot has the short a of cat; the other three say a as in late.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A family planning a lunch for 80 guests calls a catering company. What do they want help with?
a) the food and drinks
b) the music
c) the photographs
d) the invitations
Show answer
a) the food and drinks
2. A holiday flat is described as self-catering. What does that mean for the guests?
a) They cook their own meals.
b) All the food is free.
c) A chef cooks every dinner.
d) Meals are brought to the room.
Show answer
a) They cook their own meals.
