ENGLISH
REFERENCE

for lunch

prep. phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

prep. phr.. Used to talk about the meal you eat in the middle of the day, or the food prepared for that meal.

prep. phr.. A prepositional phrase indicating that an action (e.g., eating, having, preparing) or a food item is intended for the midday meal.


SIMPLE

I had a sandwich for lunch.

CONTEXTUAL

We're meeting at the new café for lunch to discuss the project.

COMPLEX

Despite the elaborate banquet planned for the evening, the delegates were offered only a simple platter of fruit and cheese for lunch.

Usage

This phrase often follows verbs like 'have', 'eat', 'make', or 'go out'.

Teaching tip

Drill this phrase alongside its parallels 'for breakfast' and 'for dinner' to establish the pattern 'for [meal name]'.

Pitfall

What did you have to lunch?What did you have for lunch?The preposition 'for' is used to indicate the purpose or meal, not 'to'.

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