Badly written exam paper

[angl]

Dear Teacher,
would you agree that the underlined passages in the text below are badly written or expressed?

An invitation to meal in someone’s house usually means a relaxed evening. More often than not men do not wear business suits, while the women wear comfortable rather than fashionable evening clothes.
It’s a good idea to take some flowers or a box of chocolates for your hostess; some, additionally, bring a bottle of wine. It does not have to be an expensive wine. The bottle is hardly ever opened, and quite often serves as a bottle that tonight’s host takes as a guest to next week’s dinner somewhere else.
In most parts of England the hostess expects a short letter of thanks for the evening. Such letters follow a standard formula: you mention the food and the company and express the hope that you will meet again.

(Text copied from an examination paper)

[2006]

Dear Teacher,
would you agree that the underlined passages in the text below are badly written or expressed?
Welcome!
An invitation to meal ("meal" is not a verb) in someone’s house usually means a relaxed evening. More often than not men do not wear business suits, while the women wear comfortable rather than fashionable evening clothes.
It’s a good idea to take some flowers or a box of chocolates for your hostess; some, additionally, (except I would omit the commas) bring a bottle of wine. It does not have to be an expensive wine. The bottle is hardly ever opened, and quite often is the bottle that tonight’s host takes as a gift to next week’s dinner somewhere else.
In most parts of England the hostess expects a short letter of thanks for the evening. Such letters follow a standard formula: you mention the food and the company and express the hope that you will meet again.

(Text copied from an examination paper)

2006

[tedtmc]

invitation to a meal.

not a teacher

[2006]

invitation to a meal.

not a teacher

since it's in the evening

'an invitation to dinner'
'an invitation to dine'

[angl]

Thanks for your replies to my post. The omission of 'a' before a meal is a blatant error. I agree that is improved by changing 'meal' for 'dinner'.

How about: 'men do not wear business suits, while women wear casual rather than formal evening outfits' instead of?: 'men do not wear business suits, while the women wear comfortable rather than fashionable evening clothes'

And how about changing: 'in most parts of England the hostess expects...' for?: 'Generally, in England, a hostess will expect...'

I'd appreciate your comments on those sentences.

[Raymott]

An invitation to meal in someone’s house usually means a relaxed evening. More often than not men do not wear business suits, while the women wear comfortable rather than fashionable evening clothes.
I think the problem here is your saying what men don't wear, followed by women what do wear. It does sound strange. There's nothing wrong with the underlined part.
* "Michael doesn't study Chemistry, while Jane studies Biology."

It’s a good idea to take some flowers or a box of chocolates for your hostess; some, additionally, bring a bottle of wine. It does not have to be an expensive wine. The bottle is hardly ever opened, and quite often serves as a bottle that tonight’s host takes as a guest to next week’s dinner somewhere else.
No, you don't take a bottle of wine as a guest. That would be odd!

R