MODULE 2 – HOUSES & HOMES

Vocabulary – Rooms and furniture

Fill in: fitted, central. double. private. alarm, entrance, spiral.

1. We have a real fire in the living room, but the rest of the house has _____________ heating
installed.
2. There are _____________ wardrobes with sliding doors in both bedrooms.
3. _____________ glazing in all the windows ensures the house stays warm and quiet.
4. Just wait in the _____________ hall and I'll come downstairs to help you with your bags.
5. You should install a(n) _____________, system to improve home security.
6. We don't need a _____________ garage as we've got parking in our street.
7. There's a _____________ staircase that takes you up to the roof garden.

Complete Anne's description of her dream home with the correct form of the words in brackets .
My dream home would be a villa by the sea. It would be a 1) (peace) _____________ place where I
could relax. The house would be very 2) (space) _____________, so I'd have enough room for all my 3)
(style) _____________ furniture, It would also have a fully-4) (fit) _____________ kitchen with every
5) (electric) _____________ appliance I could ever need. There would be a bright, 6) (air)
_____________ living room with a fireplace and a huge bookcase. The bedrooms would have 7) (wood)
_____________ floors and French windows. My dream home would never be 8) (mess) _____________
I would also have a huge garden full of flowers, where I could unwind by doing some gardening.

Vocabulary – Types of homes

Fill in: mansion, studio, loft, bedsit, prefab house, basement, maisonette, mobile home, penthouse.

1. Mr. Stephens is a wealthy man who lives in a huge _____________ in the countryside.
2. The most expensive property in the building is the _____________ because of its spectacular view
of the city.
3. Jeff spends all his holidays at his ___________________ on the coast and he plans to live there in
his old age.
4. None of my rooms get much sunlight because I live in a _____________ flat.
5. The kitchen and bedroom in Gemma's flat used to be separate but she decided to turn It into a
_____________.
6. June wanted something bigger than a flat but couldn't afford a house, so she bought a
_____________ in a nice building
7. Richard likes to tell people his home was built in a factory and then explain that it's a
_____________.
8. The only place to rent I can find for less than £50 a week is a tiny _____________.
9. In London many old Industrial buildings are being converted into _____________ apartments.

Fill in: do, get, clean, move.

1. We'll have to __________ up the mess before the new tenants arrive.
2. You can __________ into your flat on Sunday.
3. Unfortunately, we don't __________ on with our neighbours.
4. Our new place is really bare at the moment, but once we __________ it up it'll become quite
cosy.

Vocabulary – Renting a flat

Fill in: landlord/ Iandlady, flatmate, estate agent, tenant.

1. I agreed to meet the __________ at the flat at 3 pm on Tuesday to view it.

2. The __________ is raising the rent by no from next month.
3. The ad says the __________ can't have pets.
4. I need to speak to my new __________ about the mess he makes in the bathroom every day.

Choose the correct preposition.

1. I live in a lovely place on/at the outskirts of the city.
2. We saw some really nice loft conversions in/on the heart of the city.
3. She rents a bedsit dose from/to the centre.
4. I found an apartment that's within/with walking distance of the train station.
5. We found a fully-furnished flat in/on the suburbs.

Useful phrases
Complete the exchanges with: give a month's notice, fall behind on the rent, be paid in advance, let
the flat, signed the lease.

1. - A: The first two months' rent must ____________________.

- B: No problem. Can I write you a cheque?
2. - A: What do you think will happen if I ____________________ again?
- B: The landlord might evict you.
3. - A: I decided to rent the flat in Kent Street.
- B: Congratulations! Have you ____________________ yet?
4. - A: The landlord won't ____________________ to us for 6 months.
- B: Yes, most leases are for a 12-month period.
5. - A: You must ____________________when you decide to leave the flat.
- B: OK, I'll be sure to do that.
Buying & selling property
Fill in: rate, offer, detached, form, mortgage, price, credit.
-

- A: Good morning, Mr. Lawrence. How can I help you?

- B: Well, I'd like to ask some questions about how I can take out a(n) 1) ____________ for a house I
want to buy. It's a two-storey 2) ____________ house in Kent Street.
- A: OK And what price is the property?
- B: Well, it's £300,000, but I hope I can negotiate the 3) ____________ and get a better deal.
- A: Yes, that's a good Idea. I think you should make a(n) 4) ____________ of around £275,000 and
see what happens.
- B: And what interest 5) ____________ could you offer me for the mortgage?
- A: Well, you would have to fill in a(n) 6) ____________ for us to check your 7) ____________
history, but generally we can offer you an interest rate of around 5%
- B: That sounds like a very reasonable offer.
- A: I hope so, Mr. Lawrence.

Jane and Greg are trying to sell their property online. Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the list.
• suburbs • condition • amenities • centrally • off-street • block • central
Property for Sale
One-bedroom flat in North London - £150,000
The flat is on the second floor of a modern 1) ____________ of flats in the northern 2) ____________
of London. Although it isn't 3) ____________ located, it is close to local 4) ____________, such as a
supermarket and a fitness centre. Residents of the building have 5) ____________ parking. The flat
includes features such as 6) ____________ heating and a balcony with great views of the River Thames.
The flat is in very good 7) ____________. Should you like to view the property, call 097-3232346.

Match the words (1 – 18) with their meanings (a – s).

1. philosophy: ____________ a. non-stop
2. constant: ____________ b. peace
3. promotes: ____________ c. ideas
4. harmony: ____________ d. feel fear or anxiety
5. revolves around: ____________ e. necessary
6. prosperity: ____________ f. absolute
7. panic: ____________ g. way of thinking
8. vital: ____________ h. encourages
9. essential: ____________ i. mainly concerns
10. barrier: ____________ j. wealth
 11. utmost: ____________ k. important
12. subtle: ____________ l. obstacle
13. balanced: ____________ m. not immediately obvious
14. prevent: ____________ n. influence
15. evaluate: ____________ o. in good and even proportion
16. affect: ____________ p. measure the value of
17. maintain: ____________ q. not present
18. missing: ____________ r. keep at same state or level
s. stop from doing

Clean or clear? Complete the phrases. Check in your dictionaries.

1. ____________ environment 5. ____________ conscience
2. ____________ sky 6. ____________ argument
3. ____________ break 7. ____________ voice
4. ____________ air 8. ____________ instructions

Choose the correct preposition.

1. We are surrounded of/by energy.
2. Her life revolves around/about her children.
3. The building is divided in/into four sections.
4. The different sections are represented by/of various symbols.
5. Changing the position of an object can bring about/up change.
6. The arrangement of certain objects can result to/in family arguments.

Listening – True/ False statements

You will hear a radio interview about home decorating. Mark the statements (1-5) T (true), or F (false).
True False
1. The interviewer is unfamiliar with the word 'Zen'.
2. Zen designers try to make a home as quiet as possible.
3. One important factor in arranging a Zen-style home is the usefulness of
objects.
4. The interviewer says bamboo furniture is fashionable.
5. Zen style involves the use of bright colours in the home.

Choose the correct answer.

1. The lease ______ next month, so I'm going to find a new flat.
A. cancels B. expires C. closes D. finishes
2. Their house is in a great ______ overlooking the lake.
 A. post B. situation C. station D. position
3. Any tenant who falls to comply with the rules and ______ will be evicted.
A. instructions B. orders C. laws D. regulations
4. Do you ______ to know where Peter's house is?
A. occur B. happen C. chance D. come
5. The balcony has a great ______ of the sea.
A. vision B. sighting C. seeing D. view
6. The holiday cottages have all the ______ of home.
A. advantages B. conveniences C. comforts D. utilities
7. They were ______ of money, so they couldn't afford to buy new furniture.
A. short B. limited C poor D. small
8. You can go to the party, but ______ home by midnight.
A. take B. make C. be D. go
9. He won't leave the flat, and the owner is threatening legal ______.
A. force B. steps C. measures D. action
10. She couldn't ______ the noise from next door any more.
A. survive B. carry C. bear D. manage

Multiple choice doze

Read the text and choose the correct word.
Ask people about their favourite childhood toys and quite a few will mention Lego. However, some
children don't abandon Lego when they grow up. Take James May, whose idea to build a life-size Lego
house received so much public interest that, in July 2009, he began construction. Over 1,000 volunteers
helped make the bricks, 1) ______ one consisting of 272 Lego pieces, and put the two-storey house
together. Apart from a 'safety frame' made out of wood, the rest of the structure was made entirely
from Lego, 2) ______, a staircase, a shower and a toilet! May even stayed overnight in the house,
though he found 3) ______ far from comfortable on the Lego bed! Initially, the Lego house was a huge
success, but problems arose when the landowners where the house was built needed their land back.
At first, Legoland, a theme park in Berkshire, planned to relocate the house to its premises, but the
deal fell 4) ______ because of the transport costs involved. 5) ______ further efforts to find a private
collector to take it, the house was eventually dismantled and its 3.3 million pieces were donated to
charity. Nevertheless, the Lego house was a marvelous architectural achievement for 6) ______
involved in its construction.
1. A. any B. all C. each D. some
2. A. inspiring B. indulging C. inserting D. including
3. A. sleeping B. slept C. to sleep D. sleep
4. A. out B. through C. back D. off
5. A. Although B. Though C. Regardless D. Despite
6. A. these B. that C. those D. this

Miss or lose? Complete the phrases.

1. ____________ my way 5. ____________ a bus
2. ____________ breakfast 6. ____________ patience
3. ____________ a contest 7. ____________ the opportunity
4. ____________ money 8. ____________ a payment

Listening – Note taking

You are going to hear a telephone conversation between a landlord and a potential tenant. Listen and
complete the table.
Name of owner: 0) Mr. Newton
Type of accommodation: 1) _________________
Address: 12 Raglan road
Floor: 2) _________________
Heating: electric
Monthly rent: 3) _________________
Pets allowed: 4) Yes No
Caller's name: 5) _________________
Caller's contact number: 6) _________________

Fill in: backgrounds, immigrants, destination, links, merchants, prosperity, record.

1. Singapore has experienced a period of economic few decades _________________ in the last
2. _________________ from other countries decided to live in Singapore.
3. People of diverse _________________ live in Singapore.
4. The first written _________________ of the island dates to the 3rd century AD.
5. Wealthy _________________ used to own private houses in Singapore.
6. Singapore has become a very popular tourist _________________.
7. Many Singaporeans have cultural _________________ to other Asian countries