Unit 1

♦ How to Look for an Apartment

♦ Reading Classified Ads

♦ What You Want in an Apartment

♦ What You Need to Move In

♦ Simple Past Tense

-1- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 LOOKING FOR AN APARTMENT — Part 1

Read the stories and answer the questions with complete sentences.
Marta and Jose are married and they have a beautiful family. He is a gardener and
she is a student. They recently moved to Los Angeles. They are staying at the apartment
of Marta’s sister Rosalba and her husband Roberto. This morning, Jose is at work and
Rosalba is helping Marta look for an apartment in the classified ads of the newspaper.
In the ads, Marta sees a two-bedroom apartment for a very good price. She wants
to call the manager right away to find out more information. Rosalba sees a one-bedroom
apartment at a cheaper price and thinks it’s good for her sister. Marta tells Rosalba that
she and Jose really need a two-bedroom apartment because of their children. Marta calls
the telephone number in the ad right away to see about the apartment and to make an
appointment with the manager.

1. Where are Martha and Jose staying right now?

________________________________________________________________________

2. Where is Jose this morning?

________________________________________________________________________

3. How many bedrooms are there in the apartment that Marta wants?

_______________________________________________________________________

4. Why does Rosalba prefer the one-bedroom apartment?

_______________________________________________________________________

5. Who is Rosalba’s husband?

________________________________________________________________________

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -2- Unit 1

 LOOKING FOR AN APARTMENT — Part 2

Marta and Rosalba arrive for their appointment at 11:00 am to see the apartment.
They’re on time, but the manager is not there. Marta is worried that maybe the landlord
rented the apartment to a different family. After a few minutes, the manager finally arrives.
He’s carrying a large box. He apologizes. “Hello, I’m Ivan, the manager. I’m sorry I’m
late. The clerk at the hardware store was slow.” They go upstairs to see the apartment.
Inside, Marta walks through every room. She examines the windows, walls, closets
and cabinets. She likes this apartment very much and asks Ivan what is required to move
in. “The monthly rent is $535.00. You’re required to leave the first and last months’ rent,
as well as a $500.00 security deposit in advance in order to move in,” Ivan informs her.
“Utilities are extra.” He gives Marta an application and asks her to fill it out and come
back with it.

1. Who is Ivan?

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Where did Ivan go before he met Marta?

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Is the apartment located upstairs or downstairs?

_________________________________________________________________________

4. How much is the rent each month?

_________________________________________________________________________

5. What is required for Marta and Jose to move in?

_________________________________________________________________________

Unit 1 -3- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 APARTMENT VOCABULARY

Study the following definitions.

• apologize say “I’m sorry”

• application for rent a form you fill out to rent an apartment

• as well as also; in addition

• come back with return and bring with you

• excited about very, very happy about something

• fill out complete a printed form

• find out get information; learn about

• hang up put the telephone receiver on its hook

• happy for someone pleased when something good happens to someone you like

• in advance before

• landlord the owner of an apartment

• look for try to find

• make sure be certain

• move in move yourself and your furniture into a place

• on time not early and not late

• rent money you pay to live in an apartment

• right away immediately; now

• security deposit money given to the landlord as insurance

• see about get information about

• tenant a person who rents an apartment

• utilities water, electricity and gas

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -4- Unit 1

Fill in the blanks with the vocabulary from the previous page.

1. When you make an appointment with someone, you should never be late; you should be

_______ __________________.

2. The best way to _________________ an apartment is to look in the classified ads.

3. To rent an apartment, you usually have to pay a first and last months’ _________________

as well as a _________ ________________.

4. I’m _________________ my new apartment because it comes with air conditioning, a

dishwasher and a fireplace.

5. You should _____________ _______________ everything in your new apartment is fixed,

cleaned, painted and ready before you ________________ _____.

6. After you decide on the apartment you want, you must fill out an ____________________

and give it to the landlord or manager.

7. If you are late for an apppointment, it’s nice to ___________________ to the manager.

8. The water, electricity and gas are called ________________________.

9. The owner of the apartment is the ___________________ and the person who rents the

apartment is the ________________________.

Unit 1 -5- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 ABBREVIATIONS IN ADS

Study the following abbreviations.

• & and

• /mo per month

• ½ ba toilet and sink, no shower or tub

• AC air conditioning

• apt apartment

• avail available

• ba / Bath bathroom

• bach bachelor (1 room apartment, usually no kitchen)

• balc balcony

• bldg building

• BR / Bdrm bedroom

• dep deposit

• DR / Dnrm dining room

• dw / dshwshr dishwasher

• elev elevator

• eves call evenings only

• fl bath full bathroom with toilet and tub

• fp / frpl fireplace

• frig refrigerator

• furn / unfurn furnished; has furniture / unfurnished; has no furniture

• ga / grg garage (for cars)

• incl included (you do not have to pay for them)

• kit separate kitchen

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -6- Unit 1

 • lg large

• lndry laundry facilities

• LR / lvrm living room

• nr near; close to

• nu crpt new carpet

• nu pnt new paint job

• pets OK cats and dogs can live there

• pkg / prkg parking available

• prvt private

• rm room

• schl school

• sec bldg building that has security

• sep separate

• sgl single (one room)

• stu studio (one room with kitchen appliances)

• util utilities (water, electricity and gas)

• yd yard (grass in front or in back)

Unit 1 -7- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 READING CLASSIFIED ADS

Look at the different ads below and answer the questions.

HOLLYWOOD, 2 bdrm furn

apt, lg kit, w/grg, util included,
no pets, adults only. $845 mo.

1. The apartment is in ________________________________________.

2. The kitchen isn’t small; it’s __________________________________.

3. There is a place to park the car because there is a _________________.

4. You do not have to pay for _______________ because they are included.

5. You do not need furniture because the apartment is _______________.

BURBANK, nice furn stu,

new clean bldg, util included.
$925 will move you in.

6. Where is the apartment? ____________________________________

7. Is the building old? ________________________________________

8. Does the tenant need furniture? ______________________________

9. Does the tenant pay extra for utilities? ________________________

10. How much is needed to move in? ____________________________

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -8- Unit 1

 LOS ANGELES, sunny apt.,
2bdrm, 1 1/2 bath, AC, grg,
pool. Nr. schl. Pets ok.
$790 mo. Xtra $35/mo. for
pkg.

11. The apartment is in ____________________________________.

12. The apartment is sunny. This means that is has many _______________.

13. Parking is not included in the rent. It costs an extra _______________.

14. The apartment is good in hot weather because it has _______________

and a ____________________________________.

MONTEREY PARK,
$700. lg. 1 bdrm, stv & frig.
626-893-4567. Fred, after 7:00 pm

15. How much is the rent? ____________________________________

16. What is the phone number? ____________________________________

17. When is a good time to call? ____________________________________

18. Who do you call for information? ____________________________________

19. Are utilities included? ____________________________________

Unit 1 -9- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 READING SIGNS
JAMESTOWN APT,
$900, 2 bdrm, 2 bath,
AC, frpl, sec bldg,
sep grg, nice yd,
call (818) 429-9138
Ask for Nancy.

Write the words for these abbreviations.

1. bath ____________________________________

2. AC ____________________________________

3. frpl ____________________________________

4. sec bldg ____________________________________

5. grg ____________________________________

6. yd ____________________________________

Answer these questions using the information on the sign.

7. How much is the rent? ____________________________________

8. What city is the apartment in? ____________________________________

9. What’s the phone number? ____________________________________

10. Who do you ask for? ____________________________________

11. Is there a place to park your car? ____________________________________

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -10- Unit 1

 READING SIGNS

Room for Rent

MONTEBELLO, $150
util included, prvt bath,
lndry & new kit, unfurn,
(213) 728-9134, eves only

Write the words for these abbreviations.

1. util ____________________________________

2. prvt ____________________________________

3. lndry ____________________________________

4. kit ____________________________________

5. unfurn ____________________________________

Answer these questions using the information on the sign.

6. How much is the rent? ____________________________________

7. Are the utilities included? ____________________________________

8. Is the bathroom shared or private? ____________________________________

9. Is the rent expensive? ____________________________________

10. Is there furniture in the room? ____________________________________

Unit 1 -11- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 MARTA APPLIES FOR THE APARTMENT

Read the story and answer the questions with complete sentences.
After Marta fills out the application for rent, Ivan looks it over and asks her a few
questions.

Ivan: “Your husband Jose, what does he do?”

Marta: “He’s a gardener.”
Ivan: “And you, what do you do?”
Marta: “I’m a mother and a housewife. I’m also a student. I’m studying auto
mechanics.”
Ivan likes Marta, and he thinks she’s a responsible person and probably a good
tenant. He tells her that he needs to check her credit and references. If there are no
problems, they can probably move in this weekend.

1. What does Jose do for a living?

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Why is Marta so busy?

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Does Ivan need to check Marta’s credit and references?

_____________________________________________________________________

4. When can Jose and Marta move in?

_____________________________________________________________________

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -12- Unit 1

 MARTA GETS THE APARTMENT

At Rosalba’s apartment, Marta and Rosalba wait for Ivan’s telephone call. They
hope that the application was OK. Finally, the telephone rings. It’s Ivan, and he tells
Marta that everything is fine and she and Jose can have the apartment. When Marta hangs
up, she is very excited. Rosalba is happy for Marta. Rosalba loves her sister, but she and
Roberto will be happy to have their apartment to themselves.
When Jose comes home from work, Marta tells him the good news. He’s glad, but
he thinks it’s too much money. Marta thinks they can afford it and, of course, Marta knows
best. So, they decide to move in this weekend.

1. Where are Marta and Rosalba?

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Who calls Marta on the telephone?

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Do Jose and Marta get the apartment?

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Does Jose think the apartment is too expensive?

_________________________________________________________________________
5. Who is more confident about paying the rent, Jose or Marta?

_________________________________________________________________________

Unit 1 -13- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

PRESENT PAST
Tanya plays soccer every day. Tanya played soccer yesterday.

Compare the sentences.

PRESENT PAST

• I cook lunch every day. I cooked lunch yesterday.

• Juan watches TV every morning. He watched TV last night.

• Jin Lee studies English every day. She studied English last year.
• Maria and Carolina wash their They washed their clothes
clothes on Saturdays. last Sunday.

• Luna listens to the radio every day. She listened to the radio last week.

• Fred cleans his house every week. He cleaned his house last Monday.

• Joe and I work in Texas every summer. We worked in Oregon last summer.

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -14- Unit 1

 THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

I yesterday
You last night
He last week
She worked two days ago
It two weeks ago
We this morning
They yesterday morning

Note:
study > studied wrap > wrapped live > lived
carry > carried stop > stopped dance > danced

Change these sentences to the simple past tense.

Ex: Alicia plays cards on Saturdays. played
Alicia ______________ cards last Saturday.

1. Dina listens to music every night. She _______________ to music last night.

2. Joe and Mary watch TV every day. They __________________ TV yesterday.

3. We paint the house every 5 years. We ______________ the house 4 years ago.

4. I wash the windows once a week. I _______________ the windows last week.

5. Sam studies Spanish at the adult school. He _____________ Spanish two years ago.

6. The train stops in Fresno every day. It _________________ in Fresno yesterday.

7. John fixes his car every month. He _________________ his car last month.

8. Habib cleans his room every morning. He ______________ his room this morning.

9. I cook dinner at home every night. I _____________ dinner at home last night.

10. Tina and Tuy dance on Fridays. They _____________________ last Friday.

Unit 1 -15- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 FOCUSED LISTENING WORKSHEET

Watch the video section called “Focused Listening.”

Then circle the correct answer in each group.

SCENE 1
What caused the problem?
1. Marta and Jose had too much furniture.
2. Marta and Ivan hadn’t set a specific day to move in.
3. Marta and Jose wanted to suprise Ivan.

SCENE 2
What caused the problem?
1. Marta didn’t tell Ivan that the light should be fixed right away.
2. Ivan didn’t feel like doing the work.
3. Jose forgot to tell Marta that he was going to install a new light fixture.

SCENE 3
What caused the problem?
1. Ivan parked his car wherever he wanted.
2. Jose preferred parking on the street.
3. Jose didn’t know where his parking space was.

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -16- Unit 1

 UNIT 1 TEST

Circle the best answer.

1. If you want to rent this apartment, you’ll have to _____________ an application.
a. fill out
b. apologize
c. find out

2. _______________ are included. You don’t have to pay for electricity, water & gas.
a. Telephones
b. Food
c. Utilities

3. Mr. Martinez owns this apartment. He’s the ____________________.

a. tenant
b. landlord
c. doorman

4. I live in this apartment. I am the ___________________.

a. tenant
b. landlord
c. doorman

5. Before you move in, you must pay the first and last months’ rent as well as the ____________.
a. utilities
b. security deposit
c. landlord

6. A good place to look for an apartment is in ________________________ of the newspaper.

a. the front page
b. the sports section
c. the classified ads

7. If there’s an apartment you like, you should call the manager to make an _________________
to see it.
a. appointment
b. plan
c. date

Unit 1 -17- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

 UNIT 1 TEST

8. When you see furn in an ad, that means the apartment ________________.
a. needs furniture
b. has furniture
c. wants furniture

9. If you want a balcony in your apartment, you need to look for ___________ in the ad.
a. dep
b. bach
c. balc

10. There are different kinds of apartments: a one bedroom, a studio, and a ___________.
a. villa
b. balcony
c. bachelor

11. Marco _____________ English every morning before he goes to work.

a. study
b. studying
c. studies

12. Yesterday morning, Marco _______________ English before work.

a. studied
b. studying
c. studies

13. Maria and Jose ______________ their apartment every weekend.

a. clean
b. cleaning
c. cleans

14. Last Sunday, they ________________ their apartment.

a. clean
b. cleaned
c. cleaning

15. John ____________ to New York last year.

a. move
b. moved
c. moveed

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -18- Unit 1

 UNIT 1 TEST

16. I ____________ to New York every month.

a. traveling
b. traveled
c. travel

17. The train ______________ at Fresno yesterday.

a. stopped
b. stoped
c. stops

18. Ivan ______________ many heavy packages yesterday afternoon.

a. carryed
b. carried
c. carries

19. We _______________ dinner at 6:00 pm last night.

a. cook
b. cookked
c. cooked

20. Kerry and Robert __________________ to the theater last night.

a. walk
b. walked
c. walking

Unit 1 -19- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)

Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10) -20- Unit 1
 UNIT 1
STUDENT ANSWER KEY

VOCABULARY (page 5) READING SIGNS (page 11)

1. on time 1. utilities
2. see about / look for 2. private
3. rent, security deposit
3. laundry
4. renting / excited about
5. make sure, move in 4. kitchen
6. application 5. unfurnished
7. apologize 6. It’s $150.00.
8. utilities 7. Yes, they are.
9. landlord, tenant 8. It’s private.
9. No, it isn’t.
READING CLASSIFIED ADS (pages 8 & 9)
10. No, there isn’t.
1. Hollywood
2. large
THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE (page 15)
3. garage
1. listened
4. utilities
2. watched
5. furnished
3. painted
6. It’s in Burbank.
4. washed
7. No, it isn’t.
5. studied
8. No, the tenant doesn’t.
6. stopped
9. No, the tenant doesn’t.
7. fixed
10. It’s $925.00.
8. cleaned
11. Los Angeles
9. cooked
12. windows
10. danced
13. $35.00 a month
14. air conditioning, pool
FOCUSED LISTENING (page 16)
15. It’s $700.00.
1. 2
16. It’s 626-893-4567
2. 1
17. Call after 7:00 pm.
3. 3
18. Call Fred.
19. No, they aren’t.

READING SIGNS (page 10)

1. bathroom
2. air conditioning
3. fireplace
4. building that has security
5. garage
6. yard
7. It’s $900.00.
8. It’s in Jamestown.
9. It’s (818) 429-9138.
10. Ask for Nancy.
11. Yes, there is.

Unit 1 -21- Putting English To Work 2 (rev. 10/10)