Outcomes Advanced p 13. City Living. Extra Speaking

Sample questions: 

· What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a vast overpopulated metropolis? And in a secluded village far from any big cities?

· Do you think of yourself as being a thoughtful and considerate neighbour? Do you keep your noise levels down in the evening and early morning? Have you ever resorted to making noise to disturb your neighbour on purpose?

· With the cost of energy increasing considerably, what are the major implications when building a house?

· What are the benefits and drawbacks of some dwellings you know?

· Can you think of a building that you would regard as a blot on the landscape? Why? What would you do about it?

· Do you agree with the proverb "home is where the heart is"? Discuss.

· The term inner city is used to describe lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas. Can you compare and contrast this concept with Spanish cities?

Mock exams:

Services

Homes and housing

 Housing

 Cities

Housing Problems

 

Extra vocabulary:

Housing and Leasing Vocabulary 

·         Amenities: The features and services offered by an apartment or building. This may include things like on-site laundry facilities, parking, fitness centre, bike room, extra storage, childcare centre, playground, and community room.

·         Bachelor pad: a house or flat/apartment in which a man who is not married enjoys a lifestyle without family responsibilities

·         Condo or condominium: An apartment that is owned by an individual in a building, with the common areas of the complex shared among all condo owners. Many condo owners rent out their units, either through a management company or listing site, or through classified ads.

·         Credit Check: Landlords will review a potential tenant’s credit history through one of several credit rating agencies before approving a rental application. This provides the landlord with an understanding of your financial history. You need to give written consent which permits the landlord to check your credit, but almost all applications will require this.

·         Credit Report: This is the report prepared by the credit rating agencies. It will describe your personal credit history – whether you have made bill and debt repayments on time, have delinquent accounts, or have been sued. This report gives the landlord information about a potential tenant’s trustworthiness.

·         Eviction: A legal process to remove a tenant from a rental unit because the tenant has violated the rental agreement by damaging the property, failing to pay rent, etc.

·         Full Bath: A bathroom which includes a toilet, sink, and bathtub or shower. A “Half Bathroom,” on the other hand, has a toilet and sink but no shower.

·         Furnished Apartment: An apartment that comes with basic furniture such as a bed, sofa, kitchen table and chairs, etc.

·         Guest House: a homeowner sometimes has a smaller structure behind or next to their property that can be used as a private living space. Size and features vary. Sometimes the guest house is a converted garage or pool house.

·         Landlord: The person or company who offers a property they own or manage for rent. This may be the owner of the building, a property manager hired by the owner to rent his/her apartment, or an individual renting out their home or condominium.

·         Lease (Leasing Agreement): A written legal contract between a landlord and a tenant stating the dates, cost, rules, and other terms of the rental agreement for a predetermined length of time. A lease must be in writing to be valid.

·         Lessee: A tenant under a lease (i.e., you as the renter).

·         Lessor: One who grants a lease (the landlord).

·         Loft apartments: An open-plan apartment, often with large windows and high ceilings, often created from an old industrial property, such as a factory or warehouse.

·         One Bedroom Efficiency: a large single that has been converted into a one bedroom by dividing the room with doors. An efficiency should be smaller and cheaper than a normal one bedroom.

·         One Bedroom: a one-bedroom apartment that can be for one person or shared. Some students choose to use the living area as a second bedroom.

·         Rental period: Can refer either to the length of time between rent payments (usually one month), or to the length of the lease.

·         Renter's Insurance: Insurance protecting the tenant in case of damage or loss due to fire, flood, or theft. Agreements usually include clauses covering injury to a guest or visitor. Some leases will require you to secure renter’s insurance. The landlord’s insurance will not cover your belongings.

·         Security Deposit: A deposit, often equal to one month’s rent, is sometimes required at the start of the rental agreement against any damages/losses that might occur while you live in the unit. This amount should be returned to you at the end of your lease agreement if all the terms of the lease have been met.

·         Single or Studio: a single room apartment with a small kitchen and a bathroom.

·         Square Feet: All measurements will be given in feet and inches (indicated with ‘ and “), with total size indicated with square feet (SF or another abbreviation may be used). 600 SF is about 56 square meters; 900 SF is about 84 square meters.

·         Studio: An apartment which is composed of a single room and a bathroom. The main room functions as the kitchen, living room and bedroom. Usually appropriate only for one person.

·         Sublease or Sublet: A lease by a tenant to a third party (sublessee or sublettor), usually renting all or part of the rental property for a shorter term than the tenant’s term while still maintaining full responsibility to the landlord. This may occur if, for example, you rent out your apartment to someone else for the summer.

·         Tenant: A person who rents or leases a rental unit from a landlord. (Also known as a lessee.)

·         Termination: The ending of a rental agreement by either party.

·         Townhouse: a private home or very spacious and luxurious apartment that sometimes has it's own laundry, pool and recreational facilities.

·         Utilities: Utilities include basic services like electricity, natural gas, heat, and water. You may also want other services, such as internet, cable television, or telephone. Ask your landlord which you will need to sign up for. Depending upon your building, the heat may be included, or may be powered by gas or electricity, and the same is true for your appliances and other items.

·         Warranty of Habitability: The warranty of habitability implies that the tenants have the right to live in a safe, healthy and clean apartment, which does not have a negative impact on their welfare.

Building and rooms

·         Apartment complex: Several buildings that have many apartments and are located beside of one another. These buildings are owned by the same company or person. (noun)

·         Attic: A storage space located under the roof of a house. Not every house has an attic. (noun)

·         Back/front door: A door located at the back/front part of a house. (noun)

·         Basement: A room under a house. Not every house has a basement. (noun)

·        Bathtub: a large, long container that you put water in and then get into to wash your whole body

·         Brick: A material used to build houses and fireplaces. You can find them in different colours but the most common is red. (noun)

·         Cabinets: Small storage spaces with doors. These are usually located in the kitchen. E.g. Kitchen cabinets (noun)

·         Carpet: A soft, warm covering for floors. It is different from a rug because it cannot be moved easily and it covers all of the floor space in a room. (noun)

·         Ceiling: The top or highest part of a room that connects to all of the walls. (noun)

·         Cement: /sɪˈment/ A very hard material that is used to build buildings.

·         Chandelier: A fancy light that hangs from the ceiling. It often has crystals. (noun)

·         Closet: A storage place found in bedrooms and hallways. People hang their clothing inside of it. (noun)

·         Corridor: A narrow path between rooms in a house or apartment (same as hallway). (noun)

·         Counter (also countertop, worktop, work surface) a flat surface in a kitchen for preparing food on.

·         Deck: A wooden floor that is attached to the outside of a house. People often put chairs on it. (noun)

·         Doorbell: A small button that you push to ring a bell inside of a house. (noun)

·         Efficiency apartment: A very small apartment for one person. The same room serves as the kitchen and bedroom. It also has a small bathroom. (noun)

·         Family room: A room used to entertain and socialize. It usually has a television and a sofa. (noun)

·         Fireplace: A place where people can make a fire in the house. It is built into the wall of a room. (noun)

·         Hallway: A narrow path between rooms in a house or apartment (same as corridor). (noun)

·         Laundry room: A room where people wash and dry their clothing. It has a washing machine and a dryer. (noun)

·         Mansion: A very large, fancy and expensive house. (noun)

·         Mantelpiece: (also mantel) a shelf above a fireplace. E.g.  There was a clock on the mantelpiece.

·         Marble: A material used in many houses that is made from stone and has a beautiful swirl pattern. (noun)

·         Master bathroom: The largest and nicest bathroom in a house or apartment. It is usually connected to the master bedroom. (noun)

·         Master bedroom: The largest and nicest bedroom in a house or apartment. (noun)

·         Patio: A flat outdoor space that is attached to the back of some houses. It is often made of cement and is used as an area to relax and enjoy the outdoors. (noun)

·         Screen door: A kind of door that is found in some houses that is made of many tiny metal wires. It keeps insects from coming into the house but allows air flow inside. (noun)

·         Sink: An item usually found in kitchens and bathrooms for washing hands or dishes. It is shaped like a bowl and can hold water. (noun)

·         Sliding glass door: A type of door that is made of clear glass and can be opened and closed by sliding it from side to side. (noun)

·         Spacious: An adjective that means very big and with a lot of space. It is often used to describe large rooms in a house. (noun)

·         Stained glass windows: A fancy kind of window that has a design and coloured glass. (noun)

·         Staircase: A set of steps (one after the other) that are used to go up or down a floor in a house. (noun)

·         Stone: A type of material commonly used in homes that looks like large rocks. (noun)

·         Study: A room that is mainly used for working at a desk or reading. (noun)

·         Tile: A kind of flooring that is smooth and made of many square shaped pieces. (noun)

·         Toilet: An item located in bathrooms that has a seat and water (same as commode). (noun)

·         Walk-in closet: A very large closet found in some expensive homes that is similar to a small room because there is enough space to walk around inside. (noun)

·         Wallpaper: Special paper that has a pattern for decoration and is used to cover the walls in a house or apartment. (noun)

·         Yard: The area of ground around a house. It often has grass and flowers (same as garden) (American English). (noun).  

Yard sale : a sale of things from somebody’s house, held in their yard. 

garage sale /ˈɡærɑːʒ seɪl/ a sale of used clothes, furniture, etc., held in the garage of somebody’s house.

 Idioms about the House and Home

·         a home truth – an uncomfortable truth that you don’t want to hear

·         a house divided cannot stand – an organisation that is divided by internal disagreements will not be able to cope with external pressures

·         build castles in the air - have impossible dreams or plans: "She has this unrealistic idea of sailing around the world. She's building castles in the air again."

·    close to home if a remark or topic of discussion is close to home, it is accurate or connected with you in a way that makes you uncomfortable or embarrassed. E.g. Her remarks about me were embarrassingly close to home

·         eat someone out of house and home - eat a lot of food: "When they stayed with me, they ate me out of house and home!"

·         everything but the kitchen sink- take a lot of things when you go somewhere: "They took everything but the kitchen sink when they went on holiday."

·         get a foot on the housing ladder - manage to buy your first house so that you can buy a bigger second one later: "It's becoming more difficult for young people to get a foot on the housing ladder."

·         get on like a house on fire - get on very well with someone: "Those two get on like a house on fire."

·         get your own house in order - tidy up your own affairs before criticising other people's: "You should get your own house in order before telling me what to do!"

·         have a roof over your head - have somewhere to live: "Unless we find another flat to rent, we won't have a roof over our heads in two months' time!"

·         have a skeleton in the cupboard / in the closet - have an unpleasant secret: "There are a lot of skeletons in their cupboard."

·         home (away) from home – somewhere you are as comfortable as you are in your own home

·         home comforts – the things that make you feel as comfortable as you would be at home

·         home is where the heart is – a home is not a physical place, but where the people you love are

·         lead someone up the garden path - deceive someone: "He really led her up the garden path with his promises of promotion and career advancement."

·         on the house – free, at the management’s expense (usually in reference to a drink or meal at a restaurant or bar)

·         safe as houses – very safe, totally safe

·         throw money down the drain- waste money: "If you ask me, by giving your son all that money, you're really throwing money down the drain."

·         to bring something home to someone – to force someone to realise and accept the full significance of something

·         to drive something home – to insist on or repeat a point until it is clearly understood

·         to feel homesick – to miss home

·     not give something houseroom (British English) to not like something and not want it in your house.

.     go all round the houses (British English, informal) to do something or ask a question in a very complicated way instead of in a simple, direct way. E.g.  You did go all round the houses didn’t you? Why not get straight to the point?

·         hit home: To be fully understood by or strongly affect or resonate with someone. E.g. It wasn't until he was threatened with losing his job that the comments about John's work ethic really hit home. The film has an underlying theme of grief and loss that will hit home with a lot of viewers.

·         to home in on – 1. to move closer towards a target. 2. to direct your thoughts or attention towards something. E.g. I began to feel I was really homing in on the answer. The investigation homed in on the town of Carlton.

·         to keep house – to carry out the tasks necessary for running a household (cooking, cleaning etc.)

·         to make yourself at home – to make yourself comfortable

·         to play house – to pretend to be a family (usually said of children playing)