8. What is there around your house?

• in front of the house there is a lawn / a flower bed

• at the back of the house there is a vegetable (kitchen) garden / a patch

• at the side of my house there is a garage / a shed / a barn / a well

• at the other side there is a conservatory / a greenhouse /a hothouse / a garden / a backyard / a playground / a sports ground

• on the top of my house you can see a chimney / a television aerial / an antenna / a satellite dish

• the house is enclosed by a fence / a hedge with a gate / a stile in it

• a path / a drive leads to

9. What are the other parts of the house worth mentioning?

• the roof is made of tiles (slates)

• there is a spacious loft / an attic with a few dormer windows

• there is a skylight / a gutter / a drainpipe

• there is a cellar / a basement which can be used for a lot of purposes (we keep a stepladder, mops and brooms there)

10. What can you see in the premises?

• an arbour

• an orchard

• a court

• a kennel

• a stable

• a hayloft

• a hen-house

• a cowshed

• a pigsty

Exercise 1

Fill in the missing words and phrases in the letter below.

Hello! My name is Zook. Would you like to know where I live? O.K. I live in a a)__________ house which means I have to share it with another family, the Stars. Our street is not very long, but still you can see some b)____________ houses (for well-off people); some c)_______________ houses (built in special rows) and even d)__________ houses (for those who are having a rest). A little bit further there is a big e)__________ having many apartments.

Our house f)________________ stone. I can’t say it is in bad condition. It looks f)__________ and g)_____________.

Unfortunately, the house isn’t situated in the centre of the town, we live on h)____________. It is i)______________ from the city centre, but I don’t feel unhappy, I can enjoy the quietness of the nature in a rather j)__________________ district.

I love my place of living and try to make it more k)_____________ which means people would be amazed by it.

There is enough space for everybody in our house, that’s why I consider it l)_________. It has all modern conveniences, like m)_____________, n)____________ o)_____________ and p)____________.

Speaking about the things outside my house, I can mention a q)_____________ which is at the back of the house. In front, we have a green r)_____________ and several s)______________, abundant with flowers of various kinds.

The house is enclosed by a t)______________ with a u)____________ in it. In general, it looks really v)_____________.

Now you have to know how it looks like. Come to visit me!

Yours, Zook.

Exercise 2

Match the types of dwellings with the correct pictures. Where do you think each type of dwelling can be found? Which one would you like to live in? Which is the most economical and which is the most expensive to keep? Justify your opinion.

s kyscraper block of flats semi-detached house

c ottage mansion detached house

e.g. Skyscrapers are found in large cities. They are rather expensive to maintain because they are usually high-class, luxurious buildings.

Exercise 3

Translate this passage into English:

Сім’я Блейків має власний приватний будинок на околиці Лондона. Він розташований у віддаленій частині, на тихій вулиці, на зручному транспортному маршруті, неподалік – рукою подати до гарного торгового центру і виходить на сільську дорогу. З будинку відкривається чудовий краєвид на річку. Це новий, цегляний, добре спланований, в гарному стані двоповерховий котедж з усіма зручностями. Стіни дому побілені. Будинок має червоний мансардний черепичний дах з декількома слуховими вікнами. Під дахом – просторе горище, на даху розташовані антена, димар і ринви, які разом з дренажними трубами захищають будинок від дощу. В будинку є погреб, який вони використовують для багатьох цілей. Будинок огорожений парканом з воротами. Перед будинком - невеликий зелений лужок та квітник з безліччю квітів. За будинком знаходиться двір, теплиця та город, де сім’я вирощує овочі. Поряд з котеджем – фруктовий садок і бесідка. Ліворуч від дому – гараж, де сім’я Блейків тримає свою машину. З іншого боку знаходиться собача конура, сінник і стайня. Від ганку до воріт веде доріжка з гравію.

Exercise 4