Vocabulary exercises

Exercise 1. Study the descriptions of the following types of house and translate them into Russian:

1. bedsit: bedroom and living room all in one

2. block of flats: residential building consisting of apartments (flats)

3. bungalow: house with only one storey (no upstairs)

4. cottage: small house in the country or in a village

5. detached house: not joined to any other house

6. semi-detached house (informal: semi-): joined to another house

7. terraced house: joined to several houses to form a row

8. time-share: holiday flat or house where you have the right to live one or two weeks a year

9. villa: large house with big gardens or a rented house in a holiday resort / tourist area.

Exercise 2. Look at the drawings of different kinds of accommodation and say which is which:

1. a block of flats

2. a bungalow

3. a cottage

4. a detached house

5. a semi-detached house

6. terraced houses

1___________________

3___________________

5___________________

2___________________

4___________________

6___________________

What materials do you think the builder used to build them: brick, concrete or stone?

Where would you choose to live if you were:

a) a young couple with three children?

b) a couple without children?

c) a retired couple?

d) a young person living alone?

e) an old person living alone?

Give reasons for your choice.

Exercise 3. Study the descriptions of the following places you can find in the home.

You probably already know the names of most rooms and locations in a typical home. Here are some less common ones and what they are for:

1. attic: room in the roof space of a house (could be lived in);

2. basement: room below ground level, windows, for living / working;

3. cellar: room below ground level, no windows, used for storage;

4. hall: open area as you come into a house;

5. landing: flat area at the top of a staircase;

6. loft: space in the roof of a house usually used only for storage;

7. pantry or larder: large cupboard (usually big enough to walk into) for storing food;

8. porch: covered area before an entrance-door;

9. shed: small building separated from the house usually for storing garden tools;

10. spare room: a room for guests;

11. study: a room for reading / writing / studying in;

12. terrace or patio: paved area between house and garden for sitting and eating, etc.;

13. utility room: usually just for washing machine, freezer, etc.

Exercise 4. Read the descriptions and guess what rooms and locations they are:

1. a room usually used just for washing-machine, freezer, etc.;

2. room in the roof space of a house (could be lived in); the space below the roof and above the top room;

3. space in the roof of a house usually used only for storage;

4. an underground room below ground level, no windows, used for storage;

5. a room below ground level, windows, for living / working;

6. flat area at the top of a staircase;

7. open area as you come into a house;

8. covered area before an entrance-door;

9. a large cupboard (usually big enough to walk into) for storing food;

10. a room for reading / writing / studying in.

Exercise 5. Where in a typical house would you look for the following things?

1. a rake

2. cutlery

3. dental floss

4. a coat-hanger

5. suitcases

6. a tumble-dryer

7. a power point

8. a porch

9. a grater

10. old empty boxes

Exercise 6. Fill in the room and place labels on the plan of the house.

Exercise 7. Look at this house and garden and name each of the numbered features, using the list below.

aerial, back garden, bedroom window, chimney, driveway, fence, flower beds, front door, front garden, garage, gate, greenhouse, ground floor window, hedge, lawn, path, roof, shed, wall

What materials were used for the following? (brick, glass, stone, tiles, wood)

1. the fence

2. the garage

3. the gate

4. the greenhouse

5. the roof

6. the wall

7. the windows

What is the difference between a fence, a hedge and a wall?

Exercise 8. Answer the questions making various substitutions.

1. – What street do you (she, your parents) live in? – In Vasnetzov street / Gogol street / in Rokossovsky Avenue.

2. – What kind of flat have you got? – It’s actually a two-room(ed) flat with all modern conveniences (in a new block of flats, a two-storey(ed) cottage).

3. – What floor is your flat on? – On the ground floor (on the fifth floor).

4. – How does your house face? – Well, it faces south (to the south), so we’ve got a lot of sunshine (little sunshine).

5. – What does your window face (look down on)? – It faces the park (the lake, the valley) and we have a lovely (wonderful) view from the windows.

6. – Have you got a room to yourself (a room of your own), Pete? – No, I share it with my younger brother.

7. – Are you lucky enough to have a single room in the hall of residence, Jim? – No, I have to room together with my fellow-student.

8. – Do you live in the hall of residence or take a room? – As a matter of fact I take a room in a three-room flat (live in digs).

9. – Do you have to pay much for your room (a high rent)? – Yes, the rent is very high (the rent is awful, but it can’t be helped). It’s very expensive to live in digs. (No, the room is fairly cheap; the rent is reasonable, actually).

10. – Is there much furniture in your sitting-room? – No, only the most necessary pieces. We’ve got a sofa, two comfortable armchairs, a table and a book-case.

11. – Is there anything on the window (across the window)? – Yes, certainly. There are beautiful silk curtains (nylon, gaily coloured curtains). They make the room very cosy (lovely).

12. – Have you got a telephone (a balcony, a chute, a lift, a built-in wardrobe / cupboard)? – Certainly, and it’s very convenient, you know.

13. – What’s there opposite the piano (to the right of the TV-set; on the left)? – Well, there’s a very comfortable settee (a divan-bed, a sofa).

14. – Is there anything on the wall, over the sofa? – There’s a beautiful tapestry (a lovely watercolour, an oil painting).

Exercise 9. Use the following models in the dialogues of your own and role-play them.

1. – Do you live in digs? – Yes, I take a room in a three-room flat, actually.

2. – Do you have to pay much for your room? – Yes, the rent is very high. It’s hard to find good lodgings at a low price nowadays, isn’t it?

3. – I hear you live at your relatives’, don’t you? – No, I don’t. I rent a room from my mother’s acquaintance.

4. – What does your window face? – It faces a public garden. – Oh, how nice! Green is always pleasant to one’s eyes, isn’t it? – On the one hand it is, but on the other… there’s a children’s corner just opposite my window, you know.

5. – That wall looks quite bare. Why not place the bookcase there? – Oh, that’s a good idea. Let’s try to do it right now.

6. – Are you living out? – No, I prefer living in a hall of residence. I haven’t got enough money to rent a room.

7. – I hear you are moving, aren’t you? – Yes, we’ve received a new three-room flat. I hope you’ll drop in some day, won’t you? – Surely I will.

8. – How do you find my new cupboard? – It looks beautiful. And it doesn’t seem to take much room, does it?

9. – Do you like the flat, dear? – Yes, very much, it’s comfortable and well-planned. And it’s good luck we have a telephone. – Yes, it’s convenient, indeed.

10. – Susan hasn’t got much furniture in her room, but she’s got plenty of books. Look, some of them are quite rare. – Can I have a look at the books? – Certainly. On these shelves she keeps English classics and in the bookcase opposite you’ll find Russian novelists of the 19^th century.

11. – Is David pleased with his lodgings? – Yes, he managed to find a good room very close to the University.

12. – Where are you living? – In a hall of residence so far, but I’d like to rent a room actually. I’ve already found one not far from the University.

Read about living in a block of flats.

I live in a block of flats. My brother lives on the ground floor, and I have a flat on the third floor. Unfortunately there is no lift, so I have to climb three flights of stairs to reach my flat. But I do have a balcony with a wonderful view of the park opposite the flats.

Note: Steps are usually outside a building or inside a public building; they are stone or wooden. Stairs (pl) connect floors inside a building and are often covered with a carpet.

Learn how to describe a flat or a house.

The rooms on the ground floor are quite dark (≠ light) because they don’t get (= receive) very much sun. They are also quite noisy (≠ quiet) because they are near the roads and the traffic. The other negative thing is that the rooms are draughty (= cold air comes into the room through the windows and under the doors because they don’t fit very well). This means it is expensive to heat the rooms (= to keep the rooms warm). Fortunately I have a very good central heating system. In other ways, it is also very nice: it’s in good condition (= in a good state / doesn’t need to be repaired; ≠ in bad condition), and the rooms are huge/ enormous (= very, very big; ≠ tiny / very, very small).

♦ Listening