E. Discussing new apartment

Ex. 1. Read and translate the dialogue. Dramatize it in pairs.

- I hear you have moved to a new flat, Steve. Is it true?

- Yes, it is. One of these days we’ll arrange a housewarming party. And I want you and your wife Carol to be present.

• Thank you for the invitation. How do you like your new apartment?

• It is very comfortable. It is a three bedroom apartment with modern conveniences: electric stove and a lot of built-in cupboards.

• On what floor is it?

• Our apartment is on the tenth floor of a high-rise dwelling house. We’ve got two elevators which work round o’clock.

• Is it far from the centre of the city?

• Rather. It takes me about an hour to get to the centre by bus and by metro. If I drive a car, it takes me thirty minutes.

• I see. Have you got new furniture?

• We’ve bought wall units, two armchairs and a new ice-box. We are planning to buy two carpets and a dining-set.

• Good luck!

• Thanks. Are you going to move to a new apartment?

• No, I’m not. We have been living in our two-room apartment for about eight years and we don’t want to move anymore.

• Your apartment is comfortable, isn’t it?

• Yes, very. My wife arranged everything nicely and I like it very much. We don’t have much furniture but we have got everything we need.

• I’m glad to hear it.

Ex. 2. Imagine you’ve moved to a new apartment. Speak with your friend on the topic. Make use of the previous dialogue.

Ex. 3. Think of your favourite room. You are going to tell your partner about it. Choose from the list the things you want to talk about. Think about what you will say.

- Which is your favourite room?

- What do you use it for?

- How is it decorated?

- What sort of furniture does it contain?

- What kind of floor covering does it have?

- What do the windows look out on to?

- What’s the best thing in the room?

- Is it usually tidy?

- Who cleans it?

- Is there anything you’d like to change about it?

- How much time a day do you spend in it?

- In what ways do you think your favourite room reflects your personality?

Ex. 4. Work in pairs. You want to rent out your house/flat. Your partner is a potential tenant. Use the vocabulary below, as well as ideas of your own, to answer his/ her questions.

- Location: in a fashionable district, isolated, in the city centre, easily accessible, in the countryside

- Size: spacious, average, small, family-sized, 1/2 bedroomed

- Cost: affordable, cheap, economical, expensive

- Style: traditional, modern décor, stylish, (semi-)detached, terraced house, cottage, bungalow, villa

- General description: fully-equipped, fully-furnished, cosy, peaceful, easy to maintain, airy, noisy, secure

Ex. 5. Make the conversation.