Describe your house!

 

Part 1:

Introducing where you live

Vocabularies:

Types of houses

An attached house

A detached house

Apartment/ Flat

Apartment building/ block of flats = Condominium /ˌkɑːndəˈmɪniəm/ = condo

Penthouse

Duplex /ˈduːpleks/

Studio apartment = bedsit

Bungalow /ˈbʌŋɡəloʊ/

Villa

Palace /ˈpæləs/

Locations:

Be located in = Be situated in

Example:

My house is located in Phan Thiet city

The suburbs /ˈsʌbɜːrb/ = suburban area 

Example:

I live in the suburbs/ suburban area

City center

In the heart of the city

Outside the city

On the outskirts of the city

Village

Countryside

Part 2:

Describing the inside of your home

Types of rooms:

Bedroom

Guest bedroom

Living room - sitting room

Kitchen

Dining room

Game room

Bathroom

Basement /ˈbeɪsmənt/

Nursery /ˈnɜːrsəri/

Home Office

Playroom

Library /ˈlaɪbreri/ - Reading room

Home gym room

Storage room /ˈstɔːrɪdʒ/

Utility room /juːˈtɪləti/

Study room

Garage /ɡəˈrɑːdʒ/

Other vocabularies:

Driveway /ˈdraɪvweɪ/

Alley /ˈæli/

Front door # Back door

Doorbell

Hallway/ Hall /ˈhɔːlweɪ/

Corridor /ˈkɔːrɪdɔːr/

Roof /ruːf/

Rooftop /ˈruːftɑːp/

Elevator (US)/ lift (UK) /ˈelɪveɪtər/

Escalator /ˈeskəleɪtər/

Ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

Floor - First floor/ second floor/ third floor...

Balcony /ˈbælkəni/

Staircase/ stairs /ˈsterkeɪs/

Upstairs # Downstairs

Wall

Wallpaper

Window

Yard /jɑːrd/

Attic /ˈætɪk/

Furniture

Armchair /ˈɑːrmtʃer/

Cupboard /ˈkʌbərd/

Desk/ table

Bunk bed

Double bed # Single bed

Double bed

Single bed

Dressing table

Sofa

Sofa-bed

Stool

Mirror /ˈmɪrər/

Clock

Coat stand /ˈkoʊt stænd/

Coffee table

Bedside table

Bookcase/ bookshelf

Chair

Alarm clock: /əˈlɑːrm klɑːk/

Television

Lamp

Wardrobe /ˈwɔːrdroʊb/

Part 3:

What do you like and dislike about your home

Adjectives to describe a house/ apartment

Positive adjectives: (What you like about your home)

• Big
• Beautiful
• Comfortable
• Cosy
• Huge
• Homely
• Large
• Wooden
• Safe
• Nice
• Pleasant
• Fashionable
• Lovely
• Quiet/ peaceful
• New
• Modern
• Ordinary/ regular
• Spacious
• Simple
• Amazing
• Solid
• Tidy
• Clean
• Fully furnished
• Cosy
• Light
• Warm
• Cool
• Convenient for

Example:

My house has 2 spacious bed rooms, a large kitchen with a comfortable dining table, a cozy living room  with big windows and a small but but beautiful garden.

My apartment has 2 small bed rooms, 1 nice living room with a very big smart TV, 2 clean bath rooms, a tidy kitchen and a very nice balcony with a lovely view.

Negative adjectives: (What you don’t like about your home)

Small

Noisy

Dark

Ugly

Old

Uncomfortable

Inconvenient

Stuffy

Old fashioned

Tiny

Example:

I love my cosy apartment but sometimes it’s very noisy because there’s a restaurant downstairs

Idioms:

Hustle and bustle

Example:

I really like the hustle and bustle of Sai Gon, but sometimes I love to escape to the countryside for a couple of days.

Part 4: Saying who you live with

I live with

my family/ husband/ wife...

my room mates/ friends...

by myself/ alone

Example:

I live in a shared house. I have 4 flatmates

Part 5:

Talking about your neighborhood

My neighborhood/ surrounding is

quiet

lively

trendy

boring

Are there many shops/ cafes/ bars/ restaurants...?

Are there parks/ sports facilities...?

Example:

I live in a lively area in the city center. There’re lots of cafes, shops and places to go

I live in a quiet neighborhood in the suburb. It’s a new area and it’s nice but also quite boring. There isn’t really anything to do

How about your neighbors?

They are:

friendly

helpful

good

nice

kind

caring

talkative

indifferent

More vocabularies:

To arrange

Example:

I often arrange my house twice a year.

To decorate

Example:

I enjoy decorating the Christmas tree

Convenient (adj)

Location (noun)

Neighbor (noun) - neighborhood

To argue /ˈɑːrɡjuː/ = To quarrel /ˈkwɑːrəl/

Example:

Do you often argue with your neighbors?

To get along with someone

Example:

I really get along with everyone in my family, I don’t often argue with them.

A dream house

Pet (noun)

To plant flowers and trees in the garden

To raise - To raise fish

Mini swimming pool

Basket ball court

Ping pong table

Bad - worse - the worst

To be homesick (carsick/ seasick/ airsick/ lovesick)

Example:

When I was a university student, I had to move to Sai Gon and I was so homesick for the very first few months.

To design

Interior /ɪnˈtɪriər/ (adjective) # Exterior

Landscape

Ideal (adj) /aɪˈdiːəl/

Example:

What's your ideal house?

Atmosphere (noun)

Pure air

Facilities /fəˈsɪləti/ (noun)

Scenic /ˈsiːnɪk/ (adj)

To hold a party = to throw a party

Example:

I love to throw a party with my friends and family sometimes.

Refrigerator /rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪtər/ = fridge

Electric stove /stoʊv/

Sink (n)

A woody table

A lovely view

Warm up conversations:

Conversation 1:

Rufus: Do you live in a house? or an apartment?

Angel: I live in a house.

Rufus: Is it an attached or a detached house?

Angel: It’s an attached house

Rufus: Where is your house?

Angel: It’s in the suburb

Rufus: Is your house small or big?

Angel: It’s a small house

Rufus: How many rooms are there in your house?

Angel: There’re 5 rooms in my house/ My house has 5 rooms.

They are 2 bed rooms, 1 living room, 2 bath rooms, 1 kitchen and a small garden.

Rufus: What’s your favorite room?

Angel: My favorite room is my bed room

Rufus: Why do you like it?

Angel: I like my bed room because it’s very quiet and peaceful. The color of my bed room is white and I love it. The decoration/ design is quite nice. There’s a big window in my bed room, I can see the garden view from the window and I can hear the birds singing in the very early morning. I often relax in my bed room like listening to music, watching movies, reading books before I sleep.

Rufus: Who do you live with?

Angel: I live with my parents.

Rufus: What do you like and dislike about your house?

Angel: My house is quite simple and old fashioned, but it’s very cozy, comfortable and tidy

Rufus: How about your neighborhood?

Angel: My neighborhood is quiet and boring, sometimes it’s noisy because my neighbors hold parties and sing karaoke. However, my neighbors are very friendly and helpful. We get along with them and never argue.

Conversation 2:

Troy: Do you live in a house or an apartment?

Hana: I live in an apartment

Troy: What kind of apartment do you live in?

Hana: I live in a studio apartment/ one bed room apartment/ 2 bed rooms apartment...

Troy: Where is your apartment?

Hana: It’s in the city center.

Troy: Is it big or small?

Hana: It’s a big apartment. It’s about 100 square meters.

Troy: How many rooms are there in your apartment?

Hana: There’re 6 rooms in my apartment. They are 2 bed rooms, 1 living room, 2 bath rooms, 1 kitchen, 1 dinning room and a very nice balcony.

Troy: What’s your favorite room?

Hana: My favorite room is the dinning room

Troy: Why do you like it?

Hana: I like my the dinning room because my family often have breakfast/ lunch or dinner together, we share anything about study, hobbies, job, travel...together. My mom always cook very delicious food for everyone and we usually have a lot of fun together.

Troy: Who do you live with?

Hana: I live by myself

Troy: What do you like and dislike about your apartment?

Hana: My apartment is very new and modern, but it’s small and noisy sometimes.

Troy: How about your neighborhood?

Hana: My neighborhood is lively and interesting, there’re many shops and coffeeshops around. There’s a park nearby and I often go there on the weekends. My neighbors are not really friendly but they are kind, they are ready to help me if I have any problems.

Warm up questions - Describe your house:

1. Do you live in a house or an apartment? ->Do you live in a house or an apartment? -> I Live in ...
2. How many rooms are there in your house? How many rooms are there in your house? -> There are ...
3. What is your favorite room in your house? Why? -> What is your favorite room in your house? Why? -> My favorite room is... /I like it because...
4. Do you like the location of your home? Why? ->Do you like the location of your home? Why? -> Yes/ No because...
5. What is the color of your front door?
6. Which room do you spend most of the time in?
7. What are in your bedroom? What are in your bedroom? There’s a single bed, a bedside table, a small table...
8. What do you like about your home? What don't you like?
9. Who do you live with? Who do you live with? I live with ...
10. Do you do housework? What housework do you usually do? Do you do housework? What housework do you usually do? I often clean/ sweep the floors, do the dishes, do the laundry...
11. Do you like to keep pets in your home? Why? Do you like to keep pets in your home? Why? -> Yes/ No because...
12. Do you have a nice garden at your home?
13. Do you plant flowers and trees in your garden?
14. Do you help your mother/father to water those plants/flowers?
15. Do you raise fish in your home? If so, what type of fish?
16. Do you have a mini swimming pool in your home? A basket ball court? or A ping pong table?...
17. What does your living room look like?
18. What is your dream house?

Further practice by answering these following questions:

1. How are your neighbors? -> How are your neighbors? -> They are kind/ friendly/ nice/ helpful/ useful/ talkative/ lovely...
2. Do you get along well with your neighbors?
3. What things in your home can't you live without? ->What things in your home can't you live without? -> I can’t live without...
4. Draw/describe your dream house (money is no problem) where, materials, design, interior, landscaping etc
5. Have you ever been homesick?
6. What are your hobbies at home?
7. Can you borrow money from a bank? Is it easy to buy and sell houses?
8. Is it better to rent or buy? Give reasons for your answer.
9. Make a list of the 10 most important things you would look for when choosing a house to live in.
10. Which are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a small house/flat/apartment? And living in a big one?
11. Do you like being at home alone?
12. What are the differences between a house and a home?
13. Are you a stay-at-home person or a going-out person?
14. Do you or would you like to own your own home?
15. Do you get jealous of other people’s homes?
16. Would you like to work at home?

Example 1:

I live in a 2 floor house. It has 2 bedrooms, a living room, a small kitchen and a garden. It’s cosy and convenient for getting to work/ school, but it’s a bit cramped, especially when we have guests. I live with my wife and daughter. Our house is near the city center, in a quiet neighborhood. There isn’t much to do, but there are some small shops and a park where we go if the weather’s nice.

Example 2:

I live by myself in a studio apartment. It has just one main room, with a tiny kitchen. It’s very warm in winter, but it can get a bit stuffy in summer. I live in the city center, very close to everything. It’s very lively, with lots of bars and restaurants. It’s a good place for young people to live, but not many families choose to live here.

Example 3:

Hello, today I'm going to talk to you about my house. My house is in London. It is a detached house.

Downstairs there's a utility room where we keep the washing machine, the drier and a freezer. Also downstairs there's a kitchen, living room and a bathroom. The kitchen is quite big, it has a dining table where we eat, so we don't have a separate dining room. There's the living room, where we usually sit and watch TV.

We have a nice garden, we usually sit and look at the garden and watch the wildlife in the garden. Even though we live in a city our garden has chickens, ducks, rabbits, squirrels and lots of different birds.

Upstairs there are two big bedrooms, two small bedrooms, a bathroom and a study where my husband has his computer and where he works. We moved to this house in the year 2000 and we are quite happy here. It's near the station and very convenient for the shops. What about your house? What's it like.

Example 4:

For now, I’m living in an apartment with my two other friends. It is right in the heart of the city with a lot of hustle and bustle. At night the streets are crowded with people from all over the city. It’s not very spacious but there is enough room for me to study. However, this is not my dream house.

To be honest, the location and the surroundings of my dream house is very important. I’ve always been fascinated by mountains and the clean cool air. I’d feel positive and lively to wake up looking outside at the windows and there are magnificent range of mountains and the chilling atmosphere. In this respect, I imagine my dream house to be located somewhere high, far away from the city crowd and pollutions.

To describe my house regarding the design, I want it to be as simple as possible. I’m not into fancy and modern type of architecture, something simple and functional should just be perfect. It would be a Cottage with one bedroom, a living room and a bathroom. The living room should be the biggest one, it’s where all of my entertainment activities alone or with my friend take place. There will also be trees and plant decorated around the house.