Maturita Card: Housing and Living
Vocabulary Pair Discussion
Places: city / town / village / the capital / Imagine that you have just moved from
the countryside / the town centre (BrE)/ your current home into your dream home
downtown (AmE) / the outskirts of / anywhere in the world, and you are describing
the suburbs of / housing estate (BrE) the differences to a friend. Your partner
Houses: flat (BrE)/apartment (AmE) / block should ask questions for more detail. Talk
of flats (BrE)/apartment building (AmE) / about the neighbourhood you used to live
one-room flat/bedsit (BrE)/studio apartment in and what’s different or better about your
(AmE) / three-bedroom flat/apartment / new home.
terrace house (BrE) / detached house (BrE) / * You can find a sample dialogue
on the November 2017 CD.
semi‑detached house (BrE)
Rooms: bedroom / living room / dining room / Language for Describing a Place
kitchen / kitchenette / bathroom / toilet/ I live in… / The neighbourhood is…
lavatory/loo (BrE) / hall (BrE)/entryway (AmE) /
study / office / loft / attic / basement / cellar / My flat/house has… / There is/are…
balcony / patio / garden• / yard• (AmE) / garage Across the street / nearby / next to / close
Style of Living: to live with parents/ to / opposite / just past / on the other side of
flatmates (BrE)/roommates (AmE) / to live the street / on the corner…
alone/on my own / to have your own house/ Not far from us, there is/are…
flat / to rent a flat This area looks like / reminds me of…
Describing Your Neighbourhood: quiet /
family-friendly / vibrant / noisy / posh Language & Culture Point
(BrE) / run‑down / full of greenery / there In the US, the yard is the area of grass
is/are… a lot of shops / restaurants / local next to a house. A US garden has flowers
facilities / a school / clinic / (football) stadium / or vegetables. (You tell kids to go and play
playground / sports centre / police station / in the yard. You tell them not to play in
bus/tram stop / underground (BrE)/subway the garden.) In the UK, a yard is usually
(AmE)/ train station / car park (BrE)/parking a paved area in an industrial area. A UK
lot (AmE) / busy roads / good public transport garden has grass, flowers and/or vegetables.
Personal Questions
• Where do you live? “My house/flat... is big / small / full of light / has two
• What kind of house do you live bedrooms and a living room / is on the fifth floor...”
in? “There are... / The living room is the largest room / faces
• What rooms are there in your south / has a balcony... / In my room, I have a table /
house? Can you describe them? a wardrobe / a wooden floor… / In the garden, there is
a pool / flower bed...”
• Who do you live with?
“I share the house/flat with my parents / my grandparents... /
• What’s your neighbourhood
One day I’d like to rent a flat / live on my own...”
like?
“My neighbourhood is... / There are a lot of... / I like that
• Where is the nearest...?
there is a(n)... / There’s not much to do... / The public
transport is good/bad around here because... /
“I live in... / near... / just outside... /
The problem is that there are no...”
in the centre of... / on the outskirts
of... / It is a tiny village / “It’s on the corner of [x] and [y] streets / next to the park /
medium‑sized town / the largest close to my school / across the road from the police
city in...” station / not far from here / just past the supermarket...”
November 2017
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