Everyday English Conversations – Your Home

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Vocabulary & Phrases

Types of Accommodations

House

Apartment

Building

Townhouse

Condominium / Condo

Duplex

Hotel

Motel

Parts of a Building or House

Wall(s)

Ceiling

Floor

Carpet

Window(s)

Door

Room(s)

Bedroom

Bathroom

Kitchen

Living room

Dining room

Utility room

Basement

Balcony

Closet

Foyer

Lobby

Hall(way)

Elevator

Stairs

Roof

Garage

Porch

Steps

Deck

Brick(s)

Wood

Outside a House

Lawn

Garden

Fence

Gate

Sidewalk

Driveway

(Back Yard) Yard

Mailbox

Bird feeder

Birdbath

Swimming Pool

Pool

four-bedroom house

pretty spacious

pretty backyard

two-car garage

two-storey red brick house

semi-detached townhouse

Other

Talking about quality of lifeThese ideas should help you discuss what you enjoy/dislike about your home town.

Living Example sentences

cost of living The cost of living is fairly reasonable.

pace of life There’s a fairly slow pace of life where I come from.

the rat race I moved out to avoid the rat race.

atmosphere It’s got a really relaxed atmosphere.

pollution The air quality is terrible because of the pollution.

Overcrowding Like most places, it suffers from overcrowding.

Poverty You can see poverty everywhere.

Amenities One of the best points is that it has excellent amenities.

sense of community

What I enjoy most is the sense of community there.

notes“the rat race” is a nice idiom for the fast pace of modern city life where no one has the time to sit back and enjoy life

Adjectives to describe towns and cities

Adjectives Example sentences

Quiet / peaceful It’s a fairly quiet place.

Lively / bustling / vibrant

The centre of town is really lively at night.

industrial Of course, it’s quite industrial like most modern cities.

provincial It’s one of the largest provincial cities in the country.

cosmopolitan There’s a really cosmopolitan atmosphere.

green While some parts of it are industrial, it’s still a green city.

historic It’s a fascinating historic old town.

Sleepy / relaxed / dull

Some people might call it sleepy, I find it rather dull.

You will of course need some adjectives too. You should note how I use “fairly” “really” and “quite” to qualify these adjectives

Areas of a cityIf you are asked where you live, you should try and be precise.

notes“the inner city” is normally (in English) associated with poverty – although this will obviously vary from city to city“the outskirts” are the outer parts of a city/town

Areas Example sentences

residential area We live in a residential area on the outskirts of the city.

housing estate There’s a shortage of accommodation so they’re building some new housing estates.

industrial zone Fortunately, the industrial zones are outside the city limits so the pollution isn’t too bad.

suburbs Most people choose to live in the suburbs as it’s much quieter there.

outskirts Most of the superstores are some way from the city centre on the outskirts of the city.

inner city It’s quite a safe place but some of the inner-city areas can be dangerous late at night.

heart of the city I suppose the heart of the city is the main square in the city centre.

neighbourhood The neighbourhood I live in is, I guess, quite affluent.

Dialogues

Describing houses

Notice that the people interviewed describe the outside of the house. What it’s made of, how big it is, what colour it is and whether it’s got a garden.

It’s an old house, probably 100 years old, and it’s got lots of rose bushes and a big back yard with a shed and some fruit trees.

ALEX: A four room, four-bedroom house. It's got a Mediterranean feel; it's kind of got calm, warm colours. It's pretty spacious and it's got a pretty backyard. It's got a two-car garage. A pretty standard house and a lot of the houses on the street all look the same.

I think it was designed by the same architect.

SAM: It's a red brick house, a two-storey red brick house that has a garage and my parent's family room, a family room, my room and my brother's room. And we have a pool, a swimming pool outside and a small garden.

SARAH: It's a semi-detached townhouse, so it's got two bedrooms upstairs and also a study and downstairs I've got the lounge room and the kitchen and a sort of built on dining room onto that. So it's not very big but it's enough.

JUSTIN: It's an old house, probably 100 years old, and it's got lots of rose bushes and a big back yard with a shed and some fruit trees.It's got very high ceilings and wooden floorboards. There's about five bedrooms and a big kitchen and a big lounge room.

MELITA: It's a red brick house, it's got a quite a big front yard, quite a big backyard, has three bedrooms, one bathroom and it's got a top storey as well.

SUSAN: My house is a small white house with a big garden and lots of windows, and lots of doors I guess. It has a big garden.

Todd: OK, Clare we're going to talk about your house.Clare: OK.Todd: OK, do you live in a big house or a small house?Clare: I live in quite a big house.Todd: A big house. Really! Clare: Yea!Todd: OK, how many rooms does it have?Clare: About 12.Todd: Jeez! 12 rooms.Clare: Yeah.Todd: Wow. Is it a new house or old house?Clare: It's about 80 years old.Todd: Wow. OK. I guess. well that's old for America, but that's probably not very old.

Clare: That's not very old for England.Todd: Wow. OK. What is in your kitchen?Clare: A big round table and a cooker.Todd: OK. And what is in the living room?Clare: A TV and a video.Todd: OK. Do you watch TV a lot?Clare: Yes.Todd: OK. Uh, what do you watch on TV?Clare: Anything. I don't really like watching sport.Todd: Oh.Clare: I like watching TV series.Todd: Oh, wow, that's the only thing I like is sportsClare: Some sports are OK. I don't like watching golf, snooker, and sports like that.Todd: Yeah. OK. Great. Thanks.

Don't you have air-conditioning in your apartment?

Alice's apartment is very hot in summer because her apartment does not have air-conditioning. Do you know how she deals with the heat?

Tracey: Don't you have air-conditioning in your apartment? It's sweltering here!Alice: Well, there's air-conditioning. Did you see that window air-conditioner there? The problem is that the window unit is not powerful enough.Tracey: I guess not, huh. Alice: Well, I'm going to move out anyway. The new apartment has central air-conditioning.Tracey: You should've moved out long, long ago.Alice: Well, I had to wait until the lease expired. So.... Tracey: So how can you stand the heat?Alice: Well, I open the windows and...and I've got an electric fan here. It helps a little.

My kitchen sink is clogged up again.

The kitchen sink and the bathtub in Victoria's apartment are clogged. She calls Margaret, the apartment manager for help, but Margaret doesn't seem to care....

Victoria: Hello, is Margaret there?

Margaret: This is she.

Victoria: Hello, Margaret, this is the tenant of Apartment 10. I guess my kitchen sink is clogged up again, and so is the bathtub.

Margaret: Alright, I'll send someone over tomorrow.

Victoria: Uhm, I'd really appreciate it if you would send someone to fix it today. It's really a bother! I can't cook, or take a shower.

Margaret: Fine, I'll be up in a few minutes.

Victoria: Thanks. I appreciate it.

What's wrong with the drain?

Soon after Marie moves into a new apartment, she finds out that the drain is clogged. Her friend Curtis is trying to figure out what has gone wrong.

Curtis: So, what's wrong with the drain?Marie: It's clogged and the water won't go down.Curtis: Let me take a look. You know why? It's clogged with hair. No wonder the water won't go down.Marie: Well, I guess the people who lived here before didn't clean the bathtub.Curtis: You're darn right!Marie: But what should I do now?Curtis: Don't worry. I've got some acid here. It'll help dissolve the hair down there.Marie: Erh! It stinks! Peehew!Curtis: Now you know you'll have to clean your bathtub every time after you use it.

My water faucet is dripping badly.

Heather's apartment must be very old. Soon after she moves in, she finds that the water faucet is dripping badly all the time.

Heather: Gosh! The water faucet is dripping badly again!

Darlean: You're going to have a humongous bill!

Heather: I know. I've got to get it fixed as soon as possible.

Darlean: Don't you want to get it fixed now?

Heather: I wish I could, but I've got to go now. I have an appointment in twenty minutes.

Darlean: Well, if you need anything, just let me know.

Heather: Oh, by the way, can you give me a ride? My car is still in the shop.

Darlean: You sure are having bad luck these days.

I wonder why there is no one on top of this.

Last time, the water faucet in Henry's apartment was dripping badly. This time the water faucet stops dripping. Thing are just getting even worse this time.

Grace: Why is there no water coming out when you turn on the faucet?Henry: Not even a single drop?Grace: Well, it's just drip, drip, drip. But that's still not water.Henry: I don't know. Since last night water pressure has dropped to little more than a drip.Grace: Did you call the apartment manager yet?Henry: Yeah. I called her this morning and she said she'd send someone over.Grace: But how long ago was it?Henry: That was three hours ago!!! Grace: That's outrageous! I just don't understand why they're not on top of this!

He moved out last weekend.

Because the apartment where he lived was noisy, Patrick decided to move out....

Marci: Has Patrick moved out yet?

Karen: Yes. He moved out last weekend. He's now living in a very nice quiet neighborhood.

Marci: I wonder if he's paying more for rent now.

Karen: I don't have the faintest idea. Even so, it's still worth it, isn't it?

Marci: You're right! I think he's probably very glad to leave that noisy apartment.

Karen: Yes, he is. I know that for sure.

Do you have an apartment available?

Blanca makes a phone call to an apartment complex inquiring about the rent...

Blanca: Hello. I'm calling about the apartment you advertised.Manager: Yes. What kind of apartment are you interested in?Blanca: I'm interested in a one-bedroom. Do you have any available?Manager: Yes. I have one. When do you need it?Blanca: Sometime around next week. What can you tell me about this apartment?Manager: Well, it's a one-bedroom apartment. The monthly rent is $650, with a $300 security deposit. You pay electricity only. Gas and water is included. Both the heat and stove are gas. You'll be assigned a sheltered parking space at no extra charge. And...that's probably it.Blanca: Sounds good. May I come over tomorrow to take a look?Manager: Sure. What time would you like to come?Blanca: How about 10 AM?Manager: Good. May I have your name, please?Blanca: My name is Blanca.Manager: Blanca. I'll see you tomorrow.

Even goose bumps have goose bumps.When Liz comes into Ted's office, she feels cold, because Ted has set the thermostat at 65 degrees....

Liz: Geez! Your room is like an ice-box!Terri: No, it's not! It's just comfortable.Liz: Yeah, if you're a penguin. Just look at me! Even my goose bumps have goose bumps!Terri: Get outta here! I think you're exaggerating!Liz: No, I'm not? Where's the thermostat?Terri: By the door, on the wall.Liz: No wonder I'm cold! This thing is set at 65?!Terri: Like I said -- perfect!Liz: If you live in Alaska. By the way, where's the shovel?Terri: Why do you need a shovel?Liz: So I can dig us out when it starts snowing in here.

Can I open the window and get some ventilation?

John and Martha share an office. Martha likes to keep all of the windows close because she is afraid of cold, but John can't stand that.....

John: It's like an oven in here! You must be roasting!

Martha: Actually, I'm just comfortable.

John: You've got to be kidding me. It has to be over 95 degrees in here!

Martha: What can I say? I'm a cold-blooded person. The warmer, the better, as far as I'm concerned.

John: Well, can we at least open a window and get some ventilation in here?

Martha: Knock yourself out.

John: Thanks, I will.