C1 Topic 6 House & Home

House & Home

Nina Dearle

By PresenterMedia.com

Topic 6

Our feet may leave, but not our hearts

Vocabulary Work

Vocabulary in Use (Upper Intermediate)

40 At Home41 Everyday Problems50 TownsVocabulary in Use (Advanced)

23 Homestyles, Lifestyles35 Buildings in Metaphors

Why do we use the passive voice?

Yesterday Yesterday at 6 Now (3 p.m.) Tomorrow at 10

hang door mend roof paint door carpet dining-room

plaster kitchen

replace windows

decorate hall paint windows

mend gate paint gate rewire house paper lounge

Using the information in the chart, answer the questions below. Do not use expressions of time in your answers.

You are going to hear two people talking about the language used by estate agents. Listen and find out how a more poetic approach can appeal to not only the pockets and minds of people hoping to buy a new house or flat, but also to their feelings.

Source: bbclearningenglish.com

The Language of the Estate Agent.

This section is a slightly tongue in cheek guide to the language of the Estate Agent. Recent changes to the law have reigned in their imagination somewhatbut inventiveness of description or their use of poetic licence is still their trademark.

What the estate agent says What the estate agent means

Convenient for the station The railway runs along the back garden and it is almost impossible to sleep at night. (Ideal location for newly-weds).

Scope for improvement The place is falling apart.

Compact Rooms are an ideal size for the family pet, i.e. guinea-pig or hamster, but nothing larger.

Well established area Either: in the oldest, most run down part of town, known in the trade as Shitsville;Or: in a boring, featureless, two-year-old housing estate in which at least 3 houses have planted a couple of dying shrubs in their front gardens.

Far reaching views to the rear. The wind screams across the back garden.

Greatly improved. A Do-It-Yourself nut has had free reign of the house and totally messed it up.

Popular area. Half the houses in the street are for sale at any one time or are regularly visited by burglars.

You can find more examples here.

Could you live in a house or apartment that was only 30 square metres in size?

There is currently a housing crisis in the UK, where there aren't enough homes for people to live in and the homes that are being built are getting smaller and smaller. People have to become 'creative' with their space in order to have enough room for their family and belongings. Listen to two people discuss the growing number of people who are living in small houses.

Identify the household chores. Which do you hate the most?

Home improvement disasters

BBC RADIO FOUR: LIVING IN THE CITY

HOMES OF THE FUTURE

HOMES