NOUNS
bedroom
bungalow
carpet
central heating
childhood
cottage
country
duplex
fireplace
floor
kitchen
living room
location
mortgage
outskirts
region
suburbs
town
town house
villa
village
yard
VERBS
bring up
build
design
grow up
overlook
own
rent
ADJECTIVES
specific
surrounded by
tiled
wood
TYPES OF HOME
A three-bedroom house / apartment
A duplex
A town house
A villa
A bungalow
A house in the suburbs
A cottage
A rented room
I rent my house. The rent is US$600 a month.
I own my house. The mortgage is US$650 a month.
I used to live in Chicago. I moved to New York last summer.
I designed and built the house myself.
PLACES IN THE HOME
UPSTAIRS
utility room
bathroom
bedroom
attic
landing
DOWNSTAIRS
shed
basement
hall
dining room
living room
front / back yard
terrace / patio
TYPICAL ACTIONS IN THE HOME
Bedroom: [a.m] wake-up - turn off the alarm clock - get up - get dressed
Kitchen: have breakfast - do the cooking - do the dishes
Living room: watch TV - have a look at the newspaper - sit and relax
Yard: do the gardening - get some fresh air - cut the grass
Bedroom: [p.m] go to bed - set the alarm clock - go to sleep - dream
I don't like carpets. I prefer wood or tiled floors.
I don't like central heating. I prefer fireplaces.
WHERE IS HOME?
AS A CHILD
I was born in a little village and I grew up there. I spent alot of my childhood in the country, not in the city. We moved to a nearby town when I was fifteen. I'm glad I wasn't brought up in the city.
LOCATION
I live in the outskirts of Chicago.
I live thirty kilometers from Kobe.
I live by the sea / on the coast.
I live just outside Los Angeles.
I live in the suburbs of Paris.
The house has a lovely view. It is surrounded by woods and it overlooks an old church
Dayton isn't far from Cincinnati.
My town is to the north / south / east / west of New York. [specific location]
My town is in the north / south / east / west part of Japan. [country / region
months later. We had our first child, our son, in 1978 and second child, our daughter, was born in 1981. We have been together for over 20 years now. Our son still lives at home. Our daughter left home last year to go to college.
NOT A LOVE STORY
We first met in 1991 and we got married six months later. We had a son soon after. Things didn’t really work out between us and we separated in 1993. We finally got divorced in 1994. I got custody of our son. His father visits on weekends. I remarried last year and I’m very happy now with my second husband.
Single-parent family: A family where one parent brings up the child / children.
An only child: A child with no brothers or sisters.
RELATIONS
John and Elizabeth Wade are Bob’s grandparents.
Elizabeth Wade is Paul’s mother-in-law.
Jill is Paul’s sister-in-law.
Peter “Senior” is Bob’s uncle.
Pamela is Susan’s niece.
John Wade is Paul’s father-in-law.
Peter “Senior” is Paul’s brother-in-law.
Susan is Bob’s aunt.
Bob is Susan’s nephew.
Bob and Karen are cousins.
"MARRIED OR NOT MARRIED"
MR is for married and unmarried men.
MISS is for single women.
MRS is for married women.
MS is a term preferred by many women today. It can be used by married and unmarried women.
STEPFATHER - STEPMOTHER
The name for a parent of a second marriage.
The term "Partner" is common to refer to the person you live with.
