House and home

Vocabulary

English

English materials by Veronica Gilhooly © Learnwell Oy 2008

www.thelanguagemenu.com

Vocabulary

Page 1

Unless you live in a block of flats or a bungalow, British
houses normally have two or three floors or stories. On the
ground floor you're likely to find the living room, kitchen
and dining room, while on the first floor you'll probably find
bedrooms and a bathroom.

On the second or top floor is the attic, or loft. On the roof
of many houses you can still see a chimney and chimney
pot - even if the house now benefits from central heating.

The floors of a house are connected by stairs, with a
landing on the upper floor which leads to the upstairs
rooms.

Most British houses are made of brick and cement. In a row of terrace houses, the interconnecting
walls are cavity walls: they have a space between them to allow air to circulate. On the interiors, the
walls are covered in plaster, and then either painted or decorated with wallpaper. The internal walls of
a house fall into two categories: load-bearing walls and partition walls. Floors and roofs are
supported by strong beams, which are long, heavy pieces of wood or metal.

Floors can be covered in a variety of materials, such as wood, parquet, marble, laminate flooring or
ceramic- or vinyl tiles. In living rooms and bedrooms, the floors generally covered with carpets.

This is a _______________

This is a _______________

Houses are normally connected to local utilities, such as mains water, electricity, district heating and
gas supply. It is also possible in Finland to have a broadband Internet connection as a part of the
utilities in newly built homes. In the countryside, not everyone is connected to mains gas, and some
houses have gas tanks in their gardens. The vast majority of people are connected to the local sewage
system, but some people have their own septic tanks in their gardens to treat waste water. Houses
that are connected to utilities have separate meters to show how much they consume. Representatives
of these utility companies visit houses regularly to take meter readings - with which they can then bill
their customers.

This is a _______________

This is a _______________

This is a _______________

This is an _______________

House and home

Vocabulary

English

English materials by Veronica Gilhooly © Learnwell Oy 2008

www.thelanguagemenu.com

Vocabulary

Page 2

Some electrical jobs, such as wiring or rewiring should only be done by professional electricians,
although you can still change a plug, or change a socket. For safety reasons, the wiring in the house is
on more than one circuit: lighting usually is on one circuit, and the sockets are on another circuit.

Some plumbing jobs should also be done by professional plumbers. For example, although you can
change taps, you should get a professional to install a gas boiler.

Some building work can be done without supervision. Many people enjoy doing DIY, such as putting
up shelves, fitting cupboards and doors, assembling furniture and so on. However, for the big jobs,
such as loft conversions and building extensions, you need to first apply for and obtain planning and
building permission from the local authorities then employ a firm of builders.

Mark the a) window sill b) pane c) muntin d) window frame

In Britain, damp winter weather causes many problems to houses. For example, some houses can suffer
from damp, mould or dry rot, caused by water seeping into walls and timber. For this reason, houses
have gutters and some may need regular damp proof treatment. Window sills and window frames
should be made waterproof and most people have central heating via radiators to keep the air inside
warm and dry. Special thermostats set on the wall help to regulate the temperature in the room. In
addition, most people have insulation in the loft to keep warm air in, and cold air out.

_______________________

____________________

_______________________

____________________

House and home

Vocabulary

English

English materials by Veronica Gilhooly © Learnwell Oy 2008

www.thelanguagemenu.com

Vocabulary

Page 3

What are the different types of houses called?

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

______________________

What do the following words mean?

residential area

_________________________________________________________

rural area

_________________________________________________________

urban area

_________________________________________________________

in the outskirts of…

_________________________________________________________

in the suburbs…

_________________________________________________________

Translate the following words related to houses:

patio _____________________

roof _____________________

driveway _____________________

ceiling _____________________

bay window _____________________

threshold

_____________________

lawn _____________________

rail _____________________

House and home

Vocabulary

English

English materials by Veronica Gilhooly © Learnwell Oy 2008

www.thelanguagemenu.com

Vocabulary

Page 4

Which words are related?

a study, a court room, a parking place, a restaurant, a morgue, a drawer, a stock-

exchange floor, a nursery, a nursing home, an office, a stage, a surgery, an igloo, a

saloon, a castle, a warehouse, a closet, a cell, a shed, a kitchen, a waiting room, a mess, a

greenhouse, a locker room, a staffroom, a barn, a cabin, a cockpit, a pub, a wino, a

darkroom ,a monastery, a cafeteria, a stable, an OR, a convent

a toddler

= ________________

an actor

= ________________

a prisoner = ________________

a novelist

= ________________

a trader

= ________________

a chef

= ________________

a secretary

= ________________

a deliveryman

= ________________

a teacher

= ________________

a patient

= ________________

a gardener

= ________________

a carpenter

= ________________

a corpse

= ________________

a photographer

= ________________

a surgeon

= ________________

a waitress

= ________________

a knife

= ________________

a jester

= ________________

a sailor

= ________________

a cowboy

= ________________

an athlete

= ________________

a football player

= ________________

a pilot

= ________________

a farmer

= ________________

a nurse

= ________________

a horse

= ________________

a nun

= ________________

a cardboard box

= ________________

a head waiter = ________________

a barmaid

= ________________

an attorney = ________________

a meter maid

= ________________

an Eskimo = ________________

a monk

= ________________

the elderly

= ________________

a wheelbarrow

= ________________

http://www.english-at-home.com/real-life-english/house-vocabulary/ Images from google images