Talking About Your Home in English

Introduction

• Common conversation topic: where you live
• Importance of being able to describe your home and neighborhood

Part One: Types of Home

• Basic sentence: "I live in a..."
  • Examples:
    • "I live in a house."
    • "I live in an apartment." (UK: "flat")
• Adding detail:
  • Example: "I live in a small, two-storey house in the suburbs."
  • Use of "storey" to describe floors in buildings
• Types of Houses:
  • Terraced house: has other houses on both sides
  • Semi-detached house: has another house on one side
  • Detached house: stands alone, usually larger and more expensive
• Types of Apartments:
  • High-rise (US) / Tower block (UK)
  • Converted apartments
  • Studio apartments: one room for living and sleeping
  • Duplex apartments: more than one floor

Part Two: Describing the Inside of Your Home

• Start by listing rooms:
  • Example: "My house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a garden."
• Adding adjectives for detail:
  • Example: "My house has two small bedrooms..."
• Common rooms:
  • Dining room, office/study, balcony, terrace
• Example sentences:
  • "I live in a two-bedroom apartment with a big living room and a small balcony."

Part Three: Expressing Likes and Dislikes

• Positive adjectives:
  • Spacious, cosy, light, warm, convenient
  • Examples:
    • "It's convenient for the subway."
• Negative adjectives:
  • Cramped, dark, drafty, stuffy, noisy
  • Example: "My home is light and spacious, but drafty in winter."

Part Four: Who You Live With

• Examples of living arrangements:
  • "I live with my parents."
  • "I live in a shared house; I have four flatmates."
  • "I live by myself."

Part Five: Describing Your Neighborhood

• Definition: Area near your home
• Locations: city center, suburbs, outskirts, village
• Neighborhood description:
  • Examples:
    • "I live in a lively area with many cafes and shops."
    • "I live in a quiet area in the suburbs; it's nice but a bit boring."

Putting It All Together

• Example descriptions:
  • "I live in a two-story terraced house. It's cosy and convenient for getting to work, but a bit cramped with guests."
  • "I live by myself in a studio apartment in the city center; it's lively with lots of bars, good for young people."

Conclusion

• Encouragement to practice describing your own home using the vocabulary learned
• Resources available on oxfordonlineenglish.com for further learning
• Thanks for participating!