Hometown & Housing

20 words

1. 1

   commute to workverb phrase/kəˈmjuːt tə wɜːk/

   to travel regularly between home and the place where one works

   “commute to work by train”

2. 2

   affordable housingnoun phrase/əˌfɔːdəbl ˈhaʊzɪŋ/

   housing that is reasonably priced so that ordinary people can afford to buy or rent it

   “a shortage of affordable housing”

3. 3

   on the outskirts (of)prepositional phrase/ɒn ði ˈaʊtskɜːts/

   Located on the outer edge of a town or city, outside the main built-up area.

   “They bought a house on the outskirts of the city to escape the noise.”

4. 4

   grow up inphrasal verb/ɡrəʊ ʌp ɪn/

   to spend your childhood and teenage years in a particular place

   “I grew up in a small coastal town.”

5. 5

   housing shortagenoun phrase/ˈhaʊzɪŋ ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/

   A situation in which there are not enough homes for the number of people who need them.

   “The city is struggling with a severe housing shortage.”

6. 6

   city centrecollocation/ˈsɪti ˈsentə/

   The central area of a city where shops, offices and transport are concentrated.

   “There are more restaurants in the city centre than in the suburbs.”

7. 7

   high-rise apartmentnoun phrase/ˌhaɪˈraɪz əˈpɑːtmənt/

   an apartment located in a tall, multi-storey building

   “live in a high-rise apartment”

8. 8

   local amenitiesnoun phrase/ˌləʊkəl əˈmiːnɪtiz/

   services and facilities close to where people live, such as shops, schools and parks

   “good local amenities”

9. 9

   move toverb + preposition/muːv tuː/

   to change your residence and go to live in another place

   “After graduation I moved to the city for work.”

10. 10

    property marketcollocation/ˈprɒpəti ˈmɑːkɪt/

    The market for buying, selling and renting buildings and land.

    “The property market crashed after the financial crisis.”

11. 11

    shared accommodationnoun phrase/ʃeəd əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃən/

    housing where people rent rooms and share facilities such as kitchen or bathroom

    “live in shared accommodation”

12. 12

    within walking distance (of)prepositional phrase

    close enough to walk to; the distance is short so walking is possible

    “My office is within walking distance of my flat.”

13. 13

    detached housenoun phrase/dɪˈtætʃt haʊs/

    a house that stands alone and does not share walls with other houses

    “They live in a detached house with a small garden.”

14. 14

    run-down buildingnoun phrase/ˌrʌnˈdaʊn ˈbɪldɪŋ/

    a building in poor condition because it has been neglected or badly maintained

    “a run-down building in the inner city”

15. 15

    rent a flatcollocation/rent ə flæt/

    To pay money to live in an apartment that you do not own.

    “When I moved to the city I had to rent a flat for the first year.”

16. 16

    pay the rentverb phrase/peɪ ðə rent/

    to give money regularly to the landlord for living in a property

    “I pay the rent on the first of every month.”

17. 17

    close-knit communitynoun phrase/ˌkləʊsˈnɪt kəˈmjuːnəti/

    a community whose members know each other well and support one another

    “I appreciate living in a close-knit community where neighbours look out for each other.”

18. 18

    suburban areacollocation/səˈbɜːbən ˈeəriə/

    A residential area on the edge of a city, less busy than the centre.

    “They bought a house in a quiet suburban area outside the city.”

19. 19

    semi-detached housecollocation/ˌsɛmɪ dɪˈtætʃt haʊs/

    A house that is joined to another house on one side only.

    “They live in a semi-detached house with a small garden.”

20. 20

    housing estatecollocation/ˈhaʊzɪŋ ɪˈsteɪt/

    A planned residential area with many houses built together, often by the same developer.

    “The new housing estate has playgrounds and a small shop.”