Moving house – Fale tudo em ingles

Dear fellow English teachers,

Here´s a complete Lesson Plan you can use with your B2-level students. Today´s topic is “Moving house”. Enjoy!

Moving house – Pre-listening/reading questions:

Would you rather live in a house or an apartment? Why?
Have you ever had trouble with neighbors? If so, what happened?
What are the most important things to consider when choosing a neighborhood to live in?

Click the link below to listen to the dialogue “Moving house”

SCROLL DOWN FOR DIALOGUE SCRIPT

Dialogue Comprehension

Terry´s new apartment is bigger than the previous one. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Rhonda didn´t know about the indoor pool. True ___ False ___ I don´t know _
Terry commutes to work by bike every day. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Rhonda and Terry are going swimming. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Terry is vegetarian. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___

Find words or expressions in the dialogue with the following similar meanings:

a. Close enough to reach by walking _________________
b. The place where someone works _________________
c. Parking space ____________________
d. Services such as water, light and power _______________
e. Amount to; reach a total ________________
f. Become comfortable or established in a new environment ________________
g. Traveling to work ________________
h. Full of _________________
i. Piece of clothing that people wear for swimming ________________
j. Take things out of a box, suitcase or another container ______________
k. A party people give when they move into a new house ____________
l. Make yourself at home; help yourself __________________

Fill in the blanks below with a word or expression highlighted in the dialogue:

“Don´t forget to pack a __________________. They have some great pools there.” Martha told Heather.
“Hey Bill, come on in! _______________and help yourself to whatever you want in the fridge.” said Howard.
“I´d rather ________________ first. We can go sightseeing later.” Fred told his traveling companion.
As soon as Tom got to his hotel room he _______________ his suitcase and hung his pants and shirts in the closet.
“My mother lives _____________________ from here. I often drop by to see her.” said Tracy to a friend.

Discussion & Conversation 1

Were you born in the house where you live now or have you moved? Have you lived in many different places?
Is your home conveniently located? How long does it take you to commute to work/school?
Which room in your house do you spend the most time in? Why?
Have you ever shared an apartment with a roommate? If so, describe the experience.
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city? Would you rather live in a big city or a small one? Why?

Moving house – Additional Vocabulary & Expressions

Penthouse: an expensive apartment at the top of a tall building in an affluent neighborhood of a city

A wealthy businessman, Mr. Cunningham lives in a spacious penthouse overlooking Central Park.

Walk-up (apartment): an apartment in a building that does not have an elevator

“Living in a walk-up (apartment) has some advantages. For one, you get to do some physical exercise every day without having to spend money on a gym membership.” said Michael jokingly to his friends.

Condo (condominium): 1. an apartment building where each apartment is owned by the people living in it 2. an apartment in a condominium

“The Johnsons have just moved to the fourteenth floor of this condo.” said Stacey to a friend.
Brian bought a condo in Miami beach.

Super (superintendant): someone who is responsible for keeping an apartment building in good condition

“I´m sorry, but you will have to take the stairs. The elevator is out of order. It should be fixed tomorrow.” the super told Harry.

Landlord/Landlady: someone who owns a house, apartment or room that people can rent

“I´ve just paid this month´s rent to the landlord. He was here a few minutes ago.” said Karen to her roommate.

Attic: a storage space located under the roof of a house

“We store all our Christmas decoration in the attic.” said Stella to a friend.

Laundry room: a room where people wash and dry their clothing

“These sheets need to be washed. Can you please take them to the laundry room?”, Dave asked Phillip.

Fill in the sentences or short dialogues below with words or expressions presented in Additional Vocabulary & Expressions:

The ________________ promised to change the lock before we move in.” Charlie told Steven.
“We have converted the _______________ of our house into a study. That´s where I do my homework now.” said Jake to a classmate.
“Did you know Sabrina bought a _______________ by the lake? She told me she´s moving there soon.” said Thelma to a friend.

Chelsea: Our kitchen sink seems to be clogged up.

Stacy: Really? Let´s ask the ___________ for help. He might know how to fix it.

“Our _______________ is equipped with a washing machine and a clothes dryer. They are very useful indeed.” said Melissa to a friend.

Discussion & Conversation 2

What are the advantages of living in an apartment? Are there any disadvantages?
Do you think it´s better to rent or buy a house? Explain your answer.
How important is a garden and a backyard for you?
Describe what would be your dream house or apartment.
Which room in your house do you spend the least time in? Why?

Choose the alternative that best explains the meaning of the words in bold in the sentences below.

“My monthly bills work out to about $3,000.” Nathan told a friend. a)

a) amount to b) estimate c) surpass d) boil down to

“The rent is $1,400 a month. There´s an extra $120 for the utilities.” the realtor told Jim.

a) groceries b) deliveries c) outstanding bills d) a supply of electricity, water, gas, etc.

“The super was mowing the lawn this morning.” Richard told Diane.

a) gardener b) caretaker c) pool guy d) handyman

“It says here that these tablets are packed with vitamins and minerals.” Molly told Abe.

a) made of b) full of d) similar to e) equal to

“We need to get rid of the junk in our attic. There´s no room for anything else.” Thais told her husband.

a) pantry b) garage c) storage area under the roof d) basement

Complete the sentences below with your own words.

……………………………… worked out to ………………………………………………
…………………………………. a housewarming party ………………………………….
……………………………….. unpack …………………………………………………
……………………………………………………… within walking distance from here.
…………………………………………………… penthouse ……………………………

Discussion & Conversation 3

“There´s no place like home.” Do you agree with this saying? Explain why or why not.
Is there a guest room in your house? How often do you receive guests?
“All homes are necessarily houses, but all houses are not necessarily homes.” Can you explain this statement?
Is there anything you don´t like about your home? Are there any changes you´d like to make to it?
Have you ever considered moving to another city or country? Explain your answer.

Dialogue script: I´m really enjoying this new place

Rhonda: Wow, your fridge is packed with veggies and fruit!
Terry: Oh yeah, I´ve been trying to eat healthy, you know. Be my guest! Help yourself to whatever you want.
Rhonda: Well, I´m not really hungry, but I can never resist cherries, I just love them!
Terry: Sure, go ahead and have some!
Rhonda: Thanks Terry! How long have you been living in this apartment?
Terry: Just a couple of weeks. You see those boxes over there? I still need to unpack them. I decided to move because I was spending too much time commuting to work every day, you know.
Rhonda: So, you´re a lot closer to your workplace now, huh?
Terry: Yep, this is a much better location, within walking distance from two subway stations. By the way, did you have any difficulty finding a parking spot near here?
Rhonda: Oh no, not at all. There are lots of parking spaces around your building. And it does seem to be well located. Seems like you made the right move!
Terry: Thanks! I´m really enjoying this new place. It´s also more spacious than my previous apartment. The rent and the utilities work out to a little over three thousand dollars, so it´s still a good deal. Come on, let me show you the balcony! (walking to balcony …)
Rhonda: Wow, great view! So tell me, are you planning to throw a housewarming party?
Terry: A housewarming party? Uh, I hadn´t really thought about that, but I guess it´s a good idea. Only I´ll need some time to get settled in first.
Rhonda: Sure, let me know if you need any help at all.
Terry: Thanks Rhonda!
Rhonda: You´re welcome Terry! So, are you going to show me the gym?
Terry: Sure, it´s on the top floor of the building. I think you´re gonna like it. It´s well-equipped and there´s an indoor pool as well.
Rhonda: An indoor pool?
Terry: Yeah, I think I forgot to tell you that.
Rhonda: Sounds great!
Terry: Hey, do you feel like going for a swim?
Rhonda: Uh, I´d love to, only I don´t have a bathing suit!
Terry: Oh yeah, of course! Maybe next time you come visit me.
Rhonda: Sure!
Terry: Okay, let´s go check out the gym.

Source: LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book by José Roberto A. Igreja

Available on the Amazon stores of the following countries:

AUSTRALIA BRAZIL CANADA FRANCE GERMANY INDIA ITALY JAPAN MEXICO NETHERLANDS SPAIN UK US

If you´re based in Brazil the paperback is available at a discount price on UICLAP!
240 pages – 31 QR-CODES for the audio tracks (dialogues) “even the paperback comes with built-in technology”

José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:

600 Phrasal Verbs (with Jonathan T. Hogan)

Talking Business

How do you say … in English?

Fluent Business English (with Robert C. Young)

What to say when …?

Fale Tudo em Inglês AVANÇADO

English for Job Interviews (with Robert C. Young)

Fale Tudo em Inglês!

Fale Tudo em Inglês – LIVRO DE ATIVIDADES

Fale Tudo em Inglês em VIAGENS!

Fale Tudo em Inglês nos NEGÓCIOS!