English Vocabulary in Use Advanced » Unit 18: Home styles, lifestyles

Word List
  • breathe new life into
  • council estate
  • council housing
  • dog’s life
  • furnished
  • get a new lease of life
  • get on like a house on fire
  • granny flat
  • have the time of your life
  • high-rise (flat)
  • hit home
  • home truth
  • household word/name
  • hovel
  • lead a sheltered life
  • life in the fast line
  • make yourself at home
  • matter of life and death
  • nothing to write home about
  • on the house
  • penthouse
  • run down
  • social housing
  • squat
  • take your life in your hands
  • tower block
  • unfurnished
Exercises

18.1 ‣ Complete the following table about the types of accommodation in A opposite.

accommodationWhat kind of person lives there?Would you like to live there? Why / Why not?
squatExample:
a homeless person, or someone who wants to make a political statement about property ownership		Example:
I wouldn’t like it because you never know when you might be evicted.
furnished accommodation__________
social housing__________
granny flat__________
high-rise__________
hovel__________
penthouse__________

18.2 ‣ Fill the gaps in these sentences with words and phrases from B and C opposite.

  1. From the moment we met, we got on like a house _____.
  2. Jenna’s so selfish, she deserves to be told a few _____.
  3. The new restaurant is OK but nothing really to _____.
  4. So what that you didn’t get the promotion – it’s not a matter of _____.
  5. I’m not sure I’d like to have a celebrity lifestyle, living life in the _____.
  6. As a child, the writer _____ a sheltered life in a small village in the back of beyond.
  7. We need someone to come and _____ some new life into the project.
  8. We soon managed to _____ ourselves at home in our holiday cottage.

18.3 ‣ Choose expressions from B and C opposite to replace the underlined words in these sentences.

  1. We had the most marvellous time on holiday this year.
    _____
  2. As soon as spring comes, I feel as if I’m becoming energetic and active again.
    _____
  3. The problems caused by the floods are only making themselves fully felt now.
    _____
  4. I imagine that being a servant in the past must have been very hard and tedious.
    _____
  5. All over the world, everybody knows about McDonald’s.
    _____
  6. He’s taking a big risk if he gets in a car with Ben at the wheel!
    _____
  7. Because we were such frequent customers, the restaurant gave us a meal free.
    _____
  8. Our holiday apartment was quite adequate but not particularly special in any way.
    _____

18.4 ‣ Here are some more expressions with home and life. Use the context to work out what the underlined expressions mean.

  1. The poet said that he had had a period of depression but that he had never considered taking his own life.
    _____
  2. The comedy duo’s superb performance brought the house down.
    _____
  3. Our customers come from many different walks of life – we have doctors, shop assistants, computer programmers, you name it!
    _____
  4. The system turned out to be a house of cards – it didn’t take much to bring it down.
    _____
  5. Whenever my nephews arrive for a visit, they eat us out of house and home.
    _____
  6. I love having George around – you can rely on him to be the life and soul of the party.
    _____
Answer Key
A ‣ Home styles

A squat /skwɒt/ is an empty building where people start living without the owner’s permission.

A hovel /ˈhɒvəl/ is a very small, dirty house or flat in a bad (or run down) condition.

Rented accommodation can be either furnished or unfurnished. [with or without furniture]

A penthouse is a luxury flat at the top of a building.

Council or social housing is rented accommodation provided by the state for people who have low incomes. A council estate is a large group of such housing.

High-rise (flats) or tower blocks are flats in a tall, modern building with a lot of floors.

A granny flat is a set of rooms for an elderly person, connected to a relative’s house.

B ‣ Idioms and expressions relating to house and home

expressionmeaningexample
get on like a house on fireget on very well with someoneHappily, my mother-in-law and I have always got on like a house on fire.
a household word/namesomething/someone everyone knowsNike has become a household name.
on the housefree of chargeThe restaurant owner offered us coffees on the house.
home truthsinformation that is true but not pleasant or welcomeIt’s time he was told some home truths about the way he’s been behaving!
nothing to write home aboutnothing specialThe town is OK but nothing to write home about.
hit homebecome fully understood or fully feltThe difficulty of managing without a regular salary is hitting home now.
make yourself at homemake yourself feel comfortable in someone else’s homePlease just make yourself at home while I get dinner ready.
C ‣ Idioms and metaphors relating to life

expressionmeaningexample
life in the fast lanea way of life that is full of activity and excitementAs a rock star, Joe lived life in the fast lane.
have the time of your lifehave a wonderful timePaula’s having the time of her life in Canada.
get a new lease of lifebecome more energetic and active than beforeWhen Georgie moved jobs, she seemed to get a new lease of life.
a dog’s lifea very unhappy and difficult lifeRyan had a dog’s life in the army.
lead a sheltered lifehave a life that is protected from unpleasantness (also lead a busy/ quiet/normal, etc. life)Kyoko has led a very sheltered life and may find it hard to adapt to the big city.
(not) be a matter of life and death(not) be very seriousIf we miss the last train, it’s not a matter of life and death.
take your life in your handsdo something very dangerousYou’re taking your life in your hands if you cross the road here – go to the zebra crossing!
breathe new life intobring new ideas and energy to somethingWhen Orla joined the staff, she breathed new life into the school.

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