English Vocabulary in Use Advanced » Unit 59: Space: no room to swing a cat
| word | typical contexts of use |
| extensive | Edinburgh has extensive traffic-free routes. The building contains extensive educational facilities. |
| spacious | a spacious garden The city of Washington is spacious and green. |
| roomy | a roomy car The house was roomy. |
| rambling | a large, rambling building a rambling mansion |
I like Canada because I love wide open spaces. [large areas without buildings or trees]
Little white cottages were scattered across the landscape. [randomly across a wide area]
The problem with this university is that the buildings are rather spread out and it takes a long time to get from one place to another. [not close to one another]
Jack’s bedroom is large, with ample room for all his things. [more than enough space]
Room can be used as an uncountable noun to mean space, e.g.
Can you make room/space for me?
There’s plenty of room/space here.
The sofa takes up a lot of room/space.
| word | typical contexts of use |
| cramped | cramped hotel rooms living in small, cramped apartments |
| poky; informal | two poky little rooms a poky little flat |
| congested | tanker traffic on the congested waterway the congested streets [full of traffic, people, etc.] |
| compact* | a tiny, compact refrigerator a compact, low, white villa |
*compact has positive connotations, whereas the other words in the table suggest negative connotations.
I saw her at the carnival, but I couldn’t get to her because I was hemmed in by the crowds. [surrounded by people and not able to move]
The city centre is always bustling with tourists at this time of year. [lots of people busily moving around]
There isn’t enough room to swing a cat in his flat. [the flat is very small; informal]
We were packed in like sardines on the bus. [too many people in a small space; informal]
The government offices are an absolute labyrinth. [/ˈlæbərɪnθ/ vast and complex]
The river marks the boundary of the estate. [the edge of a large space]
We created more space by building an extension at the rear of our property. [back]
In these conversations, speaker B paraphrases what speaker A says. Note the verbs in bold.
A: There were 16 of us in a minibus that seated 10, and it was a long journey.
B: Yes, we were all crammed into that tiny space for over five hours!
A: There’s not much room, is there? Can I sit between you and Mark?
B: Yes, you can squeeze in between us.
A: You’ve invited a lot of people to your party and it’s only a small room.
B: Yes, it might be a bit of a squash!
A: Shall I put all those old papers into this rubbish bag?
B: Yes, just stuff them all in and we’ll take it away later. (it suggests doing something quickly and without much care)
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
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The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for Upper-intermediate level (B2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.