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1. Describing Movement: Move in(to) / Move out (of)/ Move to

Use “move in” when emphasising the start of living in a new house, and “move into” when specifying the particular house being moved into. Use “move to” when indicating the destination city, country, or general location, rather than the specific dwelling or building.

Examples:

I moved into my new apartment last month.

I plan to move out at the end of the month.

I’m moving to Canada soon.

I’ve got the keys, and I’ll be moving in this week.

I plan to move sometime next year.

2. Describing being a landlord: Rent (out)/ Let (out)

‘Rent out’ is more common than ‘let out’. If you are the tenant, you are RENTING the accommodation FROM the landlord. If you are the landlord, you are RENTING the accommodation OUT TO the tenant.

Examples:

I live in a shared home. I rent out one of the rooms to make a little extra money.

I just bought a new house so I think I’ll let out my other property.

3. Describing Long-term living: Settle down/ Put down roots

“Settle down” means to begin living a stable, regular life, often by establishing a long-term home, while “put some roots down” means to establish a strong, lasting presence in a place, building deeper community ties.

Examples:

I’d like to settle down in another country. Preferably somewhere warm and near the sea.

I decided to move back to my hometown. I felt it was time to put down some roots.

I don’t know if my brother will ever settle down! He loves partying way too much!

After university and travelling, it’d be nice to find a place near my parents to put some roots down.

4. Describing Fixing or Maintaining a home: Fix up/ Do up/ Spruce up/ Clean up/ Tidy up/ Clear up/ Patch up/ Touch up

  • Fix up: Repair or renovate something.
  • Do up: Renovate or decorate something.
  • Spruce up: Make something neat, clean, or stylish.
  • Clean up: Remove dirt or mess from something.
  • Tidy up: Organize and arrange things neatly.
  • Clear up: Remove clutter or resolve confusion.
  • Patch up: Repair something temporarily or superficially.
  • Touch up: Make small improvements or adjustments to something.

Note: You can either keep the verb and preposition together or split them E.g. To spruce up the house or to spruce the house up.

Examples:

I still need to fix the house up a little bit.

I’d like to do up the guest bedroom.

The kitchen could do with sprucing up a little bit.

I need to clean up my bedroom before I get the new furniture.

I cleared up the kitchen as it was very cluttered.

There are some areas in the house that need patching up.

The bathrooms could do with touching up.

5. Describing Visiting someone’s home: Pop over/ Pop (a)round/ Pop in/ Go over/ Go (a)round/ Go in/ Head over/ Head (a)round/ Head in/ Drop by/ Drop (a)round/ Drop in

  • Pop over: Make a quick visit nearby.
  • Pop (a)round: Make a casual, brief visit nearby.
  • Pop in: Visit briefly, usually without prior notice.
  • Go over: Visit someone or someplace, typically with a specific purpose.
  • Go (a)round: Visit various places or people nearby.
  • Go in: Enter a place.
  • Head over: Move towards a place or person, often with intention.
  • Head (a)round: Go to various places nearby or in the vicinity.
  • Head in: Enter a place.
  • Drop by: Make an informal, brief visit.
  • Drop (a)round: Make a casual visit, often unplanned.
  • Drop in: Visit briefly and informally, typically without prior arrangement.

Examples:

My uncle sometimes pops over to say hello.

I like to pop round to my cousin’s house on the weekends.

I head over to my granny’s house on a Sunday evening.

My mum always drops by my auntie’s on the way home from work.

I’m going round to my mate’s after class.

My friend always drops in on his way back home.

6. Describing Finance of the home: Pay off the mortgage/ Take out a loan

“Pay off the mortgage” means to fully repay the borrowed money used to buy a property, while “take out a loan” means to borrow money from a lender that must be repaid over time, usually with interest.

Note: You can either keep the verb and preposition together or split them. E.g. Pay off your mortgage or pay your mortgage off.

Examples:

Everyone wants to pay off their mortgage as soon as possible.

I’m quite hesitant to take out a loan in the current economic conditions.

7. Describing Decorating the home: Put up/ Take down

In the context of decorating a home, “put up” means to install or hang something, such as wallpaper or a picture, while “take down” means to remove something that has been installed or hung.

Examples:

I put up some pictures in the living room recently.

We need to take our decorations down soon.

I put our new TV up yesterday.

I’m planning on taking all the paintings down and getting them cleaned.

8. Describing Heating the home: Heat up/ Warm up

Heat up/ Warm up mean ‘to make warmer’.

Examples:

It’s sometimes difficult to heat up the house.

It takes about 1 hour to warm the house up properly.

Examiner: What kind of property do you live in?

Student: I currently live in a detached house in the countryside.

Examiner: How long have you lived there?

Student: I’ve lived here for just a month so far. Previously I lived in a shared house in another city.

Examiner: Who do you live with?

Student: I’m currently living with my mum. And my sister usually pops in on the weekends.

Examiner: Do you plan to live there for a long time?

Student: Not for a long time. I’m currently saving up to buy my own place and settle down, so I’d say a year would be ideal! After I get my deposit and some extra things sorted, I’ll move out, take out a mortgage and try to put some roots down!

Examiner: Is there anything about your house you would like to change?

Student: Honestly there isn’t much. I really like the location as it’s close to the mountains and sea. The house is super spacious too so it’s very comfy to live in. Maybe I’d do up one of the rooms so that it could be used for friends to socialise in. Like chuck on a coat of paint and put up a few pictures here and there.

Examiner: What’s your favourite room in the house?

Student: I’d say the front room. It’s not quite a conservatory, but it has that sort of vibe. It’s got big windows at the front of the house which lets in lots of natural light. It does need done up a bit to be fair because it’s starting to look a but outdated. But I like the fact that there’s also no tv or any distractions, so you can get some peace and quiet. And on top of that, the sun shines directly into this room and heats it up super quick.

Examiner: How would you describe your neighbourhood?

Student: Well I’ve only got a few neighbours close-by and most of them are relatives! My cousin and her family live just down the road on my granny’s old farm and my uncle lives right next to us as well so we often head over to each others’ homes!

Examiner: Are there any significant memories associated with your home?

Student: Loads! I remember doing a lot of gardening when I was younger. My parents always had jobs for us like weeding, cutting the grass, trimming the bushes, painting etc. But of course I remember playing a lot of football and bouncing around on the trampoline!

Examiner: What do you value most in a home?

Student: The peace and quiet for sure! I used to rent in the capital so you’d always hear people shouting, traffic or construction work going on!

Examiner: Are there any home improvement projects you’re currently working on or planning for the future?

Student: Not really to be honest. I don’t plan on staying super long so I’m more-so planning for my new place! Maybe the walls could do with sprucing up a little bit.

Examiner: Do you prefer a modern or traditional style of home decor?

Student: Oh that’s a tough one! I love both! I really like the charm of old buildings but of course modern windows and amenities are class. My dream home would be a mix between the two!

Examiner: Do you have a favourite piece of furniture or decor item in your home?

Student: Yea it’d probably be my office chair actually. I put up with an old gaming chair that hurt my back for ages and finally bit the bullet and got this proper Herman Miller office chair, and I’ve never looked back!

1. What kind of property do you live in?

2. How long have you lived there?

3. Who do you live with?

4. Do you plan to live there for a long time?

5. Is there anything about your house you would like to change?

6. What’s your favourite room in the house?

7. How would you describe your neighbourhood?

8. Are there any significant memories associated with your home?

9. What do you value most in a home?

10. Are there any home improvement projects you’re currently working on or planning for the future?

11.Do you prefer a modern or traditional style of home decor?

12. Do you have a favourite piece of furniture or decor item in your home?

i) Describe a home you have visited that you really liked.

You should say:

● where it was

● whose house or apartment it was

● what it was like

and explain why you liked it.

ii) Describe the accommodation you live in.

You should say:

● What kind of accommodation it is.

● How long have you been living there.

● What it is like to live there

and what do you like the most about this accommodation.

1. What are the advantages of living in a house compared to an apartment?

2. Do you think that everyone would like to live in a larger home?

3. How have homes changed over the past couple of decades?

4. What do you think living spaces will be like in the future?

5. Is it better to rent or to buy your own home?

6. Do you think neighbours are important when choosing where to live?

7. Why do some people buy a lot of things for their home?

8. Is it expensive to make your home looks nice?

9. Why do some people not care about how their home looks?

10. Do people change their preference of the type of home they want to live in as they get older?

Make up a story about a fictional character using each set of words. You must integrate all of these words in the correct tense into your story.

E.g. If the set includes the following: Let out, spruce up, go over and pay off the mortgage, the story could be something like this: “There was a savvy landlord called Jerry, who let his 3 bedroom townhouse out. He wanted to raise the rent eventually, so he decided to go over to the house and spruce it up a little bit by putting up some new pictures, adding new carpets and other nice accessories for the house. His goal was to pay off the mortgage a little quicker so that he could eventually sell it when he retired.”

Set 1:

Move to
Settle down
Fix up
Pay off the mortgage

Set 2:

Rent
Do up
Pop over
Heat up

Set 3:

Move out
Drop by
Patch up
Take down

Fill in the appropriate vocabulary in the correct tense from the following list to complete the story. The words may be used more than once or not used at all.

Move in(to) / Move out (of)/ Move to, Rent (out)/ Let (out), Settle down/ Put down roots, Fix up/ Do up/ Spruce up/ Clean up/ Tidy up/ Clear up/ Patch up/ Touch up, Pop over/ Pop (a)round/ Pop in/ Go over/ Go (a)round/ Go in/ Head over/ Head (a)round/ Head in/ Drop by/ Drop (a)round/ Drop in, Pay off the mortgage/ Take out a loan, Put up/ Take down, Heat up/ Warm up

Last month, Sarah and her family decided to (1) __________ a new home in the countryside. After months of searching, they finally found the perfect place, so they began to (2) __________ their old house and (3) __________ the new place. Their new home was in great condition, but it needed a little work, so they decided to (4) __________ the living room and kitchen to make everything look fresh.

They were excited to (5) __________ their new life and eventually (6) __________ and stay for the long term. After a few weeks, they realised they could (7) __________ a spare room to a couple of friends who were looking for a place. Sarah also started to (8) __________ the garden and (9) __________ the walls inside to make it look more inviting.

One day, Sarah’s friend Emma decided to (10) __________ to visit and see how things were going. They sat down, chatted about the move, and Emma offered to help (11) __________ the garden in the spring. Sarah was so grateful!

Finally, after a year of hard work and effort, they managed to (12) __________ on their house, and it felt like a huge achievement.

Answers

Last month, Sarah and her family decided to (1) move to a new home in the countryside. After months of searching, they finally found the perfect place, so they began to (2) move out of their old house and (3) move into the new place. Their new home was in great condition, but it needed a little work, so they decided to (4) fix up the living room and kitchen to make everything look fresh.

They were excited to (5) settle down their new life and eventually (6) put down roots and stay for the long term. After a few weeks, they realised they could (7) rent out a spare room to a couple of friends who were looking for a place. Sarah also started to (8) Clean up/ Tidy up the garden and (9) touch up the walls inside to make it look more inviting.

One day, Sarah’s friend Emma decided to (10) pop over to visit and see how things were going. They sat down, chatted about the move, and Emma offered to help (11) tidy up the garden in the spring. Sarah was so grateful!

Finally, after a year of hard work and effort, they managed to (12) pay off the mortgage on their house, and it felt like a huge achievement.