Skip to content
All topics

Housing

65 cards to learn, plus a reading text that puts the key phrases in context.

65 cards

afford

afford to do

Verb Pattern

amount

an amount of sth; in large/small/etc amounts; amount to

Collocation

argue

argue with sb; argue about sth/doing; argue that

Verb Pattern

beg

beg sb (for sth); beg sb to do

Verb Pattern

belong

belong to sb/sth

Verb Pattern

borrow

borrow sth (from sb)

Verb Pattern

charge

charge sb (for sth/doing)

Verb Pattern

charge

charge sb (an amount of money); pay a charge; take charge (of sth/doing); in charge (of sth/doing)

Collocation

cost

make/earn/win/spend a fortune; cost (you) a fortune; make your fortune

Collocation

debt

in debt (to sb); get in/into debt; clear a debt; owe sb a debt of gratitude

Collocation

demand

demand sth (from sb); demand that

Verb Pattern

demand

in demand; on demand; a demand for sth

Collocation

enough

have enough (of sth); have enough sth (to do); enough is enough

Collocation

expense

at sb’s/your own expense; go to the expense of; business expense; expense account

Collocation

forget

forget to do;forget doing; forget about sth/doing; forget if/whether

Verb Pattern

increase

an increase in sth (of a certain amount);a wage/price increase

Collocation

least

at least; at the very least; last but not least; to say the least

Collocation

lend

lend sth to sb; lend sb sth

Verb Pattern

money

make/earn/win/save/have money; spend money (on sth/doing); short of money; do sth for the money

Collocation

notice

notice sb doing/do;take notice of sth; at short notice; give sb notice of

Collocation

pay

pay sb (for sth/doing); pay sth (to sb)

Verb Pattern

profit

make a profit (from sth)

Collocation

profit

profit from sth/doing

Verb Pattern

save

save money/time; save sth for later

Collocation

save

save sb from sth/doing; save sth (for sth/sb)

Verb Pattern

shopping

do the shopping; go shopping; shopping centre; window shopping

Collocation

spend

spend sth (on sth/sb/doing)

Verb Pattern

bank on

depend on sth happening

I'm really banking on getting that job at the super market

come across

find something or meet somebody by chance

I came across some old photographs while I was clearing my desk

come by

get something, especially when that is hard to get

How did you come by that painting?

come into

inherit

at the age of eighteen, Roger suddenly came into a fortune

do without

live without something you can’t afford

if there's one thing I could never do without, it's my mobile phone

get by

manage to survive financially

I don't make a huge amount of money, but we get by

get through

use all of something

I can't believe we've got through ten pints of milk in a week!

give away

give free of charge

did you hear that they are giving away free tickets

live on

use as a source of money

I wanted the job, but I wouldn't be able to live on the salary

look round

examine a place

we looked round the house but decided that it was too expensive for us

make out

write all the necessary information on a cheque, etc

could you please make that cheque out to 'Montana Industries'?

make up for

provide something good, so that something bad seems less important

when the concert was cancelled, my dad took us to the cinema to make up for it

put by

save an amount of money for the future

I try to put a little by each month for emergencies

bargain

something you buy that costs much less than normal

her dress was a real bargain

bill

a piece of paper that shows how much money you owe after you have eaten in a restaurant

could we have the bill, please?

brand

a product or group of products that has its own name and is made by one particular company

I tried using a new brand of soap

cash

money in the form of notes and coins

do you want to pay in cash or by credit card?

change

coins rather than notes

have you got change for a five-pound note?

checkout

the place where you pay in a supermarket or other large shop

you don't need to weigh the vegetables, they do it at the checkout

cost

the amount of money that you need in order to buy or to do something

the cost of basic food has risen dramatically

cryptocurrency

a digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority

I think I'm going to invest in some cryptocurrency

discount

a reduction in the price of something

American Airlines are currently offering a 10% discount on selected airfares

economic

relating to economy, business and trade

the project will bring great social and economic benefits to the region

economical

not spending or costing much money

the material is an economical substitute for plastic or steel

exchange

to give someone something in return for something that they give you

Can I exchange the T-shirt if it's too small?

fake

made to look like something real in order tot trick people

it turned out to be a fake passport

fortune

a large amount of money

they must have spent a fortune in flowers

goods

objects that are produced for sale

Wikilins was found in possession of $12M worth of stolen goods

make

a product that is made by a particular company

this is a very popular make of car

offer

a special price that is lower than the usual price for something

the shop had a half price offer on CDs

plastic

made of a very common light, strong substance that is produced by a chemical process

We should reuse all the plastic bags to help the environment

price

the amount of money that you have to pay in order to buy something

oil was at its lowest price in 30 years

products

things that are made, grown or obtained in large quantities so that they can be sold

come in and see our large range of software products

receipt

a document that you get from someone showing that you have given them money or goods

keep all your credit cards receipts!

refund

to give someone back an amount of money, especially because they have paid too much or are not happy with a product or service

Sandra asked the shop to refund her money as the jeans were too small

sale

an event or period of time during which a shop reduces the prices

I'm sure you'll find the same dress in a sale if you wait a little

till

equipment used in shops for adding up the money and keeping it in

the shop assistant opened the till and put the money into it

wealth

a large amount of money and other valuable things

he was a man of immense wealth

Housing in context

A short text using 19 of the key phrases. Tap a highlighted phrase for its meaning.

I recently took a month-long vacation and instead of staying in a hotel, I searched for a . I ended up sharing a – that’s an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen – with some friends. It was actually cheaper than renting a all by myself.

The apartment was on the top floor of a and it had a balcony . From the roof, we also the city skyline (this is another expression used when you can see something from a certain place).

The apartment had – meaning it was fixed up and improved – and was , so it already had furniture (beds, tables, etc.) and appliances (refrigerator, stove, etc.)

We really liked the , but unfortunately . It was cool to spend a month there, but by the end of the trip I started to – that’s when you feel sad because you miss your life at home.

I’d really like to so that I’m not throwing away money on rent every month, but there’s a real shortage of in my city. Even if I stay away from the , I’d still have to and it’ll take me more than 30 years to .

But still, I definitely will start saving up for a . Someday, when I do , I’ll be sure to .

All 19 phrases from this text
  • short-term rentala place to live that can be rented for a short period of time
  • two-bedroom apartment
  • studio apartmentan apartment with only one big room
  • five-story buildingthat’s a building with five floors
  • overlooking the oceanthat means you can see the ocean from the balcony
  • had a nice view of
  • recently been remodeled/renovated
  • fully furnished
  • spacious living roomthe room was big
  • the bedrooms were rather crampedsmall and uncomfortable
  • feel homesick
  • have a place of my own
  • affordable housinghouses/apartments that are reasonably priced
  • upscale neighborhoodsareas where rich people live
  • take out a mortgageborrow money from the bank, in order to buy a house
  • pay it off
  • down paymentan initial payment on a big purchase
  • move into a new place
  • throw a housewarming partya party to celebrate living in a new house/apartment