Vocabulary about buildings

Useful Vocabulary

Where We Live
cottage(s)
detached house(s)
semi-detached house(s)
bungalow(s)
terraced house(s)
cottage(s) detached house(s) semi-detached house(s) bungalow(s) terraced house(s)
 
(block of) flat(s)
high-rise flat(s)
 
  block of flats   high-rise flat(s)  

!Note - no matter what kind of building you live in, it's your home.

Where We Work
office(s)
factory(factories)
skyscraper(s)
  office(s) factory (factories) skyscraper(s)  
Miscellaneous Places
tower(s)
mill(s)
windmill(s)
castle(s)
  tower(s) mill(s) windmill(s) castle(s)  

Build Up

Special Buildings
airport(s) Airport
art gallery (galleries) Art Gallery
bank(s) Bank
bus station(s) Bus Station
church(es) Church
cinema(s) Cinema
fire station(s) Fire Station
garage(s)garage(s) / petrol station(s) Garage
hospital(s) Hospital
hotel(s) Hotel
mosque Mosque
museum(s) Museum
police station(s) Police Station
railway station(s) Railway Station
restaurant(s) Restaurant
school(s) School
synagogue Synagogue
theatre(s) Theatre

Anatomy of a house

Naturally Speaking

Talking to a builder / developer.
Can you provide references and examples of your previous work? (Here references are comments on the abilities and character of a candidate organisation for a position or job.)
Are you able to provide a bank reference? (Here a bank reference is a statement regarding the financial standing of an individual or organisation.)
Will you provide a list of all the materials you'll use and provide samples? (Here a sample is an amount of something that shows you what the rest is or should be like.)
Do you use sub contractors? (A subcontractor is a person or organization that performs work for the main contractor, but is not on their payroll and does not receive company benefits.)
What warranty do you offer, and what is the time period of this warranty? (A warranty is a written guarantee of the integrity of a product and of the maker's responsibility for the repair or replacement of defective parts. In the UK the NHBC is the UK's leading warranty provider for new homes. 'Buildmark' is the name of their 10-year warranty.)
We will be using a snagging company. Is this ok? (Here snagging means to write a list of defects at the end of a build process/phase/stage (a "Snag List" or "Snagging List"). A snagging company goes through a house to find faults and ensures the developer puts them right within a reasonable time.)

Dialogue

Here is a conversation between Joan and her husband Steve.
It's Monday morning and something is happening next door.
Joan: Steve, what's all that noise outside?
Steve: Just a minute, I'll have a look. ....... Oh! It looks as if the new next door neighbours are moving in.
Joan: It's a bit early, isn't it? Ah well I guess we'd better get ready for work.
Steve: It's amazing how quickly the houses are selling round here, the Browns only put theirs on the market about a month ago.
Joan: Where did they move to in the end?
Steve: I think he told me they were buying a detached house in Surbiton.
Joan: Sounds lovely. I hope the new neighbours are nice.
Steve: Well, I was speaking with Mr Brown last week. He told me they were a young couple with two daughters. They liked the house because the school here has a good reputation.
Joan: Two daughters! That will please John.
Steve: Maybe we'd better pop next door and say hello.
Joan: Yes, and maybe we'd better start thinking of selling as well. I fancy a detached house in Surbiton too.
Steve: Hmm?

Games and Tests for this Vocabulary Unit

All these games and tests open in a new window.

Crossword
Dictation and Spelling Test
Reading Comprehension Test
Rumble in the Jumble - Rooms and Buildings
Vocabulary Test #1
Vocabulary Test #2
Word Search
Interesting Building Facts