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At Home
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Pronunciation

This page uses YouGlish links to help you hear pronunciation in context. You can choose your regional pronunciation, or select ALL to hear many different accents from around the world. If you want to choose a specific accent, click on the region:

US = The United States

UK = The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up Great Britain), as well as Northern Ireland)

AUS = Australia

CAN = Canada

General Vocabulary

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apartment

An apartment is housing that people usually rent and pay for each month. They have one to three bedrooms with a bathroom, kitchen and living room. They are usually smaller than houses. In British English, apartments are called flats.
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apartment complex

An apartment complex is several buildings that have many apartments and are located beside of one another. These buildings are owned by the same company or person.
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attic

An attic is storage space located under the roof of a house. Not every house has an attic.


This attic is messy.

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front door

A front door is the main entrance to a home. The house number is usually next to the front door of a house. In an apartment building, the apartment number is often on the door.
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back door

A back door is not the main door to a home. It is usually located at the back of the house, on the side of a house, or is an entry from the garage to the house.
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balcony

A balcony is a small space located in the air that connects to a house or an apartment. People can sit and relax on a balcony.
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basement/cellar

A basement (or cellar) is a room under a house. Not every house has a basement.
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bathroom

A bathroom is the room people use to take a bath or shower. It has a toilet, a sink, and a bathtub (bath) or shower.
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bedroom

A bedroom is a room for sleeping, but many other activities happen there too.
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cabinets

Cabinets are small storage spaces with doors. These are usually located in the kitchen and in the bathroom.
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carpet

A carpet soft, warm covering for floors. A carpet is sometimes called a rug.
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ceiling

The ceiling is top or highest part of a room that connects to all of the walls.
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chandelier

A chandelier is a fancy light that hangs from the ceiling.
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closet

A closet is a storage place normally found in bedrooms and hallways. People often put their clothes and shoes in closets.
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condo

A condominium (or condo) is similar to an apartment, but it is owned and not rented.



What Is The Difference Between a Condo and an Apartment?

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corridor

A corridor (also called a hallway) is narrow path between rooms in a house or apartment. You can also find corridors and hallways in your school.
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countertop

A countertop long flat area located above the cabinets in a kitchen or a bathroom (it often has cabinets underneath).
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deck

A deck is a wood floor that is attached to the outside of a house. People often put a table and chairs (and sometimes a BBQ) on it
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dining room

A dining room is used for eating meals. It has a table and chairs.
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doorbell

A doorbell is a small button that you push to ring a bell inside of a house. Sometimes apartment buildings have a buzzer system instead of doorbells.
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family room

A family room used to entertain and socialize. It usually has a television and a sofa. Sometimes people call it a living room.
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fireplace

A fireplace is where people can make a fire in the house. It is built into the wall of a room.
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floor

The floor is the lower surface of a room on which people walk.
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floor

The floors different levels in a house or building, e.g., first floor.
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foyer/entryway

A foyer or an entryway that is inside the front door. Often, people will remove their shoes in the foyer before entering the rest of the house or apartment.
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garage

A garage is a covered space attached to a house where people keep their cars. It can also be used for storage.
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garden

A garden is a part of the yard around a house. It can have flowers or fresh food growing.
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hallway

A hallway (also called a corridor) is narrow path between rooms in a house or apartment. You can also find corridors and hallways in your school.
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kitchen

The kitchen is the room in a house where people store and prepare food. It usually has a sink, a refrigerator, a stove and other appliances.
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laundry room

People wash and dry their clothing in a laundry room. It has a washing machine and a dryer. Most houses have laundry rooms, but only some apartments have them. In some apartment buildings, the laundry room is on a different floor than your apartment.
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lawn

The lawn is an area of grass, especially near a house or in a park, that is cut regularly to keep it short. People mow lawns to keep them looking nice.
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light/lighting

Light is a source of illumination, whether a natural one (like the sun) or an artificial lighting (like your lamps).
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lightswitch

A lightswitch a turns a light on and turns it off.
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master bedroom (or bathroom)

The master bedroom is the largest and nicest bedroom (or bathroom) in a house or a large apartment. The master bedroom and the master bathroom are usually connected.
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mortgage

A mortgage is a loan from a bank that someone uses to buy a home or condo. The owner agrees to pay the mortgage back over time, typically in a series of monthly payments.
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paint

paint can be a noun or a verb


(noun) a liquid used to change the colour of the walls


(verb) the action of changing something's colour

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patio

A patio, also called a deck or terrasse, is a flat outdoor space that is attached to the back of some houses. It is often made of cement and is used as an area to relax and enjoy the outdoors. A patio is on the ground floor, but balconies are on higher floors.

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pantry

A pantry is a large cabinet or closet used only to store food.
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rent

rent can be a noun or a verb


(noun) a tenant's regular payment to a landlord

(verb) to pay someone for the use of something such as an apartment or a car

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roof

A roof is the top or covering on the outside of a house or building.
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screen

A screen is made of many tiny metal wires. It keeps insects from coming into the house but allows air flow inside.


NOTE: screen can also be used when talking about computers

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screen door

A screen door is type of door in some homes usually found near a patio or balcony. In the summer, people use the screen door to let the breeze into the house, but not the insects.
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shelves

Shelves are long, flat pieces of material (usually wood or metal) that are connected to a wall and used to hold objects. Most cabinets have shelves inside.


Shelf is an irregular plural.

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shower

shower can be a noun and a verb


(noun) a shower is the place in the bathroom where you stand up to wash yourself

(verb) to wash oneself in the shower


NOTE: showers can also be used to talk about types of rain

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sink

A sink is an item usually found in kitchens and bathrooms for washing hands or dishes. Sinks are usually made of ceramic or metal.
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sliding door

A sliding door type of door that can be opened and closed by sliding it from side to side. A sliding glass door usually leads to a patio or balcony. Closet doors are not usually made of glass.
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stairs

Stairs, a stairway or a staircase are all ways to describe a set of steps (one after the other) that are used to go up or down a floor in a house.
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elevator

An elevator is a moving platform or cage for carrying passengers or freight from one level to another in a building with more than one floor. Many apartment buildings have elevators.
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toilet

A toilet is a seat in the bathroom for defecation and urination and is connected to a waste pipe and a flushing apparatus.
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walls

A wall is the flat vertical surface that defines a room and connects to the ceiling and floor. There are 4 walls in most rooms.
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windows

Windows are paces in the walls of a house or apartment that are made of clear glass and allow you to see outside. Sometimes they have screens.
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yard

The area of ground around a house is called a yard. Many houses have both a front yard and a back yard.
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air conditioner

An air conditioner is a machine which keeps the air in a building cool and dry. Most apartments don't have air-conditioning included in the rent.

Understanding Apartment Sizes in Quebec

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1 1/2

A one-and-a-half, or studio apartment (or efficiency apartment) is one main room used for the kitchen and the bedroom, plus a bathroom.
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2 1/2

A two-and-a-half or a one-bedroom apartment has a separate bedroom, but doesn't have a separate eating area.
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3 1/2

A three-and-a-half or a one-bedroom apartment is bigger than a 2 1/2 because there is a separate eating area or dining room.
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4 1/2

A four-and-a-half is a two-bedroom apartment. It has four rooms plus a bathroom. These rooms would normally be a living room, two bedrooms and a kitchen.
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5 1/2

A five-and-a-half is a three-bedroom apartment. It has a total of five rooms.
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and so on...

The expression "and so on" indicates that the list continues in a similar manner.

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Anglais pré-collégial © 2023 by Rebecca Peters, Cégep Édouard-Montpetit/Entente Canada-Québec is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/