## Step 2 - Reading

Erik’s house
Erik describes the house he is living in.

- Read the text.
- Do exercise 1.
- Do exercise 2.

Inside a Typical English House Hi, my name is Erik. I live in a small town in the south east of England. I live in a detached house. This means that my house is not joined to another house. My house is made of bricks and tiles. In my house there are three rooms downstairs and three rooms upstairs. We have central heating which keeps our house warm. Some houses have an open fire place but we don't. Rooms Downstairs If you come into my house through the back door, you will find yourself in the kitchen. This is the room where food is stored and cooked. Kitchen In my kitchen there is: A fridge (refrigerator). The fridge is the place where we keep our food cool. There is also a freezer under the fridge where we freeze things like ice cream and leftovers. Cupboards. In the cupboards you can find food, plates, bowls and glasses. We have a walk-in cupboard called a larder. The Cooker. We have an electric cooker. It has four rings on top and a grill and oven underneath. Microwave. We use this to cook our food quickly. Washing Machine. We wash our clothes here and hangs them out in our garden to dry. Sink. We wash the dishes in washing up bowl in the sink. We take the bowl out when we wash our hands. Dishwasher. We put our plates, cups and cutlery in here to wash them. Living Room Some people call this room the lounge. This is where the television and the comfy chairs are. In my living room there is: A table with chairs. This is the place where we eat our meals. A Settee. In America I think they call this a sofa. It is a comfy 2-seater chair. Two comfy chairs. A Television. We also have a PlayStation. A wooden cabinet A bookcase. A radiator. The radiator keeps the room warm. Bathroom Most houses have a bathroom upstairs but ours is downstairs. In my bathroom there is: A toilet. A bath. I love to take a bath after a long day at school or after basketball practise. A sink with two taps (one for hot water and one for cold) I clean my teeth at the sink and also wash my hands and face. A shower. In the mornings I take a shower because it is quicker than taking a bath. Laundry basket. This is where I put my dirty clothes for washing. Rooms Upstairs The three rooms upstairs are all bedrooms. They all have carpets on the floor, apart from my room. The bedrooms are kept warm by a radiator in each room. My bedroom In my bedroom I have: My own computer. A wardrobe to hang my clothes in. A chest of drawers for my other clothes. A bookcase for my books. My bed. My bed is high up and my desk is underneath it. ​A telly. I have my own television. Outside my House We have a back garden and a front garden. In the back garden there is a swing and a lawn (an area of grass) for me to play football on and to ride my bike. Mum likes to grow vegetables in the garden and plant flowers. At the bottom of my garden is a river. In the front garden is a small lawn surrounded by loads of flowers and plants.

#### Exercise 1

You are going to draw the floorplan of Erik’s house. First, do this on your own. When you are finished, compare your drawings in your group.

- Take two sheets of paper (one for every floor).
- Draw the rooms that are on the ground floor on one of the two sheets of paper.
- Draw the rooms that are on the first floor on the other sheet of paper.
- Write the names of the objects that Erik mentioned in the rooms where they belong.

#### Exercise 2

Time to play a game.

- Take an object from the text Inside a Typical English House in mind.
- Your group members ask yes/no questions to find out what object you have in mind.
  For example: Is the object in the kitchen? Yes/No