## Step 2 - Reading

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

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

Inside a Typical English House Most English people live in towns and cities. More families own their homes than rent them. 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. (Over 90 per cent of homes have central heating.) 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 mum keeps food cool. The top section of the fridge keeps food cool. There is also a freezer under the fridge where mum freezes things. Cupboards. We have cupboards for food and for plates and bowls etc. 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. It is very quick and easy to use. We use it to cook our food quickly. Washing Machine. Mum washes our clothes here and hangs them out in our garden to dry. Sink. I help my mum wash up the plates in the sink. We wash the dishes in a 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. It is where the television is and the comfy chairs. In my living room there is: A table with chairs. The place where we eat our meals. Settee. In America I think they call this a sofa or couch. It is a comfy 2 seater. Two comfy chairs. Television, DVD Player and Video Recorder. We also have satellite TV. The telly. Cupboards. Bookcase. 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. We fill the bath up with water and then climb into it to wash ourselves. 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. I like having a shower rather than 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 radiators in each room. Bedroom In my bedroom I have: My own computer. Wardrobe - to hang my clothes in. Cupboards with drawers for my other clothes. Cupboards for all my toys. Bookcase for my books. My bed. My bed is high up as I have my desk underneath it and my computer. 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.

#### Assignment 1

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

- Take two sheets of paper (one for every floor).
- Don’t forget to read the text Inside a Typical English House.
- Draw the rooms that are typical of the ground floor on one of the two sheets of paper.
- Draw the rooms that are typical of the first floor on the other sheet of paper.
- Write the names of typical objects (as mentioned by Erik) in each room.

#### Assignment 2

Time to play a game. Who is the best in your group?

- 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