I. Introduction:

Renting an apartment or taking out a home mortgage loan to buy a house are major decisions in one's life. In other cases, students might live in dormitories on campus or even stay with a homestay family which can give them opportunities to interact with native speakers. Listen to the words below and consult a dictionary if you need a definition. Write a sample sentence for each word to learn how it is used in context. You can use the Internet to find such sentences or related information.

[ What's the Difference? ]

1. apartment
2. apartment manager
3. carport
4. condominium
5. dormitory
6. down payment
7. duplex
8. furnished / unfurnished
9. gas / light / water bill
10. housing
11. landlord
12. mortgage payment
13. parking space
14. rent
15. roommate
16. security deposit
17. tenant
18. townhouse
19. utilities
20. yard

III. Follow-Up: Top

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in an apartment or owning a house (e.g., cost, amount of privacy, etc.). Also, imagine that you are looking for a two-bedroom apartment in your area. Use the Internet to locate a place that meets your needs and provides the conveniences you want.

Online Listening Practice (from www.esl-lab.com, www.dailyesl.com, and www.ezslang.com):

• Apartments for Rent: Easy -- [esl-lab]
• Great Apartment Living: Medium -- [esl-lab]
• Apartment: Medium -- [dailyesl]
• Apartment Rentals: Medium -- [trainyouraccent]
• Housing Complaints: Difficult -- [esl-lab]