Vocabulary Lessons

Renting an apartment is a common part of living on your own, but finding the right place within your budget can be a challenge, particularly if you are a university student.

Listen to the words below. Write a sample sentence for each word to practice how it is used in context. You can use the internet to find such sentences.

Listen to the recording to hear how the words are pronounced.

• apartment (noun): a room or set of rooms for living in, usually within a larger building
  – They rented an apartment near downtown.
• carport (noun): a covered structure for parking a car, usually open on the sides
  – He parked his car under the carport during the storm.
• elevator (noun): a machine that carries people or goods between floors of a building
  – We took the elevator up to the fifth floor.
• facilities (noun): buildings, equipment, or services provided for a particular purpose
  – The apartment complex has great facilities, including a pool and gym.
• first floor (noun): in the United States, the floor of a building at ground level (in many other countries, this floor is called the ground floor)
  – Their unit is on the first floor, right next to the entrance.
• garage (noun): an enclosed building or space used for parking a vehicle
  – She keeps her bike in the garage along with her car.
• landlord (noun): a person who owns and rents out property to tenants
  – The landlord came by to fix the leaky faucet.
• laundry room (noun): a room with machines for washing and drying clothes
  – The laundry room is on the second floor, next to the elevator.
• lease (noun): a legal agreement to rent property for a set period of time
  – They signed a one year lease for the new apartment.
  – (verb): to rent property under a legal agreement
  – The company decided to lease the office space instead of buying it.
• mailbox (noun): a box where mail is delivered or collected
  – He checked his mailbox and found a letter from his sister.
• manager (noun): a person responsible for overseeing a building or property
  – The manager handles maintenance requests for all the tenants.
• parking lot (noun): an outdoor area where vehicles can be parked
  – Visitors must leave their cars in the parking lot near the entrance.
• parking space (noun): a marked area designated for parking one vehicle
  – Each tenant is assigned one parking space.
• roommate (noun): a person with whom one shares a room or apartment
  – My roommate and I split the rent evenly.
• second floor (noun): in the United States, the floor of a building one level above ground level (in many other countries, this floor is called the first floor)
  – Our apartment is on the second floor, so we use the stairs often.
• security deposit (noun): money paid in advance to cover possible damages, returned when the lease ends
  – The security deposit was equal to one month’s rent.
• smoke detector (noun): a device that senses smoke and signals a possible fire
  – The smoke detector in the kitchen started beeping because the battery was low.
• stairway (noun): a set of stairs leading from one level of a building to another
  – He carried the boxes up the stairway to the third floor.
• tenant (noun): a person who rents and occupies property from a landlord
  – Every tenant must follow the building’s rules.
• vacancy (noun): an available apartment or room that is not currently occupied
  – The sign outside the building advertised a vacancy on the second floor.

Use the Internet to find a suitable apartment for you in your area. How much does it cost to rent? How far is it located from your school or work? How long is the term of the lease?