XIII. A) Go through the table and look up the words you don’t know in the dictionary.

b) Listen and underline the words that best describe Ann’s house. Circle the ones which best describe John’s house. (V. Evans, J. Dooley. Upstream. Intermediate. Teacher’s Book. – Express Publishing, 2002, p.8, ex.5b, Class cassette 1.)

Style	traditional, modern apartment, flat, (semi) detached house, cottage, villa, 1/2/3 storeyed house
Location	village, city, centrally located, residential area, close to the shops, in the suburbs, isolated, in the country
Size	small, tiny, spacious, large, huge, average, family-sized
Cost	cheap, low-priced, overpriced, expensive, economical
General description	cosy, comfortable, secure, luxurious, well-maintained, fully-furnished, quiet, noisy, cold, nice

c) Use the words to describe Ann’s and John’s houses.

Model: Ann lives in a traditional cottage in the country. The cottage is …

d) List the advantages and disadvantages of living in a flat and in a house. Think about: location, size, accommodations, price, cost of maintenance, facilities.

an informal letter describing a house

Analysing a Model Text

XIV. A) Read the letter and underline the topic sentences.

Dear Peter,

How are you? Hope everything’s OK. I’m writing to let you know that I think I’ve found the perfect cottage to live in.

It’s in a really nice location. It’s a quiet area, but the best thing about it is that it is less than a kilometer from the sea.

The house is really charming outside. It’s an old brick farm building which has been converted into a cottage. It’s got a patio and is surrounded by a beautiful garden.

Inside, the house is nice and comfortable. It has two floors. On the ground floor there is a cosy living room and a kitchen with all the modern equipment you would expect, as well as a dining room and a WC. Upstairs there are two small bedrooms and a bathroom. The house is fully furnished so I don’t need to worry about that.

Let me know if you like the sound of it. I hope I’ll see you here soon. I’ll tell you all of my news then.

Yours,

Laura

b) Which words/phrases does Laura use to describe the interior/exterior of the house? In which paragraphs does she mention these?

c ) Study the table, then find examples of informal style in Laura’s letter.

d) What are Laura’s opening and closing remarks? Which of the following can you use instead? Why can’t you use the others?

1. Thanks for your letter.

2. I feel obliged to write to inform you …

3. Sorry I haven’t written for so long.

4. Get in touch with me soon.

5. Looking forward to hearing from you.

6. I look forward to receiving a prompt reply.

X V. Read the rubric and underline the key words. Then, answer the questions.

1. What type of writing is it?

2. Who is sending the letter? What is the relationship between you and the recipient of the letter?

3. What style is appropriate?

4. What information do you need to include?

5. What opening and closing remarks can you use?