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Episode Twenty-Eight:
English Vocabulary for Renting an Apartment or House
Renting an apartment or home can be a complicated process.
The one thing that makes it even harder is if you don’t know how to say the most important words related to the renting process. For the past year, my family and I rented a house near Nashville, Tennessee. It was a lovely home, but we also faced many challenges with our rental company. I had to call our rental company dozens of times to fix problems with our house, or talk to them about getting money back because they weren’t living up to our rental agreement.
If you are in a situation where you have to email or call your rental company, I want you to be prepared with the English you need to be successful.
Because of that, I’m going to share 10 vocabulary words with you today all about renting a home. Then I will read you an actual maintenance request I sent my rental company so you can hear these vocabulary words in action.
Let’s start with the most important vocabulary word, “rent”. Then we will look at the rest of the 10 words alphabetically.
rent (a home) (verb)
Definition: to pay money to live in a home that someone else owns
Sentence: We are looking for a two-bedroom apartment to rent.
Deposit (noun)
Definition: a returnable amount of money that you pay to rent something, to cover any possible loss or damage to the home
Sentence: The deposit for this house is the same as a month’s rent.
Furnished (adjective)
Definition: including furniture in the rental agreement
Sentence: We are looking for a furnished apartment, because we did not bring our furniture with us to California.
Antonym: unfurnished – not including furniture in the rental agreement
Landlord (noun – person)
Definition: Person or company that owns the house or apartment, not the renter
Sentence: The landlord will walk through the apartment after you move out to make sure nothing was damaged.
Lease (verb)
Definition: take property for a set time; rent
Sentence: We plan on leasing the apartment for 12 months.
Maintenance request (noun)
Definition: A written or verbal ask to have the homeowner fix a problem in the home.
Sentence: You will need to submit a maintenance request if you want to have someone come look at your oven.
Rental agreement (lease agreement) (noun)
Definition: A contract between the owner of the property and the renter that lists the terms (legal obligations) for each side
Sentence: You will need to sign the rental agreement today if you want to secure the apartment.
Super (noun – person)
Definition: building supervisor; manager responsible for repair and maintenance in an apartment building
Sentence: If you have any issues with your apartment, you can contact the super on the first floor.
Tenant (noun – person)
Definition: person who rents a home and lives there
Sentence: The new tenants move in on Saturday.
Utilities (noun)
Definition: services for the home like electricity, gas, water, and internet
Sentence: Make sure you set up your utilities before you move in.
Here is a maintenance request that I submitted early in our stay at the rental property.
Our kitchen faucet started dripping a few days ago, and then built up to a constant stream that we could not stop. So we have had to turn off the water to our kitchen sink because it won’t ever turn off. Could you please send a maintenance tech to fix the issue?
That’s it! Practice the pronunciation with me in the podcast, and be sure to leave a comment with any questions you have.
Until next time, Happy learning!
P.S. If you want to dramatically improve your pronunciation skills, take my latest course Clear English Pronunciation. People are changing their lives by taking this course! The results have been dramatic. Simply visit StudyWithAndrea.com/speak to learn more.
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The following is a TOEFL Reading practice test to help you prepare for the Reading section of the TOEFL test.
Instructions: Read the sample passage below and then answer the questions that follow.
TOEFL Reading Practice Passage
Gorillas are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forest of central Sub-Saharan Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorillas and the western gorillas (both critically endangered), and either four or five subspecies. They are the largest living primates. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Gorillas' natural habitats cover tropical or subtropical forest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although their range covers a small percentage of Sub-Saharan Africa, gorillas cover a wide range of elevations. The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200 to 4,300 metres (7,200 to 14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda.
(#1) Gorillas move around by knuckle-walking, although they sometimes walk upright for short distances, typically while carrying food or in defensive situations. (#2) A 2018 study investigating the hand posture of 77 mountain gorillas at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (8% of the population) found that knuckle walking was done only 60% of the time, and they also supported their weight on their fists, the backs of their hands/feet, and on their palms/soles (with the digits flexed). (#3) Studies of gorilla handedness have yielded varying results, with some arguing for no preference for either hand, and others right-hand dominance for the general population. (#4)
The eastern gorilla is more darkly colored than the western gorilla, with the mountain gorilla being the darkest of all. The mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair. The western lowland gorilla can be brown or grayish with a reddish forehead. In addition, gorillas that live in lowland forest are more slender and agile than the more bulky mountain gorillas. The eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla. Like humans, gorillas have individual fingerprints. Their eye color is dark brown, framed by a black ring around the iris. Gorilla facial structure is described as mandibular prognathism, that is, the mandible protrudes farther out than the maxilla. Adult males also have a prominent sagittal crest.
A gorilla's lifespan is normally between 35 and 40 years, although zoo gorillas may live for 50 years or more. Colo, a female western gorilla at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, was the oldest known gorilla at 60 years of age when she died on 17 January 2017.
Questions
1. According to the passage, gorillas can live in
a. a variety of altitudes.
b. several different countries in Africa.
c. thick forests.
d. lowland forests only.
2. All of the following is true about gorillas EXCEPT
a. they primarily eat smaller animals.
b. they live in a forest habitat.
c. their genetics are similar to humans.
d. their diet consists of vegetation.
3. Look at the word predominantly in paragraph 1. The word predominantly in this passage refers to
a. impulsively
b. unfortunately
c. mainly
d. lastly
4. Look at the word inhabits in paragraph 2. The word inhabits in this passage refers to
a. lives in
b. protects
c. goes
d. works
5. The author implies that
a. most gorillas prefer using their left hand over their right.
b. gorillas rarely walk on their knuckles.
c. gorillas regularly walk upright for long distances.
d. studies haven't solidly proven which hand gorillas prefer using.
6. Why does the writer mention that the eastern gorilla also has a longer face and broader chest than the western gorilla?
a. To validate the importance a broad chest in western gorillas
b. To define the meaning of "broad"
c. To highlight a physical difference between types of gorillas
d. To demonstrate that most gorillas are identical in physical build
7. Which of the following statements is true for BOTH eastern and western gorillas.
a. Both eastern and western gorrilas are brown with red foreheads.
b. Both eastern and western gorrilas have unique fingerprints.
c. Both eastern and western gorrilas have thin hair.
d. Both eastern and western gorrilas have light brown eyes.
8. In Paragraph 3, look at the four numbers (#1, #2, #3, #4) that indicate where the following sentence would be added to the passage.
Such a range of hand postures was previously thought to have been used by only orangutans.
Where would the sentence best fit?
(View all the correct answers below.)
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Answers: 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. b 8. #3
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About Andrea
Andrea Giordano is the founder of StudyWithAndrea.com and has taught more than 1,000,000 students from 180 countries. Andrea holds a Master of Education (TESOL) from Shenandoah University, and is the former Executive Director of TESOL and ESL programs at Campbellsville University. Andrea is a proven leader in online English teaching and is driven by her passion to help you speak English clearly.
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