UNIT

6 Homes and cities

LANGUAGE there is/there are, some/any ■ prepositions of place ■ rooms and furniture

6A A small space
1 Look at these rooms and items of furniture. Which of them do you have in your home?
Can you think of more?

kitchen bedroom living room stove closet armchair sofa mirror

Go to Vocabulary practice: rooms and furniture, page 101

2 A Look at the title of the text and the pictures. How is the apartment special?
B Read the text and check.

3 Read the text again and answer the questions.

1 What is Gary’s job? 4 Where can guests sleep?
2 How does Gary make the different “rooms”? 5 According to the text, what free-time
3 Where is his bed? activities can Gary do in the apartment?

24-room micro-apartment
HONG KONG is a busy and exciting city with a population of more than seven million. Like most people in
Hong Kong, architect Gary Chang lives in a small apartment. But Gary’s apartment has a difference – he can move
the walls. It’s only 32 square meters, but he can create a lot of new “rooms” inside it.
When you come into the apartment, you see just one room. There’s a wall with a TV on it. If you move this, you find
a kitchen with a sink and stove. Next to the kitchen, there’s a small wall with a washing machine behind it.
Back in the main room, are there any chairs? No, there aren’t any armchairs, but there’s a small sofa on a wall. You
can lift the sofa, pull down the wall, and it becomes a double bed! There are some shelves for books next to the
bed, and there’s a desk under the shelves.
Another wall in the main room has shelves for Gary’s 3,000 CDs. If you move this wall, you find a bathroom behind
it. Is there space for visitors? Gary can cover the bathtub to make a bed for guests.
In total, Gary can make 24 different “rooms,” including a dining room, a study, and a movie room. There’s no
balcony, but Gary doesn’t mind. He has enough space to have dinner with friends, do yoga, and even have a party!

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 there is/there are, some/any ■ prepositions of place ■ rooms and furniture LANGUAGE 6A
5A
4 A Complete the sentences. Check your answers in the text.
1 There a wall with a TV on it. 3 There balcony.
2 There some shelves for books. 4 There any armchairs.
B Choose the correct options to complete the rules. Then read the Grammar box.
We can use some and any with plural nouns. They mean “more than one.”
1 We use some / any in affirmative sentences.
2 We use some / any in negative sentences and plural questions.

Grammar there is/there are, some/any

Singular
Affirmative: Negative: Questions:
There’s a TV. There’s no sofa. Is there a washing machine?
There’s an armchair. There’s no balcony. Yes, there is. No, there’s not. (No,
there isn’t.)
Plural
Affirmative: Negative: Questions:
There are some cabinets. There are no/There Are there any shelves?
aren’t any stairs. Yes, there are. No, there aren’t.
Look! We usually use the contraction there’s for there is. We don’t contract there are.

Go to Grammar practice: there is/there are, some/any, page 86

5 A 6.4 Pronunciation: there’s/there are Listen to the sentences and notice how there’s
and there are are pronounced. Listen again and repeat.
1 There’s a balcony. 3 There’s no sofa.
2 There are two armchairs. 4 There aren’t any shelves.

B 6.5 Say the sentences. Listen, check, and repeat.

1 There are five rooms in the apartment. 3 There are no chairs in the living room.
2 There’s a big table in the kitchen. 4 There’s no garage.

6 A 6.6 Listen to the description of an apartment. Complete it with the prepositions in the box.
Which room is the speaker describing?

behind in front of across from under next to

This is my favorite room. There’s a window 1 the door. There are some chairs and a
table 2 the window. We have two comfortable armchairs – they’re 3 the
TV, and there’s a small table between them. There are some shelves 4 the armchairs.
We have some books and a clock on the shelves. There’s a cabinet 5 the TV.

B Underline two other prepositions of place in the text in exercise 6A. Then read the Grammar box.

Grammar prepositions of place

We use prepositions of place to say where something or someone is:

Beth’s in the backyard.   The bathroom’s across from the bedroom.   Our photos are on the shelves.

Go to Grammar practice: prepositions of place, page 86

Go to Communication practice: Student A page 111, Student B page 117
7 Think of a room in your house. What furniture is there? What other objects and possessions are
there? Describe it to your partner and ask him/her to draw a plan of it.

Personal Best Write a paragraph about your classroom. Describe what there is. 49
 61 SKILLS
SKILLS LISTENING identifying key points ■ contractions ■ common adjectives

6B Amazing homes
Learning
Curve 1 Match pictures a–h with the adjectives in the box.

clean narrow light traditional heavy wide modern dirty

a b c d

e f g h

Go to Vocabulary practice: common adjectives, page 101

2 Think of the homes of your friends and family. Describe them to your partner with the adjectives.
My parents’ apartment has a modern kitchen and bathroom. There’s an old armchair in the
living room.

3 A In pairs, look at the pictures from the show. What adjectives can you use to describe each
house?

a house in the Czech Republic b house in the Philippines

B 6.9 Watch or listen to the first part of Learning Curve and check your answers.

4 6.9 Watch or listen again. Which house in exercise 3 do sentences 1–5 describe?
Write a or b.
1 This house can move up and down.
2 This house is on an island.
3 This house changes with the weather.
4 This house can get bigger.
5 This house is above the ground because it’s dry there.

Skill identifying key points

When people speak, listen for the important things they say.
• Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word.
• People often give an example of the key points using for example, such as, or e.g.
• Listen to which words are stressed. People often emphasize the most important ideas.

50
 identifying key points ■ contractions ■ common adjectives LISTENING SKILLS
SKILLS 6B
1B
5 6.10 Read the Skill box. Then watch or listen to the second part of the
show. Complete the key points with the names.

Josh Charlotte Danielle Manu

1 ’s home is very big and very old.

2 ’s home is small, and it’s not expensive.
3 ’s only living in this home for a short time.
4 ’s home has both modern and traditional things.

6 6.10 Watch or listen again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 There aren’t any windows in Josh’s apartment.
2 It’s quiet in his apartment at night.
3 Charlotte has some new things in her kitchen.
4 Her wardrobe’s very expensive.
5 Danielle’s house is in Canada.
6 She’s cleaning the shelves right now.
7 Manu lives in his beach house for nine months every year.
8 He’s a teacher in California.

7 Discuss the questions in pairs.

1 Do you live in a house or an apartment? 3 Describe your favorite room.
How old is it? 4 Do you live in your house or apartment
2 Are there old or new things in it? all year?

Listening builder contractions

When people speak, they usually contract verbs:

He is calling from California! → He’s calling from California!
My home is not big. → My home isn’t big.
I do not understand. → I don’t understand.

8 A Read the Listening builder. In pairs, complete the sentences from the show with the
contractions in the box.

don’t there’s it’s I’m bed’s they’re

1 When cold, the house turns and moves up, and gets a lot of sun.
2 I mean a garage at a house.
3 There are about 300 small apartments. And very cheap.
4 My opposite the kitchen.
5 There are four bedrooms, and a bathroom next to each bedroom.
6 a teacher!
B 6.11 Listen and check.

9 Discuss the questions in pairs.

1 What do you remember about the homes in the video?
2 Which homes in the video do you like? Why?
3 Which homes don’t you like? Why?
4 Do you prefer modern or traditional homes? Why?
5 Do you know someone who lives in an unusual home? Can you describe it?

Personal Best
Challenge! Write a paragraph about your home or another person’s home. 51
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 GRAMMAR PRACTICE

6A t here is/there are, some/any/no, prepositions

of place 1 Read the advertisement and then complete the sentences
We use there is to say that something singular exists. with there’s a/there are and there’s/there are no.
There’s a sofa in the living room.
Third-floor two-bedroom apartment in a popular area
There’s a small balcony in my apartment.
near stores and a park. Five-minute walk to subway
We use there are for the plural form. station. Living room with big windows. Kitchen,
There are five people in my family. bathroom (shower only, no bathtub). Empty – ready
There are three bedrooms in her apartment. to move in!
We use some and any with plural nouns. We use some in affirmative sentences when
more than one thing or person exists, but we don’t say exactly how many. 1 two bedrooms.
2 a bathroom.
There are some chairs in the classroom.
3 backyard, but a park
There are some new students in our class.
near the apartment.
I have some books in my bag.
4 some big windows in the living room.
We use any in negative sentences and questions with plural nouns. We use no after 5 bathtub in the bathroom.
an affirmative verb and with a singular or plural noun. 6 people in the apartment right now.
There are no tables. / There aren’t any tables. 7 some stores near the apartment.
I have no brothers or sisters. / I don’t have any brothers or sisters. 8 a subway station near the apartment.
Are there any shelves in the bedroom?
2 Complete the questions and answers about an apartment.
6.3 Singular nouns Plural nouns 1 garage in your apartment building?
No, .
+ There’s a shelf in my bedroom. There are some shelves in the kitchen. 2 shelves in the living room?
There’s no chair in my There are no / There aren’t any Yes, .
– 3 basement that you can use?
bedroom. chairs in the kitchen.
Yes, .
Is there a cabinet in your Are there any cabinets in the kitchen? 4 sofa in the living room?
?
bedroom? Yes, .
Yes, there is. / No, there’s not/ Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t. 5 good restaurants in the area?
Y/N No, .
there isn’t.
6 schools for the children?
Yes, .
Prepositions of place
6.7 We use prepositions of place to describe location. 3 Look at the floor plan of a house. Complete the
sentences with prepositions of place.
The window is across from the door.
front yard

living kitchen dining

room room

backyard
front yard

bedroom bathroom bedroom

in front of under next to in 1 The kitchen is the bathroom.

2 The bathroom is the two bedrooms.
3 The dining room is the kitchen.
4 There is a small yard the house.
5 There is a large yard the house.
6 There are some trees the large yard.

on between behind across from

86 Go back to page 49
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 VOCABULARY PRACTICE

6A Rooms and furniture

1 6.1 Label the picture with the rooms and places in the box. Listen and check.
yard balcony kitchen bedroom living room bathroom (x2) dining room study garage hall attic basement stairs

1
6
2
7
3
8
4
e 9
c
5 b

d 10
a

11 g

h i k
j l
f

12
13 14

2 6.2 Find the furniture items in the picture. Write the letters a-l. Listen and check.
1 armchair 4 stove 7 shelves 9 table 11 washing machine
2 bed 5 cabinets 8 sofa 10 closet 12 mirror
3 chairs 6 desk

Go back to page 48
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6B Common adjectives
1 6.8 Match the adjectives with their opposites. 2 Complete the sentences with opposite adjectives.
Listen and check. 1 I don’t like restaurants. I like places where you can talk
1 expensive a wide with friends.
2 clean b uncomfortable 2 My girlfriend usually buys clothes. I’m different – I buy
3 narrow c light clothes and have some money for other things.
4 noisy d cheap 3 We have two sofas. One is old, but very – it’s perfect for watching a
5 comfortable e traditional movie. The other one is new, but it’s .
6 heavy f dirty 4 My husband wants to buy some furniture, but I don’t. I want some
7 modern g quiet things because our apartment is very new.
5 Your T-shirt is really ! Go and find a blouse.
6 My bike is very , but Carl’s is really . I can carry his bike
with one hand.
7 I only have a double bed and a small closet in my bedroom. The room’s
and the bed’s , so I have no space.
Go back to page 50 101
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