Home & Living
Words for housing, household items, and domestic life
Overview
25 A2 words for talking about housing, home life, furniture, and domestic arrangements.
Words
arrange /əˈreɪndʒ/
verb — A2
Meaning: to plan and organize; to put in order
Examples:
- I’ll arrange a meeting for Friday.
- She arranged the flowers in a vase.
Collocations: arrange a meeting, arrange for, arrange to
Word Family: arrange (v.) → arrangement (n.)
block /blɒk/
noun, verb — A2
Meaning: (n.) a large piece of a solid material; a group of buildings; (v.) to stop something from passing
Examples:
- She lives in the next block.
- A truck was blocking the road.
Collocations: block of flats, road block, block the way
ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
noun — A2
Meaning: the top surface of a room
Examples:
- The ceiling in the living room is very high.
- There’s a crack in the ceiling.
Collocations: high ceiling, ceiling fan, ceiling light
cupboard /ˈkʌbəd/
noun — A2
Meaning: a piece of furniture with doors for storing things
Examples:
- The plates are in the cupboard.
- She opened the kitchen cupboard.
Collocations: kitchen cupboard, open the cupboard
curtain /ˈkɜːtn/
noun — A2
Meaning: a piece of cloth covering a window
Examples:
- She closed the curtains before going to bed.
- The curtains are dark blue.
Collocations: draw the curtains, open the curtains, shower curtain
decorate /ˈdekəreɪt/
verb — A2
Meaning: to make something look more attractive; to paint or wallpaper
Examples:
- We decorated the room for the party.
- They’re decorating the new house.
Collocations: decorate a room, decorate for Christmas
Word Family: decorate (v.) → decoration (n.) → decorative (adj.)
drawer /drɔːr/
noun — A2
Meaning: a box-shaped container that slides in and out of furniture
Examples:
- The scissors are in the top drawer.
- She opened the drawer and took out a pen.
Collocations: top drawer, chest of drawers, kitchen drawer
entrance /ˈentrəns/
noun — A2
Meaning: the way in; the act of coming in
Examples:
- The entrance to the museum is on the left.
- There’s a security guard at the entrance.
Collocations: main entrance, entrance fee, entrance hall
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/
noun — A2
Meaning: things needed for a particular activity
Examples:
- We bought new kitchen equipment.
- The gym has modern equipment.
Collocations: sports equipment, office equipment, heavy equipment
fence /fens/
noun — A2
Meaning: a barrier made of wood or wire around an area
Examples:
- The garden is surrounded by a wooden fence.
- The dog jumped over the fence.
Collocations: wooden fence, garden fence, fence post
furniture /ˈfɜːnɪtʃər/
noun — A2
Meaning: tables, chairs, beds, etc. in a room
Examples:
- We need to buy some new furniture.
- The furniture in the office is old.
Collocations: piece of furniture, office furniture, furniture shop
garage /ˈɡærɑːʒ/
noun — A2
Meaning: a building for keeping a car; a place for repairing cars
Examples:
- The car is in the garage.
- I took the car to the garage for repair.
Collocations: parking garage, garage door, garage sale
garden /ˈɡɑːdn/
noun — A2
Meaning: a piece of land next to a house where plants grow
Examples:
- They have a beautiful garden.
- She spends hours working in the garden.
Collocations: garden centre, garden party, back garden
Word Family: garden (n.) → gardener (n.) → gardening (n.)
gate /ɡeɪt/
noun — A2
Meaning: a door in a fence, wall, or at an airport
Examples:
- Please close the gate behind you.
- Go to gate 14 for boarding.
Collocations: garden gate, departure gate, gate number
heating /ˈhiːtɪŋ/
noun — A2
Meaning: a system for making a building warm
Examples:
- The heating isn’t working.
- We turned the heating on.
Collocations: central heating, heating system, turn on the heating
Word Family: heating (n.) → heat (n./v.) → heater (n.)
housework /ˈhaʊswɜːk/
noun — A2
Meaning: work done to keep a house clean and tidy
Examples:
- I hate doing housework.
- She does most of the housework.
Collocations: do the housework, help with housework
lock /lɒk/
noun, verb — A2
Meaning: (n.) a device for keeping a door closed; (v.) to fasten with a lock
Examples:
- Lock the door when you leave.
- The lock on the window is broken.
Collocations: lock the door, lock up, lock and key, under lock and key
mirror /ˈmɪrər/
noun — A2
Meaning: a piece of glass that shows a reflection
Examples:
- She looked at herself in the mirror.
- There’s a mirror in the hallway.
Collocations: look in the mirror, bathroom mirror, rear-view mirror
neighbour /ˈneɪbər/
noun — A2
Meaning: a person who lives next to or near you
Examples:
- Our neighbours are having a barbecue.
- She borrowed eggs from her neighbour.
Collocations: next-door neighbour, friendly neighbour
Word Family: neighbour (n.) → neighbourhood (n.) → neighbouring (adj.)
property /ˈprɒpəti/
noun — A2
Meaning: a building and the land around it; something that belongs to someone
Examples:
- They bought a property in the countryside.
- This is private property.
Collocations: property market, private property, property owner
rent /rent/
verb, noun — A2
Meaning: (v.) to pay money to use something; (n.) the money paid
Examples:
- She rents a flat in the city centre.
- The rent is £800 a month.
Collocations: pay rent, rent a flat, rent a car, rental
Word Family: rent (v./n.) → rental (n./adj.)
repair /rɪˈpeər/
verb, noun — A2
Meaning: to fix something that is broken
Examples:
- I need to repair the roof.
- The car is in for repairs.
Collocations: repair a car, repair work, under repair, in need of repair
shelf /ʃelf/
noun — A2
Meaning: a flat piece of wood or metal fixed to a wall for putting things on
Examples:
- The books are on the top shelf.
- She put the cups back on the shelf.
Collocations: book shelf, top shelf, shelf life
stairs /steəz/
noun — A2
Meaning: steps leading up or down inside a building
Examples:
- He ran up the stairs two at a time.
- The lift is broken — let’s take the stairs.
Collocations: up the stairs, down the stairs, flight of stairs
Word Family: stairs (n.) → staircase (n.)
tidy /ˈtaɪdi/
adjective, verb — A2
Meaning: (adj.) neat and organized; (v.) to make neat
Examples:
- Her room is always tidy.
- Please tidy up before you go.
Collocations: tidy up, keep tidy, tidy room
Word Family: tidy (adj./v.) → untidy (adj.)
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| arrange | v. | plan; organize |
| block | n./v. | group; stop |
| ceiling | n. | room top |
| cupboard | n. | storage furniture |
| curtain | n. | window covering |
| decorate | v. | make attractive |
| drawer | n. | sliding box |
| entrance | n. | way in |
| equipment | n. | needed things |
| fence | n. | barrier |
| furniture | n. | tables/chairs/beds |
| garage | n. | car building |
| garden | n. | plant area |
| gate | n. | fence door |
| heating | n. | warmth system |
| housework | n. | home cleaning |
| lock | n./v. | security device |
| mirror | n. | reflection glass |
| neighbour | n. | nearby person |
| property | n. | owned building |
| rent | v./n. | pay to use |
| repair | v./n. | fix |
| shelf | n. | storage board |
| stairs | n. | steps |
| tidy | adj./v. | neat; clean up |