Places & Buildings

Words for types of places, buildings, and locations

Overview

25 A2 words for talking about places, buildings, and where things are located.

Words

airport /ˈeəpɔːt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a place where aircraft take off and land Examples:

  • The airport is 30 km from the city.
  • We arrived at the airport early.

castle /ˈkɑːsl/

noun — A2

Meaning: a large medieval building with thick walls Examples:

  • We visited an old castle in Scotland.
  • The castle was built in the 12th century.

cathedral /kəˈθiːdrəl/

noun — A2

Meaning: a large important church Examples:

  • The cathedral has beautiful windows.
  • We toured the historic cathedral.

cottage /ˈkɒtɪdʒ/

noun — A2

Meaning: a small house in the countryside Examples:

  • They rented a cottage by the sea.
  • The cottage is surrounded by flowers.

court /kɔːt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a place where legal cases are heard Examples:

  • He appeared in court.
  • The court ruled in her favour.

district /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area of a city or country Examples:

  • We live in a quiet district.
  • The business district is very busy.

Collocations: school district, business district

factory /ˈfæktri/

noun — A2

Meaning: a building where goods are made Examples:

  • The factory produces cars.
  • She works in a chocolate factory.

harbour /ˈhɑːbər/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area of water protected by land for ships Examples:

  • The boats were in the harbour.
  • The harbour was full of yachts.

headquarters /ˌhedˈkwɔːtəz/

noun — A2

Meaning: the main office of an organization Examples:

  • The company’s headquarters is in London.
  • She was called to headquarters.

library /ˈlaɪbrəri/

noun — A2

Meaning: a building where books are kept for people to read Examples:

  • I borrowed the book from the library.
  • The library closes at 6 p.m.

market /ˈmɑːkɪt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a place where goods are sold Examples:

  • We bought vegetables at the market.
  • There’s a market every Saturday.

Collocations: market place, stock market, market research

memorial /məˈmɔːriəl/

noun — A2

Meaning: something built to remind people of a person or event Examples:

  • They built a memorial for the soldiers.
  • We visited the war memorial.

neighbourhood /ˈneɪbəhʊd/

noun — A2

Meaning: the area near where you live Examples:

  • It’s a friendly neighbourhood.
  • She knows everyone in the neighbourhood.

palace /ˈpælɪs/

noun — A2

Meaning: a large grand building where a king or queen lives Examples:

  • We visited Buckingham Palace.
  • The palace has over 200 rooms.

path /pɑːθ/

noun — A2

Meaning: a narrow way for walking Examples:

  • Follow the path through the garden.
  • The path leads to the beach.

Collocations: garden path, cycle path, career path

port /pɔːt/

noun — A2

Meaning: a town with a harbour for ships Examples:

  • The ship arrived at the port.
  • Dover is a busy port.

prison /ˈprɪzn/

noun — A2

Meaning: a building where criminals are kept Examples:

  • He was sent to prison for five years.
  • The prison holds 1,000 inmates.

Collocations: go to prison, in prison, prison sentence

Word Family: prison (n.) → prisoner (n.)

square /skweər/

noun — A2

Meaning: an open area in a town Examples:

  • The main square has a fountain.
  • We met in the town square.

Collocations: town square, market square

suburb /ˈsʌbɜːb/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area outside the centre of a city Examples:

  • They live in the suburbs.
  • The house is in a quiet suburb.

Word Family: suburb (n.) → suburban (adj.)

temple /ˈtempl/

noun — A2

Meaning: a building used for religious worship Examples:

  • We visited a Buddhist temple.
  • The temple is over 500 years old.

territory /ˈterətri/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area of land belonging to a country Examples:

  • The animals defend their territory.
  • This is uncharted territory.

Collocations: enemy territory, new territory

tower /ˈtaʊər/

noun — A2

Meaning: a tall narrow building or structure Examples:

  • The clock tower is the town’s landmark.
  • We climbed to the top of the tower.

underground /ˌʌndəˈɡraʊnd/

adjective, noun — A2

Meaning: below the surface; a railway system below ground Examples:

  • Take the underground to the centre.
  • The tunnel runs underground.

urban /ˈɜːbən/

adjective — A2

Meaning: relating to a city or town Examples:

  • Urban areas have more pollution.
  • She prefers urban life to rural.

zone /zəʊn/

noun — A2

Meaning: an area with a particular feature or purpose Examples:

  • This is a no-parking zone.
  • The city has different time zones.

Collocations: time zone, war zone, comfort zone

Quick Review

WordTypeMeaning
airportn.aircraft place
castlen.medieval building
cathedraln.large church
cottagen.small house
courtn.legal building
districtn.city area
factoryn.goods building
harbourn.ship water
headquartersn.main office
libraryn.book building
marketn.selling place
memorialn.remembrance
neighbourhoodn.local area
palacen.royal home
pathn.narrow way
portn.ship town
prisonn.criminal building
squaren.town open area
suburbn.outside city
templen.worship place
territoryn.land area
towern.tall building
undergroundadj./n.below; metro
urbanadj.city-related
zonen.special area
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A2 — Elementary

B1 — Intermediate