For A1-A2 Levels

Please, review the vocabulary related to the topic. It will help you feel more confident when role-playing and – if you find any words that are entirely new to you, make sure you write them down and use them in the Conversation Club meeting.

Part 1: Warm Up

Clutter

untidy, not organized, and covered with a lot of things:

a cluttered desk/room

The floor is cluttered with hoses, tools and buckets.

Questions

1. Do you have too many things in your home? Does it feel cluttered? Or is there plenty of space?
2. Does your home have enough windows? What do you see when you look outside?
3. Have you ever had any problems with a neighbor? What happened?
4. How well is your home sound-proofed? Can you easily hear noises from outside?

Sound-proof, soundproof, soundproofed

soundproof adjectiveUK  /ˈsaʊnd.pruːf/ US  /ˈsaʊnd.pruːf/(also soundproofed) (of a building or part of a building) not allowing sound to go through

a soundproof room/wall/studioThe hotel is fully soundproofed so getting a good night’s sleep in such a busy area is easy.

Part 2: Pros and Cons

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of TWO of the following forms of holiday accommodation:

(a) five star hotel

(b) budget hotel

(c) guest house

(d) bed & breakfast

(e) self-catering villa

(f) farmyard cottage

(g) ocean liner

(h) student family

(i) youth hostel

(j) caravan

(k) tent

(l) canal boat ?

• I’m in favor of increasing the spending limits on the ad campaign.
• One upside to delaying our launch is we can eliminate this bug in the software before any other customers encounter this problem.
• Certainly, one reason in favor of delaying the wedding is so you can have all your family and friends present to celebrate with you. Unfortunately, we just don’t know how long you may need to delay.
• One disadvantage of this medication is its potential for strong side effects, including nausea and headaches.
• One argument against delaying our product launch is the reality that our entire customer base expects us to launch on November 22 as promised.
• I don’t support Candidate B because I’m not in support of her tax policy.

 I have always been attracted to the idea of constructing my own home with many amenities, as my father and other family members are architects and we have always been great fans of watching TV programmes that follow the trials and tribulations of people who are involved in complicated and ambitious building projects. We often spend time contemplating harmonious atmosphere designs such as a house with a master bedroom, two bedrooms as spares, a spacious dining area and located in a wonderful neighbourhood. Sometimes, although there are many difficulties and unexpected challenges along the way, the end resulting home is just beautiful, appealing and really inspiring.

This small house would be by the sea, possibly in France, as the Atlantic coastline there is still quite wild and underpopulated and offers a good life. I’m attracted to the idea of an environmentally friendly bungalow or old house which could be redesigned, which would be open plan and use screens or bookshelves to divide rooms.

I’d love to work with my father on the design, and ideally it would be made of eco-friendly materials, such as sustainable woods, recycled glass and highly insulated to keep energy costs as low as possible. I’ve been inspired by the Scandinavian style houses I have seen in design magazines, which are planned to blend into their location, looking simple and clean from the outside, but boasting all mod cons inside like an air conditioner and ample room.

I would love to have a large terrace to sit and watch the sunsets or share sustainably sourced local foods. I am not tempted by an extravagant, designer or flashy décor but prefer something understated with stripped or varnished wood floors, a kitchen made from recycled wood, and open shelves to display my valuable collection of ceramic pottery which was my grandmother’s