eng8-V5· Vocabulary· ~13 min

A Place Called Home

Words for houses, rooms and describing where we live.

In this lesson, you will learn words for different types of homes, such as flats and cottages. You will also learn the names of rooms and parts of a house, like the attic and the balcony. Finally, you will practise adjectives that describe a home, for example cosy and spacious. These words will help you talk about where you live.

Key terms

flat — a home inside a larger building, usually on one floor
cottage — a small house, often in the countryside
mansion — a very large, expensive house
attic — a room at the top of a house, under the roof
basement — a room below the ground floor of a house
cosy — warm, comfortable and friendly
Types of Home vs Parts of a House
Types of HomeParts of a House
flatattic
cottagebasement
mansionbalcony
terraced househallway
bungalowstaircase

Remember: types of home are whole buildings you live in. Parts of a house are rooms or sections inside or attached to a building.

✎How to Answer a Gap-Fill Question
  1. 1Step 1: Read the full sentence: 'We live in a ___ on the third floor.'
  2. 2Step 2: Look at the clue: 'on the third floor' tells you the home is inside a building.
  3. 3Step 3: Think: which type of home is inside a building? A flat.
  4. 4Step 4: Check your answer: 'We live in a flat on the third floor.' — this makes sense.
🚫Common mistake

Don't confuse 'attic' and 'basement'. The attic is at the top of the house (under the roof), and the basement is at the bottom (below the ground floor).

⚠️Caution

The word 'neighbourhood' means the area around your home — the streets, shops, and people nearby. It is not a type of building.

💡Note

Adjectives like 'cosy' and 'comfortable' are similar, but 'cosy' suggests a small, warm space while 'comfortable' simply means pleasant to be in.

Rules

  1. 1A flat is a home inside a larger building, usually on one floor. A cottage is a small house, often found in the countryside.
  2. 2A mansion is a very large and expensive house. A bungalow is a house that has only one floor.
  3. 3A terraced house is one of a row of similar houses that share side walls.
  4. 4The attic is the room at the top of a house, under the roof. The basement is the room below the ground floor.
  5. 5Adjectives like cosy (warm and comfortable) and spacious (with lots of room) describe how a home feels.
  6. 6Tidy means everything is in order, while messy means things are not in their proper places.

Practice

10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard

10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed