Build Castles in the Air!: English Vocabulary List

a factory in which a natural substance such as oil or sugar is made pure by removing all other substances from it

"The oil refinery processes crude oil."

"The oil refinery processes crude oil into gasoline diesel and other useful petroleum products for consumers."

a small structure, gallery, or summerhouse that usually has an open side and provides an excellent view

"We visited the belvedere."

"The hilltop belvedere offers visitors a stunning panoramic view of the entire valley below."

a hut, shelter, or cabin, usually at a swimming pool or beach

"We relaxed by the cabana."

"The resort guests relaxed in their private cabana by the pool ordering drinks from waiters."

a building for burning the dead bodies of people, often as a funeral ceremony

"The body was taken to the crematorium."

"The family visited the crematorium to say goodbye after the funeral service."

a one-story construction without stairs, usually with a low roof

"They bought bungalow."

"They bought a small bungalow near the beach because they wanted a single story home for retirement."

a place that provides travelers with temporary accommodation

"Lodging was cheap."

"We found lodging near the station."

a building later added to a main building in order to provide more space

"The library's new annex opens next week."

"The school built a new annex to create more classroom space last year."

a long and narrow piece of wood attached to the bottom of the walls of a house

"The baseboard along the wall needs painting."

"We need to paint the baseboard along the bottom of the walls in the living room."

a passage or entrance beneath an arch

"She walked through the stone archway."

"The beautiful stone archway leads into the old garden area behind the house."

a wooden house with a steep sloping roof, often found in mountainous areas in Switzerland

"They rented a chalet in the Swiss Alps."

"The family rented a wooden chalet in the Swiss Alps for their winter ski holiday."

a bathroom that is directly connected to a bedroom

"En suite bathroom."

"Each room in the hotel has a private en suite bathroom with modern facilities."

the front of a building, particularly one that is large and has an elegant appearance

"The facade of the old church is beautiful."

"A facade is the front exterior face of a building"

a piece of equipment such as a bath that is permanently affixed inside a house or building and people cannot take it out when they move out

"The old brass light fixture was worth quite a lot of money."

"A fixture in a real estate contract is any piece of personal property that has been so permanently attached to the land or a building that it is considered part of the real property."

to equip a room, house, etc. with furniture

"They furnish their apartment with cheap furniture."

"The landlord agreed to furnish the apartment with basic items like a bed a table and some chairs."

a house or shelter in the shape of a dome that is built from blocks of ice or hard snow

"Igloo was tiny."

"The Inuit traditionally built igloos from compacted snow blocks that provided insulation against freezing temperatures."

a room that has one or more toilets

"Where is the lavatory?"

"Please direct me to the nearest lavatory; I need to freshen up before the meeting."

a narrow piece of plaster, wood, or other material, used as decoration along the top of a wall, around a door, etc.

"The decorative molding added elegance."

"The crown molding on the ceiling looks very elegant in the living room."

a cupboard or small room, often next to kitchen, used for keeping food in

"She stocked the pantry with canned goods."

"The kitchen pantry is full of food and supplies for the whole month."

a structure with a roof and no walls at the entrance of a house

"The porch is shaded."

"The old man sat on his porch every afternoon drinking lemonade and watching children play in the street until the sun went down."

a roofed area with an open front at the ground level, which is attached to the side of a house

"We sat on the veranda watching the sunset."

"The family spent warm summer evenings sitting on the wooden veranda drinking lemonade and watching the sunset over the hills."

the way a room or building's interior is decorated

"Beautiful room decor."

"The beautiful room decor created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all guests last night."

situated next to or near something

"The house is adjacent to mine."

"The house adjacent to ours is empty because the owners moved out last month and nobody has bought it yet."

a shelter equipped with strong walls, often built underground, to protect soldiers or guns

"The general directed the battle from a bunker."

"The old underground bunker was used during the war many years ago."

a row of columns having equal distance from each other, often supporting a roof or arch

"The colonnade provided a shady walkway."

"The marble colonnade surrounds the beautiful courtyard of the ancient building."

damaged or deteriorated over time, often due to neglect or insufficient maintenance

"The house is dilapidated."

"The house is dilapidated with a leaking roof and broken windows and crumbling brick walls."

an open building that is round or oval in shape and has a space in the middle surrounded by several seats, originated in ancient Roman and Greek architecture used for public entertainments such as sports or drama

"The amphitheater was large."

"Thousands gathered in the magnificent amphitheater to witness the spectacular gladiatorial contests and theatrical performances."

a large building or hall where people are gathered to attend a concert, public speech, play, etc.

"Large school auditorium."

"The conference was held in a large auditorium that could seat more than one thousand people comfortably."

a building or a group of buildings in which individual units are owned privately, while common areas and facilities such as hallways, elevators, etc. are owned and managed by all residents

"The condominium is new."

"He bought a condominium near the city center."

a building with a dome in which moving images of planets, starts, and constellations are projected for educational or entertainment purposes

"We visited the planetarium."

"The planetarium projected a breathtaking simulation of the night sky above us."

a house, particularly found in New York City, that is built of, or with a front made of, a type of reddish-brown sandstone

"They live in a beautiful brownstone in Brooklyn."

"They live in a beautiful brownstone building in the historic district of the city."

an apartment with two floors each with its own rooms connected by an internal staircase

"The duplex has two floors."

"They rented a duplex with a small garden."

a school or college that people attend to for studying music, theater, or some other form of art

"She attended the conservatory."

"Her exceptional talent led her to attend a prestigious conservatory for advanced musical training."

an ornamental border made of plaster or wood, often used around the top of a wall where it meets the ceiling

"The cornice has beautiful carvings."

"The ornate cornice above the window was decorated with intricate carvings of leaves and flowers."

a small area inside the entrance of a private apartment or house, where people walk in immediately after they enter

"Wait in the foyer."

"Guests gathered in the spacious foyer before being ushered into the ballroom."

the first floor above the ground floor in a theater where there are seats for the audience

"Sit in the mezzanine."

"Opting for a more elevated perspective, they chose seats in the mezzanine overlooking the stage."

a large area typically with glass walls or roof in the middle of a building such a shopping center

"The hotel has a big glass atrium."

"The hotel's central atrium had a glass ceiling that let natural sunlight brighten all the surrounding rooms throughout the day."

to build or assemble a structure or object in an upright position

"They erect a new statue in the park."

"The construction crew managed to erect the steel frame of the building in less than two weeks."

(of buildings) having many floors

"The apartment is in a high-rise building."

"The apartment is in a high rise building on the thirtieth floor with a great view."

the materials that are used to cover something in order not to let heat, electricity, or sound to enter or escape through it

"Good insulation keeps the house warm."

"Good insulation keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer effectively."

a platform or floor that has a design that looks like a ship's deck

"The boat has a nice deck."

"We enjoyed our evening drinks on the spacious wooden deck overlooking the ocean."