Buildings and Structures: English Vocabulary List

an official contract or arrangement by which a bank gives money to someone as a loan to buy a house and the person agrees to repay the loan over a specified period, usually with interest

"We took a mortgage for our house."

"They secured a thirty-year mortgage to finance the purchase of their dream home."

a modern building that is very tall, often built in a city

"The skyscraper is tall."

"The skyscraper dominates the city skyline."

a very large and impressive house

"The mansion is grand."

"They toured the mansion and admired its large rooms."

an apartment on top of a tall building

"The penthouse is luxurious."

"They stayed in a penthouse with a city view."

an area where multiple residential buildings, such as houses, townhouses, or apartments, are constructed to create a new community or neighborhood

"The housing development is growing."

"A new housing development was built near the highway."

a house that is part of a row of similar houses built side by side

"The row house shares walls with its neighbors."

"The row house was attached to its neighbors on both sides and had a small backyard behind it."

a boat designed for living in

"The houseboat is floating."

"They spent the weekend on a houseboat by the river."

an area or room in a house or building that is partially or completely below the ground level

"The basement is cool."

"He kept the tools in the basement."

an underground storage space or room, typically found in a building, used for storing food, wine, or other items that require a cool and dark environment

"The cellar is dark."

"They stored wine in the cellar."

an outdoor area with paved floor belonging to a house used for sitting, relaxing or eating in

"We eat dinner on the patio."

"They spent the warm summer evening relaxing on the patio with friends."

the external surface of a building roof

"The rooftop is windy."

"They had a party on the rooftop of the apartment building and enjoyed the beautiful view of the city skyline at sunset."

a bell operated by a button outside a house or apartment that makes a sound when pushed, particularly to inform the inhabitants inside

"The doorbell rang."

"She pressed the doorbell and waited at the entrance."

a small step in front of the main door of a building or house

"The doorstep is clean."

"He stood on the doorstep and knocked gently."

the area around the door at the entrance to a house, room, etc.

"The doorway is narrow."

"We stood in the doorway while it rained outside."

a system that controls the temperature and humidity in a house, car, etc.

"The air conditioning is on."

"The air conditioner struggled to cool the apartment during the heat wave because the temperature reached one hundred five degrees."

a system that provides a building with warm water and temperature

"Central heating warms the house."

"They turned on the central heating when winter started."

a device or alarm that starts beeping if it detects smoke or fire

"The smoke alarm beeped loudly."

"The smoke alarm warned us early about the fire."

a sliding box-shaped piece of furniture found within a desk, dresser, or cabinet, used for organizing and storing items

"The drawer is stuck."

"He opened the top drawer of his desk and found the missing pen that he had been searching for during the entire meeting."

an object for collecting and temporarily storing trash or waste materials, often placed outside a house

"The garbage can is full."

"She threw the empty milk carton into the garbage can and tied the bag closed before taking it out to the dumpster."

to clean a surface by wiping it with a handle attached to a sponge or cloth at its end

"She mops the kitchen floor daily."

"Please mop the kitchen floor because someone spilled juice on it and now it is sticky."

to clean a surface by rubbing it very hard using a brush, etc.

"He scrubs the dirty pots hard."

"You will need to scrub the burnt pot with a steel wool pad to remove the black residue."

to clean a surface by using a machine that sucks up dirt, dust, etc.

"He vacuums the carpet once weekly."

"I need to vacuum the living room carpet because there is dust and crumbs everywhere on the floor."

to clean or dry a surface using a cloth, etc.

"She wipes the table after meals."

"Please wipe the table with a damp cloth after dinner to remove any food stains and crumbs."

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 building or the piece of land surrounding it, owned by individuals, businesses, or entities

"The property is expensive."

"They bought property near the river."

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."

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 set of buildings of the same type and design in the same place

"The housing complex is large."

"The new residential complex features modern amenities and convenient access to public transportation."

an area or room directly under the roof of a house, typically used for storage or as an additional living area

"The attic is dusty."

"She stored old boxes in the attic."

a room in an apartment or house that a baby sleeps in

"The nursery is bright."

"The nursery has soft toys and a small bed for the baby."

a piece of furniture with drawers used for storing clothes and personal items

"The bureau held clothes."

"The old wooden bureau in the bedroom has six drawers where she keeps her sweaters and other folded clothes neatly organized."

a task, especially a household one, that is done regularly

"The chore is boring."

"He finished the chore before lunch."

to clean a place by using a broom

"She sweeps the floor every evening."

"The janitor sweeps the school hallways every evening after all the students and teachers have gone home."

to put a substance over the surface of something, often as a covering

"She coats the chicken with breadcrumbs."

"You should coat the chicken pieces with flour before frying them to make the skin extra crispy and golden brown."

a detailed technical or architectural plan showing dimensions, materials, and specifications for construction or production

"See the blueprint."

"The architect presented a detailed blueprint for the new skyscraper, outlining every structural element."