City Structures: English Vocabulary List

(of a building, car, etc.) left and not needed or used anymore

"The house is abandoned."

"The abandoned house on the corner has been empty for years and the yard is overgrown with weeds."

related to the manufacturing or production of goods on a large scale

"The city is industrial."

"The industrial city is known for its steel mills and factories that produce heavy machinery and equipment."

(of buildings or rooms) having few or no internal walls, creating a large, open space

"The office is open-plan."

"The open plan office has no walls between desks which encourages collaboration but can also be very noisy."

(of a room, house, etc.) large with a lot of space inside

"The lobby is spacious."

"The spacious living room could comfortably accommodate fifty guests for the holiday party every year."

a machine used for digging earth

"The digger worked fast."

"The construction crew used a large digger to excavate the foundation for the new office building."

a small simple house or shelter that usually has only one room

"The hut was small."

"The old fisherman lived in a simple hut near the beach with no electricity or running water."

to build something once again, after it has been destroyed or severely damaged

"They rebuild the destroyed bridge completely."

"After the devastating earthquake the community worked together to rebuild the damaged homes and schools in the area."

(plural) the remains of something such as a building after it has been seriously damaged or destroyed

"The ruin was ancient."

"The ancient ruin attracts thousands of tourists every year who marvel at its crumbling stone walls."

the raised edge at the side of a street, usually made of stone

"The curb is high."

"She tripped on the curb while crossing the street and scraped her knee badly on the pavement."

a piece of land under which waste material is buried

"The garbage goes to a landfill."

"A landfill is a carefully engineered site where waste is systematically disposed of by burial"

a system of underground pipes and tunnels used to carry away used water and waste matter from houses, factories, etc.

"The sewer smelled bad."

"Rats often live in city sewers where they find food scraps and dark tunnels for shelter."

a place or a building is designed and equipped for a specific function, such as healthcare, education, etc.

"The facility is modern."

"The new sports facility includes an Olympic sized swimming pool and a fully equipped modern gymnasium."

a place where people play and bet their money on gambling games

"The casino was busy."

"He lost all his savings at the casino because he could not resist gambling despite repeated warnings."

a building containing judicial courts, offices of judges, etc.

"The courthouse was crowded."

"The protest gathered outside the courthouse demanding justice for the victim of police brutality."

a private institute where old people live and are taken care of

"The nursing home is quiet."

"My grandmother moved to a nursing home after she could no longer live safely alone in her house."

a small building, often in a village, that is used as a school

"The old schoolhouse is now a museum."

"The old one room schoolhouse has been preserved as a museum showing rural education in the past."

a building in which the officials of a town work

"The town hall was busy."

"We met at the town hall to discuss the local project."

a place where dead bodies are prepared in order to be buried or burned

"The funeral home was quiet."

"The funeral home prepared the room for the family’s farewell service."

a piece of land where dead people are buried, often situated near a church

"The graveyard was silent."

"We walked through the graveyard before sunset and saw old stone markers."

an overground or underground grave that is large in size and is often made of stone

"The tomb was covered."

"Archaeologists carefully opened the tomb and documented every ancient detail."

related to the language, literature, art, or culture of ancient Rome and Greece

"It is classical music."

"The museum displayed several artifacts from the classical period, showcasing ancient Greek pottery and Roman sculptures."

located on the outer surface of something

"Do not open external links."

"The external hard drive stores all of my backup files in case my computer crashes or breaks down."

(of a room, house, etc.) large with a lot of space inside

"The living room is spacious."

"The living room is spacious and can easily fit a large sofa and several armchairs."

to build a house, bridge, machine, etc.

"The workers construct the new bridge."

"The workers need to construct a solid foundation before they can begin building the walls of the new house."

a block of baked clay, mostly used to build houses, walls, etc.

"The old house is red brick."

"They used red brick to build a strong wall around the garden."

a vertical structural element, often made of stone, that supports the weight of the building above it

"The column was tall."

"The ancient temple featured a majestic doric column that had stood for centuries, supporting the ornate entablature."

a hard material used for building structures, made by mixing cement, water, sand, and small stones

"The sidewalk is made of concrete."

"Reinforced concrete is a composite material where steel bars are embedded to significantly improve its tensile strength"

a piece of land that new buildings are being built or are planned to be built, often with the purpose of urban expansion or improvement

"This is a new development."

"The council approved the new housing development, promising much-needed homes and local amenities for the growing town."

a narrow corridor providing access to rooms within a building or between buildings

"The passage was dark."

"The narrow passage between the rocks was barely wide enough for a single person to squeeze through."

a part of a road through which vehicles can move on to another

"This is the exit."

"Drivers should take the next exit to reach the designated parking area for the stadium event."

to destroy a building, area, etc. completely

"The wreckers level buildings."

"The construction crew will level the ground before they begin building the foundation for the new house."

a structure or a place that is historically important

"The Colosseum is Rome's most famous landmark."

"The Eiffel Tower is the most famous landmark in Paris and is visited by millions of tourists every single year."

a structure built in honor of a public figure or a special event

"The monument honors the fallen soldiers."

"Tourists flocked to see the ancient monument commemorating a significant historical battle."

a place or a building that is designed and equipped for a specific function, such as healthcare, education, etc.

"This is a new medical facility."

"The university has invested heavily in a state-of-the-art research facility for its science departments."

a place or party at which people dance to music

"The disco was loud."

"They went to a disco on Saturday night but the loud music gave them both headaches afterward."

anything that is built from several parts, such as a house, bridge, etc.

"Look at the structure."

"The ancient Roman aqueduct is a remarkable structure that has stood for centuries."