Houses and Buildings: English Vocabulary List

a small house separated from a larger one where guests can stay

"The guest house is cozy."

"The guest house behind the main building has three rooms each with a private bathroom and a small kitchenette for longer stays."

a tall building with one or several apartments built on each floor

"The apartment building is tall."

"The old apartment building was finally demolished after being declared unsafe because an earthquake had severely damaged its already weak concrete structure."

a big home in the countryside, often with large grounds or gardens

"The country house is peaceful."

"They spent summer in a country house far from the city."

a space or place in a wall for building a fire in

"They sat by the fireplace on cold nights."

"They gathered around the fireplace on cold winter evenings roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories that made the children hide under their blankets."

a channel or passage that lets the smoke from a fire pass through and get out from the roof of a building

"Smoke came from the chimney."

"Santa Claus supposedly enters houses through the chimney but in modern homes chimneys are often too narrow for a grown adult to fit through."

a private path or road that leads from the street to a house, building, etc., typically used for vehicle access and parking

"Park in driveway."

"The snowplow driver was instructed to clear the entire driveway before the residents returned home from work."

a path for walking, typically built outdoors and above the ground level

"The walkway is clean."

"The garden walkway was made of flat stones placed slightly apart with soft moss growing in the gaps between them creating a natural appearance."

a door that is located behind or at the side of a building

"The back door was open."

"She left the back door unlocked so her son could enter quietly when he returned home late from his evening shift at the restaurant."

the main entrance to a person's house

"The front door is locked."

"He painted the front door bright red to make the house stand out from the neighbors all of whom had boring white or brown entrances."

a bedroom in a house for guests to stay or sleep in

"The guest room is ready."

"They prepared the guest room with fresh sheets and towels because their relatives were arriving from out of town and staying for a week."

a room where things are kept while they are not needed or used

"The storeroom is full."

"The storeroom was filled with old furniture boxes of clothes and broken electronics that nobody had used for years but nobody wanted to throw away either."

a specially designed structure that holds water for people to swim in

"The hotel has a heated swimming pool."

"Their house has a heated swimming pool in the backyard allowing them to swim comfortably even during cooler months when the outdoor temperature drops significantly."

a flat, narrow board made of wood, metal, etc. attached to a wall, to put items on

"The shelf is empty."

"She placed the heavy books on the bottom shelf to prevent the bookcase from tipping over since the top shelves already contained many lighter decorative items."

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 place to stay in for a short period, often with food or other services

"The accommodations were comfortable."

"The hotel accommodations were disappointing because the room was much smaller than the photos online suggested and the air conditioning did not work properly."

the money that is regularly paid to use an apartment, room, etc. owned by another person

"The rent is expensive."

"They paid the rent at the beginning of the month."

a large building that is the official home of a powerful or very important person such as a king, queen, pope, etc.

"The palace was enormous."

"We toured the palace and admired its decorated rooms and grand halls."

a small wooden house or shelter built in a forest or the mountains

"The cabin was warm."

"They spent the weekend in a small wooden cabin near the lake without electricity or running water enjoying the simplicity of nature far from technology."

a tiny apartment that has only one main room

"It is a studio apartment."

"He rented a small studio apartment in the city center to save money on rent."

all the rooms of a building that are on the same level

"The store is on this floor."

"The entire third floor of the building is occupied by the new technology company."

a series of flat surfaces used for going up or down

"Climb the step."

"Carefully descend the stairs, taking one step at a time to avoid a fall."

a long narrow way in a building that has doors on either side opening into different rooms

"The school corridor was very long."

"The hotel corridor was long and dimly lit with doors lining both sides."

a pipe in the bottom of a sink, bath, etc. through which dirty water flows out

"The drain is blocked."

"The drain in the shower was clogged with hair and soap scum causing water to pool around his feet while he bathed."

a room in an apartment or house in which the family gathers to watch TV, relax, etc.

"The family room is bright."

"The family room has a large television and comfortable sofas where everyone gathers on Friday nights to watch movies together and eat popcorn."

a room in a house where a person reads or writes something

"I work in study."

"He spent hours in his quiet study, surrounded by books, researching for his next novel."

a person who lives in a particular place, usually on a long-term basis

"The resident is happy."

"The new community center aims to provide essential services for every resident in the surrounding neighborhoods."

to let someone use one's property, car, etc. for a particular time in exchange for payment

"I rent a room."

"She decided to rent out her spacious apartment to tourists during the summer holidays."