Unit 10 - 10A · Face2Face Upper Intermediate Vocabulary List

all the people living in a house together, considered as a social unit

"The household ate dinner together."

"The average household in the city spends about thirty percent of its income on housing and utilities each month."

an opening or gap that allows fluid or gas to escape

"The leak in the pipe damages the ceiling."

"The plumber fixed the leak under the kitchen sink that had been dripping for weeks."

a rounded glass that is inside an electric lamp and from which light shines

"The light bulb is broken."

"The old light bulb finally burned out after lasting for nearly ten years which is unusually long for a standard incandescent bulb."

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."

an electronic security device that, when activated, emits a loud noise to deter and alert about unauthorized entry into a house, building, or other premises

"The burglar alarm sounds a loud siren when triggered."

"The burglar alarm triggered a loud siren and contacted the monitoring center when a door opened unexpectedly."

a cover for one's bed that is made of two layers of cloth and is filled with feathers, cotton, or other soft materials

"The duvet is too warm for summer nights."

"The duvet is too warm for summer nights so they switch to a lighter blanket in June."

the structure that creates the outer top part of a vehicle, building, etc.

"The rain hit the roof."

"The strong winds threatened to tear the shingles off the old house's roof."

the act of repairing, making, or doing things by oneself instead of paying a professional to do them

"DIY saves money."

"Rather than hiring a contractor, she took a do it yourself approach and renovated the entire bathroom over the weekend."

a rubber covering filled with air that fits around a vehicle's wheel to help it move smoothly and safely on the road

"The car has a flat tyre."

"The rear tyre lost pressure slowly because a small nail was embedded in the rubber."

a space in a building with walls, a floor, and a ceiling where people do different activities

"This is a big room."

"The conference room was filled with attendees eager to discuss the new proposal."

to clean clothing, bedding, or other fabrics using special chemicals and not water

"I need to dry-clean my coat."

"This expensive silk dress can only be dry-cleaned, so I took it to a professional service."

to maintain, repair, or prepare something so that it is fit for use

"He services cars for a living."

"The mechanic will service your car by checking the engine oil brakes tires and other important components for safety."

the things we wear to cover our body, such as pants, shirts, and jackets

"These clothes are clean."

"She bought new clothes before the trip because her old ones were worn out."

to make a person or thing different

"The weather can change quickly."

"The new manager plans to change the company's entire marketing strategy to increase customer engagement."

an object that turns chemical energy to electricity to give power to a device or machine

"The battery died."

"A fresh battery is required to power the remote-controlled drone for its extended flight."

to place something somewhere noticeable

"Put up the picture."

"The building owners decided to put up a new fence around the property for additional security."

a flat piece of baked clay or other material, mostly in the shape of a square, used for covering floors or walls

"The tile was cracked."

"They replaced the tile in the kitchen with a new one."

the amount, quality, and distribution of light in a given space

"The lighting is good."

"The careful placement of the lighting created a dramatic and inviting atmosphere in the theatre."

to repair something that is broken

"He fixes the broken chair today."

"The mechanic promised to fix my car's engine problem by Friday afternoon."

a specially shaped piece of metal used for locking or unlocking a door, starting a car, etc.

"Where is the key?"

"He carefully inserted the key into the lock and turned it to secure the ancient wooden door."

to discover information about something or someone by looking, asking, or investigating

"Students check their answers before submitting."

"Before you submit your final exam paper you should check your answers carefully for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that could lower your score."

a liquid that is smooth and thick, made from animals or plants, and used in cooking

"Use some oil."

"The chef drizzled olive oil over the salad, enhancing its fresh and vibrant flavors."

to add beautiful things to something in order to make it look more attractive

"Decorate the cake with icing."

"We plan to decorate the hall with colorful balloons and streamers for the retirement party next Friday evening."

a place with a few rooms in which people live, normally part of a building with other such places on each floor

"They live in a flat."

"After getting married, they decided to rent a small, modern flat in the city center."

the action of washing our body in a bathtub by putting it into water

"The bath is very warm."

"She enjoys a long hot bath with scented candles and soft music after a stressful day at work."

to fill the role or take the place of someone or something

"Replace the bulb."

"The technician was called in to replace the faulty component in the complex machinery."

a device that firmly fastens a door, closet, etc. and usually needs a key to be opened

"The lock is broken."

"She changed the lock on her front door after losing her keys because she was worried that someone might find them and break into her apartment."

a space in a wall or vehicle that is made of glass and we use to look outside or get some fresh air

"Open the window."

"She opened the window to let some fresh air into the stuffy room because the heater had been on all day and made it feel too warm and dry inside."

the bottom of a room that we walk on

"Walk on the clean floor."

"He accidentally dropped his keys and they slid across the polished wooden floor."

a series of rooms, particularly in a hotel

"The hotel suite was very large."

"A software suite is a collection of related computer programs sold together as a single package"

to divide a thing into smaller pieces using a sharp object

"Cut the paper with scissors."

"Be careful when you cut the cake because it is very fragile and may crumble into small pieces."

the hard material that the trunk and branches of a tree or shrub are made of, used for fuel or timber

"The fire needs wood."

"He carefully stacked the dry wood by the fireplace, ready for the cold winter nights ahead."

a road vehicle that has four wheels, an engine, and a small number of seats for people

"The car is parked outside."

"She bought a new car last month."

a closed vessel in which water is heated to create steam or hot water, used for heating buildings, producing electricity, or powering machines

"The boiler heats the building."

"The old boiler in the basement finally broke down, so they had to install a new one before winter."