Hometown

multi-storey

(Multi-story car parks) adjective [only before noun] British English a multi-storey building has many levels or floors • On the outskirts of Tabor there were long rows of multi-storey apartment blocks of an extraordinary ugliness; many flats looked empty. • Only those displaying offensive materials in the windows of multi-storey apartment buildings would seem to be safe from noun [countable] British English spoken a multi-storey car park

Where do you come from?

. I come from a quiet and beautiful suburban area called "Sutton" which is located in South-West London and is approximately 20 kilometres away from here. This is is a great place to live in and I love this place very much.

Do you live in a small town or a big city?

. I live in a coastal seaport city called Vancouver, which is located in the Lower Mainland region of 'British Columbia' in Canada. Before migrating to Canada almost a decade ago, I lived in a suburban area in my homeland (say your country name).

commuter

/kəˈmjuːtə $ -ər/ ●●○ noun [countable] someone who travels a long distance to work every day► see thesaurus at travel COLLOCATIONS COMMUTER + NOUN a commuter train/plane (=a train or plane that people use to travel to work in a city) Several commuter trains were delayed because of the bad weather. commuter traffic The new measures are aimed at reducing commuter traffic into the capital. a commuter service More money is needed to improve commuter services in the region. a commuter town/village (=that a lot of people leave each day to travel to work) It's a commuter town about 40 miles from London. a commuter line (=a railway line that commuters use) There's a fast and reliable commuter line across Kent. a commuter route (=a road or railway line that commuters use) ADJECTIVES/NOUN + COMMUTER a daily commuter Thousands of daily commuters pour into the city. a regular commuter He was a regular commuter between Cambridge and London. a long-distance commuter The fare increases will be bad news for long-distance commuters. a suburban commuter The majority of suburban commuters were unable to get to New York. a morning commuter By 7:30 the roads are jammed with the usual morning commuters. a rail commuter (=a commuter who travels by train) Rail commuters face severe delays because of engineering works. (Working, drinking, sleeping, and standing on a horribly crowded commuter train for an hour and a half each way: This was my life)

town

/taʊn/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 PLACE [countable] a large area with houses, shops, offices etc where people live and work, that is smaller than a city and larger than a village an industrial town in the Midlandstown of the town of Norwalk, Connecticut I walked to the nearest town.► see thesaurus at city2 MAIN CENTRE [uncountable] the business or shopping centre of a town We're going into town tonight to see a film. They have a small apartment in town.3 PEOPLE [singular] all the people who live in a particular town The whole town turned out to watch the procession.4 WHERE YOU LIVE [uncountable] the town or city where you live Cam left town about an hour ago, so he should be out at the farm by now. I'll be out of town for about a week. Guess who's in town? Jodie's sister! Do you know of a good place to eat? I'm from out of town (=from a different town). We're moving to another part of town.5 VILLAGE [countable] American English several houses forming a small group around a church, shops etc SYN village British English Rowayton is a small town of around 4,000 people. COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + TOWNsmall/bigI grew up in a small town in Iowa.The nearest big town is 20 miles away.a little towna pretty little town in the French Alpsa major townIt is one of the UK's biggest retailers with shops in every major town.busy/bustlingThe town was busy even in November.quietThe town is quiet in the summer.Cannigione is a quiet little town with a scattering of shops, restaurants and cafés.sleepy (=very quiet, with not much happening)Johnson grew up in the sleepy retirement town of Asheville.a historic/ancient townVisitors can go on a tour of this historic town.an industrial townThousands moved to the newly forming industrial towns to work in the mills.a seaside townyoung people looking for seasonal work in seaside townsa provincial town (=one that is not near the capital)Many provincial towns were transformed by the coming of the railway.a market town (=a town in Britain where there is a regular outdoor market)The pretty market town of Ashbourne is only 9 miles away.somebody's home town (=the town where someone was born)He was buried in his home town of Leeds.a new town (=one of several towns built in Britain since 1946)The design of Milton Keynes and other new towns proved unpopular.PHRASESthe centre of town/the town centre British English, the center of town/the town center American EnglishThe hotel was right in the center of town.the outskirts/edge of a townIt was six o'clock when she reached the outskirts of the town.

get around

1 get around (something) to go or travel to different places We had to use public transport to get around. It's quite easy to get around London. 2 if news or information gets around, it is told to a lot of people News of the accident soon got around. Word got around that the department might be closed. 3 get around something to avoid something that is difficult or causes problems for you I think we should be able to get around most of these problems. She was always very clever at getting around the rules.

out-of-town

1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun] Out-of-town shops or facilities are situated away from the centre of a town or city. ...shopping at cheaper, out-of-town supermarkets. 2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun] Out-of-town is used to describe people who do not live in a particular town or city, but have travelled there for a particular purpose. ...a deluxe hotel for out-of-town visitors.

What are the advantages of living in a big city?

A big city offers better job opportunity, entertainment facility, many excellent educational institutions, better shopping malls and business opportunity. The traffic and streets are strictly monitored and there are law-enforcing officers to help in case someone needs them. Also, the living standard is better in a big city and modern technology and facilities are easily available there. In my opinion, a big city is a better place to live in.

In your opinion what are the negative aspects of crowded cities?

A crowded city is often polluted and expensive to live in. In terms of sound, air and environmental pollution, a crowded city has a lot worse scenario than cities with less population. Many crowded cities have more crime rates and unbearable traffic congestion. Overpopulation increases the prices of daily commodities and it is comparatively expensive to live in a city with a higher population.

expedition

A journey made for a special purpose ˌekspəˈdɪʃən/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable] a long and carefully organized journey, especially to a dangerous or unfamiliar place, or the people that make this journey an expedition to the North Pole another Everest expedition on an expedition He went on an expedition to Borneo. ► see thesaurus at journey 2 [countable] a short journey, usually made for a particular purpose SYN trip a shopping expedition a fishing expedition COLLOCATIONS - Meaning 1: a long and carefully organized journey, especially to a dangerous or unfamiliar place, or the people that make this journey VERBS go on an expedition After the war, Swainson went on an expedition to Patagonia. make an expedition (=go on an expedition) The men made expeditions to Spain, Greece and Asia Minor to find fossils. set off on an expedition (also embark on an expedition formal) (=leave at the start of an expedition) Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students. mount/launch an expedition (=plan, organize, and begin an expedition) Ornithologists are mounting an expedition to the island in order to study the birds. ADJECTIVES/NOUN + EXPEDITION a scientific expedition He led the first major British scientific expedition to the Amazon. an Arctic/Antarctic expedition I accompanied the explorer on one of his Arctic expeditions. a military expedition The generals decided to launch a military expedition to the region. a punitive expedition (=one an army undertakes to punish someone) The Afghan army mounted a punitive expedition against the local militia groups. COLLOCATIONS - Meaning 2: a short journey, usually made for a particular purpose NOUN + EXPEDITION a shopping expedition (=when you go shopping) I took Mary and the kids on a shopping expedition into Manchester. a fishing expedition We're organizing a fishing expedition to the lake for next week. a hunting expedition He was joined on his hunting expedition by two local guides. a foraging expedition (=when you search for food) On our foraging expedition into the woods, we found mushrooms and wild berries. VERBS go on an expedition We decided to go on a shopping expedition to London. take someone on an expedition He's taking the boys on a camping expedition next weekend.

Public space

A public space is a place that is generally open and accessible to people. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to the public, such as public libraries are public spaces, although they tend to have restricted areas and greater limits upon use. Although not considered public space, privately owned buildings or property visible from sidewalks and public thoroughfares may affect the public visual landscape, for example, by outdoor advertising. Recently, the concept of Shared space has been advanced to enhance the experience of pedestrians in public space jointly used by automobiles and other vehicles.

Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.

What kind of place is your home town or village?

Ahh! Well, I come from a village which is located on the outskirts of the city centre "Trichy" in India. I was born there and spent my childhood in this village. Afterwards, I moved to a city with my family. Still, if I have to say what kind of place it is then the first thing that would come to my mind is that it is a picturesque village. Wherever you turn around you can see lush green paddy vegetation and sugar cane fields and people over there are very friendly and lead a much simpler life. I could figure out the exact difference since I have been in both places. Then, yes, the environment is much better there. Fresh air, virtually no traffic congestion, no pollution and fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant in this village. On the whole, it is an excellent place to live in.

Do you like your country?

As a matter of fact, I would say, I am proud that I am an Indian and yes, I love and respect my country a lot. India is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and I have every valid reason to love this fascinating country to whom I owe a lot.

A friend has written a letter to you informing about his or her plan to visit your country/city. Write a letter to him/ her. In your letter, write:

Dear Norton, I am so delighted to receive your letter and writing back to say that I am fascinated to have you in my city in a few days. I cannot wait to receive you at the airport! I guess this is your first-time visit to Italy and I am sure you will enjoy your stay and take back some excellent memories. Once you finish your official tasks in Rome, you can spend a day or two there to enjoy the capital city, especially the Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. You can stay at the Hotel Palladium Palace if your accommodation is not already settled by your office. Then fly directly to Lucca, the city I am residing in. Give me a call before you reach the airport and I will be there. I would like you to stay at my place as long as you wish. If you insist on staying at a hotel, you can try Villa Corte Degli Dei or Hotel Napoleon. We will enjoy local food, watch a movie and do boating. We can enjoy scenic beauty every evening. I would recommend you to bring some warm clothes as the winter is setting in. Do not forget to bring your camera to capture the beauty of the rivers and traditional street views. Also, bring any medicines you take. Looking forward to having you in my city soon. Warm wishes, Marco Model Answer 2: A friend has written a letter to you informing about his or her plan to visit your country/city. Write a letter to him/ her. In your letter, write: - what he or she can do in your country/city - advise him about the place he could stay at - suggest him/her what to pack and bring while coming to travel to your country/city. You do NOT need to write any addresses. Dear Jonathan, Hope you are doing great. I am very exhilarated to know that you will come to my city with your family next month. It is an excellent decision to visit Singapore during your children's school vacation and I am sure you all will enjoy your time. After you reach my city, we can book tickets for Night Safari, Adventure Cove Park and Universal Studio. Those are quite popular among tourists and I have specifically selected them considering your children. I would love to have you at my house. I have a large house and you will enjoy your privacy. However, if you would like to stay separate, my suggestion is Bukit Timah Road. So, book the Banana Leaf Hotel or Pandora Hotel if you must stay at a Hotel. But I insist that you stay at my place. As I know, your princess daughter is only three years old. You should pack her food and suitable dresses for the summer. It is advisable to bring the necessary medicines. Without a prescription, you won't be able to purchase any from here. See you at Changi Airport on 28th of July. With Best Regards

Describe the environmental pollution in your city.

Environmental pollution is a serious modern-day problem for any county and its cities all over the world, and the situation is only getting worse for the most part. Anyway, today, I would like to talk about the same pollution problem which my city is also facing increasingly. Not too long ago, my city used to be considered as one of the safest cities in my country as far as environmental pollution is concerned. In fact, many people from around my whole country settled down in my city in the past because of its greenery, clean air and clean water. But, today, the situation has dramatically changed because its air is not completely safe to inhale because there are just too many vehicles on the roads and streets today that emit carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. And, we all know how these ingredients pollute our atmosphere and air. As far as the surface water of my city is concerned, it is also contaminated because of too much industrial and toxic waste. Another type of indirect environmental pollution, which is affecting my city, is that its lands and trees are being used (some would say "destroyed") indiscriminately in order to make rooms for residential and industrial buildings. And, as this happens, it takes away the oxygen supplies of my city. Anyway, as this environmental pollution takes place, people in my city are increasingly suffering from lung diseases and other kinds of respiratory problems, especially, during the cold weather. Besides, the city also has to spend extra money in order to purify its drinking water, which is putting extra pressure on its budget. This pollution can be controlled by first limiting the number of private vehicles on the roads to reduce carbon emission in the atmosphere. The city should also put in place a more efficient filtering system in order to stop the industrial toxic waste from entering the source of water supply. Finally, the city should adopt a scheme of planting more trees in and around the city in order to cleanse its polluted air. Sample Answer 2: I live in (..say the name of your city..) and this city has got some several issues related to environmental pollution. The major environmental pollutions that this city has are water pollution, air pollution and sound pollution. The main reason for these pollutions is overpopulation and rapid and unplanned industrialisation of this city. The city has more than (...say the current population level of this city...) whereas the number should have been far less than that. It is evitable that a large number of populations in a small city always cause environmental pollution as they use more cars, consume more energy and natural resources and create more wastages and noises. The reason for water pollution is the uncontrolled number of industries, factories and other constructions that have been grown up beside the rivers. These factories and industries produce a large number of chemical and other wastages which directly affects the water. Inappropriate and uncontrolled construction is another reason for water pollution in our city. The effect of water pollution is severe, the water supply would be affected and the supply of safe and clean water would be threatened. A large number of people rely on the water of the rivers and they would be directly affected. Lots of people would get sick due to water pollution and those diseases can become epidemics if not controlled and that results in an immense loss of innocent lives. Air pollution is also very concerning in this city and the chemical smoke, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emitted from automobiles and industries are the main reason for air pollution. This city has more than millions of automobiles and thousands of industries which are omitting the dangerous gases, and ingredients which are causing the air pollutions. Air pollution is the direct reason people suffer from various dangerous diseases including lung cancer, asthma, heart disease etc. In fact the number of people currently suffering from these diseases in alarming and if steps are not taken to prevent air pollution immediately, this number would rapidly increase. Sound pollution is produced by the loud horns used by the cars, loud sound used for announcement and cacophony created due to loud sound. Aeroplanes that fly over the resident area created a very loud noise as well. Air pollution is a silent killer that causes lots of serious diseases including hearing and brain cancer. The air pollution directly affects the natural balance by affecting the wild lives. The most important thing to reduce pollution in our city is to create public awareness. We are mostly creating that pollution and endangering ourselves, the Earth and other species. Without our awareness and strict determination to prevent our city from pollution, we can't reduce or prevent it. Strict laws should be introduced and be applied against any environmental pollution and all the illegitimate industries and companies should be banned. The decentralisation of industries and offices can be effective as it would reduce the number of people currently living in this city. Job opportunities and other facilities should be improved in rural areas so that people can manage works in their own cities and villages other than coming to this city. Education and morality are two important aspects that help people understand the necessity of keeping the city clean and healthy. Similar Cue Card topics: Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: 1. Describe a problem that you face your city. 2. Describe pollution that causes a great problem in your city. 3. Describe a city you know that has air pollution. 4. Describe something you would like to change in your city. 5. Describe a law you would like to introduce in your community. 6. Describe something irritating in your community. 7. Describe a change that has happened to the place you live in.

Tell me about a part of your city that is changing.

Follow-up Questions: - Are the changes in the cities good or bad? - How do people react to them? - Which facilities should the government make available for people? - How do you and your friends spend time? - What are the differences between the way people were spending time in the past and now? - Should a government consider local people's opinion when deciding on changes in the city? - Should people know about everything the government is planning? Model Answer: I have been living in (..say your city name...) for the last 15 years and know almost every street of this city. The city I knew the first time I came here is far more different than the city has evolved now. The north part of the city has changed more than any part of the city and still changing. When I first visited this part of the city, it was mostly an open space that had lots of fields, trees and a very minimum number of dwellers. There were hardly any high rising building and mostly farmers and fishers lived there. The fields, lakes and people's way of living used to give an impression of an urban life. But this is no longer applicable for this part of the city. I went to that part of the city a few days back after a long time and was very surprised to notice the changes which occurred there and still happening. The need for industrialisation, to accommodate the increasing population and for the business expansion, the part has changed dramatically. The open spaces, fields, and lakes have reduced significantly and one can notice the overwhelming number of factories, industries and offices there. This place no longer gives the urban area impression rather it gives a neo-industrial area impression. The numbers of roads and cars have increased, the farmers and fishers have moved to the farther north side of the city and 2 new colleges and universities have been built there. I feel the necessity of the new industries and offices and their importance for a country, but the way this part of the city has been transformed is really shocking. There could have been an alternative place for industries and the city administrators and authorities could have saved the natural part of the city. Already the city is overpopulated and because of that we are facing lots of problems, the changes of this part of the city have caused to accommodate more people and have destroyed the natural habitat of wild lives. I feel sad to notice the changes happening in this part of the city. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: Describe a change you have witnessed in your city. Describe a problem about your city that bothers you. Describe a commercial or industrial area in your city. Describe a busy area of your hometown. Describe a part of your city which is getting crowded. Describe a part of your city where you once lived in.

Describe an interesting place in your hometown.

For my job I currently live in the capital city of our country which is ... (say the name of the capital city in your country...). It has been more than 5 years since I left my hometown and yet this is the town where my heart belongs to. I will always remember the days and places where I spent my childhood and teenage, the golden years of my life. The name of my hometown is (...say the name of your hometown...) and it is located in the northern part of the (... say the city/ district name where this town belongs to...). This town will always be special to me, no matter where I go, how far I go. There are many interesting places if I consider from different perspectives in my hometown that I can recall now. Out of these places, the rail station, which is located at the southern corner of our city is the one I would like to talk about. In my childhood, the rail station in my hometown was the most mysterious and interesting place for us. We, as children, were not allowed to enter the main premises where the train stopped and this prohibition made us more curious about this place. This is still a place which is quite interesting for me. This is possibly because this rail station is the entry and exit point for me- to and from my hometown. When the train drops me in this station, I feel a sensation of being home. On the contrary, during the time of my departure, I feel an acute melancholy that I won't be able to express in words. This place has always been a mystery to me and it is still a place full of happiness, sadness and enigma. From two other perspectives, this place is quite interesting to me. One- the surrounding view of this station is quite spectacular and would give someone an impression that he is standing on a tall mountain and can see the green fields below all around him. The view gives the first impression of the natural beauty this area has. In fact, I have never seen any other train station which is located in such a higher place and gives such a beautiful view. Second- the different types of people who come here each day is an interesting thing to observe. Some people come here to sell numerous products, some wait for their relatives or family members to arrive, some to see off their relatives or friends, and finally, some are part of the administrative office of the rail authority. In my opinion, this is an interesting hub for people of different ages, places and purposes. If I am to suggest a foreign tourist about the interesting places of my hometown, I would suggest him to start with this rail station. This rail station will give a very good idea of our town, people and places to be there. To me, this is the gateway to a beautiful town where my heart belongs to. Sample Answer 2: I live in New York with my parents. There are a good number of interesting places to see and visit here. But the New York Public Library is more interesting to me than any other places. I am a citizen of the USA by birth but my parents are not. They came here in search of living from Larissa in Greece during the 1980s. They have been living for around 36 years in this city. After my birth and I got matured enough, they took me to different interesting places to visit in the New York City, and these places are really interesting. But being an introvert, I disliked the crowds and the public library appeared to be more interesting to me than other places. The place is filled with books on numerous issues, magazines, documents and many other things. The classics available in the library were my favourite. Going to the library is easier for me. In fact, this is not far away from my residence. The New York Public Library is only a 10-minute walk from my home. It remains open from 10 am to 8 pm, except the weekends. Usually, I go there in the evening and read books or novels until the library is closed. Besides, the library is accessible from the other parts of the city. The people who want to visit the library can reach here using several transportation modes. They can reach the library by taxi, metro or by their private cars. But the people who live nearby, like me, come here mostly on foot. The New York Public Library is a great place to read. But the people who come here are not readers always. Some of them are researchers, while some others may be historians or musicians. Actually, the library is visited by a wide range of people. Basically, the library comes with the reading facilities. But there is also the scope to check the reference books, peep on the music directory or crosscheck any history. Besides, the reading rooms are well expanded and the readers have ample opportunities to use the books and references after their needs. But they have to be careful with the books. Silence among the readers while reading books is expected there. Reading books may appear boring to many but it is very interesting to me. I love reading books. The books help us to know the unknown and unseen. The experiences of past thousand years have been preserved in books in words. So, when I read them, it appears that I am travelling through time! But every place is not suitable for reading and it requires a very special environment. Hence, I think a library is a nice place to read. At the same time, it is an interesting place as an enriched collection of books are available together. In fact, it is impossible for an individual to collect a part of the books of this library in his entire life. So, I find more interest in reading books in a calm place and the New York Public Library is a place I would recommend to a tourist. More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic: Topic: Describe an interesting place in your hometown. 1. The seaside in Brighton attracts me most. I can go there on foot because this is a five minutes' walk from my residence. People usually spend their time together and enjoy the sunset scene. This is an interesting place to me because I can have the chance to enjoy the natural beauty. Moreover, I love to walk to the beachside and the waves wash my feet. Often I come here in the early morning to watch the sunrise. Considering all the matters, this is an interesting place to me. 2. Disneyland is an amusement park in California. I need to use my car to reach there because this is a bit far away from my home. People come here and enjoy themselves by taking rides. This is an interesting place because it allows people to get relaxed. In fact, people pass heft days and they do have less time for relaxation. This is a theme park made with attractive rides and features to make people feel relaxed. Considering the matters, I think this is really an interesting place. 3. The Eiffel Tower appears an interesting place to me. I can go there simply by walking. People all over the world come here and take their photos. In fact, this is a perfect place for photography. A good number of people come here every day and take their photos. This is an interesting place in Paris because the world admires the Eiffel Tower. This has become a global landmark for Paris. And I also love spending time near the structure. Considering everything, this appears an interesting place to me. 4. I did not have an idea that the Black Forest in Germany would attract so many people. In fact, this is a nice place to visit and I need to take a car ride to reach this mountainous region. People come here for relaxation. They take spas from the resorts and feel relaxed. The Black Forest is an interesting place indeed for its natural features. The entire place is naturally decorated with lake, flower gardens, wooded hills which have made it a great place in reality. 5. I love to visit Goa and this is not far from my residence. In fact, this is only a 10-minute walk from here. People all around the globe come here because this is a perfect place for entertainment. The water activities are the most attractive ones. The place appears interesting to me too for its natural resources. I love the sea beach mostly and often take a bath. Sometimes, I come here with my friends to have a party night. If we did not have this place, we could not have enjoyed so much.

Describe a famous food from your hometown or country.

Handmade custard is a very popular and tasty food item in my hometown. In fact, the custard of my hometown is popular that, people of all over the country knows the famous custard produced in our area. Specially made custard in my hometown is a popular food item in all over the country and this food item is exported even in some foreign countries as well. The custard of my hometown is very tasty and delicious. It is sweet and is a perfect dessert for dinner. Milk is the main ingredient to prepare the custard. The fine quality milk is collected and preserved for preparing this food item. The milk is mixed with a tiny amount of special seeds and kept in a large pot in a special temperature. Other sweetener items and ingredients are added 3-4 days later and after a week the custard is prepared. In our country, people have a long tradition of preparing special food items and different food items of different cities are country famous. Because of the availability of quality cow milk and for the inherited tradition and skill, best quality custards are prepared in our city and this is better than the custards made in other parts of the country. Over time, this food item got famous in the whole country and many outlets have been opened for selling this item in the capital of our country. The people of our town adopted the transportation facilities and have started selling it in different parts of the country. Because of the great and incomparable taste, and superiority in quality, this food item of our hometown got renowned all over the country.

What nationality are you?

I am a "Malaysian" by birth. Though some people in my extended family possess dual citizenship, none of me and my parents has any dual citizenship and we are 100% Malaysian!

What would you suggest a visitor should see and do in your country?

I am from Singapore and my country is not only famous for high-end shopping malls, fine dining and luxury hotels but also for vibrant history and diverse ethnic quarters, lovely public places and many tourist attractions. For a visitor, I would suggest Marina Bay Sands, Chinatown, Changi Chapel and Museum, Sentosa Island and Singapore Flyer. Those are already very famous tourist spots in Singapore and a visitor would definitely enjoy the lovely sights and attractive landscapes there. If the visitor loves shopping, Singapore is the place to be. A rich collection of antiques, local products, electronic gadgets and other necessary things make the Singaporean shopping malls hot favourite among visiting tourists. Dining is another great experience a tourist can have from here and the museums and botanical gardens would be exquisite places for any tourist to explore and learn about true Asian traditions and customs.

What part of your country do you come from?

I am originally from "Johor Bahru", which is the capital of the state of Johor in Malaysia. Johor Bahru, formerly known as 'Tanjung Puteri' or 'Iskandar Puteri', is situated along the Straits of Johor at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia. My house is located on the "Jalan Indah 23/2" street and it is a walking distance from some of the great attractions of the city.

How long have you lived in this city?

I have been living here for almost a decade now. I, along with my family, migrated to Canada almost ten years ago and since then we have been living in Vancouver.

What do you like or dislike about it? And how long have you been living there?

I like the views and friendly neighbours of the town most. I dislike traffic congestion and large industries in this city. I have been living here for over 17 years. My parents migrated here from Hong Kong in 2002 and since then we have been living in this town.

Describe a place where you like to go to often.

I like to go to many different places depending on my mood. Today, however, I'm going to tell you about a special place near to where I live. I will explain where it is and how I get there. I will try and describe what it looks like and explain why I like the location so much. I am lucky, although I live in a city, from my house I can walk to the edges of the Peak District, which is a beautiful national park just a few miles from the city centre. To get to the national park I have to walk from my house down some local roads, and up a steep hill past some allotments. After about a mile or so striding out away from the urban areas, I get to a lovely bit of woodland which has a public footpath you can follow onwards and upwards. It can be a bit of a scramble towards the end of the path as it is very steep indeed, but eventually, you leave the woodland and are on the edge of open farmland. Another footpath crosses some sheep-filled fields, and finally, you are on the moors of the Peak District. It is really spectacular. The Peak District can be a really wild place, with its vast expanses of open moorland. You are high up, and it is quite exposed so it can be very windy and cold even in the summer. There are rocky outcrops and strange configurations of stones that have been weathered by centuries of wind and rain to create dramatic shapes. Some boulders are in piles, and there are steep vertical cliffs too. The area attracts lots of people who like walking, climbing and bouldering because of its unique and beautiful landscape. Everywhere is dark wet peat underfoot and lots of heathers. This is a low growing plant that flowers at the end of the summer turning the whole landscape purple. The park covers a huge area, I think around 555 square miles, so the terrain differs from area to area, of course, I am biased, but I believe I live near the most remarkably beautiful part. I love this place because if ever I am feeling down, or a bit enclosed, in just an hours walk I can find myself in a deserted but picturesque place, where the elements are more extreme. In winter rain and wind can batter you, but in summer the sky seems to go on forever. Every day is different up there, and every hour of every day too. The area is so huge, that often you can have it all to yourself, of course, there are other walkers about, but you can quickly disappear in the vastness of the space. The people who live in Sheffield, like me, are very proud that we are so near to the Peak District National Park, and it is no surprise it became the United Kingdom's first national park on 17 April 1951. A birthday that should be celebrated I think! [ Written by - Lucy Marris: Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ] Model Answer 2: I am not really a very outgoing person. Therefore, I don't exactly like to go to many places, unless I have a very valid reason to do so, especially, if I have to travel to a distant place. However, one distant place, which I really like to visit often, is my grandparent's house. Now, I don't really know many people who dislike going to their grandparent's house, but I think that I like it a bit more than most others because I grew up there. As I have just mentioned, my grandparent's house is a long-distance trip from where I live. In fact, I need to travel about 12/14 hours by train, but a bit longer if I travel by bus. But, whether I travel by bus or train, the excitement is the same, especially, as soon as, I leave the city vicinity, in which, I live. Anyway, my grandparents live in beautiful countryside which is not even remotely as crowded as the city, in which, I live. Like many other countrysides, it also has many beautiful trees and a number of big green valleys. The place also has a lot of fertile farmlands where the farmers cultivate and grow different kinds of crops throughout the year. If anyone roams around my grandparent's place, he or she will get to see some beautiful ponds and lakes, from which, water is being channelled through the drain in order to irrigate the farmlands around them. By the way, there aren't many paved streets at my grandparent's place, but it is modern enough to have many shops and retail stores in it, from where people can buy different kinds of things to meet their daily needs. Anyway, I like my grandparent's place and often visit there because it is very peaceful and quiet. Besides, the natural love and compassion of my relatives there are just too good to miss. The natural beauty of this place, along with the clear view of its blue sky without getting blocked by some high rising buildings, is also something that keeps drawing me close to my grandparent's place. Sample Answer 3: I like to visit my hometown more than visiting any other place. After I finished school, I came to the capital of your country and did my graduation here. Later on, I have started my job and since then have been staying here. Whenever I get vacations, I plan to visit my hometown. To go there, I need to purchase advance bus ticket 2-3 days prior to the departure. I mostly go there by bus. Alternatively, I can go to my hometown on a train. The bus journey takes around 4-5 hours and the train journey takes 1-2 hours more than the bus journey. After reaching our hometown station, I usually pick a shared taxi that drops me near my home. My hometown is a small urban area which is full of beauty and wonder. Green trees, fresh air and serene environment make it an ideal place to live in. My hometown is just beside a river and has less density of population than the capital city. The houses and shopping centres are not cramped and have their own urban charms. My hometown is a special place for me as I have spent my childhood there. There are three tourist attractions are there and the place is renowned for traditional foods and customs. Roads are clean and people are educated there. Anyone who visits this place will find it attractive. Tips for answering this cue card topic: This cue card topic gives you a wide range of things that you can talk about. For example, you can talk about your hometown, grandparent's house, a city you like, a movie theatre, a shopping mall, a place near the sea, amusement park etc. Since this cue card topic is about a place you like to go, you should first mention the place and the things of attraction there. Then mention how frequently you go there, what you do there, who is there, how this is a special place for you and your reason for liking this place. If you pick a town or city where you lived or where your relatives still live, mention the place as well as the people there as you mainly go there to meet them and in this circumstance, the people are more important to you than the place itself. If you mention a place like the shopping mall, movie theatre, recreational place, sports zone etc. mention the activity offered there and the kind of things you do there. Finally, mention why this place is important to you. Is it because you enjoy staying there or the people who live there are the persons you care about. Good and convincing finishing is required for the final question 'why you like this place' and you should add all the convincing reasons you have for liking this particular place. Similar Cue card topics: 1. Describe a place you often go to. 2. Describe your hometown. 3. Describe a place you would like to live in. 4. Describe a recreation place you visited. 5. Describe one of your favourite places. 6. Describe a city you really like to visit

Describe a problem in your city/hometown.

I live in (... say the name of your city...) and this city has a very large population. With the increasing population, unplanned urbanisation, rapid industrialisation and lack of proper steps from the authority have led to many different problems here and traffic congestion, in my opinion, is the worst of all. Traffic jam in large cities is a common problem; however, this in our city is far worse. It is a common scenario in our city that cars are stuck on roads and passengers and drivers have to wait for an unusually long time before they can move forward. Sometimes cars and buses remain unmoved for more than an hour and people get very depressed and annoyed due to this. The long lines of cars and buses and their movement at a snail's pace have become a very annoying yet common scenario in this city. The rush hours are even more devastating and bad traffic kills a considerable amount of time each day. The business owners, office goers, students and their parents and people from all walks of life suffer seriously due to this uncontrollable traffic jam. Everyone seems like devastated and vexed about it, authorities know that as well, and yet there no proper steps to solve this heinous problem. There are many reasons behind this problem and an increasing number of cars and vehicles, in my opinion, is the main reason. The number of cars is increasing more rapidly than the construction of new roads and roads are becoming more congested. Second, lack of proper traffic control system and scarcity of traffic police could be another reason for that. Moreover, the public transportations are not as reliable and updated as they should have been and due to that people are mostly relying on private cars in my city. Violation of traffic rules is another main reason for this unbearable traffic jam. Some effective measures must be taken in order to address this serious problem. Since this is already a grave issue, steps should be taken before it gets worse. First, government and road authority should invest more money in building new roads and for the repairing and maintaining of old ones, particularly in areas where traffic jam is more severe. On the other hand, public transportations should be improved so that people use them more frequently. Restriction on private car ownership in our city is also required for the control of increasing traffic jam. At the same time, it is essential that stricter traffic rules be issues and violation of traffic regulation should be severely punished in order to reduce the traffic jam. Cue Card Answer 2: Oh no! I love the city I live in - Sheffield in the UK! It feels wrong to talk about its problems when there is so much about the city that I'd like to celebrate and share with you instead. However, if you really insist, I can think of a problem in my city that certainly leaves me breathless with frustration more often than I like to admit. I'll try to explain what it is, how serious it is, and the causes of the problem. So, don't laugh, but the problem with my city of Sheffield is the hills! Before I moved to Sheffield a few years ago now, I didn't really know anything about the city. Since I've come here I absolutely love it. The city is quite compact, known as 'greenest city in Europe' because of a large number of outdoor green spaces within the city boundaries, and is next to one of the UK's National Parks, The Peak District. I suppose the clue is in the name, 'the peaks'. Sheffield is said to be built on seven hills - like Rome apparently, though I've never been there so I don't know how the two cities compare. I do know, that when I first moved to Sheffield I could not believe how steep, how long and how many hills there are! I am not talking about gentle undulations, I am talking about proper steep hills, where you have to wear walking shoes, dig deep, head down and haul yourself up to the hills. I thought I was reasonably fit, but soon discovered I was a 'soft southerner' (that's a sort of affectionate derogatory phrase some people who live in the colder, hillier north use to describe their compatriots who live nearer to London in the south of the United Kingdom). I really puffed my way up those hills, and would have to stop now and again to recover my breath, whereas my friends who were born and bred in Sheffield had no problem in storming up gradients that I thought impossibly steep. How serious is the problem? Well, it depends! It is genuinely a problem if you are, say, elderly or disabled, it is physically challenging to get around. In winter, when there are snow and ice often roads become completely impassable, buses are cancelled and those that are able to walk to work have to do so - sometimes clinging to sidewalls and lampposts along their route to avoid sliding downhill all the way! When I first came to Sheffield I was worried my car wouldn't be able to cope with the steep hills, I'd never driven up anything with such an incline before. Over time I've become a bit more confident in my driving skills, by clutch control and the reliability of my handbrake, but I still won't venture out in the car at the first sign of ice. In the UK, it is quite common for people to have driveways outside their houses where they can pull up and park their cars on dedicated off-street parking. Sheffield is no different, but what is different is the angles of those driveways. Local people will think nothing of parking their car on a 45-degree slope that would terrify me. I always thought only a four by four vehicle would be safe negotiating such terrain, here the consensus is otherwise! However, even problems can have unexpected positives associated with them! Walking round Sheffield certainly keeps you fit. I might still puff going up some of the steeper hills, but I can now get up them without stopping. I now take it for granted that everywhere is hilly round me, and although I still can't work out how it is possible for a route to and from the town centre to apparently be uphill both going out and coming back, I do take it in my stride. I now forget how hilly it is. A few months ago I took part in a half-marathon running race in my home city. The organisers had warned participants that there was a really steep hill section. In fact, it was 6 miles continuously uphill, and then about another 7 miles return undulating back to the start. As we set off, quite soon some runners around me were saying 'this must be the really steep hill the organisers warned us about' I was astonished! We were still on a part of the course that in Sheffield terms was flat. The 'proper' hill was a long way off, if they thought the route was challenging already, well, oh my, they were in for a shock later on! As a local, I wasn't necessarily any faster going up those hills, but psychologically at least they didn't take me by surprise! What is the cause! Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, local geography! There's not much to be done about that. So when it comes to saying what might be done to 'solve the problem' I think it isn't about 'solving' it at all. Rather it is more of an 'if you can't beat them, join them' sort of situation. By which I mean, instead of fretting over what can't be changed, it's much better to accept it, and even learn to appreciate it! After all, hard as those hills are to climb, one of the very best things about Sheffield is getting up as high as you can on the edge of the city. Way, way up where the open moors of the Peak District meet the city boundary you get amazing views. In one direction you can see back across the city, and pick out landmarks in amongst the hills. In the others, you can see heather and moor or woodland depending on which way you choose to look. So the hills are a problem, sometimes, but they are also what gives the city its unique character as well as help me in my literal and metaphorical battle to keep fit! Besides, after all, that walking in the open air I think I've earned the right for a restorative cup of strong Yorkshire Tea and a slice of cake! So, the hills might be a short-term problem, but they are certainly a long-term gain! [Written by - Lucy Marris (2016): Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ] More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic: Topic: Describe a problem in your city/hometown. 1. Proper housing is a great problem for the inhabitants of England. The number of residents has increased to an unbearable extent. So, this is becoming hard to accommodate all the people together. In fact, many of the people from around the globe and the country flock to this city to get a good living and lifestyle. To reduce the problem, I think the government should take some decentralizing steps. Then people would not need to crowd in London alone. 2. The issue of public safety is a great concern in New York City. This is, in fact, a highly serious matter. The problem is caused by multifarious issues. Overpopulation, unemployment, racism etc. all are responsible for the public safety issue. Though there are some rules and customs to follow, the majority of the people are unaware of them. So, public awareness should be raised in the first position. Moreover, the law enforcers should also be careful about the public safety issues. They need paying more attention to the matter. 3. India is troubled with some serious types of problems and air pollution is one of them. Most of the large cities are polluted by air and the issue is so serious that people need to use masks to prevent them from dust while moving on the streets. The air is polluted basically from the burning of fuels and oils. A good number of mills and factories also contribute on this case. Solving the problem overnight is nearly impossible. A mass awareness is required about the air pollution issue. Besides, the mills and factories should be replaced in out of city areas. 4. Health care is a problem for Vietnam and particularly in the Ho Chi Minh city. This is a serious problem and often the hospitals have less or in some cases no arrangements to deal with the critical patients. Moreover, the old buildings that hold the hospitals cannot accommodate all the patients together. The root cause of the problem is poverty. In fact, eradication of poverty is the key way to reduce this problem. When people will have enough money with them, they can have the better treatment. 5. In Islamabad, transportation is a great concern for everyone. The issue becomes serious in the early parts of a day when people move to their offices or other destinations. The lack of public transportation is the key reason to cause the problem. Besides, often the roads are congested with a good number of vehicles and movement becomes impossible for people. A proper urban planning is required to solve the problem. The streets should be expanded too.

Describe your favourite park in your city.

I love living in Melbourne for some obvious reasons. In fact, Melbourne has been voted as the most livable city in the world a number of times. There are just so many things to do and so many places to visit in Melbourne that it would take someone at least a month to talk about them. But, today I would just like to talk about one of my favourite parks. The name of the park is Alexandra Gardens, and it is conveniently located on the south bank of the Yarra River, and on the opposite side of Federation Square and the Melbourne Central Business District in Victoria. One of the most distinctive features of this park is that it connects two other beautiful parks named the Domain parklands and the beautifully-landscaped Royal Botanic Gardens. This garden park also has many palm trees, beautiful ornamental shrubs (spreading fragrance and clean air to its visitors) and star-shaped garden which is designed to represent the great federation of Australia. First laid out in 1904, the park also has some popular river-front barbecue spots and other venues to facilitate different kinds of parties and celebration. I visit this beautiful park at least once in a week if not more frequently. By the way, people can visit this place either in private cars or by using public transportation through the tram routes of 16, 1, 64, 5, 6, 67, and 72. It is my favourite park mainly because this is rather close to the area in which I live. In fact, it takes only about 15 minutes to walk to the park. And, that 15 minutes walk feels really good for my health. I like this park also because it is situated by a river, unlike many other parks, and it allows me to enjoy the nature in its "entirety" away from the "hustling-bustling" of the city life. Finally, this is my favourite park also because visiting there allows me to meet and interact with many interesting people from all walks of life without going to some clubs or parties. Sample Answer 2: Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located near my house and this is my favourite park in the city. I live in the Ohio state in the USA and this is the National Park we boast about. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located in Summit County and Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA and it has remarkable natural beauty, unusual ecosystem, unique geographic features and natural appeal. This park is approximately 28 kilometres away from my living place. Most of the time, I went there in my private car but public transportation and tourist buses are also available to reach the location. I have always lived in the Ohio state. I love to explore places that are new to me. Natural beauties attract me more than other charms. So far I have gone to the Cuyahoga National Park 7 to 8 times. I have also been to the American Samoa, Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Everglades and Glacier Bay which are also famous National Parks in the USA. There is no certain frequency of my visit to this Cuyahoga park. In fact, this is not a kind of park that is located near the community where people often visit in the evening and morning. I need planning, free time and preparation tp visit and enjoy the Cuyahoga park. In my opinion, Cuyahoga is great beauty and a must-visit place for whoever lives or come visit the Ohio state. It has around 32,950 acres area and it was established in October 2000. More than 2 million visitors enjoy this panoramic park each year and it is governed by the National Park Service, USA. A great variety of animals lives in this park, many visitors ride bicycles or do hiking there. I specifically remember my last visit there in 2014 when I did hiking in this park. The spectacular views of the rolling hills, winding rivers, waterfalls and caves are mind-blowing. I have always enjoyed being in this park and have a lot of sweet memories there. As a resident of the Ohio state, I am very proud of this park and the outstanding beauty and recreational activities of this park make it my favourite one. Sample Answer 3: Canada is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and enriched with natural blessings. Several national parks are available in the country which have also played the role of beautification. I frequently visit the Georgian Bay Islands National Park and this is my favourite park. The Georgian Bay Islands National Park is an archipelago and made of 63 islands. It is located in Ontario in the Georgian Bay. The entire area covers an area of over 13 square kilometres. Earlier it was attached to another island but now this is completely a different one. The natural views are charming and the visitors have numerous options to pass their leisure hours. This is mostly formed with lots of pines and rocks. Some of the hardwood forests are also available here. Despite the exceptional facilities, the visitors are to pre-book the venue if they want to pass time in this park. The Georgian Bay Islands National Park is a two-hour journey from my city, Toronto. But the Georgian Bay Islands National Park is accessible by boat only. Since this is the combinations of a good number of islands, there are no other transportation mode except boat if you want to visit the park completely. So, it is a good place for people having their own boats. Besides, ordinary visitors can take a ride on the water taxi to reach the park and get engaged in the entertaining activities. The water taxi is available from the Honey Harbour road. Besides, the visitors with their own boats can also visit there and can dock their boats safe and sound in different locations. It needs some preparations to visit the park. So, it is not possible for me to visit the park frequently. Generally, I visit it once or twice in a month and pass the entire day with thrilling activities. Moreover, the locality is inhospitable. So, I need to take some other precautionary measures before starting the journey like taking foods and water, necessary medicines, extra clothes etc. Visiting the park and observing nature is my hobby, but often I take part in some other activities as well. There are over 30 species of reptiles and amphibians are available. The islands are their nesting areas. But I keep a distance from those areas and keep myself busy with other adventurous activities. The Georgian Bay Islands National Park is my favourite park for some special reasons. First of all, this is the largest freshwater archipelago in the world. Mother nature is preserved here with care. A large number of pines are available here while the granite shores, dense forests etc. are adorable. The park allows taking part in different adventurous activities like camping at night, camping in a group, cycling, riding on a canoe, fishing in the lakes, walking on the trails and hiking and more others. This is also a great location for the picnic while many of the professional photographers come here for their photography needs. Swimming in the lakes is one of my preferred tasks. Whenever I can manage the time I do not miss swimming in the freshwater lakes. Considering all the features, this is my favourite park in Canada. More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic: Topic: Describe your favourite park in your city. 1. Hyde Park is located in West Central London. I can even walk there from my living place. In fact, the park is a few minutes' walks from my residence. I go there almost every day for my morning walk. There are ample spaces inside the park for walking. This is my favourite park because it comes with some outstanding natural views. The spaces are larger than the other parks in the city of London. It also provides fresh air in the morning hours. 2. The Weston Bend State Park is located near Kansas City. I need to ride on my vehicle to reach the park. I visit the park at least once a week because this is a bit far away from my place. This is my favourite park because it comes with some special facilities like camping at night. Often I arrange for a camping night at the park with my friends or family members. We spend some quality times there. Sometimes, we arrange for a campfire and take our meals there too. So, for all the grounds, I prefer the park. 3. The Port Campbell National Park is located near the Victoria State's Shipwreck Coast. I need to take a ride to visit the park. I visit the park once a month and spend the day there. This is my favourite park because of the nice views it offers. The walk route on the Great Ocean Road makes me feel thrilled. I love the orchids lying beside the streets and the wildlife is also adorable there. So, I love the park much. 4. In China, Lushan is a great place to hang around. This is located in a distant place and so I need to use my car to reach there. So, I cannot visit the park every day or in a week. Rather, I visit the place in a regular interval of around two months. The park is on my favourite list for its natural beauties. There are ample spaces filled with gardens, mountains, and lakes. Spending time by the side of the lakes and enjoying the silence is my best-preferred activity. So, I love the park. 5. Kerama Shotō National Park is located in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. The park is far away from my residence and so I need to take several trips to reach there. I visit the park occasionally after every three or four months later. Despite being a park, it provides swimming facilities for visitors. Snorkelling is another entertaining activity there. Based on the grounds, this park is on my top favourite list.

Describe the place where you grew up.

I was born in a beautiful urban area called (...say the name of the place where you were born and spent your childhood...) and spent my childhood as well as adolescence there. This is a small urban area in the north part of the country. After I finished my college education, I moved to the capital city of the country for the university education. I am no longer living in my hometown but I often go there to visit my parents and other family members who still live there. The place where I grew up is a beautiful urban area and is really a nice place to live in. It is situated beside a river and there are lots of open spaces, corn fields, paddy fields there. The green environment, comfortable weather, fresh air, scenic beauty and the simple life of people make it an ideal place. The modern facilities like internet, satellite connection, theatre, library etc are present there and yet one can stay close to nature there. The area is pollution-free, quiet and has some renowned educational institutes. In a broader view, this urban area has not changed that much compared to the time I lived there but of course, some changes have occurred over the period. Many high rising buildings can be seen nowadays including some factories and industries. Farming was the main occupation of people which is no longer true and people now have diverse occupations. The numbers of fields and open spaces have gone down. People are widely accepting the modern technology and businesses have expanded. The motorised transportations have replaced the manual ways of travelling. The lifestyle and fashions among the teenage generation seem very different than they used to be and the educational infrastructure and facilities have improved significantly than the time I had been there. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: Describe your hometown. Describe the place where you lived in your childhood. Describe a memorable event in your childhood. Describe a place you like to visit. Describe a beautiful place you have visited.

Describe a street that you know.

I would like to describe a street from my hometown where I spent a lot of time in my childhood and adolescence time. This street is called grace street (...say a name of a street you know about...) and it is at the back side of the high school we used to study at. This is not a very wide street and since it is on the back side, people often avoid this road and take the main street. There are some 2-3 storied buildings there and one 7th storied building is situated beside this street. A large portion of the street-side is occupied by the high school and there is a pond, 2 lamp posts, one post office and 2 small tea stalls are situated beside this street. I used to visit this street and spent time with my friends in my teenage time mostly. Since I now live in a different city I rarely visit this street. However, I go to this street sometimes with my friends whenever I visit my hometown. This is the place where I spend my time with my friends in the evening when I stay at my hometown. I go to my hometown 3-4 times in a year and visit this street each time I visit my hometown. I like this street because I have so many memories related to this street. I still go there whenever I visit my town. And this very street where I used to spend some of my golden periods reminds me my old time there. Being there with my friends sometimes reminds me things I used to do there and how precious the time was. For these reasons, I like this street very much. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would also enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: Describe a street or place in your hometown. Describe a busy street in your city. Describe a place you often go to. Describe a place where you often hang around with your friends. Describe a memorable place. Describe a street or park where you often played.

Describe a famous building/landmark in your hometown.

I would like to talk about the 'City Museum' which is located in the western part of the city I live in and which is one of the most popular buildings in our town. This building once was the city hall and was built in 1756 by the Portuguese. Some renovation works have been done on this museum but the original design of it was not changed. The city museum still gives an impression of a fine architecture of the past and attracts so many tourists each day. People like to look at it and praise the design of this building. The interior of it is full of historical evidence of our past and a museum visitor is bound to love his tour in this museum for the reach experience it offers to everybody. This building is located near a park and the central library which is well known among the local people. As I said, it is more than 250 years old and in fact, one of the most visited and the oldest building in our city. This building is a very important architectural proof of mid-Eighteen century. It looks like a castle from far away while it gives the impression of a gigantic temple when it is looked very closely. This red coloured building was turned into a museum in 1920 and all the history lovers around the world visit it for the local history and other important objects it holds. In my opinion, this is a quite important building in our city. First, it represents our past and it signifies our present also. All the important historical and cultural objects and proofs have been stored there. Besides, this is one of the most popular tourist spots in our city that not only earns a huge sum of money but also introduces our local culture to the visiting tourists. To elucidate the importance of this building I can mention that this building reflects our pride and the government spends a large amount of money each year to maintain its originality. In my childhood, I lived in an urban area and I read about this building in my textbook probably in grade three or four. Sample Answer 2: Brazil is the country enriched with a notable number of landscapes and the Christ the Redeemer is one of the most important ones. In fact, this has become the landmark for the country. Now I will describe the statue briefly here, and thank you for letting me talk on this topic. This is a statue of Christ in the form of a saviour of the world. The statue is located in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is located on the top of a hill and thus it looks larger and traceable from a long distance. It is said that the locals of the place where the statue is located now were disobeying to religion. A sense of Godlessness spread everywhere. Hence, to bring a sense of religion among the people, the decision was taken to install a statue. After lots of research and analysis, the decision was taken to make the statue of Jesus Christ. The suggestions to place a Christian monument in Corcovado came in the 1850s. Initial planning was also done at that time. But owing some troubles, it was not established. Later, another attempt was made in 1920 to establish such a statue. Accordingly, activities to form the statue was launched. In 1922, the statue development began and it took nine years to complete the entire statue. It was completed in 1931. The cost to build this gigantic structure was huge (around 250,000 USD). Now, this is over 85 years old but still standing in a perfect shape. Donations to build the structure was collected from the local Catholics of Rio. This is a very well-planned statue in the country. It weighs about 635 metric tonnes. The statue is situated on the top of the Corcovado mountain which is also in the Tijuca Forest National Park. The park overlooks the Rio city. This statue is the symbol of Christianity in the area. Before the establishment of the statue, most of the people had no respect for God. And to remind them of God, the statue played an interesting role. Now, this has become a cultural icon for the locality as well. In 2007. The statue was listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It has a magnificent look. The statue shows Jesus Christ is spreading his hands. The hands resemble the call for peace and prosperity. To be frank, the statue is a pride for us and all Brazilians. The entire structure has been made of reinforced concrete for its durability. It underwent a restoration in the 1990s with some private and public initiatives as some of its parts were damaged, cracked and attacked with fungi to a great extent with the passage of time. Hence, the statue experienced some renovations like the inclusion of walkways and escalators, access to the platform of the statue, new lighting fixture etc. the statue is now an important part of the country and often it is used as a symbol for our land. Now, the 30-meter long statue is the symbol of peace across the world. Idea generating: Cue Card Topic: Describe a famous building/landmark in your hometown. 1. India is the country of numerous landmarks and among those, I like the Qutub Minar the most. It has a different appeal to me. The 73-meter structure was built between 1192 - 1220 by Qutub Ud-Din-Aibak. This is a straight tall tower and has been constructed in several phases at different times. The Minar is an important landmark for Delhi because fewer historic structures like this are available in the country. It looks special and its design is highly attractive as well. 2. The Temple of Zeus is located in Olympia. This is one of the Greek temples and was dedicated to Zeus. The temple was built in 470 BC (not exact construction date is available). The temple is different from the other ordinary temples in the country. It rests on a platform with three unequal steps. The exterior and interior have a grandeur look. This is an important landmark because it represents respects to Zeus. It was built for religious purposes as well. 3. England is the land of natural beauties and a good number of landmarks are available here. The Shard is one of them. In fact, this is a 95-storey skyscraper. And interestingly, this is made of glass. The building was inaugurated in 2012. It looks like a long tower made of glass and when the sun rays reflect, it looks glittering. This is an important landmark in England because it accommodates some of the important offices, restaurants and residences. The open-air observation deck is a great place to enjoy as well. 4. If you ask me for a popular landmark in Beijing, I will refer the Forbidden City undoubtedly. This is located in central part of Beijing and now is used as the Palace Museum. The complex is aged for over 500 years and has served diversified purposes in the country. This is a complex that consists over 950 buildings. It also covers over 180 acres of lands as well. This is a landmark for its extraordinary construction styles and vastness. It also got international recognition as well. 5. Among a notable number of landmarks, the Kuala Lumpur Tower appears the most beautiful one to me. This is basically a communication tower and was completed in 1995. The height of the tower is 421 meters. The tower stands free from the ground. It looks aristocratic from a distance and indeed the symbol of modern beauty. This is an important building because it helps to see the city in a panoramic view. The restaurant provides the most delicious food and overall this is a famous tourist spot.

Describe a shop that recently opened in your city/country.

I would like to thank you for this nice cue card topic. A store for babies named "The Baby Shop" has been opened in my locality. The shop is specialized for babies and sells products for children only. The shop provides the best necessaries for the children including the newborn babies. This is a great cue card to answer and I am feeling lucky with this. The shop is located in the centre of my town and initially has only a single branch in my country, Indonesia. Being located in the centre of the town, the shop is accessible from every corner and remains open round the day. This is a great shop for the babies and provides a wide range of necessary stuff for the people. Interestingly, it sells almost all types of products for babies ranging from zero to five years old. New parents are the typical customers for this shop. Besides, the other parents who have babies under five-years-old at their home are also the visitors to this shop. They frequently visit the shop and get their necessaries. The options are broad and thus there are plenty of chances to get the right product for their babies. Moreover, people who need any baby products and cannot find them in other places also visit this shop. This is of a great importance to them. Recently, I had to visit the shop for getting a baby product. In fact, one of my cousins has become a new mother and I went to see the baby. Before visiting the baby, I was planning to what I can take as a gift for the baby. Suddenly, I realized that baby shop is the best place to find the right thing for the newborn. I visited the shop and got some clothes for this newly born angel. More Ideas to help you prepare your own answer: Cue Card Topic: Describe a shop that recently opened in your city/country. 1. A new shop for toys, named TOY STORE, has been launched in my city, Jakarta in Indonesia, a few months ago. The shop is located in the centre of the city. The shop has different types of customers and most of them are children. Often their parents visit the store to get the right toys for their children or to present any other children. Actually, I did not buy anything from the shop so far because I do not have any child in my family. Besides, I have not been invited to any event related to children as well. 2. A new hairdresser has opened its branch here in Mumbai. The shop is named as Hair Styler. The shop is located at the end of the street where I live in the city. People of all ages need a haircut. So, no specific type of customer visits the shop; rather almost all of them take the service. Recently, I have taken a haircut from the shop. It was nice indeed. The haircut price was reasonable too. 3. The bookstore named 'The Library' has newly been opened in our town. The store is located in the downtown of Manchester. The store sells almost all types of books including textbooks for academic studies, novel, poetry and more. Usually, the book lovers, teachers and students are the typical customers of this store. I also have become one of its customers. Recently, I have bought a bestselling novel from the store. They sold the book at a discounted price. 4. The newly opened flower shop, named 'Flowers Dane' is a nice shop. The shop is located in the southeast corner of the 23rd Street in Orlando. The shop has some specific types of customers. Everyone comes here to get the right flower for their beloved ones or for their home decoration. I bought some roses from the shop last week. I took the roses to decorate my home as some guests were supposed to arrive. 5. I have seen a new clothing store in my city. It is named as 'Outfit 1'. The store was located on the Baraga street in Indonesia. The store sells different types of clothing for all ages of people. So, people of all classes and ages visit the shop whenever they need to purchase new clothes. I also went to visit the shop and bought a nice pair of jeans for me. I liked it so much for its simple design and reasonable price.

How popular are bicycles in your hometown? [Why?]

If I talk about the time when I was a child, the bicycle was the primary mean of travelling for people in my hometown. However, this is not the case and motorised vehicles have replaced the bicycle. Around 5-8 percentage of people, these days in my hometown use this environment-friendly vehicle while it was more than 80% in the past.

close (sth) down

If a business or organization closes down or someone closes it down, it stops operating: All the mines in this area were closed down in the 1980s. Our local butcher is closing down.

people from all over the world

It can be decomposed according to rules you're familiar with. "People all over the world" means people who are scattered and located all over the world. It could be understood as "People, who are all over the world, ...". "People from all over the world" means people who originated from or were born in places all over the world. It could be understood as "People, who are from all over the world, ...". Both cases are of a noun being modified by an adjective (a prepositional phrase, in the second) that directly follows it. (I live in Shanghai, it's a huge, bustling, international city. People from all over the world live and work there.)

How important is it for a town or city to be located near a river or the sea? Why?

It is very crucial for a town or city to be located near a river or the sea primarily because it makes the availability of water resources very easy for the consumption of its citizens. Besides, having a river or sea, close to a city, helps improve the socio-economic condition of that particular city by having a sea/river port in it in order to facilitate more and more business transactions. Finally, having a river or ocean close to a city ensures pleasant weather condition most of the times, and when you have a river close by to a place, the lands there are usually more fertile.

What kind of jobs do the people in your home town/village have?

Most of the people in my village are farmers, fishermen and small business owners. A large number of people also work in a sugar cane factory when they do not cultivate their lands or grow any crops. Of course, a few educated people are employed in different organisations and work as doctors, bankers, engineers and technicians. Having said that, since everyone is getting an opportunity for a better education nowadays, a few people have also moved out to cities as my family did many years ago. Many of them are placed in prestigious positions in various cities.

Where is your hometown?

My hometown is a small place called "Natore" which is located in the western corner of Bangladesh. Even though it is a small town, it is very famous for sweet delicatessens, serving and selling many different kinds of sweet desserts.

pavement café

NOUN [COUNTABLE] Word Forms singular pavement café plural pavement cafés a restaurant with tables and chairs outside on the pavement or on a street where vehicles do not normally go A sidewalk cafe (sometimes called a pavement cafe, cafe terrace, or patio) is an outdoor part of a coffeehouse or cafe. It is an area where customers go to relax, dine, and socialize. Other activities at a sidewalk cafe might include studying, reading, or using, if it is available, the cafe's internet access.

What street do you live in now?

Now I live in the city of Jubail, and the street where I live now is called "Jubail Central Street". Well, I suppose, it is called so because this street extends from the heart of the city to the northern end and it is a great area to live in especially because of the stunning malls, large stores and lively gathering on the street.

How has your town changed over the last twenty years?

Over the last twenty years, my town has changed rather significantly as its population has increased and so has the number of new buildings and infrastructures with it. Today, we can notice that many people from my hometown have left for bigger cities because of better employment opportunities as people want to improve their living standard even more.

Why so many people migrate to cities each year? What problems does this trend cause?

People migrate to cities for many reasons. But better employment opportunities is the leading cause here. Majority of the employment opportunities are in the urban areas which attract the migrants. Besides, higher education scopes are also limited to cities and this is why a notable number of students also migrate to cities each year. But such migrations cause several problems. Accommodation of the growing population is a great problem and increasing population contributes to the higher crime rates and pollution. Prices of the necessary commodities rise and roads become more congested. Finally, the environment gets polluted whereas the city authority struggles to maintain a healthy environment for all.

Nowadays more people choose to move out from the area where they grew up, in a search for a better job. Do you think there are more advantages than disadvantages to this development? Why?

People work hard during their entire life to meet the financial expenses to support their families and raise their lives. People travel from place to place in search of better employment, quality of life and spend a large span of their life away from their hometown and often families. This essay will analyse the merits and demerits associated with this trend and will highlight some factors that trigger this relocation. People generally move out from their hometown in search of better employment opportunities. They believe that they can be better rewarded if they work in large metropolitan and foreign countries where their skills and talent is in high demand. Relocating to foreign countries is beneficial in terms of exchange rates. For instance, due to higher currency exchange rates skilled worked and professionals in sub-continent prefer to work in different countries in the Middle East region to make both ends meet. People immigrate due to lack of employment, academic institutions, infrastructure services and high crime rate. Relocations provide the quality of life, ample employment opportunities, diversity in life which they cannot have while living in their hometown. Moreover, working in multinational countries often located in prestigious cities and countries can ensure a successful and long-lasting career and they believe they can return something back to society in future. However, migration is not always beneficial and has its own challenges. People relocating to other cities are a complete stranger and it takes times to adapt to new environment and mix with people coming from different background, race and cast. They are not familiar with their cultural norms and traditional values which can be challenging for them. Moreover, the language barrier can prevent them from socialising and progressing in the society. Their families back home are often left alone to deal with everyday life challenges and can result in family destruction. People in sub-continent generally prefers to relocate back once they observe their children adapting to negative values of foreign culture where the new generation finds it very difficult to adjust with local culture and impact relationships. It also impacts the economic growth of the region where high profile people generally migrate leaving other to contribute their part. To recapitulate, the aforementioned provides plausible arguments over merits and demerits associated with relocation. The analysis suggests that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages as relocation often results in the destruction of family relationships and cultural values.

Describe a common transportation system for commuters in your city.

Public Bus is a very common transportation system in our country and the majority of the commuters in cities and urban areas use this transportation system. There are two types of public bus systems in our country- short distance buses and long distance buses. There are many governments owned bus service system which is available mostly in the metropolitan system. There are varieties of sizes in these buses ranging from 10 seats to as many as 100 seats and even double-decker buses as well. People from all classes and economic conditions use these buses and who do not own private cars, most of the times use this transportation system. Since there are cheap and expensive buses based on the facilities allowed, people with low earnings mostly use the non-AC, small buses. While the people with better economic conditions use air conditioned and a bit expensive service. This is the most convenient transportation system in our country in terms of expenses and availability. Hiring taxi or private cars cost a lot and they are not always available. So people mostly depend on the public bus transportation system which offers a very low fair and are always available for almost all of the destinations. I mostly use this bus transportation system for short and long distance travels and communications and I find it very handy. Though there are some disadvantages of this transportation system, I would say still this is the best way for commuters to more to different places in my city. Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: Describe a journey you took using public transportation. Describe a public transportation system available in your city. Describe the main transportation system available in your country.

Can you describe your hometown/ village?

Sure. As I have already said, I come from Johor Bahru, which is the second-largest city in Malaysia with approximately five hundred thousand population. This is a fascinating city with lots of tourist attractions and many foreign tourists love to shop here because of the variety of shopping items and cheap price. The city was also once known as Little Swatow (Shantou) by the Chinese community. As this is the capital city of Johor, it plays a very important role in the economic welfare of the population of the entire state. Johor Bahru features an equatorial climate with consistent temperatures, a considerable amount of rain and high humidity throughout the year. Malay is the main language in our city and the Chinese community prefers different dialects. Johor Bahru is one of the fastest-growing cities in our country and its specific location is one of the main reasons it became the main industrial and commercial centre for Johor. I love the lively streets and diverse culture of our city and I am sure a tourist would find plenty of things to do and numerous places to visit in my city.

Describe a place in your town/city where people can go swimming.

Swimming is very good activity and provides a wide number of benefits to the swimmers. So, I often go for a swimming at Keller swimming pool near my hometown in Paris. The place is located in the outskirt of the city of Paris. This is a very good place indeed to swim at any time of the day. The swimming pool has a couple of pool ranges. This is a nice cue card topic for me and I am feeling lucky to have it. This is a place which is opened to public. There is a large area made for swimming purposes only. It was built in the 1960s and served the nation for a long time. It was renovated in 2008. The renovation was necessary for some purposes. The water used in this pool is filtered in several layers. The pool is also preferred by the team of swimmers as well. This is a nice swimming pool and comes with a wide number of facilities. So, it is a preferable place for all types of swimmers. But this is a heaven for the early risers. Most of the people who want to a have swimming early part of the morning come here to serve the purpose. The luxurious changing rooms are one of the attractions for them. Moreover, the water is filtered with ozone instead of chlorine and disinfected with some other process. So, this is safe for the kids as well. Some of the kids come here to swim either with their parents or with their team of swimmers. Swimming is really helpful to maintain a sound health. At present, people of Paris are more health-conscious than the past. So, a notable number of them gather here for swimming purpose and they enjoy swimming. More Ideas to talk about this Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card topic: Topic: Describe a place in your town/city where people can go swimming. 1. The Hampstead Heath Swimming complex is located under London City Corporation. This is a nice place for swimming and this is open to all. The water is a bit cold here and so people come here in the afternoon hours. This is a perfect place for young people. The pond is moderately deep and swimming is thrilling. People basically come here to swim and have fun. Often they come in the evening and pass their leisure hours. 2. The Abbott Park Pool is located on the 95th Street near the Abbott Park in Chicago. This is a perfect place for swimming for all ages of people. The swimming pool is opened to the public. There are 10 lanes for swimming and the depth is around 8 feet. So, this is a great place for everyone. People come here for some reasons. The environment is nice and there are some specific facilities for the disabled people as well. 3. Fitzroy Swimming Pool is a wonderful place to swim in Victoria in Melbourne. This is a public swimming pool. Almost all types of people come here. They enjoy swimming in this pool for so many reasons. The water temperature is standard. Besides, the place is not so much crowded and people who come here enjoy the environment. Based on all the reasons this is an attractive place for swimming. 4. The number of private swimming pools is limited in Vietnam and the one located Six Sense Con Dao is a special one. This is a private swimming pool and mostly reserved for the hotel clients. The inner decoration of the swimming pool is awesome. People go there to enjoy the natural view and have swimming. The bar beside the pool also served the beverage needs of the people present there. 5. The Templer Park Rainforest Retreat has an excellent swimming pool. The resort is located in Selangor in Malaysia. This is a private swimming pool and only has access for those who hire the resort. This is a nice place indeed and comes with several options. The tenants can hold parties and enjoy themselves round the night. Most of the time they spend their time in the pool and enjoy the beautiful nature.

Describe a company which employs many employees in your hometown.

Thank you for this opportunity to let me talk about a company in my hometown that employs a sizeable number of people from the locality. This is a chair manufacturing company and it has been manufacturing chairs for a long time in Greece. The company employs a good number of local people from the city to manufacture various types of chairs and other accessories to decorate chairs and tables in my hometown. This is a smart cue card topic and I am really happy to have this. Around 900 people work here and most of them are workers. In fact, the job of manufacturing chair involves a huge number of hands to complete the process. Almost all the people of this locality are involved in producing chairs and they work around the day in the company factory. The majority of the people belong to the working class while some of them are working as high officials in the company. Actually, the area I live in is densely populated and most of the people are not that much educated. As a result, they are unable to manage a higher job for them. A high school graduation is a must to get a job with this company and with a higher education, anyone can apply for some other positions than that of the worker. But if someone can show some extraordinary skills, educational barriers are relaxed for them. The authority employs them without a second thought and considers them as the asset for the company. The salary offered by this company is also higher and everyone working here is pleased. I would be interested to work here if I get a chance. Actually, all the works are equal and contribute to building the society. So, I do consider the job of a chair company worker is respectable. Moreover, the benefits of this company are also attractive and everyone loves their job here. I am currently doing my bachelor degree in Business Administration and would love to get a relevant administrative job in this company. More Ideas to help you prepare your own answer: Cue Card Topic: Describe a company which employs many employees in your hometown. 1. This is a renowned car manufacturing company based in Nuremberg in Germany. The company employs a good number of employees and at present- around 150 employees work there. The employees need to be moderately educated. They need the minimum qualification for getting recruited. If I get the scope of working with the company, certainly I will work there. The packages are highly lucrative for the employees. 2. T-mobile is a large mobile phone device manufacturer based in New York. This is a large company and employs around 300 people in its plant. All the staffs need to be highly educated as they deal with sophisticated mobile accessories, equipment and technologies. I am unwilling to get a job there for some reasons. The most important thing is that the work in the factory is complicated. The staffs inside the factory need to work with sophisticated tools to make or repair the mobile phones. And I am unable to do those. 3. National Australia Bank is a bank in Australia. It employs a notable number of people in its branches across the country. Now over 500 people are working there. Getting a job in this bank requires a higher degree. Completing the university degree is the minimum qualification for a job in this bank. Certainly, I am interested to get a job in this bank. The jobs are filled with responsibilities and rewards are outstanding. 4. Singtel is communication company based in Singapore. This is one of the largest telecommunication company in the Asian region. The company employs a substantial number of personnel to run its daily activities. A bachelor degree is a must to get a job here. I would like to serve here if I can have the chance. The company has a wide pool of responsibilities and I have the option to get one after my qualification. 5. In Russia, Inter RAO is a power engineering company. This is one of the largest companies in the country and employs over thousands of people. The company is based in Moscow and has its branches across the country. An engineering degree is a must to get a job in this company. The rewards for the employees here also smart. Despite my interest to get a job here, I would not be allowed because I do not have the degree needed to get a job here.

What's the most interesting part of your home town/village?

The most interesting part of my village is, of course, the friendly people who manage to lead a fairly simple life and the genuine smiles they would offer you every time you talk to them. They might not have expensive earthly possessions, modern technology and posh houses or cars, but they are rich beyond imagination in their heart. Another fascinating thing that I personally find very interesting in my village is a really old temple that has been there for as long as I can remember. The way rituals are performed there by local people are quite unique and laudable. This place, which is only a few kilometres away from our grandparents' home, has always been a strange, ritualistic and lively place.

What is the weather like there?

The weather can be hot and humid, with an average temperature of about 35 degree Celsius, during the summer season which starts from around June and ends in October. The winter in my hometown is moderately cold with an average temperature of about 15 degree Celsius.

Can you tell me some famous landscapes or scenic spots in your hometown?

There are, in fact, plenty of renowned and beautiful places in Sutton and many tourists find it a great place to stay during their vacation. This town has more than 89 parks and each of them is quite beautiful. Manor Park, Morden Hall Park and Carshalton Lavender Fields are my personal favourite. Moreover, St Nicholas churchyard, St Nicholas clocktower, All Saints Church, Christ Church, Landseer Road Conservation Area are some of the prominent landscapes in this town. As I have already said, Sutton is also home to many big international corporations and large shopping malls. Public arts, large libraries, beautiful landscape and many beautiful parks make our hometown a worth visiting place.

What building is considered famous in your town?

There is a number of buildings in my hometown which are famous, but one particular building called "The Rajbari" (residence of the landlord king) demands for some special attention because it is there for almost 300 years as the remnants of a glorious past of a people who used to rule the town and its adjacent areas.

What is there to do in your free time in (candidate's hometown/village)!

There is plenty to do where I live during my free time. From going to some really nice restaurants in order to enjoy some of the mouth-watering dishes to watching movies at some nice and cosy theatres, you name anything and my hometown just has them! My hometown also has a large and nice shopping mall where you can buy pretty much anything you need. Finally, if you are interested in fishing, you have many options for doing so.

Describe a village or urban area you have visited.

Though I have been born and raised in a metropolitan city, I visited my grandfather's house many times and that's a beautiful village that I have ever seen. This village is in the north part of the country and falls under the .... (...Say a division or state or country name...). This village is situated beside the (...say a river name...) and has more than 10 thousand inhabitants. I went there in my childhood with my parents and the latest visit was in the last January with my mother. This village is almost 125 kilometres away from the place we currently live in. First, we took a train to reach the station of the district/state/ country where my grandfather's village is and from the station we took a taxi to reach the river port of our village. There we took a boat and finally we walked 1-2 kilometres to reach the village. My grandfather has passed away a few years back and my grandmother, 2 of my uncles 2 aunts and their children still live in this village. Apart from our family members, the farmers and workers who work for my uncles, live there. This, in my opinion, is the most beautiful village I have ever been to. My forefather lived there and my father spent his childhood and teenage there. So in terms of bonding, this is a very important place for me. My grandmother and some of the cousins are very fond of me and I mostly meet them in whenever I go there. So in terms of my relation to my origin and relatives, this is the village I admire most. Besides that, this is a very beautiful village that seems like a painting by a famous painter. The environment is calm and pollution free, the green fields, fresh air and hygienic foods offer a very attractive reason for being there. The flowing river, the forest, the simple lifestyle of residence and my of my relatives are the main things I love about this village. There are very few things that I dislike about this village and the village itself has nothing to do about it. Like the education facility and treatment facility of this village is very poor and primitive. That's something bothers me a lot. Sample Answer 2: My recent experience in a village area in Russia has amazed me. I had to visit Esso in Kamchatka for some research purposes. The village is around 6500 kilometres far away from Moscow and filled with wilderness. The indigenous people mostly live in this village and surrounding areas. This is a nice candidate task card and I am happy to have it. I will describe the village now. Recently I have completed my graduation from a local university in Russia and had to complete the research on indigenous people. As part of the research, I went there with some of my batch mates. Traveling to the place was really interesting. We used an aeroplane, boat, and local transportations to reach there. But I enjoyed the journey to and from Moscow. In fact, I have never travelled so far before. The majority of the people in the village are indigenous and belong to the groups of the Itelmens, the Evenks, and the Koryaks. They live in peace and harmony here. Besides, there are some other people who also live in line with the locals and mostly deal with the tourists. They help the tourists and assist in planning the tours around the areas. The indigenous people are also cooperative. They helped us in many ways and provided the required information for us that we used in our research. Honestly, I like the nature most. The way of living in the village was the other interesting thing for me. the exotic location, volcanoes, hot springs, rivers etc. everything was wonderful and charming indeed. Riding on the mountain was another adventurous task that I took part in. Even the foods were delicious as well. So, I liked the area much and planning to pay another visit there. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well: Describe a place you often go to. Describe a naturally beautiful place. Describe a relative's house you have visited. Describe a place where you went with your parents. Describe a place you like to visit.

Describe a common transportation or vehicle in your city that you often use.

Today I am going to tell you about a common form of transport that I use in the city where I live. What it is, when I use it, what it is like and why I choose to use it. I am going to tell you about buses in Sheffield where I live, this is a form of public transport that many people use to travel to and from work or around the city at night. I live in a city called Sheffield. There can be a lot of traffic in the city, and it is difficult to find anywhere to park if you use your own transport. Therefore, many people prefer to use the public buses. There are lots of buses in Sheffield and many bus stops. There is a bus stop almost directly outside my house. Buses come past every 15 minutes, if you want the bus to stop, you have to put out your hand to signal the driver or the bus will go straight pass! When I get on, there is a fixed fare as I have a special travel pass. It costs me £1.20 for every journey, however far it is. That is about 39,000 VD. There are bus stops every 500 metres or so, if there are people waiting, the bus will stop, if not, the bus goes straight on. The bus has two levels, a top deck and a bottom deck. I like to climb up the stairs to the top deck and sit right at the front of the bus. Then you get great views across the streets and the city too. I use the buses all the time because they are cheap, convenient and safe. I sometimes use the bus to get to work, but mainly I use the bus when I am out at night, as it will get me home safely. The buses run quite late, but you have to be careful to catch the last bus home or it will be a long walk back! [ Written by - Lucy Marris | Careers Adviser (UK), TEFL teacher (Vietnam) ] Sample Answer 2: Transportation inside Russia is easier than any other countries of the world for many reasons. The wide road networks have primarily made it possible. Besides, transportation to places is comfortable as well. I am proud to have the chances of enjoying the services. Metro service is one of the commonest forms of transportation inside Moscow. I will describe the service in detail here. The Moscow Metro is a popular mode of transportation for the city commuters to travel to different places. This is a speedy mode of transportation and carries the passengers to their destinations at the right time. The transit system supports the entire Moscow in line with supporting to the other neighbouring localities. This is an underground railway that has won the heart of the people for the efficient service system. Besides, the length of this system has made it one of the longest underground railway systems in the world. A wide number of stations has made it possible to commute thousands of people each day from place to places. The trains running on the Metro are like the usual trains but there is a basic difference between them. In most cases, the trains run on the rail tracks installed on the ground. But in this metro, the rail tracks are installed under the ground. Besides, they are more comfortable and free of hassles. So, a good number of commuters use this transportation method for their regular commuting. The train moves faster like a bullet using the underground tunnels. They stop in the required stations for a few minutes and then move again to the next destination. The lines are spread from Moscow to other outlying areas. As a result, the stations are always crowded either by the inbound or outbound passengers. Since they are a state-run train, the government takes the right care for everything. I mostly use the train during my office hours. I work at a Russian outsourcing company. I live in Moscow and my office is located in Saint Petersburg. So, moving to office early in the morning with bus or other public transports is difficult for me. Rather, using the underground railway is far better and much more comfortable than waiting in a bus queue. Besides, returning home is also easier for me in the evening when the office hour is done. In fact, I use the transportation for moving to and returning from office. When I joined at the office, it was a bit difficult for me to attend office from Moscow and return from Saint Petersburg. I had to spend lots of hours on the road for the transportation purpose. But when I started using this railway service, it became easier for me. The former troubles of waiting and unnecessary time spending are gone now. I picked the Moscow Metro as my transport because of its speedy mode. Yes, the other vehicles also move fast, but this is faster. It takes around 35/ 40 minutes for me to reach my office including the f-minutes' walk from the station to the office. Besides, this is a cheap mode of transportation for me as well. Earlier, I had to spend a smart amount of money to reach my office but it was not possible for me always to reach there in time. But after adopting the Moscow Metro as my transportation system, I have been able to save a notable amount of money from my transportation cost. Furthermore, the trains are spacious and convenient than the other forms, I think. Considering all the matters around, I have selected this one as my way of regular transport. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well: Describe a common transportation people often use in your country. Describe your favourite means of transportation. Describe the vehicle that is widely used in your city.

Tell me about the kind of foreign visitors or tourists who go to your country.

Tourism in Singapore is very famous and it is indeed a major industry to our economy and GDP. We get more than double tourists each year than our own population. A majority of the tourists who visit Singapore come from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Australia and India. Other countries from where a significant number of tourists visit Singapore each year are the Philippines, Japan, the UK, Thailand and the United States. The visiting tourists come from different age groups and among them, 20-40 years old could be seen more frequently. Some tourists come to enjoy their holidays, some come for shopping and business needs and some of them are adventure seekers and explorers.

In what ways has tourism changed your country?

Tourism is one of the most significant contributors to our national economy. The number of tourists who visit Singapore each year is much higher than our own population. Because of the substantial growth in tourism in Singapore, both seasonal and full-time job opportunities have increased tremendously. Cross-cultural and intercultural communications have developed and many extensive infrastructural developments have been done by the Government. For example, the creation of 'SembCorp NEWater plant' has been established in Singapore which is one of the world's largest water recycling facilities now. Because of the tourists from different countries, our own heritage has been greatly enriched and it has become a lively place. Among the negative impacts, I would say air pollution has increased from all the carbon emissions from planes and land transports. Some loss of authenticity of culture and traditions was obvious too.

Describe the traffic jam in your city.

Traffic jam is a reality of the city life, and we have all seen it happen, from slowing down to crawling to complete stop, whether there is a reason for this type of bad traffic or not. Then, minutes later, it begins to move again and then suddenly moving to full speed. 'Why does this happen anyway' is a question many people ask and we all ask 'what could be done about it'! Well, it happens because even a minor but natural "disruption", like slight brake of a car or an unexpected bump in the roads, to the flow of traffic can cause a "self-enforcing" chain reaction which eventually amplifies until it creates a wave of slowed or stopped traffic. But, even when cars manage to leave this kind of irritating traffic jam or wave, the jam or wave doesn't disappear itself as it may gradually drift backwards against the direction of the traffic. Anyway, sometimes these traffic congestions bring the 'worst' in people, people who usually never become "angry", as we get "agitated" and start blaming each other for the traffic congestion. Of course, people have their reasons for such "agitation" because, to begin with, it wastes their valuable time which otherwise could have been used to spend with their families or used in doing something "constructive". Besides, when people get stuck in the traffic for longer than "usual", they usually fail to get their "jobs" done on time, making them look inept or inefficient in the eyes of friends, co-workers and managers. Spending more time on the road also causes people to usually spend more on the fuel cost for their vehicles. As a whole, the country suffers from economic losses. Anyway, we can control these kinds of traffic congestion if we choose to rely more on public transportation, which can carry and accommodate more people at once, instead of using private vehicles at will and at any time. We could also do things like widen our roads and streets, and becoming more cautious in maintaining our cars more frequently in order to avoid "movement interruptions" on the roads, but we could also "build" more "technologically-advanced" cars which could adjust their "speeds" or change the roads/lanes by sensing the traffic jams ahead well in advance. Sample Answer 2: I come from (...say the city name...) and this city accommodates a large number of population. Due to this huge population and the increased number of public and private cars, the city often faces bad traffics. The number of people living in this city, the cars they are using and the public transportation they need are much higher compared to the number of roads. As a result, the traffic jam often occurs and people have to suffer. Another reason for the traffic jam is the unauthorised parking of cars in the street. People do not often follow the exact traffic rules and because of their insincerity, we often face the horrible traffics in the streets. The traffic jam in our city is one of the terrible things the city dwellers have to face. People get stuck on the roads and they have no idea when they would be able to reach their destination. Because of this jam, people often miss important schedules, students can't reach school in time and the outcome is devastating. Because of the jam in the street people have to schedule accordingly and the total time killed in the street is simply a waste of time. There are many steps which should be taken to reduce the jam in the street. First of all the people who are driving in the street should very strictly follow the traffic rules. The traffic control authority should more strictly apply the rules. The number of private automobiles is increasing rapidly. Many single families own multiple cars and thus increase the number of total cars driving in the street. The rule should be imposed on purchasing cars and the price of the fuel could be increased as well. The public transportation system should be improved so that people can travel in public cars. The city has more population than it can comprise and decentralisation of industries, offices and educational institutes can be another solution to this abhorrent problem. Similar Cue Card topics: Your ability to talk about this Cue Card Topic would enable you to talk about the following Cue Card Topics as well: Describe a problem that you face in your city. Describe a bad experience you recently had. Describe a thing that you would like to change in your city. Describe something annoying about the place you live in.

Tell me about any famous markets or stores in your city that attract tourists.

Ummm... "High Street Phoenix" is a famous market in Mumbai which attracts more tourists than any other market or shop. However, 'R City Mall' is another place in this city where tourists flock to get their necessary products. If you ever go there, you will find many local and international tourists browsing through different merchandises, souvenirs and traditional Indian goods.

Describe a common vehicle in your city that you often use

Underpass train is a common vehicle type in my city and I often use this transportation system. Though bus is the most common transportation system in my city, there are so many people who use the underpass trains to reach to their schools and workplaces. I use the trains almost 5-8 times a week to reach my workplace/ university. While returning home, I take the taxi as train schedule in the evening contradicts my schedule. The train is much cheaper than the public bus or taxi in my city. Since I do not own a car I need to rely on the public transportation systems and the train costs only a few dollars per week. Someone can have a train pass for the whole month only for 50 dollars and this would allow him/her to travel any places within the city as many time as he/she needed. The train station is in walking distance from my living place and that's the primary reason I prefer this transportation to reach my university/ workplace. I do not have to wait for a long and usually I can get a moderate seat in it. There is no traffic jam to kill my time on the road and that's another important reason for my preference for this train transportation system. Finally, I can save a great deal of money using the train over the taxi or other types of transportation systems. Because all of these facilities and advantages I often use this transportation system. Sample Answer 2: Rickshaw (a three-wheeler vehicle, driven by a rickshaw puller) is a common vehicle in my city. The majority of the people use this vehicle to move to different places. They use this vehicle mostly to reach short distances. I am glad to have this special cue card for me and now will explain the matter in brief. I need to use this vehicle frequently. In fact, I am a college student and need to move for my college every morning. My college is not far away from my residence. So, I need to ride on a rickshaw to reach my college. Besides, I also take rides on this vehicle when I need to move inside the city and cannot manage to ride on public transports. Besides, the rickshaw is considered an environment-friendly transport as it does not emit any fumes. The cost of riding a hiring a rickshaw is moderate. The rent varies based on the distances. But the cost is more if I consider it with the fare of public transports. Usually, it takes around rupees 15/20 to reach a distance like about one or half a kilometre. But when it is long distance, the passenger needs to negotiate with the rickshaw puller. In most of the cases, they demand a higher fare than the usual if not negotiated. I use this vehicle often for some reasons. The most important thing about riding a rickshaw is it helps to sit comfortably and independently. Riding on public transports is really a troublesome matter. The number of seats is limited but the buses are overcrowded. Hence, it is inconvenient for females like me to struggle in the morning rush to grab a seat amid hundreds of other people. Moreover, riding a rickshaw also helps to reach the destination in due time as it directly starts for the destination after being hired. So, I often use rickshaw. Sample Answer 3: The tram bus is a common vehicle in my hometown and I often use it to travel to different parts of the city. I often use this tram bus to reach my university/ workplace and to return home. On an average, I use this transportation 3-5 days a week. Tran bus in my city is a cheap way to travel compared to other forms of transportations like the taxi, shuttle train, or private car. Tram bus is cheap, easily available and a safe transportation system for me. I do not have to wait for a long to catch a tram bus and it has a diverse route throughout the city which makes it an ideal form of transportation for the city people. Most of the time, I enjoy my journey in these buses especially when I can get a seat beside the window of the bus. I can watch the natural scenarios besides the roads and the ticketing system of this bus has become online. I can get tickets or a pass card f the tram bus from home using the internet and that is another reason I prefer this transportation system over other available forms of transportation in my city. Similar Cue Card Topics Your ability to talk about this Cue Card would enable you to talk about the following Cue Cards as well: 1. Describe a common transportation system in your hometown. 2. Describe a vehicle you often use. 3. Describe the transport people in your city often use.

Are there any traditional arts or music you would recommend?

We have comparatively a young history as a nation and we went through rapid modernization. Due to this, genuine arts, cultural heritage and music are not as diverse as it should have been. However, in terms of rich ethnic markup, without any doubt, we have the best Western-style performing arts such as opera or ballet as well as plenty of indigenous Malay, Indian and Chinese arts. Each of the ethnic group here maintains their traditional music, art and artistic heritage. We have vibrant art galleries and exhibition works across the country. There is no better place than the "Singapore Art Museum" to get a thorough grounding in Singaporean visual art. "Singapore Symphony Orchestra at Esplanade" is a place I would highly recommend. Apart from these, 'Mosaic Music Festivals', 'Singapore Dance Theatre', 'Indian Bhaskar Academy of Arts' are some other recommended places to get a thorough glimpse of our traditional arts and music.

Can you tell me something about your hometown?

Well, "Sutton" is a beautiful suburban area located in South-West London in England. This was previously a village and was connected to central London in 1847 by the railroad. Afterwards, it began to grow into a town and significant Victorian-era expansions could still be observed there. More than sixty thousand people live in this area and it has the lowest crime rate in Greater London. People in "Sutton" are quite amiable and well-behaved and the natural tranquillity is a big feature of this town. This town is home to many international corporations and the sixth most important shopping area in London. It is also famous as a hub for filming movies. (As I have told you, I come from Mumbai which the largest city in India. It is also the capital city of Maharashtra - which is an Indian state. Mumbai is full of dreamers, hard-labourers, starlets, stray dogs, exotic birds, artists, fisherfolk and many rich people, and not to mention India's most prolific film industry. Formerly known as "Bombay", Mumbai is the fourth most populous city in the world and it is considered India's financial powerhouse and fashion epicentre. Many people complain about the population density and pollution of this city, and yet some of the majestic places and landmarks of the country are located here. Interestingly, many slums, as well as expensive palaces, coexist in this very city. Mumbai is considered the heart of India for its commercial, financial and other important features.)

What changes would you like to make to your home town/village?

Well, a few problems still prevail in my village, and I believe that those should be sorted out soon. The first change that I would like to make in my village is the development of the transportation facility. My village has not got many nice roads and better transportations. So I would like to enhance the transportation facility so that people can commute easily and trade and business can flourish. Next, I would like to make sure that every single person in my village has access to clean and safe water. Finally, I would like my village to have a few more entertainment facilities for people as there are almost none.

What facilities a city has that people in the countryside cannot enjoy?

Well, cities are always endowed with many modern facilities and better employment opportunities. Cities are technologically advanced while the countryside does not have such facilities. High-speed internet connection, modern shopping malls, large buildings for accommodation, specialised doctors, better schools and entertainment facilities in big cities could not be found in rural areas. Moreover, communication and daily commuting facilities are easier in a city than in the countryside. City dwellers can easily participate in recreational activities - they can go to a theatre, amusement park and so on, but the countryside is not so much blessed with modern amenities. Better treatment, better education, well-designed residential places etc. are some of the remarkable facilities that a city offers that are not present in the countryside.

Is there any famous store in your city that sales presents?

Well, many shops and stores in Mumbai sell various types of presents and some of them are dedicated to selling gifts only. The most notable shops that I know about or have been to are "Charagh Din Shirts", "Hallmarks", "The Bombay Store", "Angel and You", "Linking Road", "Kulture shop", "Cross Word" and "Pick-a-gift". They sell numerous types of products and someone may easily pick a gift according to his budget and preference. Besides, some online gift shops have emerged recently and many people prefer to buy gifts from these online shops as well.

What do you like about your country?

Well, my country has the world's largest democracy with more than 1.33 billion residents. Additionally, you won't find another country like India that has that kind of vast diversity in culture, language, religion, language, customs and race. The simple and amiable people who represent the country are quite helpful to others. Our country has a vast diversity of natural beauty and if you ever travel to India, you can, in a sense, say that you have travelled the entire world. I like the way this country has struggled throughout history and yet rose again only to proclaim its superiority and virtue.

Describe a city you have visited and was impressed about.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city? What changes have you observed in your city in the past 5 years? Name some good tourist spots in your city? Why do you think living in your city is a good choice? Model Answer 1: I have visited several cities before, and they were all amazing in their own rights. However, there was one city which, I think, should be specifically mentioned here because I was not too sure about visiting it until the last moment. In fact, I heard a lot of negative comments about this particular city before visiting it about a year ago, but I was proved wrong when I actually visited it. The name of this city is "Milan". I think that we all know where the city of Milan is. But, still, just to refresh our memory a little about this city, it is one of Italy's major metropolis cities in its northern Lombardy region. Milan is also a major financial hub which is known for its high-end shops and restaurants. And, of course, it is known as the capital of the fashion world also. Anyway, I visited this city recently, about a few months ago. Contrary to popular belief, Milan has a lot of wonderful and modern architectures for a city which was bombed rather heavily during the Second World War. Besides, visiting Lake Como, which was only an hour (by train) from Milan, was one of my best experiences ever. In fact, Lake Como, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its mountains and colourful villas. Milan has also some of the most beautiful and green public parks in the world, in my opinion. One of my favourite green spaces in Milan was the Library of Trees, which contains more than 100 species of trees. However, there is one thing that I didn't like about Milan was that it was rather expensive. Anyway, all in all, I would say that visiting Milan was a great experience. Even though it is a bustling city with a lot of activities, I think that there is a lot of life in it and people in its different neighbourhoods tend to enjoy their life to the fullest. I think that I would go back to visit that city again in future. Sample Answer 2: Sydney is undoubtedly my most favourite city amongst the cities I have visited so far. Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales of Australia. This city is situated on the bank of the Tasman Sea and has around 4.6 million people. I have visited this city in 2008 after I finished my graduation and loved my stay there. Sydney had many attractive natural areas, botanic gardens, parks, and high rising buildings. This city has many heritage-listed buildings that attract tourists and visitors. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognised landmarks in Australia and is a great place to visit. This city is known for the dynamic cultural hub and it has many famous museums, galleries and art galleries as well. Because of the great architecture, warm weather and hundreds of tourists attraction more than 11 million international and domestic tourists visit this city each year. I had been there for about 15 days and I really enjoyed everything about this city. I stayed at a 20 storied hotel that offered a really amusing view. The transportation system of the city is better than many other cities and I could have been maintaining the track and time of my schedule because of that. I loved being at open & wide spaces in the gardens and parks. People are welcoming and friendly there. A tourist can get necessary help both from people and the authority and can roam easily without any interruption. I saw 2/3 art museum and some cultural festivals and those were awesome. There are so many places to be, so many things to do in Sydney. Some of the attractive places are Royal Botanic Garden, Hyde Park, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney Townhall, Macquarie Lighthouse, Australia Square, Sydney Opera House and so on. I had a tremendous vacation in Sydney and I liked most of the places there and I enjoyed so much that I did not even notice how quickly the 2 weeks scheduled time has passed. Tips for Answering this Cue Card Topic: Talk about any city that you have really been to and tell the details of this city as well as your experience of this visit. Do not just talk about any random city that you have never been to as this might arise question to the examiner's mind. If you have not been to a foreign country ever, talk about any city in your country. Mention the following points to make it a good answer: 1. Name of the city & country it is in. 2. If there is more than one city with the same name (which might be the case in many countries) clearly state which one you have visited. 3. Give the reason for your visit (Travel, visiting someone, tour, business visit etc.) 4. Who was with you? 5. When you planned to visit this city and when you actually visited it. 6. If you have visited this city more than once, try to describe your latest visit experience there as that would give more accurate information about this city. 7. Things to watch, do and other activity of this city. Famous places of this city and tradition of this city. 8. Mention your attachment and liking of this city. Give some reasons why you like this city. If the topic is "Your favourite city", you should slightly change the way of speaking about this topic. Start by saying that this is a city that offers many recreations, tourists' activity and your memory regarding this city. Also, mention the historical and traditional culture of this city and why it is a good city to visit and stay. Similar Cue Card Topics: 1. Describe a city you have planned to visit. 2. Describe your latest visit to a new city. 3. Describe a famous city you have been to. 4. Describe a city you have never been to. 5. Describe a trip you recently have. 6. Describe a study excursion you have had.

What are the most common types of jobs in your hometown?

Working in government offices, telecommunication companies, software and graphics development companies, and manufacturing factories are the most common full-time job types in my hometown. Apart from that, we have many farmers, manual labours, bankers, doctors and teachers in our hometown. Finally, some part-time jobs in restaurants, grocery shops and marketing companies are also available in my hometown.

The reasons why people live in your hometown

Yangon, the former capital city of Myanmar, is the home of some 7 million people. It is the most modernized city in Myanmar where more than 51 million of people are living. People live in Yangon for various reasons ranging from educational to business opportunities. Some people were born in Yangon and they stay because of their family and friends. Other people, however, relocated for personal reasons; perhaps they want to have better education or have a better quality and sufficient healthcare or to pursue their career goals. This essay will discuss two common reasons why people live in Yangon: to receive a better education and to get more opportunities regarding jobs. Yangon offers a great deal of educational opportunities. Young people who finish their high school can choose different kinds of courses to improve their skills before they go to universities. Different training centres in the town tailor the courses for different learners, young and old so that they can choose the subject they are interested to learn and they can even take the courses at convenient time, morning or evening or weekends. People can learn foreign languages or advanced computer related technologies. Moreover, training centres network with the famous universities outside of the country offer distance learning courses which allow students to take the exam from a foreign country and achieve oversea qualifications. Most of the universities are in Yangon and many students who live in different parts of the country come to the city for tertiary education. Many people also come to Yangon to get better jobs. As Yangon is a business hub, people from different areas of Myanmar migrate to Yangon to get a job in modern economic sector or to find a better paid job. Economy is growing rapidly and several industries have established in the city which attracts the labours from rural areas to move and earn a living in city. In conclusion, people live in Yangon for their own individual reasons. For some people, Yangon offers better opportunities to study, whereas others come to live in Yangon for business reason. With its wide of range of facilities as the most modernized city in the country, interesting educational opportunities and excellent business openings, it will no doubt continue to be a popular place to live in the future. (

Do you think that the architectural design of a city is important? Why do you think so?

Yes, I do believe that the architectural design of a city is quite important and it represents the culture, history and tradition of the city. Unique architectural design also makes a city distinctive and attractive to tourists which helps bring more foreign tourists. The architectural design of a city reflects the tradition and heritage of a nation and thus it is important to preserve the history of a nation through the structural and architectural design of the city.

Do you like your hometown?

Yes, I do like my hometown a lot. I love "Vancouver" because it is not only a cosmopolitan city that offers a lot of outdoor activities but also a city with many picturesque scenes. The friendly neighbours and the livability of the city make it a great place to live in.

Is your home town/village changing? [How?]

Yes, it is changing slowly, but steadily. Every city, town and village in our country is transforming because of infrastructural developments, rapid population growth, and the widespread use of the technology. My village is changing as well. Though the changes are not so visible or drastic, I have to accept that it is getting better over the past few decades in terms of educational facilities, transportation facilities, health care facilities, employment and infrastructural developments while it is getting worse in terms of pollution and environmental damage.

the sights

[plural] famous or interesting places that tourists visit In the afternoon, you'll have a chance to relax or see the sights. sight of So, Maria's showing you the sights of Copenhagen, is she? (And along the way you'll see some of the famous and impressive sights of the city)

single-family home

a house not attached to any other houses, intended to shelter one household Typically, a single-family home has a great deal of privacy. There are no shared spaces, and no common walls or doors. It's a free standing structure in a neighborhood or community. Multifamily houses are buildings that contain separate residences for two or more families or roommates. They include duplexes, triplexes and apartment buildings with a number of residential units. These properties are viewed differently by investors, insurers and lenders. A single-family home is usually occupied by the owners of that property and their family members. Multifamily properties are generally purchased for investment purposes. The people living in those houses are often tenants who rent the property from the owner of the building. In some cases, a property owner will live in one of the units in the multifamily property. For example, if you buy a duplex, you may choose to live in one unit while you rent the other one out and collect an income. The housing market is different for each type of property. When the sales market is strong, people are more likely to buy and sell single-family houses. When the demand for rental property is high, investors are likely to purchase as many multifamily units as they can in order to rent them out to a large pool of tenants. If you're wondering which type of property to buy, consider whether you want long-term investment potential or a new place to live.

thoroughfare

a public road or street used by traffic, especially a main road in a city or town ˈθʌrəfeə $ ˈθʌroʊfer, ˈθʌrə-/ noun 1 [countable] the main road through a place such as a city or village The motel was off the main thoroughfare. Up ahead, a thoroughfare Traffic was going across the intersection at a good clip in both directions. • Forty-fifth to Fifty-sixth Streets, formerly dead ends at railway yards, became thoroughfares. • The Constable was walking along a busy thoroughfare when a crowd assembled owing to the breakdown of a motor car. • A main thoroughfare had been created through the centre of that office with the screens. • The Visitor's Center is located on Bay Street, the town's main thoroughfare. • She walked briskly through the teeming streets and alleyways which lay behind the main thoroughfares of Bridgetown. • Since the opening of the Torpoint turnpike, around 1820, it has been Sheviock that now stands on the main thoroughfare. • Waterways provide the main thoroughfare in the Upper Mazaruni and many of these are already blocked. • In this case a child's shortest distance to school along public thoroughfares was just less than 3 miles. main thoroughfare • A main thoroughfare had been created through the centre of that office with the screens. • Her love of life and colour making all her perceptions jewel-bright, Luce thoroughly enjoyed her journey down Venice's main thoroughfare. • She walked briskly through the teeming streets and alleyways which lay behind the main thoroughfares of Bridgetown. • Their motel was off from the main thoroughfare, protected by trees and woodsy seclusion. • Paul traversed the lane, preferring the smells of horse-dung from the various stables to the constant traffic of the main thoroughfare. • Since the opening of the Torpoint turnpike, around 1820, it has been Sheviock that now stands on the main thoroughfare. • Waterways provide the main thoroughfare in the Upper Mazaruni and many of these are already blocked.

bungalow

a small house with a single story ˈbʌŋɡələʊ $ -loʊ/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 British English a house that is all on ground level 2 American English a small house that is often on one level Examples from the Corpus bungalow • Bungalow refusal: Plans to build three bungalows at Village Farm, Trimdon, have been refused. • A settlement of flats and bungalows house about 20 senior citizens, with a resident warden. • Other rooms and bungalows range up to $ 3,000 a night. (Automobile makers no longer manufacture cheap models, and developers do not build the tiny bungalows that served the first postwar generation of home buyers)

run-down

adjective 1 a building or area that is run-down is in very bad condition a run-down inner-city area 2 [not before noun] someone who is run-down is tired and not healthy You look a bit run-down. Examples from the Corpus run-down • Since the textile company moved out, the area's gotten very run-down. • The distant fading signals a run-down age of degenerate belief. • He made a fortune buying run-down houses and fixing them up to sell. • The vehicles will be given to the National Association of Boys' Clubs and will tour run-down inner-city areas. • Or is the genuine Dublin culture to be found in the new sprawling suburbs with its run-down libraries and shopping malls? • I find a tiny winding street in the Marais that takes me to a shack in the courtyard of a run-down mansion. • The men were hiding in an abandoned theater in a run-down part of the city. • Meir Ahronson, wearing a bathrobe and a pair of run-down slippers, opened the door. • He was wearing a torn and spotted cotton bathrobe and a pair of run-down slippers. • After they had deposited their bags at the hotel, itself ramshackle and run-down, they had gone on to the hospital. • I was feeling too run-down to go for my morning jog.

well-known

adjective (comparative better-known, superlative best-known) known by a lot of people → notorious it is well-known (that) It's a well-known fact that smoking can cause lung cancer. This is probably their best-known song. a well-known TV presenter well-known for He was well-known for his extreme political views. ► see thesaurus at famous well-known for • The town is well-known for growing watermelons.

high-rise

adjective [only before noun] high-rise buildings are tall buildings with many levels► see thesaurus at high —high rise noun [countable] They live in a high rise on the East Side. • High-rise apartment buildings now stood where his childhood home had been. • Residents can do nothing with high-rise buildings once they are completed. • After going through two bankruptcies already, my international high-rise business was running out of funds. • The most glaring example was the Sandburg Village high-rise development, about twelve blocks north of the Loop.

late-night

adjective [only before noun] happening late at night late-night television late-night shopping Examples from the Corpus late-night • They stopped off for a late-night drink. • They kept us awake with their late-night parties. • a late-night TV talk show

at first sight

after a quick look, before really thinking about one's feeling about something If you say that something seems to have certain characteristics at first sight, you mean that it appears to have the features you describe when you first see it but later it is found to be different. It promised to be a more difficult undertaking than might appear at first sight. At first sight it resembles a traditional village of two-storeyed houses. (At first sight it may appear to be just a another densely populated Chinese metropolis)

in all likelihood

almost certainly If I refused, it would in all likelihood mean I'd lose my job. → likelihood Examples from the Corpus in all likelihood • In all likelihood, Davis will be traded to the Dallas Cowboys. • Stress is high, but in all likelihood, enough things are going well to keep you afloat for now. • That necessary ditching, in all likelihood, will now be done in time for the next election. • I shall die when I am between seventy-five and eighty, in all likelihood. • Principally, says Stern, because Molto is, in all likelihood, not going to testify. • After all, my reputation is in all likelihood blasted in any event. • Ray, in all likelihood, would refuse. • Nader's presidential run, in all likelihood, will cost Gore the White House. • Ten thousand dollars, which in all likelihood has been accruing interest all this time.

Ancient history

as a term refers to the aggregate of past events[1] from the beginning of writing and recorded human history and extending as far as the post-classical history. The phrase may be used either to refer to the period of time or the academic discipline. (Hamon lake is very important for Persia's ancient history)

back then

at that time Back then is an expression you can use in order to refer to a specific period of time in the past. For example, if you are teaching about Middle Age, you could say "back then, people used to have slaves to work for them". Some synonyms are: At that time, In those days. in those days; some time ago

boutique

buːˈtiːk/ ●●○ noun [countable] a small shop that sells fashionable clothes or other objects • Claire operated a boutique, an expensive little shop near the downtown section. • Running parallel to Princes Street, this narrow thoroughfare is a convivial haunt full of pubs of character, boutiques and restaurants. • Elegant boutiques are best established in cities such as Genoa. • Groceries, boutiques and restaurants have a great time whenever the outsiders come back to their vacation houses.

dwell

dwel/ ●○○ verb (past tense and past participle dwelt /dwelt/ or dwelled) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] literary to live in a particular place They dwelt in the forest. The Lord in his glory had actually come to dwell amongst his people. • Each country has its own geography where the spirit dwells and where physical force can never conquer even an inch of ground. • I am suspicious of gods who dwell benignly in heavens, immutable and supreme. • A woodsman and his family dwelt in the middle of the forest. • He had certainly never bothered to dwell much before on what the moon saw as it climbed.

deprived

dɪˈpraɪvd/ ●○○ adjective not having the things that are necessary for a comfortable or happy life Deprived children tend to do less well at school. deprived areas/neighbourhoods etc (=where a lot of deprived people live) our deprived inner cities ► see thesaurus at poor • Most mass demonstrations of this type happen in places where people are enormously deprived. • For this reason the centre was placed in a deprived area of East London. • Finally, certain vulnerable groups were most affected by these changes, notably black families living in inner city deprived areas. • He said the closures would be a blow to youngsters in deprived areas. • Girls from deprived backgrounds often become pregnant at an early age. • A deprived childhood can lead to emotional problems later. • Desperately deprived groups do not organize to bring about the downfall of a political system. • I asked her if she did not feel deprived, having never experienced school life. • Customers come mainly from the more socially deprived homes within the area. • I feel deprived if I can't have the same as everyone else. • Then there was the resentment over the fur coat she was deprived of because I was sent to a fee-paying school. deprived areas/neighbourhoods etc • Finally, certain vulnerable groups were most affected by these changes, notably black families living in inner city deprived areas. • He said the closures would be a blow to youngsters in deprived areas. • In 1967-8 Education Priority Areas programmes were specifically area-based and targeted on the inner city and other deprived areas. • The two policy approaches - attracting staff to deprived areas and improving the standard of deprived areas - are not mutually exclusive. • Marked also was the apparent increase in the discrepancy between revitalising and deprived areas both between and within North Side neighbourhoods. • A survey examined experiences and attitudes in the more socially deprived areas of the city. • A local study exposure programme arranges visits to deprived areas that so far do not have organised activities.

upmarket shops

expensive fashionable shops Upmarket products or services are expensive, of good quality, and intended to appeal to people in a high social class. [mainly British] Anne chose an upmarket agency aimed at professional people. ...restaurants which years ago weren't quite so upmarket as they are today.

from all over the world

from every country in the world As a translator, he talks to people from all over the world. The restaurant serves meals from all over the world.

(out) on the town

informal going to restaurants, bars, theatres etc for entertainment in the evening Frank is taking me out for a night on the town.→ townExamples from the Corpus(out) on the town• A night on the town for the boys.• But don't let that fool you - by nightfall people are waking up ready to go out on the town.• The others have gone out on the town.• Joy was a Saturday morning out on the town.• The next time I saw him, I was out on the town with Peter Mbalu-Mukasa.• Had trouble dragging yourself out on the town on Sunday night?• Nowadays, the battlefield is an opera stage, at Sebastiani Theatre on the town square.

crammed with/crammed full of something

kræmd/ adjective completely full of things or people SYN packed The guide is crammed full of useful information. The streets were crammed with people. ► see thesaurus at full Rome is crammed with historic landmarks such as the Colosseum.

out of town shopping centre/retail park

large shopping centres outside of the town or city Out-of-town stores or shopping malls are located outside the main central shopping area of a town or city and often having plenty of free car parking. Many customers prefer to drive to out-of-town retail developments, where parking is easier. Many retailing activities changed location to out-of-town complexes because of the availability of large areas of unused land which was cheap in comparison to land within the town or city center. Out-of-town stores or shopping malls are located outside the main central shopping area of a town or city and often having plenty of free car parking.

the town

life in towns and cities in general Which do you prefer, the town or the country?

Local Facilities

local buildings or services serving the public A wide range of services and facilities are available for residents and visitors to the region. The Municipality is also well supported with a fantastic network of 'not for profit' groups ranging from recreational, sporting and community groups.

metropolis

mɪˈtrɒpəlɪs $ -ˈtrɑː-/ noun [countable] a very large city that is the most important city in a country or area The city has become a huge, bustling metropolis. ► see thesaurus at city • They are the last pro sports team left in the United States that does not play in a metropolis. • It was a metropolis of two streets, after all, and everyone saw everybody else six times a day. • They drove quickly, leaving the immense metropolis behind them. • Our aim is to make Sydney the musical metropolis of the world. • Wealth, culture, and international adventure had turned a tiny collection of huts into a huge sandstone metropolis. • For the time, he was the most important man in the metropolis. • He felt the attraction of the literary life of the metropolis. • Moated Norfolk, Theodora thought, and moated house, defended against the falsity, rapacity and sheer ugliness of the metropolis. • Sant'Elia's city was a utopian metropolis designed on a monumental scale. From Longman Business Dictionary me‧trop‧o‧lis /məˈtrɒpələsməˈtrɑː-/ noun [countable] a very large city with a lot of industrial and economic activity that is usually the most important city in a country or area, but not always its capital a sprawling industrial metropolis (By China's standards shijen is a very young and futuristic metropolis)

retail park

noun [countable] British English an area outside a town with many large shops and space for cars to park

flat

noun [countable] (High-rise flats) 1 PLACE TO LIVE especially British English a place for people to live that consists of a set of rooms that are part of a larger building SYN apartment They have a flat in Crouch End. a two-bedroom flat The building was knocked down to make way for a block of flats (=a large building with many flats in it). COLLOCATIONS ADJECTIVES/NOUN + FLAT small The flat was too small for the three of them. big/spacious It was a big flat with eight or nine rooms. cramped/poky (=too small and not comfortable) She spends most days shut up in a poky flat looking after her disabled Mum. a one-bedroom/two-bedroom etc flat She lived in a one-bedroom flat in Clapham. a one-room/two-room etc flat Their home is a humble two-room flat. a ground-floor/first-floor/second-floor etc flat We're moving into a first-floor flat. a basement flat (=a flat that is below ground level) They lived in a basement flat in South London. a studio flat (=with one main room) I might just be able to afford a tiny studio flat. high-rise flats (=flats in a very tall building) Many high-rise flats were built in the 1970s. a rented flat He returned to his rented flat in Cheltenham. a luxury flat Laura shares a luxury flat with her sister Chloe. a self-contained flat (=a flat with its own kitchen and bathroom) We rented a self-contained flat in the city centre. a furnished/unfurnished flat (=a rented flat that does or does not have furniture) She found a job and a furnished flat. a holiday flat The building has been converted into three holiday flats. PHRASES a block of flats (=a large building divided into separate flats) At the time, I lived in a block of flats in St John's Wood. VERBS live in a flat Terry lived in a flat on the second floor. buy a flat I had planned to buy a flat with Geraldine. rent a flat Renting a flat can be very expensive in this part of town. move into a flat They move into their new flat next week. own a flat The couple own their own flat in Peebles.

nothing but

only, just (Just 50 years ago it was nothing but a tiny fishing village but today hundreds of skyscrapers dominate the skyline) You use nothing but in front of a noun, an infinitive without 'to', or an '-ing' form to mean 'only'. All that money brought nothing but sadness and misery and tragedy. It did nothing but make us ridiculous. They care for nothing but fighting. Synonyms: just, only, simply, merely only; nothing other than

bristle with something

phrasal verb to have a lot of something, or be full of something a battleship bristling with guns The city positively bristles with innovation

dwell on/upon something

phrasal verb to think or talk for too long about something, especially something unpleasant That is not a subject I want to dwell on. • I have dwelt on it at some length because I believe the opposite to be the case. • Maybe it was better not to dwell on it, he decided. • The episode dwelling on jurist Robert Bork succeeded, for example, despite dominance by Al Franken and Sen. • I was dwelling on negative stuff. • He dwelt on the figure gratefully. • Ruth let her eyes dwell on the forest. • It is traditional for politicians to dwell on the negative. • We need not dwell on the sexist nature of such myths.

remote

rɪˈməʊt $ -ˈmoʊt/ ●●○ W3 adjective 1 FAR AWAY far from towns or other places where people live SYN isolated a remote border town a fire in a remote mountain area ► see thesaurus at far

resort

rɪˈzɔːt $ -ɔːrt/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 [countable] a place where a lot of people go for holidays seaside/beach/ski etc resort Aspen, a ski resort in Colorado Lagoon Reef is one of the best resort hotels. COLLOCATIONS ADJECTIVES/NOUN + RESORT a tourist resort There are plans to turn the town into a tourist resort. a seaside/beach resort We stayed in a relaxed beach resort on the east coast. a mountain resort mountain resorts in Colorado a lakeside resort the popular lakeside resort of Lake Como a holiday resort Benidorm is a terrific holiday resort. a ski resort The lack of snow is causing problems for ski resorts. a health resort We booked ourselves into a health resort for a weekend of pure indulgence. a popular resort The popular seaside resort of Brighton is 40 minutes away. a lively resort It is a lively resort with plenty of bars and cafés. a bustling resort (=lively and full of people) The hotel is right in the middle of this bustling resort. a fashionable resort Hastings was a once fashionable resort. RESORT + NOUN a resort town/area/centre They're only a five minute stroll away from the main resort centre with all its bars, restaurants and nightlife. a resort hotel There are plans for a major resort hotel and golf course to be built. a resort complex (=a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts) Club Hotel is part of a resort complex offering a range of facilities.

row house

single-family dwelling that shared side walls with other houses A rowhouse is one of a group of low-rise residential buildings that shares one or both side walls and a roofline with the structures next door. A rowhouse is typically just two to five stories in height and home to one or two families. However, some of Brooklyn's rowhouses have been converted into a greater number of apartments. A rowhouse is basically the same thing as a townhouse. Both are attached. The only distinction — and it's a small one — is that a townhouse is not necessary one of an identical row. In popular usage, a rowhouse is generally less fancy than a townhouse. A brownstone is a particular style of townhouse or rowhouse that's been faced in brownstone — a reddish-brown sandstone popularly used as a building material in the 19th century. In England, rowhouses and townhouses are called "terraced houses," with a row of wall-sharing homes called a "terrace."

places of interest

sites of interest to tourists It is a place which is of interest to tourists. The phrase "of interest to" means "which attracts the interest of". For Example, I might say: This book is of great interest to me (= this book interests me greatly / greatly attracts my interest). People are interested in many things - scenery, history, famous people, well-known events etc. Places where such things can be found, or occurred in history, etc., are all grouped in the general category "Places of interest".

sprawling city

spread over a large area (slightly negative) "Triope is a ......... city with traffics all day long" The adjective sprawling is used in the expression "sprawling city" because it conveys the idea of something that moves or grows over a large area in a nonordered way: The adjective sprawling is good for describing things that extend across a large area. You could describe your school as sprawling if it consists of many buildings spread over several acres. It's pretty common to hear a city or its suburbs described as sprawling, since some cities tend to grow that way, spreading their populations out over a large amount of land. Urban sprawl or suburban sprawl describes the expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density, monofunctional and usually car-dependent communities, in a process called suburbanization. In addition to describing a particular form of urbanization, the term also relates to the social and environmental consequences associated with this development.

the neighbourhood

the area around you or around a particular place, or the people who live there Be quiet! You'll wake up the whole neighbourhood! in the neighbourhood Is there a good Chinese restaurant in the neighbourhood? the whole neighbourhood • So Robert was whipped, . in he cried so loud with the pain that the whole neighbourhood could hear him. • Our nightly promenade up and down the road has put us on speaking terms with the whole neighbourhood.

neighbourhood

the area of a town that surrounds someone's home, or the people who live in this area British English, neighborhood American English /ˈneɪbəhʊd $ -ər-/ ●●○ S3 W3 noun [countable] 1 an area of a town or city She grew up in a quiet neighborhood of Boston. The hotel is situated in a peaceful residential neighbourhood (=area where there are houses rather than factories or shops). a neighbourhood school ► see thesaurus at area Register In everyday British English, instead of saying in my neighbourhood, people often say where I live: There aren't many bookshops where I live. neighbourhood • And yet the loss of these buildings can really damage the character of a neighbourhood. • Where a family no longer exists, neighbourhood organisations can provide a web of family-like relationships. • One of the tasks of the project is to develop informal care networks, community, local neighbourhood networks for these people. • In their study, they interviewed women in one neighbourhood in depth about the violent experiences they had suffered. • Leonard spent hours walking and cycling around the neighbourhood looking for it. • We also have to traipse round the neighbourhood on All Hallows Eve, calling on neighbours, who give our children sweets. • This neighbourhood approach was echoed by the Fineview Citizens Council. • The Cranstons live in a very wealthy neighbourhood.

What is your hometown famous for?

the downtown got reshaped intersection dramatic change ropeway conveyor railway the central train station industrial facilities familiarity of people around me the place where you have been born the place where you have been brought up fresh air less crowded roads people trusting each other neighbors caring for neighbors my hometown make me feel like a kid family and parens simple but rich life accessibility from one end to other end of town i shortest time people who know me on a first name basis family and friends roadside tea stalls where I live now 5 minutes away fro us

inner city

the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city noun (plural inner cities) [countable] the part near the middle of a city, especially where the buildings are in a bad condition and the people are poor the problems of our inner cities —inner-city adjective inner-city schools • Browntown L.A. hosts 50 inner city kids at every Sunday home game. • Holidays for inner city groups are also to be provided. • The respectable residents have long since fled to the suburbs to escape the inner city pathologies. • The shy, scholarly Republican has roots both on the farm and in the inner city. • Twice he worked for the Wellington City Mission, among the lost and lonely people of the inner city. • The inner city question For one reason or another the inner city has always been a target for public regulation and control.

skyline

the outline of buildings, trees, hills, etc. seen against the sky ˈskaɪlaɪn/ noun [countable] the shape made by hills or buildings against the sky the famous New York skyline Examples from the Corpus skyline • Custom homes with spectacular views of the downtown skyline fill the streets that snake through Baldwin Hills. • Set amidst green and fertile hills its skyline is stunning and its landscapes inspire a long and dreamy gaze. • The week he returned, Primo sent a postcard to Angelita with a picture of the Manhattan skyline at dusk. • Go through gate then bear right across field heading for stile that can be seen on skyline. • They had eaten the delicious meal to the sound of the river flowing past while the sun faded behind the skyline. • The skyline, from any part of this magical plateau, was toothed like the jaw of a shark. • But how could we ensure that complexity and mystery were the only qualitative differences between the various skylines?

Sentences related to hometown

there is a big... it has... then any place I've visited more than ... % of the town ... I don't have much fondness for my town I was born, raised and still live in a city called .... ...the biggest city of in northwestern .... among other things ... is known for being... [city name] ...is home of the famous...one of the biggest cities known for... ... is also known for a couple of dark things we have a very cool... we have food tourism the local ... team attracts fans from... I'm from... My home city is ... situated in the north of the country ... is famous for many things here are few of them... its geography gave birth to [city name]'s ... as well as being famous for... [city name] is famous for.... [city name] boasts 2 football teams as well as .... [city name] is famous for [person's name] - Olympic gold medalist [city name] has produced some world famous musicians and bands it is only available in [city name] I live in a small town in ... called [city name] many would think a small town wouldn't have much to be famous for, though they would be wrong ... was invented here then there is our famous writer ... the town has also been mentioned on .... for ... there is also local food item known as .... the town I grew up [town name] isn't famous for too much regional market harbor town it's at the southern end of.... there is a small university there, [name of university] the place I live now, [city name], is most famous for... once you get outside of town the town itself grew up on ..... money imposing local buildings at one point there was a huge... it closed in ... .... ware constructed in this area in ... century we have here one of the more interesting constructs I've seen... we have local delicacy if you are ever in the area we also just got one of the newest... most of all, the whole region is known for... there are ... growing around city's culture life of neighborhood cities we live in places that we know intimately after years living away it used to be it really improved economically growing rapidly and expanding small town can offer a real sense of place growing fast as business center small lake city tourist and college town massive concrete statue [city name] is long way from... economic center you have to drive 2 hours to go to... a paradise for sports lovers my dad takes me to... the local team won the bronze medal at the ... in 20... we have world class medical center we have university we have a lot of government services a lot of retail it's wonderful place to have kids and to live it's really clean the area is perfect we don't really have much of any pollution there is small industries large new building many local businesses [city name] is surrounded by ....

resort to something

to do or use something because it is the only thing available phrasal verb to do something bad, extreme, or difficult because you cannot think of any other way to deal with a problem Officials fear that extremists may resort to violence. resort to doing something Vets have had to resort to killing the animals. • He says he is praying for rain, but isn't yet resorting to a rain dance. • As a partial solution, Combined Fleet decided to resort to a special stratagem that had already worked successfully once before. • Finally, the King could resort to borrowing. • Even higher organisms resort to fermentation as an auxiliary process when the oxygen supply is insufficient. • Many governments thus resort to financing expenditure through domestic bank borrowing and printing money, both of which are inflationary.

among other things/places/factors etc

used to say that you are only mentioning one or two people or things out of a much larger group At the meeting they discussed, among other things, recent events in Japan. → among Examples from the Corpus among other things/places/factors etc • I'd like him to look specifically at Personnel's computing problems among other things. 3. • But that study was highly criticized for poor mammograms, among other things. • You have to give Cronenberg credit for nerve, among other things. • Sniping by the president's men has, among other things, forced the foreign minister to resign. • That could mean, among other things, grouping inmates by race in counseling. • That meant, among other things, keeping them from making any deal that gave real estate to the Vietminh. • The industrial revolution, among other things, necessarily produced general literacy. • It was noticeable, among other things, that she was drinking faster than anybody else.

feature

ˈfiːtʃə $ -ər/ (My city features=instead of my city has) verb 1 [intransitive, transitive] to include or show something as a special or important part of something, or to be included as an important part The exhibition features paintings by Picasso. a cruise ship featuring extensive spa facilities feature in A study of language should feature in an English literature course. be featured in something Pupils visited some of the websites featured in the article. feature prominently/strongly/heavily etc Violence seems to feature heavily in all of his books. feature somebody as something The film featured Brando as the Godfather.

among yourselves/ourselves/themselves

with each other The allies found it hard to agree among themselves. → among Examples from the Corpus among yourselves/ourselves/themselves • Augie and I sat alone, and only Bob Cuffy came to talk to us, the others remaining among themselves. • But they might, just might, talk among themselves. • Bioethicists disagree among themselves, both in the clinical setting and on matters of public policy. • The Huntington Beach mayor is chosen by council members from among themselves by seniority. • We know that many among ourselves have given themselves to bondage that they might ransom others. • People began to talk among themselves, others to drift off. • First, if the political parties can not reach agreement among themselves, the President must become involved in the negotiations. • The jockeys then completed nearly a circuit at a gradually increasing pace before deciding among themselves to pull up.

among

əˈmʌŋ/ ●●● S2 W1 (also amongst /əˈmʌŋst/) preposition 1 in or through the middle of a group of people or things The girl quickly disappeared among the crowd. I could hear voices coming from somewhere among the bushes. We walked among the chestnut woods on the mountain slopes. She began rummaging among the books on her desk. → between 2 with a particular group of people Jim relaxed, knowing he was among friends. 3 used to say that many people in a group have the same feeling or opinion, or that something affects many people in a group The problem is causing widespread concern among scientists. The general opinion among police officers was that the law should be tightened. The changes will mean 7,000 job losses among railway workers. 4 used to talk about a particular person, thing, or group as belonging to a larger group She was the eldest among them. Innocent civilians were among the casualties. My grandfather had among his possessions a portrait by Matisse. Representatives were chosen by the students from among themselves. 6 if something is divided or shared among a group of people, each person is given a part of it A father's property was divided among his heirs. USAGE: Among, between • To talk about position, use among if there are more than two people or things around someone or something, and between if there is just one person or thing on each side: They hid among the reeds. I put my bag down between my feet. • After words such as 'relationship' or 'difference', use between, even when there are more than two people or things: the relationship between the three friends ✗Don't say: the relationship among the three friends

outskirts

ˈaʊtskɜːts $ -ɜːr-/ ●○○ noun [plural] the parts of a town or city that are furthest from the centre on the outskirts (of something) They live on the outskirts of Paris. ► see thesaurus at edge حومه • The Cité De Science is a futuristic complex in the Parisian outskirts. • His body was discovered on the city's outskirts three days later. • His body was discovered on the city's outskirts three days later. • And on the outskirts of town, with the roar of the sea, we passed by the Glengall House. • Her parents lived in a big house on the outskirts of Manchester. • After three days in the hotel I found a small new house on the outskirts of town. • The slaughterhouse is on the outskirts of the town, and can be smelled before it comes into view. • There are plans to build a new shopping mall on the outskirts of town. • We stayed on the outskirts of the capital. • By 9 o'clock we reached the outskirts of Berlin. • Tiny fields, green and white where the snow was melting again, led down to the outskirts of the town. • The only remaining obstacles are located at Wester Hailes, a residential development on the western outskirts of Edinburgh. on the outskirts (of something) • In a commune on the outskirts of the city, we saw a new colony of houses being built. • So Swannson-on-Wheels will gain considerable benefit from the purchase of a relatively local garage facility on the outskirts of Tetbury. • Andrews farmhouse on the outskirts of town, surrounded by Morris memorabilia-capes and caps and clubs, scorecards and scrap-books. • Once there used to be a leprosy hospital in Calcutta called the Gobra Hospital, located on the outskirts of the city. • This final mill, on the outskirts of the town of Stroud itself, was Stratford Mill. • This led her to stare straight towards Rupert Green and his companion who still waited on the outskirts of the throng. • Generally, these were on the outskirts of towns.

bustling

ˈbʌsəlɪŋ/ adjective a bustling place is very busy bustling with somebody/something The flower market was bustling with shoppers. • Even the bustling atmosphere of the 550 building itself seemed not to have invaded the Hugo Varna floor. • The bustling downtown area of Chicago is dotted with massive new office developments. • It wasn't the bustling energy she objected to, but the impersonality. • It is situated close to the resort's centre and the colourful bustling market, yet only 150 yards from the beach. • a small bustling Mexican restaurant • The old market is a busy, bustling place, full of local colour. • The once bustling riverside is now a quiet street, with many of the old buildings well preserved. • It is surrounded by bustling shops, bars and entertainment, and close to the well-equipped sandy beach. • Craigendarroch is the perfect base for discovering the surrounding countryside with its bustling towns, and picturesque villages.

frontier

ˈfrʌntɪə $ frʌnˈtɪr/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable] especially British English the border of a country frontier between/with Lille is close to the frontier between France and Belgium. on/at the frontier Troops established a road block on the frontier. frontier town/area/post etc (=a town etc on a frontier) ► see thesaurus at border

housing

ˈhaʊzɪŋ/ ●●○ W2 noun 1 [uncountable] the houses or conditions that people live in health problems caused by bad housing(poor housing) a scheme to provide affordable housing for local people 2 [uncountable] the work of providing houses for people to live in government housing policy public services such as education, housing and transport 3 [countable] a protective cover for a machine the engine housing • Any plan that can provide affordable housing would be a plus. • This included the poll tax and changes in health provision, unemployment and housing benefits and education. • The council is making a great effort to provide cheap housing and more public facilities. • Hundreds of students are still looking for housing near campus. • Investment in housing, transport, education and social services would have risen with a Labour victory.

hardly

ˈhɑːdli $ ˈhɑːrdli/ ●●● S2 W2 adverb 1 almost not My parents divorced when I was six, and I hardly knew my father. The children were so excited they could hardly speak. I can hardly believe it. Hardly anyone (=almost no one) writes to me these days. Dad ate hardly anything (=almost nothing). There was hardly any (=very little) traffic. She lives in Spain, so we hardly ever (=almost never) see her. hardly a day/week/month etc goes by without/when (=used to say that something happens almost every day, week etc) Hardly a month goes by without another factory closing down. 2 used to mean 'not', when you are suggesting that the person you are speaking to will agree with you It's hardly surprising that she won't answer his calls after the way he's treated her. You can hardly blame Tom for not waiting. My boss could hardly be described as handsome. hardly the time/place/person etc (=a very unsuitable time, place, person etc) This is hardly the place to discuss the matter. 3 used to say that something has only just happened The building work has hardly begun. had hardly ... when/before She had hardly sat down when the phone rang. Grammar Word order • Hardly usually comes before a main verb: He hardly said a word. • Hardly comes after the first auxiliary verb: I can hardly believe you said that. We could hardly have known what was going to happen next. ✗Don't say: I hardly can believe you said that. • Hardly usually comes after the verb 'be' when it is used in simple tenses such as 'is' or 'was': This was hardly surprising. • In writing, you can use hardly at the beginning of a sentence before an auxiliary to say that one thing happens very soon after another thing: Hardly had the rain stopped, when the sun came out. Negatives You say hardly any: There's hardly any milk. ✗Don't say: There's hardly no milk. USAGE: Hard, hardly Hardly is not the adverb of hard. The adverb of hard is hard: I work hard. ✗Don't say: I work hardly. (It's hardly surprising that Shenzhen is considered to be Chinese Silicon Valley )

crucial

ˈkruːʃəl/ ●●○ W2 AWL adjective something that is crucial is extremely important, because everything else depends on it SYN vital crucial to This aid money is crucial to the government's economic policies. crucial in/to doing something The work of monks was crucial in spreading Christianity. play a crucial role/part in something The city of Mycenae played a crucial role in the history of Greece. The conservation of tropical forests is of crucial importance. ► see thesaurus at important crucially adverb COLLOCATIONS PHRASES play a crucial role/part in something Parents play a crucial role in preparing their children for adult life. be of crucial importance Good leadership is of crucial importance in motivating staff. ADVERBS absolutely crucial Technology has an absolutely crucial role in modern medicine. VERBS prove crucial (=be crucial) His appointment was to prove crucial to the organization's success. remain crucial Logging remains crucial to the country's economy. regard/consider something as crucial The city was regarded as crucial to the area's defence. NOUNS a crucial factor/part/element The cost of the project is the crucial factor. a crucial point This was a crucial point in our relationship. a crucial question She seemed to be trying to avoid the crucial question. a crucial issue The study of consumer behaviour is a crucial issue in marketing. a crucial difference There is a crucial difference between the British and American attitudes. a crucial moment/time At the crucial moment, he withdrew the support of the army. a crucial stage The peace talks are now at a crucial stage. a crucial decision/step Choosing a career is a crucial decision to make. crucial information The government did not publicize this crucial information. crucial evidence The prosecution had forgotten one piece of crucial evidence. play a crucial role/part in something • Clearly, within particular realms of human experience they may play crucial roles in assisting individuals and groups to achieve their ends. • More importantly, this interaction is now playing a crucial part in excluding the underclass from the mainstream of society. • Telecommunications play a crucial role in information technology. • They are already playing a crucial role in multimedia design and development. • Biomedical scientists deal with 100m pathology tests a year, playing a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

likely

ˈlaɪkli/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective (comparative likelier, superlative likeliest) 1 something that is likely will probably happen or is probably true OPP unlikely Snow showers are likely tomorrow. likely outcome/effects/consequences etc What are the likely effects of the law going to be? the most likely cause of the problem likely to do/be something Children who live in the country's rural areas are very likely to be poor. more/less/most/least likely Young drivers are far more likely to have accidents than older drivers. It is more than likely (=almost certain) the votes will have to be counted again. It could have been an accident, but that was hardly likely (=not very likely). He could offer no likely explanation when I asked him. 2 [only before noun] suitable for a particular purpose the three most likely candidates for president One likely source of energy is wind power. COLLOCATIONS ADVERBS very/highly/extremely likely It did not seem very likely that he was still alive. more/most likely At this age, boys were more likely than girls to be active in sports. quite likely British English (=very likely) As parents, if we expect bad behaviour we are quite likely to get it. less/least likely The smallest puppies are the least likely to survive. hardly likely (=not very likely) It seems hardly likely that she would tell her husband about it. more than likely (=very likely) She'll be late, more than likely. increasingly likely The project looked increasingly likely to fail. VERBS seem/appear/look likely Which candidate seems likely to win? NOUNS a likely explanation What is the most likely explanation for the way she acted? a likely result/outcome the most likely outcome of the election a likely effect/consequence Consider the options open to you, and their likely consequences. the likely impact (=the likely effect or influence of something) What is the likely impact of the new factory on the local environment? a likely cause/reason the likely cause of the accident likely outcome/effects/consequences etc • Five out of six opinion polls yesterday showed Labour in the lead, pointing to a hung Parliament as the most likely outcome. • In this way, individual operations can be shaped to be realistic rather than at odds with the likely outcome. • The process leading up to this and its likely consequences for teaching are discussed in detail in the article by Walsh. • Higher education was reinforcing likely outcomes instead of altering them. likely candidates • Check and triple check the likely candidates. • Stirling continued to trawl among acquaintances and friends for likely candidates. • Thames, North West and Severn Trent are the most likely candidates. • For several reasons the first and last of these are the most likely candidates and each has its proponents. adverb 1 probably most/very likely I'd very likely have done the same thing in your situation. (as) likely as not spoken (=very probably) As likely as not, the meeting will take place in the village pub. most/very likely • With the United States running a current account deficit of staggering dimensions, the most likely candidate is not hard to spot. • Mixed in with most of the words in Englishand very likely every other language-is some taint of liking or disliking. • I'd most likely have done the same thing in your situation.

likelihood

ˈlaɪklihʊd/ ●●○ noun [singular, uncountable] 1 the degree to which something can reasonably be expected to happen SYN probability likelihood of Using a seatbelt will reduce the likelihood of serious injury in a car accident. little/lower/high/greater etc likelihood There was very little likelihood of her getting the job. likelihood (that) They must face the likelihood that the newspaper might go bankrupt.

landmark

ˈlændmɑːk $ -mɑːrk/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 something that is easy to recognize, such as a tall tree or building, and that helps you know where you are One of Belfast's most famous landmarks, the Grosvenor Hall, has been demolished. 2 one of the most important events, changes, or discoveries that influences someone or something The discovery of penicillin was a landmark in the history of medicine. landmark decision/case/ruling The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in January 2001. COLLOCATIONS ADJECTIVES/NOUN + LANDMARK a famous/well-known landmark The Eiffel Tower is probably the most famous landmark in Paris. a historic landmark Rome is crammed with historic landmarks such as the Colosseum. a prominent landmark (=one that is very noticeable) The castle sits on a hill above the town and is a prominent landmark. a familiar landmark It was so dark we could not see any familiar landmarks. a local landmark This oddly shaped rock is a well-known local landmark. a major/significant landmark (=an important one) From Parliament Hill, you can see most of London's major landmarks. a London/New York/Paris etc landmark Buckingham Palace is a London Landmark.

local

ˈləʊkəl $ ˈloʊ-/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective [usually before noun] 1 relating to the particular area you live in, or the area you are talking about local hospital local residents noun [countable] 1 [usually plural] someone who lives in the place where you are or the place that you are talking about We asked one of the locals to recommend a restaurant.

mecca

ˈmekə/ noun [singular] a place that many people want to visit for a particular reason SYN magnet mecca for Florence is a mecca for students of art history. noun [countable] a place that is very popular for a particular reason, attracting a lot of people to go there mecca for Georgetown has become a mecca for jobseekers. The city is being promoted as a shopping mecca. (For entrepreneurs and programmers it's a technological Mecca)

office block

ˈoffice ˌbuilding (also office block British English) noun [countable] a large building with many offices in it, especially ones that belong to different companies • The fireball destroyed a prefabricated office building before setting a four-storey office block ablaze. • And the office building was next to the storage tank. • In fact, I seem to remember it was a bloody great chunk of the office building took my head off.

primitive

ˈprɪmətɪv/ ●●○ adjective 1 WAY OF LIFE belonging to a simple way of life that existed in the past and does not have modern industries and machines OPP advanced, modern a primitive society a primitive nomadic tribe the tools used by primitive man primitive art 2 NOT MODERN something that is primitive is very simple and does not have the extra modern parts that would make it faster, better, more comfortable etc OPP advanced, modern The first station buildings were quite primitive. The local hospital care is primitive and unreliable. Conditions at the camp are very primitive. a primitive steam engine 3 ANIMALS/PLANTS a primitive animal or plant has a simple structure or body primitive life-forms that live deep in the ocean a primitive single-celled creature 4 FEELINGS primitive feelings are not based on reason, and seem to come from a part of people's character that is ancient and animal-like the primitive instinct of survival primitive desires (If the lives of Indians today seem "primitive", the appearance is not the result of some environmental adaptation or ecological barrier; rather it is a comparatively recent adaptation to centuries of economic and political pressure.) —primitively adverb —primitiveness noun [uncountable] noun [countable] an artist who paints simple pictures like those of a child

positively

ˈpɒzətɪvli $ ˈpɑː-/ ●○○ AWL adverb 1 used to emphasize that something is true, especially when this seems surprising Some holiday destinations are positively dangerous. 2 in a way that shows you agree with something or want it to succeed OPP negatively It is hoped that the industry will respond positively to this new initiative. 3 in a way that shows you are thinking about what is good in a situation rather than what is bad They're encouraged to think positively about themselves and their future. Change should be accepted and be viewed positively. 4 in a way that leaves no doubt 'You certainly won't!' Katherine said positively. The blood was never positively identified as the victim's. 5 spoken used to emphasize that you really mean what you are saying SYN definitely This is positively the last time you'll hear me say this.

residence

ˈrezɪdəns/ ●○○ AWL noun 1 [countable] formal a house, especially a large or official one the ambassador's official residence ► see thesaurus at home 2 [uncountable] legal permission to live in a country for a certain period of time SYN residency a residence permit permanent/temporary residence Jeff has permanent residence in Canada, but is still a US citizen. 3 [uncountable] formal the state of living in a place SYN residency Rome was his main place of residence. 1[uncountable] the fact of living in a particular place Insurance companies use place of residence to calculate automobile insurance rates. 2[uncountable] permission to live in a particular country permanently an application forpermanent residence 3[countable] formal a house where people live Florida law protects personal residences against seizure in bankruptcy law. official residence • In addition to a salary, most governors received perquisites such as transportation and an official residence. • There was no need for an official residence for the Foreign Secretary. • There he had an official residence, but he continued to run his Whitechapel nursery, with another in London Fields. • He was to spend most of the next fourteen years in official residences. permanent/temporary residence • Management of construction projects overseas usually entails temporary residence in another country. • Police were not interested in her marriage certificate, her permit to leave home or her temporary residence card for Zhuhai. • While Edinburgh itself was growing in importance as a centre of government, the temporary residence was refashioned into a palace. place of residence • I have changed my place of residence twice in the last two weeks in preparation for upcoming activities. • Members of metalworking families were far more likely to change their place of residence than their trade. • Television programs are aimed at people according to their demographic characteristics rather than their place of residence.

resident

ˈrezɪdənt/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL noun [countable] 1 someone who lives or stays in a particular place the residents of Westville 2 American English a doctor working at a hospital where he or she is being trained SYN registrar British English Examples from the Corpus resident • Residents of Glacier Bay are complaining about the pollution caused by cruise ships. • Residents of Westville complained about the town's bus system. • The police have arrested residents for being under the influence of drugs, he said. • And he said the application would be strongly opposed by residents. • She is deeply involved in litigation and negotiations in which the potential stakes for city residents are massive. • Parking spaces are for residents only. • Local residents are protesting about the new road. • There are also important differences in levels of mobility between rural residents. • In the Sunshine state, residents over age 60 cast about 40 percent of the vote. • Certain villages were strongholds of cattle thieves and their residents derived a significant portion of their incomes from the cattle trade. • Last year, residents and business owners decided to take action. resident2 ●○○ AWL adjective 1 formal living in a place resident in Many retired British people are now resident in Spain. 2 [only before noun] living or working in a particular place or institution a resident tutor The resident population of mental hospitals has fallen by 20%. 3 [only before noun] belonging to a particular group of people - used humorously He's our resident expert on computer games.

rundown

ˈrʌndaʊn/ noun [singular] 1 the process of making a business or industry smaller and less important rundown of the rundown of British Steel's activities in Scotland 2 a quick report or explanation of an idea, situation etc rundown on Connors promised to give me a rundown on local police activity. Examples from the Corpus rundown • What follows is a rundown of all the ways one company tries to market its products. • Here is a rundown on the outdoor activities available in the resort. • Here's a rundown of the wines you're most likely to find in local wine stores. • Yartsov and 12 other families who were assigned rundown concrete one-room hovels clustered in a muddy field. • I want a complete rundown of what's been happening while I've been away. • Radical breaks on stamp duty are planned to entice house buyers into rundown areas. • The problem in La Meinau is simply a problem of rundown suburbs, and nothing else. • An old rickety rundown rooming house was the scene of some kind of tragedy. • We did it simply by foreseeing the situation and starting the rundown early enough by stopping recruitment.

sightseeing

ˈsaɪtˌsiːɪŋ/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] when you visit famous or interesting places, especially as tourists She swam and sunbathed, went sightseeing, and relaxed. • Cost: $ 2,300 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, ground transportation and sightseeing. • We spent the days sightseeing and the evenings sitting in cosy bars drinking the local wine. • Included in the cost are round-trip airfare from New York, hotel accommodations, kosher breakfasts and dinners, sightseeing and transfers. • On most days the official programme occupied only the evenings so that day time was available for sightseeing. • Two days do not give much time for sightseeing.

suburb

ˈsʌbɜːb $ -ɜːrb/ ●●○ noun [countable] an area where people live which is away from the centre of a town or city a London suburb suburb of a suburb of Los Angeles a kid from the suburbs in a suburb Don't you get bored living out here in the suburbs? ► see thesaurus at area, city • Amy teaches at a primary school in a suburb of Atlanta. • I was born and brought up in a suburb of New York City. • The falls are at Neuhausen, an extension of Schaffhausen to the south, rather than a suburb of it. • Last year his family bought a villa in a smart Athens suburb. • His parents lived in the Balmoral suburb of south Belfast.

transit

ˈtrænsɪt, -zɪt/ ●○○ AWL noun [uncountable] 1 the process of moving goods or people from one place to another baggage that is lost or damaged in transit (=while it is being moved) transit by air or sea 2 a system for moving people from place to place SYN transport British English, transportation American English rapid transit networks public transit American English (=buses, trains etc) promises to improve public transit (Mass transit system)

weather

ˈweðə $ -ər/ ●●● S1 W2 noun 1 [singular, uncountable] the temperature and other conditions such as sun, rain, and wind What's the weather like today? The weather turned bitterly cold. Grammar • You often say the weather: The weather seems to be getting worse. • You also often use weather with an adjective such as good or bad: We had good weather all week. Games are sometimes cancelled because of bad weather. • Don't use weather with 'a'. ✗Don't say: We had a good weather. COLLOCATIONS ADJECTIVES good/nice/lovely (=not wet) We'll go out if the weather is good. glorious/beautiful/perfect It was glorious weather, so we decided to go for a picnic. bad (=wet or stormy) Several flights were cancelled owing to bad weather. awful/dreadful/terrible weather We came home early because of the awful weather. hot Drink lots of water in hot weather. cold The weather was cold and grey. fine/sunny/fair/dry If the weather is fine, we'll eat outside. Water pot plants daily during spells of dry weather. wet/rainy I'm so sick of this wet weather. windy/stormy In windy weather, water from the fountain is blown onto the paths. VERBS have good/bad etc weather We have had lovely weather all week. the weather turns (=changes) The weather had turned mild. the weather holds (out) (=good weather continues in the same way) The forecast said the weather should hold until Tuesday. the weather breaks (=stops being good) We got almost all the harvest in before the weather broke. WEATHER + NOUN the weather forecast (=a description of what the weather is expected to be like in the near future) What's the weather forecast like for the weekend? the weather map (=a map showing the current or expected future weather) The weather map shows a band of rain coming in from the east. weather conditions (=whether it is raining or sunny) The rescue was difficult because of the appalling weather conditions. weather patterns (=the usual weather that comes at a particular time each year) Changes in weather patterns are thought to be caused by global warming a weather station (=a place used for studying and recording weather conditions) a weather centre British English, a weather bureau American English (=a place where information about the weather is collected and where reports are produced) The London Weather Centre has issued a warning that there could be extremely heavy rain and high winds over the next 24 hours. PHRASES weather permitting (=if the weather is good enough) Breakfast is served on the terrace, weather permitting. THESAURUS weather use this to talk about whether it is hot or cold outside or whether it is raining, snowing, windy etc What was the weather like on your vacation? a period of warm sunny weather climate the usual weather conditions in a particular country or area Queensland has a warm tropical climate. the climate of southern Florida the outlook what the weather will probably be like for the next few days The outlook for the weekend is for continued sunny weather. conditions the weather at a particular time, especially when considering how this will affect a planned event or activity Conditions are perfect for today's boat race. Freezing conditions are making the roads extremely hazardous. the elements formal weather, especially bad weather The equipment had been left exposed to the elements.

Afterwards

ˈɑːftəwədz $ ˈæftərwərdz/ ●●● S2 W3 adverb (also afterward) after an event or time that has already been mentioned Charles arrived shortly afterwards. days/weeks etc afterwards The experience haunted me for years afterwards. She died not long afterwards. Afterwards, I was asked to write a book. ► see thesaurus at after not long afterwards • He had girl friends from the age of twelve and was rumoured to drink beer not long afterwards. • The barrage of public anger was intense, Mr Whitney returned to the backbenches not long afterwards. After' is generally used by English speakers and writers as a preposition meaning behind in place or position or later in time than something. For example: We are all going out to eat after the movie. In this example, 'after' shows when the speaker intends to go out to eat. However, 'after' can also be used as an adverb, conjunction, adjective, verbal auxiliary or noun. It is also used commonly in phrasal verbs, such as 'look after', 'go after' or 'take after'. When 'after' is used in the same sense as 'afterward', it is being used as an adverb. For example: We are all going out to eat afterward. Afterward' is only ever used as an adverb. It likewise means at a later time or after something has happened. Often, native speakers, especially in British English, add an 's' to 'afterward', so it must be noted that this is a variant on 'afterward'. While there is no grammatical difference between 'afterward' and 'afterwards', it should be kept in mind that some speakers, especially in North America, favor 'afterward'. However, the meaning is the same. For example: We are all going out to eat afterwards. 'Later' is a similar adverb, and used in the same manner. For example: We are all going out to eat later. Although they are technically synonyms, 'Afterward' does imply a slightly more definite time period than 'later', such as directly after an event, not just some point later in the day. The question of when to use 'after' or 'afterward' is often a matter of stylistic choice, since the words are synonyms of each other and can both be used correctly as adverbs. It should be noted though that 'afterward' is used more frequently when it ends a sentence, because it sounds better, rather than the adverb form of 'after'. The reason for this is that 'after' as an adverb is a less common usage, and it makes a sentence sound incomplete, as if 'after' was being used as a preposition. For example: 'We are all going out to eat afterward.' is a more natural and typical way for a native speaker to word the sentence, than 'We are all going out to eat after.', although both are considered correct. So while there is technically no difference between 'after' as an adverb and 'afterward', generally most native speakers prefer 'afterward' or 'afterwards'. This sounds more complete and provides the listener or reader with the idea that an adverb is being used, especially when it ends the sentence.

shopping

ˈʃɒpɪŋ $ ʃɑː-/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [uncountable] 1 the activity of going to shops and buying things Late-night shopping is becoming very popular. shopping expedition/trip She's gone on a shopping trip to New York. I went on a shopping spree (=went shopping and bought a lot of things) at the weekend and spent far too much money. I've got to do some last-minute shopping. the busy Christmas shopping season 3 British English the things that you have just bought from a shop Can you help me carry the shopping, please? COLLOCATIONS VERBS go shopping She skipped lunch in order to go shopping. do some/the/your shopping I thought you wanted to do some shopping. NOUN + SHOPPING Christmas shopping So you've done all your Christmas shopping, have you? grocery shopping She even enjoys grocery shopping. home shopping (=buying things at home, for example from a catalogue) SHOPPING + NOUN a shopping expedition/trip His shopping trip with Uncle Billy had been a thorough success. a shopping spree (=when you buy a lot of things) He admits to going on a shopping spree with someone else's credit card. Shopping center Shopping malls a shopping list (=a list of what you need to buy, especially of food) Always take a shopping list so you are not tempted to buy things you do not need.

futuristic

ˌfjuːtʃəˈrɪstɪk◂/ adjective 1 something which is futuristic looks unusual and modern, as if it belongs in the future instead of the present The futuristic sports stadium is the pride of the city. 2 futuristic ideas, books, films etc imagine what may happen in the future, especially through scientific developments Orwell's disturbing futuristic novel, '1984' • They are unashamedly retro in their appeal, but they could equally be futuristic. • As futuristic as the concept seems, it addresses here and now one of the most important issues in multimedia development. • Advances in technology have meant that futuristic fabrics have become a reality, changing the whole nature of how we dress. • This is especially true of original and futuristic ideas. • Its array of futuristic industries is second to none. • The Lake Buena Vista hotel also plans Kidsuites designed as futuristic space capsules and igloos. • We pretended to fly to distant planets in futuristic spaceships. • The car, with its sleek futuristic styling, certainly looks impressive. • An elaborate design of the futuristic Washington was put on display Tuesday at Union Station.

freestanding

ˌfriːˈstændɪŋ◂/ adjective 1 not fixed to a frame, wall, or other support a freestanding bookcase 2 able to exist on its own and not as part of something bigger The modules can be offered as freestanding courses. Examples from the Corpus freestanding • As our top-of-the-range freestanding cooker, the Eclipse is furnished with all of the features you'd ever imagine. • The Apex embodies all that's good about freestanding cookers. • There's so much going for the self-contained freestanding format that we've put our best designers to work on our range. • As well as fitted storage units, there is a wide range of freestanding furniture, modular units and shelving on the market. • The complicated postures are such as no freestanding statue of the time could show, and the sculptor has had great difficulties. • a freestanding storage unit • When ordering, check the maximum platform height advised for a freestanding unit.(Freestanding things are unattached or separate from any other structure or support. A freestanding garage isn't connected to a house — it's a separate building. Some houses, like row houses or townhouses, are connected to the house next door, sharing a common wall. Freestanding houses, on the other hand, are completely detached, with space between each. You can also use the adjective freestanding more figuratively, to describe something that isn't reliant or connected: "It's a freestanding literary club — it's completely separate from and independent of the school.")

residential

ˌrezɪˈdenʃəl◂/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective 1 a residential part of a town consists of private houses, with no offices or factories → suburban a quiet residential neighbourhood 2 relating to homes rather than offices or businesses → domestic telephone services for residential customers A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.

upmarket

ˌʌpˈmɑːkɪt◂ $ -ɑːr-/ adjective, adverb especially British English designed for or used by people who have a lot of money → downmarket OPP downmarket an upmarket restaurant move/go upmarket a brand that's moved upmarket (=it is trying to attract richer people) • I was surprised when I saw her apartment - I'd have expected a lawyer to have something a little more upmarket. • Certainly it is much more than an upmarket beauty treatment, as some would have us believe. • Forte is expected to convert the Sterling, its first hotel at Gatwick, to its upmarket Crest brand. • He goes back to buy the upmarket, hand-made works of art. • His first collaboration began when he was invited to invest in an upmarket Roux Brothers establishment.