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Lesson planB295 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
B2 First Unit 9: Homes and Places
Students build vocabulary for homes and places, choose between the future continuous and the future perfect, and practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 3 and 6 and a Part 2 email.
Home · Places · Future continuous · Future perfect
B2 First preparationTopic unit
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Choose between the future continuous, the future perfect and will, and use by the time + present simple
- Learn and use 26 words and phrases in 4 sets: Types of home, Describing homes and places, Where you live, Renting and moving
- Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 3 and 6
- Writing task (Part 2): an informal email
Stages · 95 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs describe their home and neighbourhood in three adjectives, then say where they will be living in five years' time.
- 15 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–2
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes: in progress then (future continuous), complete by then (future perfect), and by the time + present simple.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 3–4
- 20 minExam practice: Use of English: Ex. 5–6
- 20 minReading: Ex. 7
- 20 minWriting: Ex. 8
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Future continuous: will be + -ing
- An action in progress at a time in the future: This time next week, I'll be living in Leeds. At eight, I'll be sitting on the train.
- A polite question about someone's plans, often before you ask for something: Will you be using the car tomorrow?
- State verbs (know, own, believe) don't take the continuous: I'll know more tomorrow (not I'll be knowing).
Future perfect: will have + past participle
- An action that will be complete before a time in the future: By June, we'll have moved into our new flat.
- With for, to say how long something will have lasted at a point in the future: Next year, I'll have lived here for ten years.
- Look for by + a time: by Friday, by the end of the month, by 2030.
Time phrases and will / going to
- by the time + present simple, not will: By the time you arrive, we'll have eaten. (not By the time you will arrive)
- this time next week / year + future continuous: an action in progress then.
- will for a decision at the moment of speaking: I know! I'll ring the landlord. going to for plans and for evidence: Look at that sky. It's going to rain.
Study tips
- Learn place words with their prepositions: on the outskirts of, in the suburbs, in the city centre.
- Before you choose a future form, look for the time phrase: by + a time usually needs the future perfect; this time next… needs the future continuous.
Glossary
- Types of home6 items
- Describing homes and places8 items
- Where you live6 items
- Renting and moving6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Words that are easy to mix up
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
- a
After two years working abroad, it's lovely to be back ___ with my family.
- b
They've just bought a three-bedroom ___ with a big garden.
- c
There are three good schools and a sports centre in our ___.
- d
Our ___ next door has a dog that barks all night.
- e
It's ___ cold in this flat in winter, so we bought an electric heater.
- f
We moved out to a ___ village where all you can hear at night is owls.
- g
Our ___ has only one supermarket and a small library, but it's much bigger than a village.
- h
We've got a small ___ behind the house where we grow tomatoes and beans.
2
Describing homes and places
Complete each sentence with a word from the box. There is one extra word.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
Our old flat was so that there wasn't even room for a kitchen table.
- b
The new house is really : each of the children has a big bedroom of their own.
- c
In winter, there's nothing better than sitting by the fire in our little living room.
- d
The building was very when we bought it: the windows were broken and the roof leaked.
- e
The flat is very for work: the station is just two minutes away.
- f
The trains are so in the morning that I usually have to stand all the way.
- g
Our street is very in the evenings: there's always music coming from somewhere and people chatting outside the cafés.
- h
After ten years in the city, I love how the village is: you can hear the birds all day.
3
This time next year
Choose the correct answer.
- a
This time next Saturday, we ___ boxes up four flights of stairs, so we can't come to your barbecue.
- b
By the end of March, the builders ___ the new kitchen, so we can start cooking at home again.
- c
Don't phone me at eight. I ___ on the train home then, and the signal is terrible.
- d
By the time you get here, we ___ every slice of pizza, so bring something to eat!
- e
By the time she ___ university, she will have lived in four different cities.
- f
___ the car tomorrow? If not, I'd like to borrow it to collect some furniture.
- g
Next summer, we ___ in this house for twenty years. Let's have a party!
- h
This noise is unbearable! — I know. I ___ to the landlord about it. Pass me my laptop.
4
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Find it and write the correction.
- a
By the time we will arrive, the shops will have closed.
- b
By next June, they will have build the new bridge over the river.
- c
I will be knowing more about the flat after I've seen it.
- d
We bought a new home near the park.
- e
My parents live in city centre, right next to the cathedral.
- f
I can't put up the noise from the flat upstairs any longer.
5
Exam task: From the city to the country
Read the text. For each gap, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that best fits. If more than one answer seems possible, choose the most natural one for the context.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 1
Tip: Some gaps test a word that only works with the words around it. Say the whole phrase to yourself before you choose.
For years, my partner and I lived in a cramped flat above a takeaway in the city centre. When our second child was born, we finally decided to 1 house. We wanted a garden, some peace and quiet and, above all, a 2 house, so that we would never again hear our neighbours through the walls.
We found an old cottage on the 3 of a village called Brackenfold. It was very run-down, and we spent our first year 4 it up, room by room. For months, every room was 5 of dust, and we had to take cold showers.
It also took us a while to 6 in. In the city we had hardly known our neighbours, but here people stop to chat in the street.
There are disadvantages, of course. My commute is much longer: I now 7 two hours a day on the train, and the nearest supermarket is twenty minutes away by car. But when I sit in the garden on a summer evening, I know the move was well 8 it.
- 1
Gap 1
- 2
Gap 2
- 3
Gap 3
- 4
Gap 4
- 5
Gap 5
- 6
Gap 6
- 7
Gap 7
- 8
Gap 8
6
Exam task: My sister's tiny home
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits each gap.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 3
Tip: Decide what kind of word each gap needs. Then read the sentence again: does it need a plural, or a negative meaning?
When my sister Hana announced that she was going to live in a tiny home, the whole family laughed. Her new house was no bigger than a garage, and it had wheels. For Hana, though, the main 1ATTRACT was the price: it cost far less than a flat in the city.
Living in such a small space needs careful 2PLAN: every cupboard has a purpose, and the bed folds up into the wall during the day. Surprisingly, it's very 3PRACTICE inside, thanks to clever storage under the floor and the stairs. Not everyone would find it 4COMFORT, however. Hana admits that she sometimes misses having a proper bath.
She has parked her home in a field outside a small village, and she loves her peaceful 5SURROUND. First, though, she needed 6PERMIT from the farmer who owns the field, and she now pays him a small rent every month.
Her friends were 7DOUBT at first, but now several of them are thinking of doing the same. As for me, I think it's 8LIKE that I'll ever join her: I'm far too fond of my bath!
7
Exam task: The town I didn't want to live in
Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 6
Tip: After you choose a sentence, read the text before and after the gap again. Check that names, times and words like this or it connect in both directions.
When my company moved its office to Kettlebury, a town I had never heard of, I was not pleased. I had lived in the city centre for eight years and loved being able to walk to cinemas, restaurants and friends' flats. [1] My plan was simple: I would rent a small flat near the new office, go back to the city every weekend and leave again as soon as I could find another job. The only place I could afford was a studio on the top floor of an old terraced house, in a street of semi-detached houses full of young families. On my first evening, I was carrying boxes up the stairs when a man from next door appeared and, without saying a word, picked up the heaviest one. [2] His name was Tom, and he and his wife, Priya, ran the bakery at the end of the road. For the first few weeks, I stuck to my plan. Every Friday I caught the train back to the city, and every Sunday I returned feeling a little sadder. [3] It was Priya who pointed out the problem. 'You'll never feel at home here,' she said, 'if you're never actually here.' So, one Saturday, I stayed. I went to the market, joined a walk organised by the local history group and ended up having dinner with three people I had met that morning. [4] By the end of the month, I had stopped going back to the city altogether. That was two years ago. Kettlebury isn't perfect: the buses stop at ten, and the only cinema shows the same film for weeks. [5] But I have found something I never had in the city: a real community, where people know your name and notice if you don't come into the bakery for a few days. My contract ends next spring, and I could easily find a job back in the city. I have decided not to look. [6] This time next year, if everything goes to plan, I'll be running the new shop myself.
Tap an item…
…then its match
8
Exam task: Write an email
Write your email in 140–190 words.
Exam task: Writing, Part 2
Tip: Choose a plan that suits the email. Plan A: a friendly opening, one paragraph for each of your friend's questions, then a short ending. Plan B: if one question matters most to your friend, answer it first, then add your other advice. Write in a friendly, informal style.
You have received this email from your English friend, Sam. 'Great news: I've got a job in your town, and I'm moving there next month! Which part of town do you think I should live in? Is there anything I should know before I arrive? And will you be around to help me move in on the weekend of the 12th?' Write your email. Word box: neighbourhood · spacious · city centre · landlord · settle in
Suggested minimum: 140 words
Before you hand it in
- I answer all three of Sam's questions.
- I describe at least one part of town with adjectives such as lively, peaceful or spacious.
- I use the future continuous or future perfect at least once (I'll be working… / By then I'll have finished…).
- I use paragraphs, with a friendly opening and ending.
- My style is informal: contractions and friendly phrases are fine.
0 words · aim for at least 140
Show a model answer
Hi Sam, Great news about the job! I can't wait to see you. If I were you, I'd look for a flat in Riverside. It's a lively neighbourhood with lots of cafés, and it's only ten minutes from the city centre by bus. The flats there aren't cheap, but they're far more spacious than the ones in the old town, where everything is quite cramped. I'd avoid the outskirts unless you've got a car, because the buses stop at eleven. A couple of things you should know: most landlords here want two months' rent before you move in, so start saving now. Also, join the running club in the park. It's a great way to meet people, and it'll help you settle in quickly. Of course I'll help you move in! Unfortunately, I'll be working on Saturday the 12th, but I'll have finished my shift by Sunday morning, so I could come round with my car then and help you carry your boxes. Let me know what you think. Love, Alex
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 26 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 4 sets.
Types of home
- detached
- a detached house stands alone and doesn't share a wall with another house
- semi-detached
- a semi-detached house is joined to one other house by one shared wall
- terraced
- a terraced house is one of a row of houses joined together
- flat
- a set of rooms for living in, on one floor of a building (British English)
- studio
- a small flat with one main room for living and sleeping
- cottage
- a small, old house, usually in the countryside
Describing homes and places
- spacious
- with a lot of room inside
- cramped
- too small for the people or things in it
- cosy
- small, warm and comfortable
- run-down
- in bad condition because nobody has looked after it
- peaceful
- quiet and calm
- lively
- full of activity, people and things happening
- convenient
- easy to use or near the places you need, such as shops or a station
- crowded
- full of people
Where you live
- neighbourhood
- the area of a town where you live
- outskirts
- the edge of a town or city (on the outskirts of)
- suburbs
- the areas where people live, outside the centre of a city (in the suburbs)
- city centre
- the main business and shopping area of a city (in the city centre)
- commute
- the journey to and from work every day
- neighbour
- a person who lives near you or next door
Renting and moving
- rent
- the money you pay every month to live in a flat or house that belongs to someone else
- landlord
- a person who owns a flat or house and lets you live in it for rent
- move house
- leave your home and go to live in a different one
- settle in
- start to feel comfortable and happy in a new home, job or place
- do up
- repair and decorate an old building (do up a house)
- put up with
- accept something unpleasant without complaining
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