House v Home

The word home is used when we mean the place of our permanent dwelling, in which we usually live with our family. It can also refer to the place, such as a country or town, where somebody was born or has lived  for many years. It is generally associated with happiness and security.

The word house, on the other hand, is used when talking about a building, a general physical structure which can be either a flat, cottage or caravan. Frequently, we don’t feel emotional about it and stay there temporarily.

Exercise 1.   Fill in home or house in the sentences below.

1. Just look at that beautiful………………… among the trees!

2. Hello there! Is anybody …………..?

3. - May I speak to Ms Johnson? - I’m sorry, she must be at…………now. She left the office two hours ago.

4. Tony lives in a small, green ……….. just opposite the street.

5. When I return…………….., I will take a hot bath and watch my favourite TV series.

6  What’s up, party people? Everybody doin’ fine? DJ Beats is back in the………… !!!

7. I think your…………. needs general redecorating. The walls and furniture look absolutely awful.

8. After the civil war in Asazi, the island of Balgun has become……………. for hundreds of refugees.

9. Mark was only 16 when he decided to leave…………... and go abroad.

10. There are a few bedrooms in this……………. Two are downstairs, and the rest is on the first floor.

11. Susan  has been away from…………for almost a year now. She is expected to come back in December.

12. It takes a hammer and nails to make a……………, but you will need love and time to make it a………

13. ……………… prices are going up so quickly. I’m not sure if I can afford one.

14. Personally, I’d love a wooden………… with a garden and  a swimming pool outside.

15. Moving…………….. is often a stressful experience.

16. Hi Rick, come in. I will go to the kitchen for a minute. Please, make yourself at………………

17. The show is over, kid. Go………….. and don’t tell your parents about it, all right?

18. Ancient ……………….are not similar to modern ones.

19. Our club is……………… Anne Smith exhibition this week.  

20. On my way……………., I usually listen to music or read a novel.

21. – Can I give you a lift? - No. thanks. I will walk ……………

22. I just love the view from here! The…………….. overlooks the entire harbour.

23. Could  you repeat your ……………… telephone number, sir?

24. Every………….. built in this area needs additional, deep foundations due to earthquake activity.

25. Welcome ……………., my son. We all missed you so much.

                         

Commonly used expressions and words with home or house root.

-   Home   

to play at home –  in sports it means playing at your own stadium or court. The opposite is to play away.

Manchester United got a 2-0 home victory against  Arsenal last night.

To be/ feel/ look at home – to feel relaxed and comfortable in a particular place or situation.

 The Smiths did everything they could to make me feel at home.

Homecoming – a situation when a person returns to place they used to live, study or work.

I’m sure my parents are going to celebrate my homecoming next week.

homegrown -  a fruit or vegetable that comes from your own garden

The  strawberries you see in the basket are all homegrown.

homeland, hometown - a place where someone comes from

Scotland is my homeland and I’m immensely proud of it.

homeless/ the homeless -  a person or a group of people without a place to live.

You can easily notice many homeless people near the train station.

home-made – something made at home rather than in a  factory.

Are these cookies home made?

home page- an online page that gives  general info, greets the visitors and provides links to other places on the website.

Before downloading this application you should login on the home page.

homesick – feeling bad or sad because you miss your home.

I often feel homesick during my worldwide voyages.

homework – extra work given to you by the teacher at school.

We get a lot of Math homework before the upcoming exams.

to do your homework – to prepare for something carefully.

I see you’ve done your homework on the Chinese economy topic. I’m really impressed.

To work from home – to have a job at your own place rather than in the office.

Nowadays, more and more people  make their living working from home.

Homebody – a person who enjoys spending their free time at home instead of going out.

She is a homebody. I seldom see her at the club.

Broken home – a family in which the parents have separated or divorced.

Children who come from a broken home often have psychological problems.

- House   

on the house – something that get for free.

The first drink at the Mervin’s  is always on the house.

full house – with no tickets or seats available.

Tonight’s play by Shakespeare is going to be a full house event.

Housebound – not able to move from home because of injury or accident.

Jimmy has been housebound since that bike crash.

Household – relating to people living under the same roof.

Our household income is  below average.

Housework – activities such as cooking and cleaning performed at your place.

My youngest brother is very lazy and hates any kind of housework.

Housewife- a woman that does not work and takes care of the house.

Being a housewife is a demanding task for any woman.

Housekeeper – a person whose job is to perform different domestic duties.

Have you read the local ad section? They are looking for a  housekeeper.

House-proud – someone who is fond of his or her house and   thoroughly takes care of it.

My grandma is so house-proud, she often invites guest only to show off.                                                                                                                           2     

Exercise 2.  Put words and expressions from page 2 into the correct sentence.

1. Mr Perkins is almost ninety. He can hardly walk. That is why he is…………………………………..

He hasn’t been outdoors for months.

2. I didn’t buy this cake. It is………………………..My mum baked it for dad’s birthday.

3. That man has nowhere to live. He is…………………………

4.  Beth’s husband owns a  car company. She is ……………………. and doesn’t need to work.

5. Do I have to pay for the water? No, sir. It’s ………………………

6. My neighbor who lives next door is very………………… Every day he spends hours tidying things up in  the house.

7. - Have you got any……………………… duties? – Of course. I have to do the cleaning and ironing.

8.  NY Rangers set a new record by winning twenty………………. games in a row.

9.  Whenever I rent a room at the Ritz, I…………………………… It  somehow reminds of my own place.

10. Could you help me with my………………………, mum? I have no idea how to do that exercise.

11.  I quit the job at the petrol station. Now I …………………… and can look after my little boy at the same time.

12. When you go to a job interview, you should always…………………………… and try to find as much as possible about the company.

13. I find……………………….a great cure for my bad mood. Even such simple activities like dusting or washing up seem to cheer me up.

14. Tommy spent most of his childhood in the orphanage.  It’s a pity he comes from……………………….

15. - I can’t find the phone number here. – Have you checked their………………………………? The number should be somewhere at the  bottom.

16.  I really like Carol, even though she is such a ……………………………I wish we could spent more time together at the disco when weekend comes.

17.  I can’t wait till my …………………………….. this summer. I missed my parents so much.

18. I never buy greens at the market. All my vegetables are………………and come from my country garden.

19.  My uncle has been………………………… at the Rheinhard’s mansion ever since he left college. He says he wouldn’t change that job for any other in the world.

20.  I was born here and my spent the best years of my life.  France is my……………………………

21.  – Do you sometimes feel………..……?  - I do, very often. Being a soldier surely separates you from the dear ones. Just  three more months and I will see them again.

22. - How was Green Day gig? - Great! Surprisingly, there were many tickets left. You would expect the show to be ……………………..