1. Vocabulary for Towns and Cities

1. Vocabulary for Towns and Cities

Tim chats on the phone to Marie.

Main practice: Vocabulary for towns and cities
Revision:            What about…?   -   to look forward to + ing   -   pretty (almost as strong
                                as ‘very' - see Vocabulary)

Vocabulary


cosmopolitan  -  containing people from different countries and cultures, i.e.
  • London's a very cosmopolitan city. 

lively -  full of life and energy, i.e.
  • He's a very lively child.
  • The town was pretty lively; there were lots of things happening every evening. 

pretty  -  (adverb - informal) meaning: almost as strong as 'very', i.e.
  • She's pretty good at maths.
  • The movie was pretty awful. 

run-down  -  in bad condition, usually about buildings; areas of a town or city, i.e.
  • He lives in a very run-down part of town. 

suburb  -  areas where people live, outside the town centre, i.e.
  • I used to live in the city centre but now I have a flat in the suburbs. 

up-market  -  an expensive area of a town or city, i.e.
  • It used to be a run-down area of town but there's been a lot investment in new
   shops and now it's very up-market.  




Conversation

Tim is speaking on the phone to his French exchange student, Marie, who is coming to visit Tim soon.

Marie: So what is your town, Danehaven, like?

Tim:     It's very , there's a mix of cultures in the town.
              We live in a about two kilometres from the centre.
              *There's three cinema's, four sports centres, and a large
              where you can buy most things.

Marie:  Are there any independent shops?

  Tim:   Well, there's an area called North Ways that used to be but
               now has a lot of shops and .

Marie:  And Downhaven's on the coast, right?

Tim:     Yes. The beaches are good but the sea's cold most of the year.

Marie:  What about in the evenings?

Tim:     Oh, there's a , plenty of clubs and discos.

Marie:  Are there any special ?

Tim:      Well, there's a lot of . Especially, there's a palace
                that was built for the king about two hundred years ago.

Marie:  It sounds great. I look forward to seeing your town, Tim.

Tim:      And we look forward to having you, Marie. Bye for now.

Marie:  Bye, bye, Tim. See you soon.

* With a plural noun it should be 'There are/ There're' but in contemporary speech people
   often say 'There's...' even if applying to a plural. 




Exercise

Exercise

Complete the sentences.

Katie studies at university. She's describing where she lives in an email to a friend.

lively night-life  -  suburb  -  run-down  -  historical buildings  -  tourist attractions  - cosmopolitan


.... Well, the area where I live is in one of the . It's pretty and really needs investment,  but there's a , with lots of bars and music clubs, and during the day there are street musicians. A lot of people from different cultures live there and there's every kind of restaurant, so it's very . But there're no , really. All the interesting are in the city centre.

Anyway, I hope you can come and visit me some time this term.
Bye for now.
Love, Katie.