eng8-u5-use-of-english· UNIT 5. A PLACE CALLED HOME· ~22 min

Unit 5 Use of English: Homes, patterns, and word forms

Apply housing vocabulary, prepositions, word formation, and verb patterns.

This lesson combines vocabulary and grammar for homes and daily life. Promise names a commitment, attract means create interest, receive guests means welcome visitors, fail to do something means be unsuccessful, and rent means pay to use property. Fixed combinations include renewable energy, energy sources, and Internet access. Prepositions complete patterns such as in my free time, take care of, provide someone with, access to, spend money on, and proud of. Word families change to fit a sentence: own becomes owner, attract becomes attraction, comfort becomes comfortable, and interest becomes interesting. Verb patterns depend on the governing expression: imagine and mind take -ing, afford takes to + base verb, and spend time takes -ing.

Key terms

collocation — words that commonly occur together
preposition pattern — a fixed expression completed by a word such as in, of, with, to, or on
word family — related forms such as attract, attraction, and attractive
governing expression — a verb or phrase that determines the form that follows
Patterns to remember
AreaPatternExample
Collocationrenewable + energyThe house uses renewable energy.
Prepositionprovide + person + with + thingThey provide residents with water.
Word formverb → person nounown → owner
Verb formspend time + -ingWe spend time cooking.
✎Solve a mixed gap
  1. 1Read the full sentence: The gap follows is and describes a room.
  2. 2Choose the word class: A describing adjective is needed.
  3. 3Build the form: Comfort becomes comfortable.
💡Check meaning and structure

A choice must express the intended idea and fit the grammar around the gap.

🚫Do not choose by resemblance alone

A related word can still have the wrong word class or preposition.

Rules

  1. 1Choose vocabulary by the whole context, not by one nearby noun.
  2. 2Learn collocations as complete units: renewable energy, energy sources, and Internet access.
  3. 3Keep fixed prepositions with their expressions: care of, provide with, access to, spend on, and proud of.
  4. 4Choose a word form that matches the required job in the sentence: person, noun, or adjective.
  5. 5Use a gerund after imagine and mind, but a to-infinitive after afford.
  6. 6Use spend time + -ing to name the activity that fills the time.

Practice

8 easy · 8 medium · 8 hard

Up to 10 random questions per test

EasyMediumHardMixed