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Chapter 10 -Looking For An Apartment
Situation: John and James will start their first semester at the University of Southern California soon, and they are trying to find an apartment before school starts.
John: Hey, James. What are you doing here?
James: I am looking for an apartment to rent. What are you doing here? Looking for an apartment also?
John: Yes. Since my parents’ house is so far away, I need to find an apartment closer to school. I thought you were going to stay at the school dormitory.
James: I still have not decided whether to stay at the dormitory or not. I am looking at different options to find the cheapest lodging.
John: So, what are you looking for?
James: All I need is a place big enough for my bed, my desk and my television. Of course, the place should have a kitchen so that I can cook my meals. I will be living on a very tight budget and will have to watch every dime.
John: Me too. I cannot work full-time like I did during the summer. I will cut down on my workload in order to spend most of the time on my studies. So, a safe and decent apartment is all I need.
James: How long have you been looking?
John: I just started this week. Since school is going to start next month, I figured I better start the process as soon as possible.
James: It is not easy to find an apartment to your liking that does not cost a lot. I have been looking at the ads in the newspaper for two weeks, and I still have not found anything yet.
John: Really? Is it that difficult to find an apartment?
James: No, it is just that everything I like so far is too expensive and way beyond my reach.
John: Is it because they are very close to school? I heard that the closer they are to school, the higher the rental cost.
James: Maybe that is the problem. Since I do not have a car, I need to find something close to school.
John: Have you thought about sharing an apartment? If you want, we can find a two bedroom apartment and share it. It may be cheaper that way.
James: That could solve our problem.
John: Wait! Maybe we should talk this over before we decide.
James: Right. For this plan to succeed, we need to come up with some sort of agreement or set of rules.
John: Here is my first question: What do you do during the weekdays?
James: I have to work at Starbucks from 8:00AM to 12:00PM, and then I have school from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. After that I plan to go home, eat dinner, and work on my school assignments. How about you?
John: Well, I have class from 8:00AM to 10:00AM, and then I go to the library to work until 2:00PM. After that, it is school again until 4:00PM. I plan to stay on campus until 6:00PM to work on my computer projects, and then go home to work on my other classes’ assignments.
James: It is my turn to ask the second question. Do you plan to have your friends over at the apartment very often?
John: No, not on weekdays. I want to finish my homework during the weekdays as much as possible. I think half of my weekend will also be reserved for homework. If my friends do stop by, it will probably be during the weekend.
James: Good, I plan to do the same things during school time. I also plan to visit my parents during the weekend. My mom is a great cook.
John: My parents’ house is too far to visit once a week. I will go home to see them and my little brother during the holidays. I need to be happy with whatever foods I cook.
James: It seems that sharing an apartment with you may work. Do you want to try it?
John: Yes. Let’s go in and take a look at this one.
Questions/Answers Practice
| Q: What is the rental cost of this house? | A: The monthly rent is five hundred dollars. |
| Q: How big is the house? | A: It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. |
| Q: Do I need to give you a security deposit? | A: Yes, I need a three hundred dollar deposit. |
| Q: What is the security deposit for? | A: To make sure that my tenant takes good care of my house. |
| Q: Do you require first and last month rent up-front? | A: Yes, I do. |
| Q: Does the rent cover utilities? | A: No, the tenant will have to pay for his own utility cost. |
| Q: Who has to take care of the lawn? | A: The tenant will have to take care of the lawn. |
Q: Will you call my current landlord for reference? A: Yes, I need a reference from your current landlord.
| Q: When will the house be available? | A: The house will be available in another week. |
| Q: Do I have to give you notice if I need to move out? | A: I need to give you a month notice if I take the house back, and you need to give me a month notice if you decide to move out. |
| Q: When can I move in? | A: I am still accepting rental applications. So, I do not have an answer for your question. |
| Q: When will you make a decision? | A: Probably in another week. |
3) Comprehension test
- What is James doing?
- Why does John need to find an apartment?
- Why is James looking at other options besides the college dormitory?
- What kind of apartment does James want to rent?
- Why is John going to cut down on his workload?
- Why does John need to start finding an apartment now?
- How is the rental cost of apartments close to school?
- Why does James need a place close to school?
- What is John’s solution to the high rental cost problem?
- What is James’s daily schedule?
- What is John’s daily schedule?
- Do John and James plan to have their friends over during the weekdays?
- Why is John planning to visit his family only during the holidays?
4) Discussion
- What type of person do you like to have for roommate?
- What kind of apartment can you find in your country?
- Do you prefer staying in an apartment to staying at home with your parents while attending college? What are the advantages of staying in an apartment? What are the advantages of staying at home?
GRAMMAR REVIEW VERBS
Negative form of verbs
To indicate that an action does not happen, we use the negative form of verbs. To express the negative form of verbs:
- Add do not or does not when the present tense is used.
- need a place big enough for my bed and my desk. I do not need a place big enough for my bed and my desk.
She wants breakfast in bed. She does not want breakfast in bed.
- Add did not to the base form of the verb when the past tense is used.
- started looking for an apartment last weekend. I did not start looking for an apartment last weekend.
I decided to stay at the dormitory. I did not decide to stay at the dormitory.
- If the verb is in a progressive mode, in the future tense, or in a perfect tense; add not in between the two parts of the verb.
My brother is sleeping. My brother is not sleeping.
- will go to the movies tonight. I will not go to the movies tonight. I have been to Paris. I have not been to Paris.
Imperative form of verbs
Verbs can be placed at the beginning of the sentence to express a command, a piece of advice or an instruction.
Wait!
Shut your eyes!
Go this way!
Questions/Answers Practice
Pair the students and have them practice the following questions and answers. Ask them to come up with similar questions and answers.
| Q: Do you like to eat steak? | A: No, I do not like steak. |
| Q: Does she plan to stop by after work? | A: No, she does not plan to stop by. |
| Q: Do you want to go out tonight? | A: No, I do not want to go out tonight. |
| Q: Did he break the lamp? | A: No, he did not break the lamp. |
| Q: Did the baby cry during sleep? | A: No, she did not cry during sleep. |
| Q: Did your father scold you for being late? | A: No, he did not scold me for being late. |
| Q: Is your father eating dinner? | A: No, he is not eating dinner. |
| Q: Are they going to play in the rain? | A: No, they are not going to play in the rain |
| Q: Are they going to work overtime? | A: No, they are not going to work overtime. |
| Q: What did you say? | A: Drive carefully! |
| Q: What should I do? | A: Listen to your mother! |
| Q: What was your advice? | A: Don’t be late for the interview! |
| Q: What did he want me to do? | A: Ask him yourself! |
| Q: When should I leave town? | A: Do not leave town until the morning! |
| Q: Can I eat the cake now? | A: Wait until your father gets home! |