talking about HOUSEWORK

I've noticed a funny thing today - it's the middle of January but most of my lady neighbours are busy doing the spring cleaning. Well, the weather sure does encourage this sudden outburst of  housework fever. It inspired me to share some exercises about CHORES. You may use this subject to practice PAST CONTINUOUS tense in a less conventional way, however in that case a short revision before actually doing the exercises would be required.

VOCABULARY

Tick the housework that are your responsibility in your household.

___ clean windows  ___ dust  ___ fold towels ___ hang laundry (on clothes line) ___ iron   ___ make bed ___ repair clothes ___ mop the floor ___ polish furniture

___ scrub the floor  ___ sweep the floor  ___ take the rubbish out / empty trash bin ___ tidy your room ___ vacuum / hoover the floor  ___ wash clothes / do laundry / do the washing  ___ wash the dishes / do the washing up / do the dishes

VOCABULARY

to build up – to increase or grow by adding

to crouch – to be on your knees close to ground

to gross somebody out – to make sb feel disgusted

messy - untidy

mud – wet ground

progressively – increasing bit by bit

time consuming – taking a lot of time

a workout – physical exercise

Fill in the blanks in sentences with new words.

1.    I had to ¹_______________down to get my keys from under the table.

2.    I got really fat nowadays. I think I need some good ²_______________.

3.    Travelling by bus is very ³_______________ I’ll go there by car.

4.    My washing machine is broken so the laundry keeps ⁴_______________.

5.    I haven’t got time to finally clean this ⁵_______________ bedroom.

6.    Take off your dirty shoes! You’re bringing ⁶_______________ into the house!

7.    The smell of boiled milk ⁷_________me ___________. I hate it!

8.    You’re getting ⁸_______________ better with your English.

LISTENING

Listen to a dialogue and answer the questions below.

http://www.elllo.org/english/1251/1288-Josh-Todd-DislikedChores.htm

1. Which of the chores Josh doesn’t like?

a. Doing laundry                       b. Washing dishes

2. How does he feel about cooking?

a. He loves it.                           b. He can’t stand it.  

3. Why doesn’t he like dusting?

a. Because it’s boring.              b. Because of his allergies.

4. Where does the dust come according to what Josh says? 

a.  Dirt                                     b. Dead skin

5. Why does he enjoy mowing the lawn?

a. Because he can get suntan. b. Because it’s a good workout

6. What’s wrong about pulling the weeds?

a. They come back                   b) Your face gets dirty

Which chores are mentioned in the conversation. Tick the ones you hear.

___ cooking ___ dusting ___ hoovering ___ ironing clothes

___ moping the floor ___ mowing the lawn ___ pulling weeds ___ sweeping the floor

___ taking out the trash  ___ washing clothes ___ washing dishes ___ watering the grass

VIDEO

Watch a video and correct the mistakes in the sentences if necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekyfHNc4G4Y&feature=related.

MR BEAN’S SPRING CLEANING

•  Mr Bean was using his teddy bear to clean the kitchen floor.
• He was trying to push the laundry into the washing machine.
• He was hanging the laundry on a clothes line on his balcony.
• He was looking at himself in the mirror.
• Mr Bean was polishing the door knob.
• He was wearing diving goggles.
• Mr Bean was smelling a very old fish bone.

Now watch the video again and note as many other Past Continuous actions of Mr Bean or Teddy as you can:

1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. …………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. ………………………………………………………………………………............................