Home & Living (Renting) — B1 Essential Words

tenant /ˈtenənt/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: A person who pays rent to live in a house, apartment, or room owned by someone else.

Example: The tenants moved in last week.

Another example: Good tenants pay rent on time.

Collocations: the tenants · tenant rights · a tenant of

Synonyms: renter, occupant, resident

Antonyms: landlord, owner

Word family: tenants (n pl) · tenancy (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Tenant (renter) and landlord (owner) are the rental pair — contracts name both. Say TEN-unt, not ten-ANT.

🗣 In spoken American English: First apartments turn everyone into one, with a lease to prove it.

Register: Formal — housing essential.

electricity /ɪˌlekˈtrɪsəti/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: The power carried by wires that lights homes and runs machines; electric power.

Example: The electricity went out during the storm.

Another example: This heater uses a lot of electricity.

Collocations: electricity bill · use electricity · electricity supply

Synonyms: power, electric current, energy

Word family: electric (adj) · electrical (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Electric describes things using it (electric car); electrical describes the field/work (electrical engineer). The BILL shortens to 'the electric bill' in speech.

🗣 In spoken American English: 'The power is out' is the spoken version every storm teaches.

Register: Neutral — home essential.

plumbing /ˈplʌmɪŋ/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: The system of pipes, water, and drainage in a building; the work of fixing it.

Example: The old house needs new plumbing.

Another example: A leak in the plumbing flooded the bathroom.

Collocations: plumbing system · plumbing problems · call plumbing

Synonyms: pipes, water system, drainage

Word family: plumber (n) · plumb (v — rare)

⚠ Common mistake: The B is silent: PLUM-ing. The person is a plumber — the most urgently called professional in home life.

🗣 In spoken American English: Houses hide it in walls until the day it announces itself loudly.

Register: Neutral — home essential.

decorate /ˈdekəreɪt/ verb B1 Home

Meaning: To make a room or building look more attractive by adding paint, pictures, furniture, or special things for a celebration.

Example: We decorated the room with balloons.

Another example: She decorated her apartment in warm colors.

Collocations: decorate the room · decorate for Christmas · decorate with

Synonyms: adorn, furnish (with furniture), make over

Antonyms: strip, empty

Word family: decoration (n) · decorations (n pl) · decorator (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Decorate covers paint and pretty things; FURNISH means add furniture specifically. Holidays decorate whole houses.

🗣 In spoken American English: Real-estate photos count on it: neutral walls, nothing personal.

Register: Neutral — home essential.

basement /ˈbeɪsmənt/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: The floor of a building below ground level, partly or completely underground.

Example: We store old furniture in the basement.

Another example: The basement flooded after heavy rain.

Collocations: in the basement · basement apartment · finished basement

Synonyms: cellar (older word), lower level

Antonyms: attic

Word family: basements (n pl)

⚠ Common mistake: Basement (home, usable rooms/storage) vs cellar (older, for wine/storage). Tornado safety means going DOWN to one in the Midwest.

🗣 In spoken American English: Finished basements are America's secret extra living rooms.

Register: Neutral — home essential.

attic /ˈætɪk/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: The space under the roof of a house, often used for storing things.

Example: Grandma's photos are in the attic.

Another example: The attic is hot in summer.

Collocations: in the attic · attic room · attic stairs

Synonyms: loft, roof space

Antonyms: basement

Word family: attics (n pl)

⚠ Common mistake: Attic (under the roof) pairs with basement (under the ground) — a house's two memory stores.

🗣 In spoken American English: Every family secret and childhood toy ends up there.

Register: Neutral — home basics.

bills /bɪlz/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: Papers or emails asking for payment for services like electricity, water, phone, and rent costs; also paper money (US).

Example: The bills arrive at the end of the month.

Another example: He pays his bills online.

Collocations: pay the bills · monthly bills · utility bills

Synonyms: charges, invoices, statements

Word family: bill (n) · billing (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Home bills are UTILITIES in one word: power, water, gas, internet. Paper money shares the word ('a twenty-dollar bill').

🗣 In spoken American English: 'Payday vs bill day' is adult life's monthly race.

Register: Neutral — home money essential.

upstairs /ˌʌpˈsteərz/ adverb / noun B1 Home

Meaning: To or on a higher floor of a building; the higher floor itself.

Example: The bedrooms are upstairs.

Another example: She ran upstairs to answer the phone.

Collocations: go upstairs · upstairs neighbors · the upstairs

Synonyms: above, upper floor

Antonyms: downstairs

Word family: upstairs (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: No 'to' before it: go upstairs (not 'go to upstairs'). The pair downstairs mirrors it.

🗣 In spoken American English: Kids hear it as a mission: 'Upstairs! Bedtime!'

Register: Neutral — home essential.

downstairs /ˌdaʊnˈsteərz/ adverb / noun B1 Home

Meaning: To or on a lower floor of a building; the lower floor itself.

Example: The kitchen is downstairs.

Another example: Come downstairs — dinner is ready!

Collocations: go downstairs · downstairs bathroom · the downstairs

Synonyms: below, ground floor

Antonyms: upstairs

Word family: downstairs (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Same no-'to' rule as upstairs. Houses often split life: kitchens and guests downstairs, sleep upstairs.

🗣 In spoken American English: Voices carry up through it: 'Dinner!' is its most-heard sentence.

Register: Neutral — home essential.

doorbell /ˈdɔːrbel/ noun B1 Home

Meaning: A bell or button by a door that visitors press to announce they are there.

Example: The doorbell rang twice.

Another example: Press the doorbell and wait.

Collocations: ring the doorbell · the doorbell rang · a broken doorbell

Synonyms: buzzer, knocker (the metal one)

Word family: doorbells (n pl)

⚠ Common mistake: You RING or PRESS a doorbell — the sound does the announcing. Video doorbells made it a camera word too.

🗣 In spoken American English: Dogs hear it as an alarm clock for barking.

Register: Neutral — home basics.