HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

HOME
IMPROVEMENTS

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1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the questions below.

1. What do the letters D.I.Y stand for?

2. Why do people make home improvements?
3. Do you like watching home improvement programmes?
4. Have you ever used an online tutorial to learn how to do home improvements or repairs?

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HOME IMPROVEMENTS

2 Vocabulary

Part A: Label the pictures below with the correct phrase.

change the lighting fix a leak landscape the garden lay wooden floorboards
paint the walls remodel the kitchen replace broken tiles restore old furniture

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

Do you usually do home improvements yourself or do you hire a professional?

Part B: Match the name of the professionals to what they do on the right.

1. a construction worker a. fixes problems with wires in the houses

2. an electrician b. fixes problems with your pipes

3. a painter c. eliminates rats, mice and insects in your home

4. a plumber d. builds houses, flats, buildings, etc.

5. an interior decorator e. changes the colour of your walls

6. an exterminator f. fixes broken locks

7. a locksmith g. chooses furniture for your home

Have you ever used any of the professionals above in your home? What did they do? How was the
experience?

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3 Listening
Listen to Helen talking to Fiona about her home improvements. Why is she having work done to her
house? Then listen again and write down the improvements/repairs she mentions.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

4 Focus on language
Read the sentences from the audio and choose the correct meaning.

1. Helen had the kitchen remodelled.

a. she remodelled it herself

b. she arranged for someone to remodel it

2. Helen got some appliances installed.

a. she installed them herself

b. she arranged for someone to install them

3. Helen painted the walls cream.

a. she painted the walls herself

b. she arranged for someone to paint the walls

4. She had the leak fixed.

a. she fixed the leak herself

b. she arranged for someone to fix the leak

5. She had the light fixtures changed.

a. she changed the lighting fixtures herself

b. she arranged for someone to change the lighting fixtures

6. She is going to landscape the garden.

a. she is going to landscape the garden herself

b. she is going to arrange for someone to landscape the garden

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Complete the form in the box.

• to have something done - when you arrange for someone else to do something for you
• to have + __________ + __________

5 Practice

Part A: In pairs, take turns asking each other why they hired a professional. Answer the questions
using to have something done.

• Example: Why did you hire an electrician? To have the wires checked because they were old.

Why did you hire ...?

• a plumber
• a construction worker
• a painter and decorator
• a locksmith
• a gardener
• an interior designer
• an exterminator

Part B: Complete the sentences following the example.

1. Suzi didn’t remodel the bathroom herself. She had it remodelled.

2. I won’t fix the leak in the kitchen myself. I

3. They aren’t going to paint their house themselves. They

4. He shouldn’t replace the broken tile himself as he will do more damage. He

5. We didn’t have time to landscape the garden ourselves. We

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Part C: Use the structure have something done, and the words in the brackets to complete the sentences.

1. We the bedroom walls at the moment. (paint)

2. My house is finally cool. I air conditioning yesterday. (install)

3. I lost my keys. I’ll have to a new set . (make)

4. The kitchen is a disaster. I haven’t the leak because the plumber

is not available until Saturday. (fixed)

5. Your garden looks like a jungle. When was the last time you the grass ?
(cut)

6. Have you the bathroom ? It looks different. (remodel)

7. How often do you the walls ? (paint)

6 Speaking

Read the questions and make some notes about your experiences and ideas. Then ask your partner.
Do you have similar or different responses?

you your partner

What are some home

improvements you have made
in the past year? Did you do
them yourself or did you have
someone do them for you?
Explain your reasons.

What are some home

improvements you would like
to make? Would you do them
yourself, or have them done
by a professional? Explain your
reasons.

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7 Optional extension / homework

Match the tools to the correct pictures.

axe electric drill hammer nails paintbrush pliers

roller saw screw screwdriver spanner tape measure

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12.

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Transcripts

3. Listening

Fiona: Hi Helen, Congratulations, I heard you are a new homeowner!

Helen: I am, thank you. I love the place. It needed a lot of work, but it is almost finished. I can’t
wait to move in.

Fiona: What improvements have you made?

Helen: Well...the kitchen was dated and impractical, so I had it completely remodelled. It looks
amazing and I got some modern appliances installed.

Fiona: What about the bedrooms? Did you have the walls painted?

Helen: In the end, I did them myself. I chose cream as I wanted to keep it simple. And the lighting
was horrible, so I had the fixtures changed, so now it looks more cosy and homely.

Fiona: Did you need to change anything in the bathroom?

Helen: Not really but there was a leak, so I had it fixed. Luckily, my brother-in-law is a plumber.

Fiona: That must have saved you some money. What about the garden?

Helen: Oh, it’s a mess. I’m going to landscape it but that’s a job for the future.

Fiona: Well, I’m looking forward to seeing it.

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Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
This stage is to introduce and personalise the topic of home improvement. The students, in pairs, discuss the four
questions. Get some responses during feedback and add any useful language to the board.
You may want to elicit the abbreviation for D.I.Y - Do It Yourself.

2. Vocabulary

10 mins.+
Part A
This stage is for the students to learn some phrases used to talk about home improvements. In pairs, they look
at the photos and see if they know any of the activities. Then ask them to read the phrases and match them to
a photo. Review the answers as a group. Check and clarify the meaning further if needed. Model and practise
pronunciation.

1. fix a leak 2. paint the walls 3. change the lighting

4. replace broken tiles 5. remodel the kitchen 6. landscape the garden
7. restore old furniture 8. lay wooden floorboards
They finish by discussing the question in pairs. The last question leads to the next stage, which focuses on related
professions.
Part B
Students match the name of the professionals to what they do on the right. This stage is for the students to
identify professionals related to home improvements and repairs. Ask them to individually match the people on
the left with what they do on the right. Ask the students to check their answers with their partner before doing
group feedback. They finish by answering the question.

1. → d. 2. → a. 3. → e.
4. → b. 5. → g. 6. → c.
7. → f.

3. Listening

10 mins.
This stage is for the students to develop their listening skills and hear the language in context. Set the scene and
ask the students to listen to the conversation to find out why Helen is having work done to her house.
Answer: She has just bought a new house, but it needs a lot of work done to it before she can move in.
They then listen again for which home improvements/repairs she mentions.

1. remodelled kitchen 2. installed appliances

3. painted walls 4. fixed a leak
5. she is going to landscape the garden

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HOME IMPROVEMENTS

4. Focus on language

10-15 mins.
This stage is for the students to notice the use of the structure ‘to have something done.’ They read the sentences
from the audio and select the correct meaning.

1. b. 2. b. 3. a. 4. b. 5. b. 6. a.
Students then complete the information in the box (to have + object + past participle). Review the answers and
highlight the form on the board. Highlight that the structure can be used in:
- questions and negatives
- with any tense or verb form
- the only part of the structure that changes is the verb to have, which should match the appropriate form
- you can also say get something done (mostly used in informal spoken English)

5. Practice

10 mins.
This stage is for the students to practise using the language through a set of controlled practice activities.
Part A
This activity recycles the professions and practises the language. Put the students into pairs. Ask them to take
turns asking, ‘Why did you hire a...’? They have to give a response using the structure to have something done. Elicit
and highlight the example. Check the answers as a group. Check for accuracy in the student responses.
Part B
This activity involves the students converting the sentences using the structure. The students should read the
first sentence, and using the same tense or form they should convert it. Do the first one is an example. Review
the answers as a group.

1. She had it remodelled.

2. will have it fixed.
3. are going to have it painted.
4. should have it replaced.
5. had it landscaped.
Part C
This activity requires the students to complete the sentences using the words in brackets and the structure. Do
the first one as an example. Review the answers as a group.

1. are having ≀ painted 2. had ≀ installed

3. have ≀ made 4. had ≀ fixed
5. had ≀ cut 6. had ≀ remodelled
7. have ≀ painted

6. Speaking

10 mins.
This stage is for the students to consolidate and personalise the language. First, they should read the two questions
and make notes about their own experiences and ideas. Then they should ask their partner and compare their

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answers. Listen out for any good examples of language or any errors in the target language. Provide the students
with some language feedback after the activity.

7. Optional extension / homework

10 mins.
This is an additional stage to provide the students with some further lexical resources on the topic. The vocabulary
is all based on tools. Elicit and check the meaning of the word tools first. Then ask the students in pairs to complete
the gap-filled task.

1. nails 2. pliers 3. paintbrush

4. spanner 5. roller 6. axe
7. screw 8. hammer 9. saw
10. screwdriver 11. electric drill 12. tape measure

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