English, baby!

简体

Home Repair

Learn English with this English lesson about Home Repair

Date: Oct 19 2012

Themes: Family, Hobbies

Grammar: Passive Voice

Go Super!

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen

For many people, the American Dream involves owning their own house. But while home ownership comes with plenty of perks, it also has a big downside. If anything breaks or goes wrong with the house, it’s up to you, not a landlord, to fix it.

Some people are very handy and enjoy making their own home repairs. But for others, a leaky faucet or broken stair means one thing. It’s time to call a handyman. Hear Marni and Amy talk about what they do when something has to be fixed in their homes.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Amy

Marni: There is a wonderful thing about being a renter, and that is that you are never responsible for any sort of home repair.

Amy: That is the truth. I think the worst thing about being your own handyman is that even when you can do a job, you just don’t because you don’t want to do the work, and then…Like, there are a couple things in my house that I just stare at, and think about how this should be fixed, but it’s on me or my husband, and neither of us will do it.

Marni: Right, right. Well, is your husband a very handy person, or is he…?

Amy: He’s fairly handy. There’s certain things that he won’t do, like plumbing or electricity or whatever. But he’s fairly handy, and he does like to have the handyman’s tools and everything.

Marni: Right, right.

Amy: What about you? Do you spend a lot of time at the hardware store?

Marni: I don’t. I am not a handy person at all, and I don’t really have confidence in my skills. I feel like, this thing would fall apart, so that’s why I would rather have somebody else who I know knows what they’re doing take care of it.

Amy: So then if it goes wrong, you have someone else to blame.

Marni: Exactly.

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Passive Voice" from this lesson

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3

Go Super to Ask Ebaby! teachers your questions!

The iTEP^® test

Sponsored by

Schedule an iTEP^® test and take the official English Practice Test.
Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen

Marni thinks that the best part of renting a house rather than owning it is that you don’t have to do your own home repairs. If something breaks in a house you are renting, you can just ask your landlord to fix it for you. Marni is not handy and does not like to try to do her own home repairs.

Amy is not very handy either. Her husband is fairly handy, but he does not always make repairs quickly. Amy and her husband have some things in their house that need to be fixed, but neither of them wants to do the work to repair them.

Amy and Marni agree that it’s best to get a handyman to do your repairs for you. That way, if something goes wrong, you can blame someone other than yourself.

Do you like making your own home repairs? Are you a very handy person? What do you do when something breaks in your house?

Comments

1 through 20 of 62
Next >
1 2 3 4

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

Hmm, we’re not renters, we are the owners of our home… And yeah, I think dad is a quite good handyman.. He fixes most of things himself and honestly, we rarely need somebody to fix something at our home.. Dad does plumbing and can fix electricity problems and sometimes he helps mum at the kitchen :) .. Amazing, right?

But of course, there are some obstacles and necessities just need specialized people, like, the television or the computer or the electric apparatus, in general… Dad is not an electrician anyway :D

Jay chen

Malaysia

I do like making my own home repairs because its my house i should take care of it..

doliveir

Brazil

I think that fixing things let me happy. When I do it, I feel myself like
a mighty man !!!

In fact, doing repairs by your own can save a lot of money.

So, I think men and even women should do it for sure.

Mr. Learner

Peru

Actually I like to repair things myself because I think even if I break it down, I’ll gain more experience in return.
Fixing things by yourself also can make you a special happy memories in the future.. For example, if the computer explode in my face while repairing it, I’m sure this will be a funny memory in the future :p

mehdimansiz

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Good lesson

thanks

Wfernando

Colombia

It reminds me of my dad… he’s quite a handyman!

jianms008

China

In my case ,I think i am a handyman .i wiling to repar anything that i can in my house ,such as fixing table 、repar the taliot or install something and so on.i thingk it is not only for myseif but for my fanmiliy .

winter_sonata_nw

Egypt

actually, Iam not a handy person at all.But I live with my family and my younger brother is a handyman. He can fix anything breaks down at our home. we almost depend on him to make most of home repairs. Thanks God that I have my brother !

sake_white

Algeria

really, i like it so much, spicaily if i konw the right way to fix it without any preblem

llikel

China

In fact,I like repair.I think it is right if I can do something for my family.yes

foz12

Saudi Arabia

The only things that I’m good in is changing the llights.

doa'a

Yemen

i like fixing things…..what ever it is…but i also take care of myself if its dangerous….i fix the chairs…..hmmm…...shose sometimes…...almost everything that i can fix…...i try and if i couldnt….i leave it but sure i dont touch anything dangerous like electrsity…...in fact i enjoy fixing things…....even i like to makemy own things like bags…..note boox….gifts for my freinds…..

liuqiuwu

China

If I can making my own home repairs, I will like to do. But I may wait to do in my empty time.

Orchestra

Russian Federation

I’m convinced every man has to be handy regardless of what he does wheather he’s miner or lawer)) However, shame on me, I’m completely unhandy.. but I’m on my way and trying my very best=)

zarin.setare

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i m not a handy person but my brother is fairly a handy person then he likes making our own home repairs and when something breaks in our house he fix it and some times the problem is very serious we call our son-in-law(my sister`s husband.he is a handy man.

heik14

Mexico

I m pretty handy… I will fix anything that is broken or is about to broke..

Estuardo2

Peru

In my case, I am a handy person when i believe in my skills to repair something at home. On the other hand, we usuallly call a handyman.

ahmedghieth9

Egypt

im not a handy person al all

-Benny-

Thailand

i’d like to do anything in my house. except “cooking”.—- poor :)

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

Honestly I’m not handy person this is the truth , when something is broken in my home we call on the plumber to fix it and to try to repair , Not only I am , No All my family didn’t have any skill in the Home repair , For Example I have a funny story , When we were children, my father tried to fix the Gas cylinder after his done to work , suddenly the fire has become spread in our home because of fix my father he isn’t handy person , He doesn’t have a big confidence in order to repair anything in the home .

I think these things need some specific skills and a big confidence in yourself , We have some traditional proverb , one of them Give the baker half bread If he eats All bread