Unit 17: The Resourceful Landlord

Click or select any word to translate.

Word List

  • adj. If someone is bankrupt, then they are unable to pay their debts.
    The store had few customers and soon went bankrupt.
  • v. To conform to rules or laws is to obey them.
    The new student had to conform to the school's dress code.
  • v. To employ someone means to give work to them.
    The bookstore employed two full-time clerks.
  • v. To expel someone means to force them to leave a place.
    Since he would not follow the rules, the principal had to expel the student.
  • n. An extension is a part added to something to give it more time or space.
    My parents decided to add an extension to our house for the new baby.
  • adj. If something is forthcoming, then it is about to happen in the future.
    Some economists predicted that the forthcoming world economy would be severe.
  • v. To furnish means to put furniture in a house or room.
    Most homes are furnished with tables, chairs, and beds.
  • n. Hygiene is the conditions or methods needed for health and cleanliness.
    People who brush their teeth at least twice a day are practicing good hygiene.
  • adj. If something is hygienic, then it is clean and unlikely to cause disease.
    My sister works very hard to keep her entire home as hygienic as possible.
  • n. A landlord is a man who rents property to a person.
    The landlord collected everyone's rent money on the first day of every month.
  • v. To lease means to rent property, usually an apartment or land.
    When the family first leased the apartment, the rent was very low.
  • adj. If something is mandatory, then it is required by law.
    It's mandatory that everyone be at least 16 to drive a car in the US.
  • v. To mend something means to fix it when it is broken or damaged.
    Mother mended the rip in my pants with a piece of cloth.
  • n. A mortgage is a loan for property, especially a home or a business.
    When they bought their new home, the married couple had to sign a mortgage.
  • n. Personnel are employees in a business.
    When business increased, we had to hire more personnel.
  • n. Plumbing is the system of pipes used in a home to supply water.
    When the plumbing stopped working, no one was allowed to use the toilets.
  • n. A quote is what someone has said, including saying how much a piece of work will cost.
    His writing was full of quotes from Shakespeare.
  • n. A tenant is a person who rents property from a landlord.
    The new tenants moved into the house across the street.
  • n. A utility is a business that supplies services such as water or electricity.
    If you don't pay the utilities, you may have your electricity turned off.
  • adv. Whereby means by which or through which.
    The mayor had a new bridge built whereby the citizens could cross the river.

 

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the answer that best fits the question.

  1. Which of the following means the closest to "mend"?
    • a. Repair
    • b. Highlight
    • c. Exchange
    • d. Plant
  2. Which of the following would NOT be considered part of an office's personnel?
    • a. Cleaning staff
    • b. Technicians
    • c. Executives
    • d. Referees
  3. Plumbing involves work on the _____ in a house or building.
    • a. electrical wiring
    • b. plants and bushes
    • c. water pipes
    • d. interior design
  4. A quote is what someone has already _____.
    • a. designed
    • b. said
    • c. built
    • d. discovered
  5. Which is NOT considered a utility?
    • a. Room service
    • b. Electrical service
    • c. Water service
    • d. Gas service

 

B ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

WORD BANK
  • conform
  • employ
  • utility
  • personnel
  • mortgage
  • landlord
  • lease
  • hygiene
  • extension
  • furnish
  1. If you have any problem with your apartment, please contact the _____ .
  2. We are unable to _____ anyone who does not have a residency visa.
  3. The woman noticed something was wrong when the man failed to keep up with his _____ and smelled.
  4. The _____ company came to the house to check the electric meter.
  5. Please speak with the _____ department about looking up someone's records.
  6. Students feel uncomfortable when they fail to _____ to their classmates' styles.
  7. You must _____ the office with your own furniture.
  8. The agreement states how long the _____ is and when you must move out.
  9. The student asked for a(n) _____ for the project.
  10. Taking out a(n) _____ requires the person to have good credit.

 

C ‣ Check(✓) the one that best fits the blank.

  1. Since I can't afford the house, _____.
    • a. I'm planning on applying for a mortgage
    • b. I don't know how I will furnish the place
  2. Since sales have been slumping since March, _____.
    • a. the company went bankrupt earlier this year
    • b. we need our products to be more trendy
  3. When we knocked on the door, _____.
    • a. the lease will be sent through the mail
    • b. the tenant opened and asked what we needed
  4. The park is set to open this week, _____.
    • a. whereby everyone is free to use it
    • b. though the landlord said he wasn't free until the evening
  5. The number of diseases has decreased drastically _____.
    • a. thanks to recent improvements in hygiene
    • b. in an attempt to mend the relationship between the two countries
  6. I will be taking a science course this semester, _____.
    • a. as this is a mandatory class
    • b. as the professor wasn't very forthcoming
  7. The student began studying harder _____.
    • a. after being employed at the convenience store
    • b. when they threatened to expel him
  8. Please call a piping specialist, _____.
    • a. as we will need all new plumbing for the store
    • b. as we are struggling to pay the utilities
  9. Since the student has no time to complete the assignment, _____.
    • a. he asked for an extension
    • b. he reported the incident to personnel
  10. The manager asked for the product to be redone _____.
    • a. as it didn't conform to the company's standards
    • b. since the man did it in a more hygienic manner

 

The Resourceful Landlord

A kind landlord was afraid that he would lose his apartment building. He needed to make some mandatory repairs to the old building or his tenants would have to leave by the end of the month. Without tenants to lease the rooms, the landlord would be unable to pay his mortgage. He'd be bankrupt, and the bank would take his building. He got quotes for the repairs, but he didn't have the money whereby he could employ the personnel needed to make them. It would seem like he did not want to conform to the city's codes before the forthcoming inspection. He had requested an extension, but it was denied by the city.

He held a meeting with his tenants and explained the unfortunate situation. "If the building does not meet the appropriate standards for safety and hygiene," he said, "the city will expel everyone."

The tenants were all sad for the kind old man.

"Maybe we can help," said the hairdresser who lived on the first floor. The other tenants agreed.

One tenant had worked for the city's utilities. He knew a lot about plumbing, so that's how he helped. Another tenant was a carpenter; he mended the holes in the floor and walls. Others cleaned the building from top to bottom so that it was more hygienic. They even furnished some of the apartments with new beds, dressers, and chairs. When they were done, all of the people went into their apartment, and the landlord went home to rest.

When the deadline of the inspection arrived, the apartment building was hygienic and safe. The landlord couldn't believe it. His old building now looked like one of the nicest buildings in town. The building passed its inspection, and the landlord and the tenants had a big party.

"Thank you all so much, the landlord said during the party. "I could never have done it by myself. But by working together, we now all have a beautiful place to live."

 

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ If the tenants didn't pay the mortgage, the landlord could not pay his lease and would be bankrupt.
    __________
  2. _____ The landlord did not have money whereby he could employ personnel.
    __________
  3. _____ The city would expel everyone if the building did not pass the inspection for safety and hygiene.
    __________
  4. _____ The hairdresser mended the holes in the floors and walls.
    __________
  5. _____ After everyone helped to fix it, the building looked like one of the nicest buildings in town.
    __________

 

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. What is the passage about?
    • a. Becoming a landlord
    • b. Selling a building
    • c. Finding new tenants
    • d. Working together
  2. In addition to dressers, what did the tenants furnish some of the apartments with?
    _____
  3. If the landlord did not conform to the city's mandatory hygienic standards, what would happen to the tenants?
    _____

 

Answer Key

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