In this lesson, you will learn collocations to talk about living in the countryside. You can use them to describe a place that you enjoy visiting, especially if it is in a rural area. 

A DESCRIPTION OF A RURAL AREA 

I visit my grandparents once in a while. They live in a valley surrounded by rolling countryside. It's a small village within easy reach of the nearest big town - only a 20-minute drive away. While driving in the surrounding area, you get to see a lot of farm fields with colourful stripes of windflowers. 

I enjoy visiting this place because of the relaxed way of life there and the absolutely breathtaking scenery. You can walk through the unspoilt countryside and play games on the village green. I don't think the village has changed much since my first visit as a child. There aren't many young people in the surrounding countryside because they have already moved to the cities. To be honest, I think there isn't much to do in the area apart from climbing a hill and hill walking. Perhaps people who visit the area could have a picnic on the green hills surrounded by nature. 

In my opinion, one of the best things about village life is that you get the chance to buy local produce at the farmers' market. Another thing is that villages, in general, have a very peaceful atmosphere and it's a great way to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially for those who prefer the peaceful life of the countryside to cities. 

VOCABULARY 

• rolling countryside - with hills 
• a small/little/tiny village 
• within easy reach of the nearest big town/city 
• farm fields 
• in the surrounding area 
• way of life 
• unspoilt countryside - with natural beauty not spoilt by buildings 
• the village green - an area of grass for everyone to use 
• the surrounding countryside 
• climb a hill - walk or drive up a hill 
• hill walking - the activity of walking on hills 
• have a picnic | go for a picnic 
• green hills - covered with grass 
• local produce 
• farmers' market - where farmers sell their produce directly to the public 
• peaceful atmosphere | peaceful life 
• the hustle and bustle of the city - all the noise and activity there 

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TASK:

• What do you think about countryside life? 
• Can you think of some negative aspects of living in a rural area? [What?] 

Exercise
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Replace the phrases below with collocations from the text. 

1. gentle, rounded slopes 
2. incredible view 
3. style of living 
4. around a place 
5. a beautiful place that has not been changed or built on 

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Answers: 
1. rolling hills; 2. breathtaking scenery; 3. way of life; 4. surrounding area; 5. unspoilt countryside; 


Other lessons: 
City Life - Going out 
Cities - Talk about your area 
Cities - Advantages and Disadvantages of Urban Life 
Countryside - Advantages and Disadvantages of Rural Life 

Other lessons with English collocations: 
Collocations for Urban Life 
Collocations for Success 
Collocations for Feelings 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport (We give answers to five questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS Speaking Test: Arriving Early and Being Patient (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 


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In this lesson, you will learn collocations to talk about the area where you live. You can use them to describe your neighbourhood and what you like or dislike about living there. 

Notice how the choice of words can make a place sound attractive or unattractive. 


A DESCRIPTION OF AN URBAN AREA 

I've lived in this city all my life. I really like the area where I live because of the unique atmosphere and friendly neighbours. Also, there are plenty of green spaces for children, and actually people of all ages, to enjoy. I'd say it's one of the most pleasant residential areas of the city. Apart from having lots of parks, there are also lots of local amenities such as convenience stores, sports facilities, and so on.
My apartment is within easy reach of the city centre - just about a 15-minute walk. I find it quite refreshing when I walk along the tree-lined streets in my area, especially early in the morning. It's a pretty good place to live because it's extremely safe and also clean. 

VOCABULARY 

• friendly neighbours | friendly neighbourhood - an area of a city with people who are pleasant and helpful to each other 
• green spaces - areas covered with grass and trees and there are no buildings (e.g. community gardens, parks, and so on) 
• a residential area - a part of a town where people live 
• local amenities - places such as stores, swimming pools or other sports facilities that make it convenient and enjoyable for people to live in an area 
• sports facilities - places and things for doing sports (e.g. gym, stadium, swimming pool, tennis court, ice-skating rink, and so on) 
• within easy reach of - a short distance away from a place so that you can go there easily 
• tree-lined streets - a road in a city with a lot of trees 

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF AN URBAN AREA 

Having lived in my area for many years now, I've noticed a few things which in my opinion should be improved. First of all, I think that more recycling facilities should be installed. Currently, I cannot find any near my apartment building. Secondly, the parking facilities are poor and a lot of people leave their cars on every available pavement. Another thing is that once it becomes darker, I feel a bit unsafe walking along the dimly lit streets. 

VOCABULARY 

• recycling facilities - large containers in public places where people put used paper, bottles, etc. so that 
• an apartment building (also an apartment block) (BrE) / an apartment house (AmE)
• parking facilities - parking places where you can leave a vehicle 
• dimly lit streets - roads with little light 

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TASK:

• What do you like about living in your area? 
• What changes do you think would improve the area where you live? 

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Exercise
​
There are important factors to consider before you decide where to live. Look at the key things listed below and rewrite the information using collocations from the texts. 

1. near to the city centre
2. an area with nice people 
3. parking spaces available 
4. lots of parks for walks  
5. lots of trees by the road 
6. no dark roads at night 
7. a pharmacy, a post office, lots of stores, etc. nearby 

Answers: 
1. within easy reach of the city centre; 2. friendly neighbourhood; 3. parking facilities; 4. green spaces; 5. tree-lined streets; 6. no dimly lit streets; 7. local amenities; 


Other lessons: 
City Life - Going out 
​Cities - Talk about your area 
Cities - Advantages and Disadvantages of Urban Life 
Countryside - Advantages and Disadvantages of Rural Life 

Other lessons with English collocations: 
Collocations for Rural Life 
Collocations for Success 
Collocations for Feelings 

Click below to read some of our IELTS related lessons: 
Discourse Markers for IELTS Speaking and Everyday English 
Causes and Effects of Migration from Rural Areas to Cities 
IELTS Speaking Test: Means of Transport (We give answers to five questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 
IELTS Speaking Test: Places That Tourists Visit and Being a Tourist (We give answers to six questions from Part 3 of the speaking test.) 


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In this lesson, we are going to focus on the words 'crowded' and 'congested'. You will learn how to use these two adjectives correctly through examples. 

CROWDED 

If a place is crowded, it means it is full of people. It is also difficult to move or to find a place to sit or stand. 

Now, let's look at some examples of places that can be crowded. 

Examples: 

• The train was really crowded, and we had to stand. 
• Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo is the most crowded intersection in the world with hundreds of people crossing at a time, and coming from all directions at once. 
• Oxford Street in London attracts millions of people every year. The street is lined with bars, hotels, and shops, but because it is such a crowded place, authorities were forced to double the amount of pavement. 
• Mong Kok is a major shopping area in Hong Kong with an extremely high population density of 130,000 per square km, which makes it the most crowded district in the world, according to the Guinness World Records. 

PREPOSITION 

• Florence turned out to be a complete disappointment for her. She was that type of traveller who would seek out the authentic. She found the city not only expensive, but also crowded with tourists. This made it difficult for her to spend too much time waiting in line to get into the museums and galleries, so she skipped all that. 
• A lot of European cities are usually crowded with visitors in the summer.  

VERBS + crowded 

• be crowded  
• become crowded 
• get crowded 

Note: What can be crowded? This could be a city, street, train, bus, boat, station, airport, subway, room, shop, shopping centre, restaurant, swimming pool, stadium, car park, etc. Any place where there are a lot of people. 

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CONGESTED 

If a place is congested, it means it is full of traffic, so everybody moves very slowly. 
'Congested' is used to talk about traffic in terms of vehicles. Think about 'traffic congestion' or 'traffic jam'. We can even say 'air traffic' to refer to the number of planes landing and taking off.

Now, let's look at some examples of places that can be congested. 
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Examples: 

• At rush hour in Bangkok, thousands of motorcycles hit the streets and the centre's really congested. 
• I think we need to plan our journey in advance to avoid any congested areas. 
• Beijing is considered (to be) the most congested city in China. 
• Many airports in Europe are heavily congested. (= with a lot of air traffic) 
• I try to avoid congested roads in the city as much as I can, and I also tend to switch to less congested times of day, or make fewer journeys. 
• The city centre has become heavily congested in recent years due to the increase of car ownership. 

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PREPOSITION 

• Some areas are congested with both cars and people. 

VERBS + congested 

• be congested 
• become congested 
• get congested 

Note: What can be congested? This could be a city, a road, a street, an area, etc. 
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Other lessons:
Confusing words: Know someone vs. Meet someone, Alone vs. Lonely, To feel cold vs. To have a cold, Desert vs. Dessert 
Confusing words: Begin vs. Start, End vs. Finish 
Confusing words: Come vs. Go 
Confusing words: Bring vs. Take 
Phrases with HAVE and TAKE 
Confusing words in English: Fast, Quick or Quickly 
Confusing words in English: Slow or Slowly 
Confusing words in English: Famous vs. Popular 


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