A. Sleep

During the week I usually wake up¹ about 7.30 am. If I don’t, my mum wakes me up. I get up² a few minutes later. In the evenings I go to bed about 10.30 pm, and usually go to sleep³ straight away⁴. If I have a late night⁵ I try to have a sleep⁶ in the afternoon when I get home from college.

¹ stop sleeping
² get out of bed
³ start sleeping; syn fall asleep

⁴ immediately
⁵ go to bed very late; opp have an early night
⁶ a short period of sleeping, e.g. half an hour

B. Food

I have coffee and cereal for breakfast, then have a light lunch¹, maybe a sandwich and an apple, and a snack² in the afternoon. We have our main meal in the evening. If Mum’s late home from work, she doesn’t bother³ to cook; we just get a takeaway⁴ instead. One of us has to feed⁵ the cat as well.

¹ have a small meal
² a small amount of food you eat between meals but eat at home
³ doesn’t do something because there is no reason or because it is too much work

⁴ a meal you buy in a restaurant
⁵ give food

C. Bathroom routines

I usually have a shower when I get home from college because my sister, Rosie, and my brother, Marcus, spend so much time in the bathroom in the morning. I only have time to have a wash and clean my teeth (syn brush my teeth), before Rosie comes in to put on a bit of make-up. In the winter I sometimes have a bath instead of¹ a shower. I like to lie in the bath and listen to music.

¹ in place of (a shower)

D. Housework*

Fortunately¹ we’ve got a cleaner² who does a lot of the housework, and that includes doing my washing³. But I still have to make my bed and do some of my ironing, and I sometimes do the shopping with Mum.

^* the work of keeping a home clean and tidy
¹ happening because of good luck; syn luckily

² a person who cleans
³ washing my clothes

Language help

When we do the shopping, we buy food at the supermarket; when we go shopping, it is a leisure activity and we perhaps buy clothes, DVDs, books, etc.

E. Spare time*

On weekdays I usually stay in¹ and watch TV in the evening. At the weekend I go out quite a lot with my friends, either to the cinema or just to a café, and I eat out² once a week. Sometimes friends come round³ and we chat⁴ about clothes, music and college.

^* time when you are not working ¹ stay at home ² eat in a restaurant; opp eat in

³ visit me in my home ⁴ have an informal conversation