A2 — Housework & Chores
Level A2
Everyday life
Make vs Do
Goal
Talk about housework and daily chores in English: say what you do at home, how often you do it, and use the verbs make and do correctly.
What is housework?
Housework or household chores are the small jobs we do to keep our home clean and organised: cleaning, cooking, doing the laundry, taking out the trash, etc. We often talk about how often we do them:
- I usually do the laundry on Saturdays.
- She often vacuums in the evening.
- We sometimes do the shopping together.
make vs do with chores
- do + tasks / chores: do the laundry, do the dishes, do chores.
- make + food / drink / bed: make dinner, make coffee, make the bed.
- We usually use the ing-form after do: do the dusting, do the ironing.
Core housework verbs (1–10)
1. sweep the floor
I sweep the floor with a broom.
2. mop the floor
After sweeping, I mop the floor.
3. vacuum / hoover
We vacuum the living room every week.
4. dust / do the dusting
She dusts the shelves on Sunday.
5. wash (the car / the floor)
He washes the car on Saturdays.
6. do the dishes / do the washing up
I do the dishes after dinner.
7. do the laundry
We do the laundry twice a week.
8. clean (the windows / the bathroom)
She cleans the windows every month.
9. iron / do the ironing
My dad irons his shirts on Sunday.
10. take out the trash / rubbish
I take out the trash before bed.
More common chores (11–20)
11. set the table
Can you set the table for dinner?
12. clear the table
We clear the table after the meal.
13. make the bed
I make my bed every morning.
14. tidy up
Please tidy up your room.
15. water the plants
She waters the plants on Fridays.
16. make breakfast / lunch / dinner
He makes breakfast for the family.
17. make tea / coffee
I’m making coffee. Do you want some?
18. do chores
The children do chores at the weekend.
19. do the shopping
We do the shopping on Monday.
20. walk the dog
I walk the dog every evening.
Tip: Use usually, often, sometimes, never to talk about how often you do each chore: I usually do the laundry on Saturday.
Mini-dialogues: talking about chores
- A: Do you do any chores at home? — B: Yes, I sweep the floor and do the dishes.
- A: Who makes dinner in your family? — B: My mum makes dinner and I clear the table.
- A: How often do you do the shopping? — B: We usually do the shopping once a week.
Try to describe your own routine using at least five verbs from this lesson.
Exercises:
Housework & Chores
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
Every morning I use a broom to
in the kitchen.
Correct: sweep the floor — clean the floor with a broom.
2
When someone spills juice, I use a wet mop to
in the kitchen.
Correct: mop the floor — use water and a mop.
3
In American English people say “to
the carpet” when they clean it with a machine.
Correct: vacuum — clean with a vacuum cleaner.
4
In British English many people say “to
the carpet” instead of “vacuum”.
Correct: hoover — BrE for vacuuming.
5
On Fridays I
the shelves and take off all the dust.
Correct: dust — clean surfaces and remove dust.
6
She hates to
on Saturdays; she doesn’t like cleaning the dust.
Correct: do the dusting — do all the dust-cleaning.
7
Every Sunday I
in front of my house with water and soap.
Correct: wash the car — clean the car with water.
8
After dinner I go to the kitchen to
and clean all the plates.
Correct: do the dishes — wash dirty plates and cups.
9
In British English people often say “to
” instead of “do the dishes”.
Correct: do the washing up — BrE for washing dishes.
10
On Sundays I
and wash all the dirty clothes.
Correct: do the laundry — wash clothes and towels.
11
Once a week I
and scrub the sink and shower.
Correct: clean the bathroom — wash and scrub that room.
12
I have to
my shirts so they are smooth and have no lines.
Correct: iron — press clothes with heat.
13
On Sunday evening I usually
while I watch TV.
Correct: do the ironing — iron many clothes.
14
In American English people say “to
” when they carry the rubbish bag to the bin outside.
Correct: take out the trash — AmE for removing rubbish.
15
In British English people usually say “to
” instead of “take out the trash”.
Correct: take out the rubbish — BrE for removing trash.
16
Before dinner I
with plates and glasses.
Correct: set the table — prepare the table for a meal.
17
After dinner we
and take the dirty dishes to the kitchen.
Correct: clear the table — remove everything from the table.
18
Every morning I
so my bedroom looks neat.
Correct: make the bed — arrange the bed after you get up.
19
Before guests arrive, we
the living room and pick up all the toys.
Correct: tidy up — make a place clean and neat.
20
Don’t forget to
on the balcony; they are very dry.
Correct: water the plants — give water to your plants.
21
In the morning I
for my family: eggs, bread and fruit.
Correct: make breakfast — prepare the morning meal.
22
At one o’clock she goes to the kitchen to
for the children.
Correct: make lunch — prepare the midday meal.
23
In the evening he helps his mum
for the whole family.
Correct: make dinner — prepare the evening meal.
24
When friends visit in the afternoon, I always
and bring biscuits.
Correct: make tea — prepare tea to drink.
25
She is tired in the morning, so she goes to the kitchen to
first.
Correct: make coffee — prepare coffee to drink.
26
At the weekend we all
together: cleaning, washing and tidying.
Correct: do chores — do small jobs around the house.
27
On Saturday we
at the supermarket and buy food for the week.
Correct: do the shopping — buy food and other things.
28
Every evening I
in the park for thirty minutes.
Correct: walk the dog — take the dog outside for a walk.
29
In my family we share the
; everyone helps with cleaning.
Correct: housework — all the cleaning and jobs at home.
30
Doing the dishes and taking out the rubbish are typical
.
Correct: household chores — small jobs like cleaning or taking out rubbish.
31
The word for dirty things you throw away is
in English.
Correct: trash / rubbish — waste you put in the bin.
32
All the dirty clothes in the basket are our
.
Correct: laundry — dirty clothes waiting to be washed.
33
If you don’t have a hose, you can fill a
with water to water the flowers.
Correct: watering can — a small container for watering plants.
34
These three words are names of the main meals in a day:
.
Correct: breakfast / lunch / dinner — the three main meals.
Housework & Chores
Match the sentences with the words
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