Estate agents’ language.pdfVIP

BBC Learning English 6 Minute English Estate agents’ language NB : This is not a word for word transcript Yvonne: Hello, Im Yvonne Archer and this is 6 Minute English. Today, Ive been joined by Alice. Hi Alice ! Alice: Hi Yvonne! Yvonne: Now Alice, everyone seems to have something to say about estate agents or as they’re known in the United States, real-estate agents - the people who help others to buy or sell houses or flats. But what would you say about the language they use? Alice: Oh, it can be very descriptive and often, they make things sound better than they really are. Yvonne: Hmm – I have to agree with you on that one. Well, estate agents do seem to have a language all of their own. For example, if they describe a house as characterful – what would you think they meant by that, Alice? Alice: Well, characterful – so full of character, perhaps old, unusual and maybe that there are quite a few things that need fixing. 6 Minute English © 2010 Page 1 of 6 Yvonne: Mm-hmm, definitely ! But before we go any further, let ’s have today’s question. There are lots of old houses in London Alice, but do you know anything about the smallest house? Alice: The smallest house? I dont. Yvonne: Well, the smallest house was built 1805 in central London and its said that it was used by people who were watching out for body snatchers – people who stole bodies from the nearby cemetery for medical examinations. Anyway, can you guess how wide that house is, Alice? a) 2.4