Life in a seaside holiday house with friends
CEFR: B2
Read/Listen first
Two summers ago I rented a small wooden house by the sea with three friends. The cottage was simple but very cosy, with big windows facing the water and a tiny fireplace in the corner. Every morning we made strong coffee, opened the windows and watched the waves while we planned our day. When the weather was sunny, we cycled along the coast, stopped at quiet beaches and swam in the cold water. On windy days we stayed inside, cooked long dinners together and played board games at the big kitchen table. In the evenings we often walked to the harbour to buy fresh fish and listen to the boats creaking against the pier. What I liked most was the slow rhythm of life there: no noisy traffic, no emails, no strict schedule, just sea air, tired legs and long conversations late at night.⚡ Learning goals
- Can describe a holiday house and its atmosphere in detail.
- Can talk about daily routines and free time on a trip with friends.
- Can narrate past holiday activities using sequence words.
✨ Key language
- rent a small wooden house “We decided to rent a small wooden house by the sea.”
- slow rhythm of life “I really enjoyed the slow rhythm of life there.”
- plan our day “Every morning we sat by the window to plan our day.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Past simple for finished holidays
Rule: Use the past simple to describe finished holidays and activities at a specific time in the past.Examples: We rented a small wooden house by the sea; We cycled along the coast every sunny day; We bought fresh fish at the harbour each evening.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes mix present and past forms. Keep the verb in the past when the time is clearly finished. — Use “rented”, not “rent”, when talking about a past trip.
Choose the correct sentence about a finished holiday.
Tip: Use the -ed form or irregular past form to describe past holidays.
Fill with the best answer: We ______ a cosy cottage near the harbour.
Tip: Choose the correct past form of “rent”.
2️⃣ Used to and would for past habits
Rule: Use used to and would to describe repeated habits or states in the past that are no longer true now.Examples: We used to open the windows and watch the waves every morning; In the evenings we would walk to the harbour; We would often play board games when it was windy.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes add “to” after “would”. Do not say “would to go”. — Use “would go”, “would walk” to describe repeated actions.
Which sentence correctly describes a past holiday habit?
Tip: Use “used to” or “would” without “to” before the verb.
Fill with the best answer: Every evening we ______ to the harbour to buy fresh fish.
Tip: Use a structure for repeated past actions that are not true now.
3️⃣ Adverbs of frequency to describe routines
Rule: Use adverbs like always, often, sometimes, rarely, never before the main verb (or after “to be”) to show how often something happens.Examples: We often stayed inside on windy days; We always made strong coffee in the morning; The cottage was never noisy or busy.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes put the adverb in the wrong place. Say “We often played board games”, not “We played often board games”. — Place the adverb before the main verb.
Which sentence correctly uses an adverb of frequency?
Tip: Place the adverb before the main verb in standard sentences.
Fill with the best answer: We ______ opened the windows to watch the waves.
Tip: Choose an adverb that shows something happened every morning.
4️⃣ Sequencing with linkers: first, then, after that, finally
Rule: Use linkers like first, then, after that, finally to show the order of events in a story or routine.Examples: First we made coffee, then we planned our day; After that we cycled along the coast; Finally we sat by the fireplace and talked late at night.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes repeat the same linker. Try to vary them to make the story clearer and more natural. — Use a sequence of different linkers instead of only “then”.
Which sentence clearly shows a sequence of activities?
Tip: Start with “First” and add “then” or “after that” for the next action.
Fill with the best answer: ______ we sat by the fireplace and talked late at night.
Tip: Use a linker that shows the last step in your story.
✍️ Vocabulary
wooden house
Meaning: a house made mainly of wood, often warm and natural inside.Synonyms: wooden cottage, timber house, wooden cabin.
Chunk/Idiom: rent a wooden house by the sea.
Example: We rented a small wooden house just a few metres from the water.
Morphology: adj. wooden + noun house.
Self-practice: Describe a wooden house you would like to stay in.
cosy cottage
Meaning: a small, comfortable house that feels warm and relaxing.Synonyms: snug cottage, comfortable cabin, warm little house.
Chunk/Idiom: stay in a cosy cottage with friends.
Example: The cosy cottage had big windows and a tiny fireplace.
Morphology: adj. cosy + noun cottage.
Self-practice: Write two sentences about a cosy cottage you imagine.
board games
Meaning: games played on a table with pieces and a board, such as chess or Monopoly.Synonyms: table games, family games, tabletop games.
Chunk/Idiom: play board games at the kitchen table.
Example: On windy days we played board games at the big table inside.
Morphology: noun phrase; plural noun games.
Self-practice: Name three board games you enjoy and why.
harbour
Meaning: a place by the sea where boats and ships are kept and protected.Synonyms: port, small marina, boat harbour.
Chunk/Idiom: walk to the harbour in the evening.
Example: In the evenings we walked to the harbour to buy fresh fish.
Morphology: noun; British spelling of harbor.
Self-practice: Describe a harbour you know or have seen in a film.
fresh fish
Meaning: fish that has been recently caught and not frozen yet.Synonyms: newly caught fish, unfrozen fish, market fish.
Chunk/Idiom: buy fresh fish at the harbour market.
Example: We bought fresh fish and cooked long dinners together.
Morphology: adj. fresh + noun fish.
Self-practice: Write two sentences about dishes you can make with fresh fish.
slow rhythm of life
Meaning: a relaxed way of living without stress or a strict schedule.Synonyms: relaxed lifestyle, gentle pace, unhurried rhythm.
Chunk/Idiom: enjoy the slow rhythm of life on holiday.
Example: The slow rhythm of life there helped us forget about emails and traffic.
Morphology: adj. slow + noun rhythm + prepositional phrase of life.
Self-practice: Explain when you feel you have a slow rhythm of life.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
We rented a cosy cottage by the sea with some friends.
Every morning we made coffee and planned our day.
On windy days we stayed inside and played board games.
In the evening we walked to the harbour for fresh fish.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence correctly describes a past holiday?
Tip: Match the finished time expression with the past simple.
Which sentence correctly uses an adverb of frequency?
Tip: Place “often” before the main verb “stayed”.
Fill with the best answer:
We ______ sit by the window and watch the waves.Tip: Choose a structure that shows this was a repeated habit.
Fill with the best answer:
First we made coffee, ______ we planned our day.Tip: Use a connector that shows the second step in the sequence.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Why did the wooden house feel cosy for the group?
Tip: Look for details about windows, the fireplace and a relaxing feeling.
What did they usually do on sunny days?
Tip: Think about the activities connected to the sea and the coast.
Fill with the best answer:
On windy days they stayed inside and played ______ at the big kitchen table.Tip: Use the phrase for table games like chess or Monopoly.
Fill with the best answer:
In the evening they walked to the ______ to buy fresh fish.Tip: Choose the word that names the place where boats are kept.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: What was it like to share a holiday house with friends?B: It was great. The cosy cottage and the sea made everything feel calm.
A: Did you have a fixed plan every day?
B: Not really, we just planned our day over coffee each morning.
Why this matters:
Being able to describe a holiday house and daily routines helps you share stories that feel real and personal. It also prepares you to talk with other travellers about what you enjoy on trips. Clear descriptions make your experiences more memorable for your listener.Verb & Adjective Pack:
share a house — We decided to share a house instead of booking a hotel.stay inside — When it rained we stayed inside and cooked together.
relaxing — The sound of the waves was very relaxing at night.
be exhausted — After cycling all day we were exhausted but happy.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: The sound of the sea at night was very ______.
Tip: Choose the adjective from the pack that describes something calm and pleasant.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: We was stay inside and played board games by the fireplace.
Tip: Use a correct past simple verb form and avoid extra auxiliaries.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
Every morning we made strong coffee and planned our day together.
Tip: Listen carefully to how “made” and “planned” are pronounced in connected speech.