General Listening Quiz
Moving from place to place can take a lot of preparation: packing your items, choosing a moving company if you aren’t going to do it yourself, renting a storage unit for extra items, and renting or buying a new place to live. Think and talk about a time when you or your family moved to a different place. What was it like?
Agree or Disagree? Let’s Spark Some Conversation!
Do you agree or disagree with these statements. Talk together and share your opinions.
- Hiring a moving company is always worth the cost.
- People should move themselves instead of hiring professionals to save money.
- Moving companies are often more careful with your belongings than you are.
- Moving companies should be responsible for everything, including packing and unpacking.
- It is safer to hire a local moving company than a large national company.
- Moving companies often charge unfair hidden fees.
- People should always read reviews before choosing a moving company.
- DIY moves build better life skills than hiring a moving company.
- Moving companies are unnecessary if you only have a few items.
- Insurance from a moving company is usually not worth the extra cost.
Idioms
“had better get moving” = to need to leave or depart“Hey. We‘d better get moving, or we will miss the movie. It starts in 15 minutes.”
“move away” = to leave your home to live somewhere else“Our daughter decided to move away (from home) and attend a college in a different city.”
Listening Exercise
Listen to the recording and answer the questions. (See transcript)
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences
- unload(verb): remove something from a truck – Three men unloaded all of our things in two hours.
- hire(verb): give work or a job to someone – I want to hire a company to clean our carpets before we move.
- load(verb): put something on a truck – The movers are going to load the boxes onto the truck first.
- tow(verb): pull something behind another vehicle – We had to tow our car to the mechanic because it broke down yesterday.
- vehicle(noun): car or truck – You should never leave children alone in vehicles while you are shopping.
- rough(adjective): difficult – Moving a family to a new city can be rough on children.
- bet(verb): think that something is probably true – I bet that they’ll never move away from this area because their parents live here.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a company to move your belongings to a new residence? What have been your experiences in moving? What adjective best describes your experience:
- frustrating
- relaxing
- confusing
- disappointing
- exciting
- boring
- discouraging
- shocking
Online Investigation
Find a moving company on the internet and answer these questions:
- What packing and unpacking options does the company provide?
- Will the company tow your vehicle, and if so, how much will it cost?
- Does the company provide additional services such as setting up your own entertainment center or cleaning your place?
- What insurance do they provide if something is damaged during the move?
- Will they take apart and put together furniture such as a bed or desk at your new location?
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