Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.
Preparation
Reading text
Looking for a housemate
Single ensuite room available in our lovely three-bedroom house in Didsbury. Five-minute walk from city centre. Move in from 1 June. Shared kitchen and living room with two female housemates, no parking, £600 a month excluding bills. No pets. Contact 07890 123456 for viewing.
Tips
1. Write the main title or idea bigger to catch people's attention.
2. Keep the message short, with only the most important information.
3. Don't put your address on it!
Discussion
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i am keen on sharing a house because I want to save money and I dread feeling alone
Hi Sir,
I'm asking about phrase in task 2 (a ten-minute walk from city centre)
and in task 3 it is (Ten-minutes by bus from the university)
Why they are differents (minute or minutes)?
Thanks a lot
Hi Mohamed Alkady,
The two forms here are ten-minute (with a hyphen) and ten minutes (without a hyphen).
When we use a number larger than one and a noun the noun is plural: two hours, three years, twenty euros and, in your example, ten minutes.
However, when we want to use a number and a noun to create a compound adjective which comes before a noun then we use a hyphen and a singular form.
For example:
Similarly:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks Peter. Very useful explanation and examples.
I prefer living alone to sharing a house cuz it gives me freedom and personal space, but sometimes it has a bit uncomfortable cuz i have to pay higher prices for food, accommodation, and transportation. Therefore, sharing a house might be a smarter solution if you want to save money and don't like living alone
I prefer live alone, but it is difficult because the high costs. So It's cheaper share a house and It's better to look good housemates.
I prefer to live alone because i would like to have a personal space where I can decorate by my personalities without needing to see anybody's eyes.
I like both! My experience living alone was great. Then i shared with housemates and it was hard but fun too. Now I live with my husband and I really enjoy it.
I prefer living alone. But for economic reasons I have to choice shared house.
I prefer to live alone because I enjoy peace and quiet, and I dislike it when people turn the TV volume up too loud.