Describe a place where you read and write (not your home)
You should say:
- where it is
- how often you go there
- what you read and write there / who else goes there
And explain why you read and write at this place.
Describe a café restaurant that you like (to go to).
You should say:
- where it is
- how often you go there
- what types of food it has
And explain why you like it.
Describe a place where you (usually / often) go to relax. (Not your home)
You should say:
- where this place is
- when you go there
- what you do there
- who is usually there with you
And explain why you choose to go to this place to relax.
Sample Answer
Today, I’m going to share with you a place where I usually/often go to relax/read and write/ hang out with my friends, which is a small café/restaurant near my company/my house named “ABC”
As a full-time employee/student, I have to go to work/ school 5 days a week; therefore, the only time that I can visit this place is on weekends. I always try to make time for my little trip to “ABC” café every Saturday or Sunday.
The coffee house is located on a quiet street with a lot of trees planted on both sides. Additionally, it has a patio with hanging gardens which I like very much; it makes me feel like I’m sitting in a garden of my own.
Separated from the hustle and bustle of the city life in Hanoi, this place allows me to sit quietly and reflect, relaxing after a week of hard work. I can concentrate on a personal project such as reading or writing in my journal without being interrupted by other people.
It serves great coffee, tea, and cakes, thus, the place always smells very nice. In addition, the employees are also friendly and helpful.
Sometimes, I go there with my friends. Over a nice cup of coffee/tea, we share our stories and smell the beautiful scent of the flowers. At that moment, we can escape from reality for a little while and enjoy ourselves even more.
Vocab Highlights
– to share with you: in this context, to share with someone means to tell someone about something, you are going to share some information or a story with another person; in another context you could share an actual thing with someone, like share a meal with another person or share something that you have, like some fireworks, with another; “I’d like to share a story with you about my grandmother when she was a young girl.” “He doesn’t want to share the fish he caught with us.”
– hang out with my friends: to spend time with friends, talking, relaxing, visiting; “He likes to hang out with his friends at the pizza place after school.”
– therefore: used when you want to give more information or explain the reason for something; consequently; for that reason; “I am going to be in New York next week; therefore, I’d like to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
– on weekends: use the preposition on when talking about things you do on Saturday and Sunday, the weekend; in this case we use the plural because you are talking about weekends in general, rather than a specific weekend; “He likes to play golf on weekends.” British English prefers to say at the weekend or at weekends.
– to make time for: to prioritize things so that you have time to do a certain thing that you want; you have to make time for something in order to ensure that you do it, if you don’t make time for something, you won’t do it; “He wants his father to make more time for him on weekends.”
– located on a quiet street: when we are talking about the location of something we use the preposition on, something is located on the corner, on the right or left side, on a hill, on a mountain; you can also use in for things located in another area, like the office is located in the building on the left side of the street or the video store is located in the mall, as in inside the mall; “Our new restaurant is located on one of the busiest streets in San Francisco.”
– Additionally: used to give more information; “Additionally, the scientists found that there were two more species in the area that had never been discovered.”
– hanging gardens: plants and flowers that are hanging in pots from the ceiling; “The hanging gardens in the train station made the place feel very warm and welcoming, unlike most train stations.”
– Separated from: apart from, away from; in a different part of a place; “The children’s play area is separated from the main part of the building; it is a great place where families can take their children to play outside.”
– hustle and bustle: describes the noise and high level of activity; “My grandfather hates the hustle and bustle of the city; he prefers the calm and quiet of the countryside.”
– city life in: used to describe the activity, noise, movement of people and traffic in a city; use the preposition in or of; “The city life in New York is famous for the variety of things you can do while there: Broadway shows, concerts, restaurants, bars, museums and so much more.”
– to reflect: to think deeply about something; “After the meeting, he needed time to reflect on his options before making a final decision.”
– concentrate on: to think about something in a focused way, without distractions; “He found it hard to concentrate on his homework while his friends were playing video games in his room.”
– writing in my journal: you use the preposition in when talking about writing in a journal or notebook; “I like to write in my journal right before I go to bed.”
– serves: in this context it is referring to what is offered at the café; it’s what a food establishment offers to their customers; “They don’t serve meat at this restaurant because it is a vegetarian restaurant.”
– the employees: the people who work at the café or restaurant; “The employees were upset with their boss and didn’t want to go to work.”
– Over a nice cup of coffee/tea: in this context, using the word over means that you are doing something, like visiting, while you drink a cup of tea; “We finalized our joint business venture over dinner last night.” (This means that we finished talking about our joint business venture while we ate dinner together.)
– escape from reality: to leave the reality of something, like your life or a specific situation; you want to escape from reality especially if reality is something that is difficult for you to handle, like a difficult job, having lots of work to do, etc. “Many people drink alcohol to escape from reality, though this strategy has its own problems.”
– enjoy ourselves: to have fun, to have a pleasant time; “We enjoyed ourselves last weekend at our friend’s beach house.”