Trouble Finding Suitable Accommodation
Rachel has received confirmation that she will be spending a year abroad at a university in
France. She doesn’t have much time to find accommodation, so she calls the student support
office at the university in France to see if they can help…
Rachel: Hi! My name is Rachel Adams and I’m studying at the University of Manchester in
England. As part of the Erasmus scheme, I’m planning to study at your university for one
year starting in September. I urgently need to find accommodation. Can you help?
Student Advisor: Yes, of course… although, the student accommodation on site is almost
fully booked for next year. I’ll run through several options… The first option we have is a
room without an en-suite in our student residence. The second option is to contact private
student lettings companies and see if they have any rooms available. The third option is to
come out here and have a look around for yourself.
Rachel: Mm… I would really prefer a room with an en suite… and I don’t really have time
travel to France before September… Do you have any numbers for private student letting
companies?
Student Advisor: I do, but they do tend to more expensive than the rooms in our student
residence on campus…
Rachel: How much more expensive?
Student Advisor: Well, a room without an en-suite on campus costs 200 euros per month. A
typical apartment or room in a shared house costs on average, 500 euros per month. And you
will have travel costs to consider too, for travel to and from university…
Rachel: Really? That’s a huge difference! I’ll have to weigh up my options… Can you give
me some numbers anyway?
Student Advisor: Yes, I’ll forward them to you in an email. Good luck! And if you have any
more questions, don’t hesitate to call again… We look forward to welcoming you here in
September!
PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example sentence | Categories |
---|---|---|---|
To run up against | To experience something difficult and unexpected. | The politicians ran up against strong opposition from the people. | Problem |
To wrestle with | To try very hard to deal with a problem or a difficult situation. | I wrestled with the decision for a few months before deciding to quit. | Problem |
To think through | To carefully consider the possible results of doing something. | I need some time think this through before making a decision. | Problem |
To knuckle down | To start working or studying harder. | He’s going to have to knuckle down if he wants to pass the course. | Problem |
To talk over | To discuss a problem or situation with someone. | We talked over the issues in the meeting before making a decision. | Problem |