Unit 17

UNIT 17 WORD LIST bankrupt If someone is bankrupt, then they are unable to pay their debts. The store had few customers and soon went bankrupt. conform To conform to rules or laws is to obey them. The new student had to conform to the school's dress code. employ To employ someone means to give work to them. The bookstore employed two full-time clerks. expel To expel someone means to force them to leave a place. Since he would not follow the rules, the principal had to expel the student. extension An extension is a part added to something to give it more time or space. My parents decided to add an extension to our house for the new baby. forthcoming If something is forthcoming, then it is about to happen in the future. Some economists predicted that the forthcoming world economy would be severe. furnish To furnish means to put furniture in a house or room. Most homes are furnished with tables, chairs, and beds. hygiene Hygiene is the conditions or methods needed for health and cleanliness. People who brush their teeth at least twice a day are practicing good hygiene. hygienic If something is hygienic, then it is clean and unlikely to cause disease. My sister works very hard to keep her entire home as hygienic as possible. landlord A landlord is a man who rents property to a person. The landlord collected everyone's rent money on the first day of every month.

lease To lease means to rent property, usually an apartment or land. When the family first leased the apartment, the rent was very low. mandatory If something is mandatory, then it is required by law. It's mandatory that everyone be at least 16 to drive a car in the US. mend To mend something means to fix it when it is broken or damaged. Mother mended the rip in my pants with a piece of cloth. mortgage A mortgage is a loan for property, especially a home or a business. When they bought their new home, the married couple had to sign a mortgage. personnel Personnel are employees in a business. When business increased, we had to hire more personnel. plumbing Plumbing is the system of pipes used in a home to supply water. When the plumbing stopped working, no one was allowed to use the toilets. quote A quote is what someone has said, including saying how much a piece of work will cost. His writing was full of quotes from Shakespeare. tenant A tenant is a person who rents property from a landlord. The new tenants moved into the house across the street. utility A utility is a business that supplies services such as water or electricity. If you don't pay the utilities, you may have your electricity turned off. whereby Whereby means by which or through which. The mayor had a new bridge built whereby the citizens could cross the river.

The Resourceful Landlord A kind landlord was afraid that he would lose his apartment building. He needed to make some mandatory repairs to the old building or his tenants would have to leave by the end of the month. Without tenants to lease the rooms, the landlord would be unable to pay his mortgage. He'd be bankrupt, and the bank would take his building. He got quotes for the repairs, but he didn't have the money whereby he could employ the personnel needed to make them. It would seem like he did not want to conform to the city's codes before the forthcoming inspection. He had requested an extension, but it was denied by the city. He held a meeting with his tenants and explained the unfortunate situation. "If the building does not meet the appropriate standards for safety and hygiene," he said, "the city will expel everyone." The tenants were all sad for the kind old man. "Maybe we can help, said the hairdresser who lived on the first floor. The other tenants agreed. One tenant had worked for the city's utilities. He knew a lot about plumbing, so that's how he helped. Another tenant was a carpenter. He mended the holes in the floor and walls. Others cleaned the building from top to bottom so that it was more hygienic. They even furnished some of the apartments with new beds, dressers, and chairs. When they were done, all of the people went into their apartment, and the landlord went home to rest. When the deadline of the inspection arrived, the apartment building was hygienic and safe. The landlord couldn't believe it. His old building now looked like one of the nicest buildings in town. The building passed its inspection, and the landlord and the tenants had a big party. "Thank you all so much," the landlord said during the party, "I could never have done it by myself. But by working together, we now all have a beautiful place to live!"