Home and Work Problems — Unit 18, Beginner English

Last Monday, my washing machine broke. It stopped working suddenly. There was water all over the floor. I felt very worried. I called a repair man to fix it. He came to my house on Tuesday. He looked at the machine. He said, "It's a serious problem. I need to mend it." He worked for two hours. He repaired the machine. He said, "You should be careful. Don't put too many clothes in it. It will break again." I thanked him and paid him. The washing machine works again.

My mother also had a problem at home. Her phone was broken. The screen was cracked. She couldn't use it. She went to a shop. The shop assistant said, "You should buy a new phone. It is cheaper than repairing it." My mother bought a new phone. She said, "I should be more careful with my phone." My father always says, "You should look after your things. Don't break them." I think he is right. We should take care of our things.

We have other small problems at home too. The light in the kitchen is not working. My brother says the bulb is fine, so there is a problem with the electricity. We are waiting for an electrician.

Last week my computer crashed and I lost two hours of work. Now I save my files every ten minutes.

My sister is not tidy at all. Her room is always untidy and she can never find her keys. Yesterday she looked for them for twenty minutes. They were in her coat.

And the plants in the living room are dying, because nobody waters them. My mother says, "They are your plants." She is right. I bought them.

My father laughs at us. He says, "A house is a machine. Something is always broken." Then he goes to the garage and mends it.