My Secondary School
Senior 1 · English
My Secondary School
Lesson 4 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
Imagine a visitor standing at your school gate. Could you tell them, in English, where the library is? This lesson gives you the words to describe the buildings of a school, to say exactly where each one is, and to write a clear description of your own school.
Mutesi wrote this description for the school magazine. Read it and follow her route on the map below.
Umucyo Secondary School stands on a hill about three kilometres from Muhanga town. From the gate you can see the whole valley, with its banana plantations and maize fields.
As you come in through the main gate, the administration block is on your left. The head teacher's office, the staffroom and the bursar's office are all in this building. Opposite it, on the right, is the library, a quiet room with long wooden tables and more than two thousand books.
Walk up the main path and you reach a crossroads. On the left there is a long block of classrooms for S1 to S3. Between the classrooms and the administration block there is the assembly ground, where we meet every Monday morning to sing the national anthem. Opposite the classrooms is the science laboratory, and between the laboratory and the library there is a small sick bay, where the school nurse works.
At the end of the main path is the refectory. The girls' dormitory is on its left and the boys' dormitory is on its right. The football pitch runs along the east side of the school, next to the laboratory.
My favourite place is the library, because it is calm and there are always new books to read. The place I like least is the path to the dormitory on a rainy night: it is dark and very muddy!
| Word or phrase | Meaning | Example from the map |
|---|---|---|
| administration block | the building with the school's offices | The administration block is on the left of the gate. |
| staffroom | the room where teachers work and rest | The staffroom is in the administration block. |
| sick bay | a small room or building where sick students are cared for | The nurse works in the sick bay. |
| assembly ground | an open space where the whole school gathers | We sing the anthem on the assembly ground. |
| crossroads | a place where two roads or paths cross | Turn left at the crossroads. |
| opposite | facing something, on the other side | The library is opposite the administration block. |
| between | with one thing on each side | The sick bay is between the laboratory and the library. |
| next to | very close to, at the side of | The pitch is next to the laboratory. |
| at the end of | where something finishes | The refectory is at the end of the main path. |
Definition
Preposition of place: a word or phrase that shows where something is compared with something else. on the left of, opposite, between, next to, in front of, behind, near, at the end of.
Example: The library is opposite the administration block.
| Singular or uncountable | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | There is (There's) a library near the gate. There is some water in the tank. | There are two dormitories. |
| Negative | There isn't a swimming pool. | There aren't any shops inside the school. |
| Question | Is there a sick bay? Yes, there is. | Are there any lockers? Yes, there are. |
| Phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| Go through… | Go through the main gate. |
| Walk straight up… | Walk straight up the main path. |
| Turn left at… or turn right at… | Turn left at the crossroads. |
| Go past… | Go past the library. |
| It's the first building on your left. | The administration block is the first building on your left. |
| It's in front of you. | At the end of the path, the refectory is in front of you. |
Worked example
Analyse the sentence: Between the laboratory and the library there is a small sick bay.
Warning
Tip
Spelling: three words that sound the same. there (a place, or there is) contains here; their means "belonging to them" (their dormitory); they're is short for they are. Test: if you can say they are instead, write they're.
Easy English Conversations, Episode 5: asking for and giving directions, BBC Learning English (4 minutes). Write down every direction phrase you hear, then compare your list with the table above.
Work in pairs with the map. Student A secretly chooses a building and gives directions from the main gate, without naming it. Student B follows with a finger and names the building. Then swap.
Go through the main gate and walk straight up the main path. Go across the crossroads. The building you want is on your right, opposite the classrooms. (Answer: the science laboratory.)
Write a description of your own school (120–150 words) for a new student. Use this plan.
| Paragraph | What to write | Useful language |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction | The school's name, where it is, first impression | … stands on / is near … |
| 2. Buildings and places | Take the reader on a walk from the gate | As you come in, … is on your left. Opposite it … |
| 3. People and activities | Who works or meets where | The nurse works in … We meet on … |
| 4. Your opinion | Your favourite place and the one you like least, with reasons | My favourite place is … because … |
Nyamata Day Secondary School is in the centre of Nyamata, near the district office. It is a busy school with about nine hundred students.
As you come in through the gate, there is a big assembly ground in front of you. The administration block is on your right, and opposite it there is a new computer lab with forty laptops. Behind the assembly ground there are three long classroom blocks, and next to them there is a small canteen where we buy tea and bread at break.
The teachers work in the staffroom, next to the head teacher's office. Every Friday afternoon, the clubs meet in the classrooms.
My favourite place is the computer lab, because I love typing stories there. The place I like least is the canteen at break: there is always a long queue!
Practice
Sources and credits
