59 Space: no room to swing a cat

A

B

C Things occupying a lot of space

word typical contexts of use extensive Edinburgh has extensive traffic-free routes. The building contains extensive educational facilities. spacious a spacious garden The city of Washington is spacious and green. roomy a roomy car The house was roomy. rambling a large, rambling building a rambling mansion I like Canada because I love wide open spaces. [large areas without buildings or trees] Little white cottages were scattered across the landscape. [randomly across a wide area] The problem with this university is that the buildings are rather spread out and it takes a long time to get from one place to another. [not close to one another] Jack’s bedroom is large, with ampleroom for all his things. [more than enough space]

Language help

Room can be used as an uncountable noun to mean space, e.g. Can you make room/space for me? There’s plenty of room/space here. The sofa takes up a lot of room/space.

Insufficient space or things occupying too small a space

word typical contexts of use cramped cramped hotel rooms

living in small, cramped apartments poky; informal two poky little rooms a poky little flat congested tanker traffic on the congested waterway the congested streets [full of traffic, people, etc.] compact* a tiny, compact refrigerator a compact, low, white villa *compact has positive connotations, whereas the other words in the table suggest negative connotations.

Other words and expressions

I saw her at the carnival, but I couldn’t get to her because I was hemmed in by the crowds.

[surrounded by people and not able to move] The city centre is always bustling with tourists at this time of year. [lots of people busily moving around] There isn’t enough room to swing a cat in his flat. [the flat is very small; informal]

We were packed in like sardines on the bus. [too many people in a small space; informal] The government offices are an absolute labyrinth. [/ˈlæbərɪnθ/ vast and complex] The river marks the boundary of the estate. [the edge of a large space] We created more space by building an extension at the rear of our property. [back] In these conversations, speaker B paraphrases what speaker A says. Note the verbs in bold. A: There were 16 of us in a minibus that seated 10, and it was a long journey. B: Yes, we were all crammed into that tiny space for over five hours! A: There’s not much room, is there? Can I sit between you and Mark? B: Yes, you can squeeze in between us. A: You’ve invited a lot of people to your party and it’s only a small room. B: Yes, it might be a bit of a squash! A: Shall I put all those old papers into this rubbish bag? B: Yes, just stuff them all in and we’ll take it away later. (it suggests doing something quickly and without much care)

59.1

59.2

Choose the most likely word from the box to fill the gaps, based on the typical contexts given in A and B opposite.

compact cramped spacious poky extensive roomy

1 You’d never get me to live in that little flat!

2 I’d prefer a car on a long journey.

3 This camera is nice and . You can hide it in your pocket and not look like a tourist.

4 Her mother lived in a rather one-room apartment near the park.

5 The city centre is beautifully

with many wide open squares. 6 The capital city has a(n) underground railway network.

Imagine you are an estate agent writing a description of a house for sale. Decide which of the words in italics is most suitable to persuade someone to buy the house. Use a dictionary for any words you are not sure of.

Offers in the region of £620,000 10 Kingsmead Road, Letchwood

The property is rambling / spacious / a labyrinth, with a cramped / compact / poky garden, and is situated only ten minutes away from the bustling / congested / crowded town centre. There are excessive / extensive / expensive leisure facilities nearby. Shops, banks, restaurants and other services are located in the pleasantly designed neighbourhood.

Viewing by appointment.

59.3

59.4

Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets.

1 The kitchen is so small you can hardly move in it. (cat) 2 There’s plenty of space for your clothes in this wardrobe. (ample) 3 I couldn’t get out of my space in the office car park the other day. (hemmed) 4 Holidays in Australia are great if you love vast landscapes without any towns. (open) 5 I hate the London underground during rush hour. Everyone is pressing against one another in the trains. (sardines) 6 I dropped a glass and tiny pieces went all over the floor. (scatter) 7 The buildings in the holiday complex cover a wide area. (spread) 8 The train was very full but I just managed to get on before the doors closed. (squeeze)

Using words from B and C opposite, rewrite the underlined parts of these sentences.

1 There might be a lot of people on the bus at this time of day – I hope you don’t mind. 2 I quickly put a few clothes and a couple of books in a rucksack and set off at once. 3 The Urals Mountains are what separates Europe from Asia. 4 We’ll all have to try and fit into my little car; Larry hasn’t got his with him today. 5 Your room is at the back of the hotel, so you won’t hear any traffic. 6 I don’t think we should try and fit everything into one suitcase. Let’s take two.