CLASSROOM Grammar Elite
for Junior Secondary Students
Words by Theme

Theme: Living in Hong Kong (p.10)

1. 
   Afford (v.): to be able to buy something because you have enough money
   
   
   e.g.
   The young couple (夫妻) cannot afford (買得起) a car.


2. 
   Property price (n. phr.): the amount of money that you have to pay for a building
   
   
   e.g.
   Property prices (樓價) in Hong Kong have remained (維持) at a high level for more than a decade (十年).


3. 
   Coffin cubicle (n. phr.): a living space that is as small as a coffin
   
   
   e.g.
   Some of the poorest people in Hong Kong live in coffin cubicles (棺材房). The space (空間) of a coffin cubicle is roughly (粗略地) half the size of a standard (標準的) parking spot (車位).


4. 
   Caged home (n. phr.): a living space that is only large enough for one bed and is surrounded a metal cage
   
   
   e.g.
   Some childless (無子女的) and unemployed (失業的) elderly people cannot even afford to rent (租用) a caged home (籠屋).


5. 
   Subdivided flat (n. phr.): flats that are divided into two or more separate units
   
   
   e.g.
   People living in subdivided flats (劏房) often feel the discomfort (不適) of suffocation (窒息) in a windowless unit (單位) on a hot summer day.


6. 
   Pressing (adj.): urgent or needing to be dealt with immediately
   
   
   e.g.
   Housing supply (房屋供應) and housing conditions (住屋環境) are some of the most pressing (緊迫的) issues in Hong Kong.