Notes on Daily Routines (Transcript)

Weekdays wake up around $7.30\,\text{am}$ ; if I don't, my mum wakes me up
I get up a few minutes later
In the evenings I go to bed around $10.30\,\text{pm}$ ; usually go to sleep straight away
If I have late nights, I try to have a sleep in the afternoon when I get home from college
Vocabulary notes:
- stop sleeping = wake up
- get out of bed = leave the bed
- start sleeping = fall asleep
- nap = a short period of sleeping, e.g. half an hour ( $\frac{1}{2} \text{ hour}$ )
Practical tip: regular routine helps energy and mornings

Breakfast: I have coffee and cereal for breakfast
Lunch: have a light lunch, maybe a sandwich and an apple
Snack: a snack in the afternoon
Evening meal: we have our main meal in the evening
If Mum is late home from work, she doesn’t bother to cook; we just get a takeaway instead
Cat care: one of us has to feed the cat as well
Key vocabulary:
- have a small meal = eat a small amount of food
- snack = a small amount of food you eat between meals
- takeaway = a meal you buy in a restaurant but eat at home
- feed = give food
- immediately = at once
- “do something because there is no reason or because it is too much work” = does not bother to do it
Related notes:
- When shopping for food, meals are planned around family routines and timings
- When mum is late, eating at home may be replaced by takeaway

I usually have a shower when I get home from college because my sister Rosie and my brother Marcus spend so much time in the bathroom in the morning
I only have time to wash and brush my teeth before Rosie comes in to put on a bit of make-up
In winter I sometimes have a bath instead of a shower
I like to lie in the bath and listen to music
Useful phrases:
- in place of (a shower) = instead of

We’ve got a cleaner who does a lot of the housework, including doing my washing
I still have to make my bed and do some ironing, and I sometimes do the shopping with Mum
Housework definition: the work of keeping a home clean and tidy
Related notes:
- A cleaner can reduce routine chores, but some tasks (bed making, ironing, shopping) still fall to residents

Ironing (housework task) is part of daily chores and vocabulary related to domestic tasks

Weekdays: I usually stay in and watch TV in the evening
Weekends: I go out quite a lot with my friends, either to the cinema or to a cafe, and I eat out once a week
Social time: Sometimes friends come round and we chat about clothes, music and college
Definitions:
- spare time = time when you are not working
- stay at home = stay in during spare time
- eat in = eat at home; opposite of eat out
Shopping and leisure:
- When shopping, we buy food at the supermarket; when we go shopping, it is a leisure activity and we perhaps buy clothes, DVDs, books, etc.

The text is from English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate; includes common daily routines and related vocabulary (e.g., wake up, get out of bed, fall asleep, take-away, feed the cat, shower, bath, clean, ironing, spare time, eat out, stay in, etc.)
People mentioned: Mum, Rosie (sister), Marcus (brother)
Some lines are instructional or definitional (e.g., “Takeaway” defined, “Nap” defined) to aid vocabulary acquisition
Practical life connections:
- Daily routines influence time management and family responsibilities
- Division of chores (cleaner, laundry, shopping) reflects household organization
Real-world relevance:
- Similar routines are common in many households, including balancing study (college), work, and leisure
- Language use around routine activities aids communication and planning (e.g., “If Mum’s late home, we get takeaway”; “I sometimes have a bath instead of a shower in winter”)