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Theo moves into a new apartment on a Saturday morning. He is very excited. The apartment is on the third floor. It is small but bright. Theo looks around every room. He sees that some things are broken. The bathroom shelf is . One of the kitchen cabinet doors does not close. The living room wall has a hole in it. Theo writes a list of things he needs. He needs screws, a hammer, and some . He also needs a shelf and some paint. Theo puts on his shoes and picks up his bag. He walks to the hardware store near his building. The store is not far. It takes about ten minutes on foot. Theo walks into the hardware store. It is big and a little noisy.
There are many shelves with tools and . Theo looks at his list. He finds the screws and the hammer easily. But he cannot find the . He stops and looks around. He sees a sales clerk near the paint section. The sales clerk is a woman with short hair. Theo walks over to her. "Excuse me," he says. "Do you have ?" The sales clerk smiles. "Yes, we do," she says. "It is in seven, next to the ." Theo says, "Thank you so much." He finds seven and picks up the . He also sees some blue paint on sale. He puts one can in his cart. Theo takes his cart to the . There is one person in line in front of him. He waits for a few minutes. The sales clerk at the is friendly.
She scans all of Theo's items. "Do you have a store card?" she asks. "No, I don't," says Theo. "That's okay," she says. She tells him the total. Theo pays and thanks her. He picks up his bags and walks back to his apartment. Back home, Theo puts his tools on the kitchen table. He starts with the shelf in the bathroom. He uses the screws and the . The shelf is fixed in twenty minutes. Theo feels . He looks at his list. There is still more work to do. But he is happy. His new apartment is starting to feel like home.
things you need for a task or activity
"Theo goes to the hardware store to buy supplies for his apartment."
not firmly fixed in place
"The bathroom shelf is loose and moves when Theo touches it."
a piece of metal or wood fixed to a wall to support a shelf
"Theo buys a bracket to hold up the bathroom shelf."
a paste used to repair holes or cracks in walls
"Theo uses wall filler to fix the hole in the living room wall."
a passage between rows of shelves in a store
"The wall filler is in aisle seven, next to the sandpaper."
rough paper used to make surfaces smooth
"Theo sees sandpaper on the shelf next to the wall filler."
the place in a store where you pay for your items
"Theo takes his cart to the checkout and waits in line."
feeling pleased because you did something well
"Theo feels proud when he fixes the shelf in twenty minutes."
on foot
walking, not using a vehicle
"The hardware store is ten minutes away on foot."
look around
to look at different parts of a place
"Theo looks around every room in his new apartment."
on sale
available at a lower price than usual
"Theo sees blue paint on sale and puts a can in his cart."
in line
waiting in a row behind other people
"There is one person in line in front of Theo at the checkout."
Excuse me
used politely to get someone's attention
""Excuse me," Theo says to the sales clerk. "Do you have wall filler?""
next to
immediately beside something
"The wall filler is next to the sandpaper in aisle seven."
start with
to do something first before other things
"Theo starts with the shelf in the bathroom."
feel like home
to feel comfortable and familiar, like your own home
"Theo is happy because his apartment is starting to feel like home."
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