DESCRIBING PEOPLE

WHAT DOES SHE/HE LOOK LIKE?

 

HEIGHT BUILD AGE

tall,, short,medium

frail, stocky, slim, thin, plump, fat,

skinny, well-built

young, elderly, middle-aged, teenager, in 20s, 30s, 40s

FACE HAIR EYES CLOTHES

round, oval, square, with scares, wrinkles, freckles, sun-tanned,

bald, straight, curly, spiky,

wavy

big round blue eyes, large, small, bright,

narrow

casual, scruffy, shabby, smart,

tidy, messy

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

1- HEIGHT

Tall Short Medium

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

2- BUILD

Stocky Well-built Skinny Fat

Thin Plump

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

3- AGE

Young Elderly Middle –aged Teenager

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

4- FACE

Round

Square Diamond

Triangle Heart

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

5- EYES

Bright Eyes Brown Eyes

Small Eyes Large Eyes

DESCRIBING PEOPLE

6- HAIR

Bald straight curly spiky wavy

Here are some other examples of adjective for describing people’s personality

careful hard-workingworried cheerfulbroadminded activecurious secretiveaggressive toughcareless practicalsensible independentStrong-minded stupid

EXERCISE 1The following adjectives describe people’s physical

characteristics. LIST THEM

 

HEIGHT BUILD AGE

FACE HAIR EYES CLOTHES

Blue, oval, tiny, medium-height, dark, slim, upturned, brown, wavy, freckled, overweight, blond, almond-shaped, long, plump, wrinkled, shabby, crooked, elegant, fashionable, slanting, curly, medium-built, shoulder-length, high forehead, low forehead, thick eyebrows, thick/thin lips, double chin.

EXERCISE 2Now, you will try to find opposites of the adjectives given below the pictures.

beautiful/ ...... Fat/ ...... Good/ ...... Handsome/ ...... Heavy/ .....

Long/ ...... Married/ ...... Old/ ..... Rich/ ..... Straight hair/ ....

EXERCISE 3

What's he like? Is she nice? aghast amiable apprehensive angry despodent devout drunk

happy fuming ill melancholic pensive sorrowful

EXERCISE 4

• Now, write adjectives on a piece of paper in order to describe a member of your family.

EXERCISE 5

1- Is your friend usually in a good mood? 2- Is it important for your friend to be successful in whatever he/she does?

3- Does your friend notice your feelings?

4- Does you friend often give presents, or pay for lunch or a coffee?

5- Does your friend work hard?

• Ask your partners the following question about his/her best friend. Make sure to listen carefully to what your partner has to say. Decide what type of person he/she is.

EXERCISE 6

6- Does your friend become angry or annoyed if he/she has to wait for something or someone?

7- Can you trust your friend with a secret?

8- Does your friend listen well when you are speaking?

9- Does your friend keep his/her feelings to him/herself?

10- Is your friend usually not worried by things, no matter what happens?

EXERCISE 7

11- Does your friend think the future will be good?

12- Does your friend often change their opinion about things?

13- Does your friend often postpone things he/she has to do?

14- Is your friend happy one moment and then sad the next?

15- Does your friend like to be with people?

Like, Dislike, and Preferences

I like . . .

I prefer . . . (prefer = like better)

I have a preference for . . .

I enjoy . . .

I’m interested in . . .

I get a kick out of . . .

I have a love for . . .

My favorite . . .

I lean towards . . .

I like nature and the fresh outdoors. They’re so relaxing!

Would you like to go out to eat tonight?

I’d prefer to stay in this time. Maybe we can eat out tomorrow night.

I enjoy bicycling because it’s such good exercise.

I don’t like . . .

I dislike . . .

I can’t stand . . .

I loathe . . . (intensely dislike, abhor, detest, hate)

I’m not interested in . . .

I’m disinterested in . . .

I have no interest in . . . (This is a stronger statement than the two previous statements.)

I don’t care for . . .

I can’t stomach . . . (“stomach” is used as a verb here, andmeans “can’t tolerate, bear, or endure”)

I don’t have the stomach for . . .

I can’t stand watching baseball games! The action is too slow.

I have no interest in going to museums. What a boring activity!

I don’t have the stomach for roller coasters. They’re too scary, and make me feel dizzy.

Making Comparisons

I like reading books more than watching TV.

I prefer reading books over watching TV.

I like football just as much as I enjoy basketball.

I enjoy both football and basketball equally.

Compared to indoor sports, I think outdoor sports are much more enjoyable.

I’m less interested in watching sports than participating in them.

Peter: Hi John. Would you like to catch a movie this weekend?

John: I’d prefer an outdoor activity, if you don’t mind. Peter: OK. How about going to a football game? John: Hey, that sounds great! And we can take our cameras, too.

Peter: Yeah, I get a kick out of snapping pictures of athletes in action.

John: What about afterwards? Should we make dinner plans?

Peter: We could just play it by ear and see how things go.

John: OK, it’s a deal. See you this weekend.

Peter: See you.

catch – (in this context) see, watch, go to – especially at a movie theater.

snapping – photographing / taking (pictures – sometimes called snapshots)

play it by ear – without plans; as the situation demands; improvise

Group work: Dialogue

Work in pairs and describe one of the family members and their personal traits. Describe your preferences and theirs towards something in particular. Make sure you have one or two false information, and try to apologies to your friend.