Describing people

 

When you want to know what someone looks you, you are going to ask for a description. Descriptions can be very simple (he’s ugly) or very descriptive and detailed. (She’s 5 feet 4 inches tall, with straight flaming red shoulder length hair, sparkling dark green eyes, a dazzling pearly white smile, with a cute dimple on her left cheek, and lightly tanned facial skin as smooth as a baby’s behind, with a body like Marilynn Monroe). Just remember- when giving descriptions, people liked to flattered, not insulted!

 

English Expressions: Describing People

 What does (… she) look like?
    She looks like a model.

What color is her hair?
    It’s black?

What color are his eyes?
    They’re blue.

How tall is she?
    She is five feet, four inches tall.

How much do you weight?
    I weight 75 kilos.

Does he have any distinguishing characteristics?
    He has a scar on his left cheek.

How old is your mother?
    She’s 45 years old.

Does the professor wear glasses?
    No, but he wears contacts.

What is she wearing?
    She is wearing a red T-shirt, tight blue jeans, and sandals.

Below are adjectives that can be used when describing people’s physical characteristics.

Hair: long, short, straight, curly, permed, ponytail, bangs, crew cut, shoulder length, bald,
receding hairline, salt and pepper, blond, gray, bald, wavy

Body build: Skinny, thin, slender, average weight, muscular, fat, chubby, plump, obese,
overweight, beer belly, average build, stocky, medium height, tall, short

Facial features: mustache, beard, side burns, pimples, dimples, round eyes, square chin,
big nose, wears glasses, round face

When giving descriptions, it is also sometimes useful to talk about what the person is wearing. There are many words that can be used to describe and identify apparel.

Types of Clothing

Tops:casual shirt, dress shirt, tee-shirt, top, sweat shirt
Bottoms: jeans, pants, trousers, shorts, cut offs
Under Garments: for men- underwear), briefs, socks
For women- panties, bra, stocking (nylons), socks
Women’s Wear: skirt, dress, pant suit, blouse
Outer Wear: jacket, coat, wind breaker, sweater
Shoes: dress shoes, loafers, sandals, tennis shoes, high heels, sports shoes
Accessories: hat/cap, tie, belt, scarf, gloves, glasses, jewelry
Clothing Material: wool, polyester, cotton, denim, plastic, leather, silk

 Dialogue- Describing People

Matt: What does your girl friend look like?
John: She’s very beautiful, with dark brown eyes and shoulder length blond hair.
Matt: How tall is she?
John: She’s my height: five feet, four inches.
Matt: And is she slim, plump, average weight, obese?
John: She’s slim, like a model. And she has a great figure.
Matt: And she’s in her early twenty’s, right?
John: Yes, she’s the same age as me. Why all the questions about my girl friend?
Matt: Just curious. Besides, I think that’s her over there across the street.
John: Where? I don’t see her.
Matt: Under that big tree. Isn’t she the one kissing the sailor?
John: What! Gloria!

 

English Expressions- Describing personality

 Descriptions of people are not limited to physical descriptions but also to their character and personality. There are a number of expressions that can be used when asking about someone’s personality or character.                          

What’s (… your room mate) like?
She’s very friendly, but shy.

What kind of ( … boss) do you have?
He’s very intelligent, but very demanding and somewhat of a perfectionist.

What kind of personality do ( … you look for in a spouse)?
Someone who is assertive, but not aggressive; outgoing, but not dominating; confident, but not insecure.

There are also countless words that can be used to describe a persons personality and character. Look at some of them below.

shy                              outgoing                     demanding                 easy going
confident                     insecure                     pushy                          laid back
domineering                meek                          intelligent                    stupid
attentive                      neglectful                    concerned                  carefree
passionate                  indifferent                    hot blooded                mellow
strict                            lenient                         tolerant                       intolerant

 

Conversation Activities

1. Pair Work
     Working with a partner, describe people (family, friends, classmates, teachers, well known
     personalities in your country) you know to your partner. Your partner should ask questions
     to get more details or information. Include in your description the persons:

* height and weight
* eye and hair color
* hair style
* approximate age
* any distinguishing features  (beard, scars, dimples, freckles, tattoos,  etc.)
* type of clothes they normally wear

2. Group work- A fashion show
     Get into groups of 6-8 students. Select one person from each group as moderator. As a group, write
     descriptions of the people in the group. Include in the descriptions the items below.

          The moderator should introduce and give a physical description of the models. The models should
          describe in detail what they are wearing as they walk down the runway. Use as many adjectives as
          possible in your descriptions. Once the descriptions are complete, have a fashion show in the
          the classroom. Have fun.

* approximate height
* approximate weight
* eye color
* hair color and style
* distinguishing marks (scar, beard, dimples, etc.)
* if they have glasses (describe the glasses)
* also describe what the people are wearing, including the color, style, and brand of clothing