Unit 4
Describing people and things.
Describing people.
One of the ways that we can describe people is by the way they look, or their appearance. We can tell how tall they are, what hair color they have or their weight etc.
1. Listening and speaking.
At a school. Track 40
Susan: Chuck. Do you know that tall man with the mustache standing near the
door?
Chuck: It’s Mr. Baker, a teacher’s assistant. He just started working here for a few
weeks.
Susan: What’s he like?
Chuck: He is a hard worker who has a good sense of humor. I guess he’s still
single.
Susan: Do you think he is interesting?
Chuck: Come on. I’ll introduce him to you.
2. Language focus.
Appearances.
Hair
blond light brown brown red auburn
gray black brunette pepper and salt
Q: What color of hair does she / he have?
A: He / she has blond hair.
His / her hair is blond.
Q: What kind of hair does he / she have?
A: He / she has curly hair.
Hi / her hair is curly.
straight wavy curly thick thin short
long pulled back bald part on the side
short shoulder length
Eyes
big small narrow
Q: What is the size and color of his / her eyes?
A: His / her eyes are narrow and black.
He / she has narrow black eyes.
Nose
big small hawk pointed prominent
perfect stubby turned up snub
lat broad
Q: What kind of nose does he / she have?
A: He / she has a pointed nose.
His / her nose is pointed.
Lips
thick thin sexy
Q: What kind of lips does he / she have?
A: He / she has thin lips.
His / her lips are thin.
Ears
big small long pointed
Q: What kind of ears does he / she have?
A: He / she has big ears.
His / her ears are big.
Face
round long thin triangular square
oval chubby wide broad angular cherubic
Q: What kind of face does he / she have?
A: He / she has a round face.
His / her face is round.
Characteristics of the face
rosy cheek dark / light complexion freckles beard
sideburns mustache pointed jaw high cheekbones
Q: Are there any characteristics about his / her face?
A: He / she has a freckled face.
His / her face is freckled.
Complexion
fair brown black dark tan light
His / her skin is tan.
He / she has fair skin.
Body or build
skinny / thin / slim chubby / stocky / pudgy
stout / plump heavy / medium build / average build
obese / fat slender / well build
Q: How is he / she build?
A: She is a chubby girl.
He is of average build.
Looks
handsome beautiful good looking cheerful
sad happy stern kind
attractive pretty / cute / lovely
He is a good looking guy.
She is a beautiful girl.
Height
short fairly short medium height
pretty tall tall
Age
Young
Teens (between 13 and 19)
Middle aged (between 40 and 60)
Elderly (over 70)
In his / her (twenties, thirties, forties, etc.)
Q: How old is he / she / name?
What is her age?
A: He is in his (early) teens.
She is in her (mid) twenties.
(late) fifties.
Clothing and other accessories.
The following terms may often be used in describing people:
Men’s clothing Woman’s clothing
long-sleeved shirt long-sleeved blouse
short-sleeved shirt short-sleeved blouse
t-shirt (undershirt) skirt / miniskirt
sing letdress
belt / suspenders / bracesevening dress
long pants (trousers, slacks)shorts
short pants (shorts)nylon stockings
sockshigh-heeled shoes
shoes / bootslow-heeled / flat shoes
loaferstennis / running shoes
tennis / running shoessneakers
sneakerssandals
sandalsflip-flops
flip-flopsjacket
jacket / sports jackethat
suitcoat
tiesuit / jumpsuit
hat / capbelt
coat / raincoat
jeans, Levi’s
Men’s accessories Woman’s accessories
briefcase (attaché case)purse (handbag;
umbrellapocketbook)
shoulder bagumbrella
handkerchiefshoulder bag
walletscarf / handkerchief /
shawl
Men’s jewelry Woman’s jewelry
ringearrings
pendent / amuletnecklace
tie clippin / brooch / amulet
chain braceletbracelet
cufflinks ring
Woman’s makeup
eye shadow / liner
mascara
powder
rouge
lipstick
finger / toenail polish
Asking for someone’s appearance.
What does he / she look like?
What is he / she like?
Who is (name)?
Which one is (name)?
Answering
He / she is the one with …
He / she is the one wearing …
Word order:
She’s tall and slim, with long, wavy, dark hair.
He’s medium height, and has a long, thin face and beard.
She’s got a wide face and short, fair hair.
Dialog 1: Track 41
Ann: What does Peter look like?
Jenny: He’s about six feet tall and thin. He is bald, has blue eyes, a mustache, and
round glasses. He’s wearing a blue shirt, yellow tie and a dark blue suit.
Dialog 2: Track 42
Anne: Who’s Andy?
Jenny: He’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt. He’s got short blond hair.
Dialog 3: Track 43
Anne: Who is the short, slim woman with long, blond hair and glasses?
Jenny: That’s my older sister, Tina.
Anne: And who’s the tall, heavy man with curly dark hair and a mustache?
Jenny: That’s my uncle, Jim.
Personality or attitude:
nosy (un) sociable serious fussy calm
talkative helpful easygoing optimistic pessimistic
placid light-hearted friendly
A person who doesn’t like dogs or cats.
cruel aggressive narrow minded allergic to animal fur
It was cruel of him to treat the animals so badly.
A student who has to get straight A’s.
strongly determined self confident very high expectation
careful careless
William is strongly determined. He promised his mother that he had to get an A in this semester.
A teacher who is never late for class.
punctual not punctual
on time in time
responsible irresponsible
devote one’s time to do something.
My teacher is a punctual person. He devotes his time to teach his students.
A boy would rather spend his time playing tennis than studying.
sports maniac athlete athletic physical fitness intelligence
3. Activity
3.1 Cut out some pictures or people from magazines – pop stars, sportsmen, TV
stars.
Exercises:
- Use the lists below to describe their appearance or how they look.
- Pair work: one student can write down a description from a picture and the
other student must guess who it is.
- Describe yourself, another student, your teacher.
HeightBuild Age
tall, tallish, short, frail, stocky, slim, thin, young, elderly,
medium heightplump, fat, skinny middle-aged, teenager,
well build in the 20s, 30s, 40s
Face Eyes Hair Clothes
round, oval, square,big, round blue eyes, bald, straight, casual, scruffy,
with scars, wrinkles, large, small,curly, spiky, shabby, smart,
freckles, sun-tanned,bright, narrowwavy
pale
3.2 Describing character. – What’s he like? Is she nice?
Exercises:
- Use the words in the box to describe what your friends, family and teachers are like.
- In pairs: one student writes down a description and the other student must
guess who it is.
careful, aggressive, dull, generous, energetic,
hard working, tough, boring, loyal, confident,
worried, careless, imaginative, self controlled, selfish,
cheerful, practical, ambitious, moody, shy,
broadminded, sensible, crafty, trusting, stubborn,
active, independent, sensitive, modest, reliable,
curious, strong-minded, gentle, tolerant, clumsy,
secretive, stupid, naive, friendly, intelligent.
3.3 Group work. What do you think are the three most important qualities for
- a friend?
- a wife or husband?
Choose these adjectives or use adjectives of your own.
easygoing generous independent smart
sociable reliable hardworking serious
patient funny famous rich
Talk about them like this:
I think a friend should be ______
It’s important for a husband to be______
4. Situation Role-play.
Try the role-play.
Student A: You are a daughter/a son asking your mother for permission to take
you’re boyfriend/girlfriend to her birthday party next week. Your
mother has never seen him/her before. Describe him/her to your mother.
Student B: You are a mother who wants to know what her daughter’s / sons
boyfriend / girlfriend are like.
5. Writing.
5.1 Describe the people in the following pictures.
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
5.2 Work with a partner. Describe a classmate without giving his/her name.
Your partner must try to guess who it is. Take turns describing your
classmates.
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Describing things:
1. Listening and speaking. Track 44
In the lost and found office of the sky train:
Passenger: Excuse me. I lost my briefcase yesterday on the sky train from Asoke.
Attendant: Well, can you describe it to me, please?
Passenger: Uh… it’s a rectangular black briefcase and it’s got the logo of “FN”
on the front. Oh! It’s made of leather. It’s not very old.
Attendant: How big is it?
Passenger: It’s about 15 inches long and four inches thick, I think.
Attendant: What was inside it?
Passenger: Some documents and important papers.
2. Language focus.
Vocabulary:
square straight rectangle bent
triangle leather circular plastic
sphere pottery cylinder wood
Group the following words in the suitable column. Three examples have been
given.
wood narrow loop bent straight
thin metal circular long leather
hook rectangular paper glass square
thick sharp sphere triangular tube
spiral round plastic pottery
size shape material
Example:
narrow square plastic
______
3. Structure.
1. A triangle consists of three straight sides.
A rectangle has four 90° angles like a square, but two opposite sides are longer
than the other two sides.
2. Balls are spherical in shape.
Water pipes are cylindrical in shape.
That square box is made of wood.
Complete the following table with the correct parts of speech of the words.
4. Activity.
Play “The Twenty-Question” game. One person in the class thinks of an object and is only using only yes/no as an answer. Only twenty questions are allowed.
Example:
Is it made of metal?
Does it consist of three straight sides?
Is it rectangular in shape?
Is it used for cutting wood?
Situation role-play.
You’ve just won the lottery and you want to buy a new motorcycle, which is powerful and economical. Your partner is a clerk at the motorcycle shop. Make up a dialog and play the role.
5. Reading.
1. The ladder is made of wood or metal. It usually consists of two long thin pieces and
several much shorter pieces. The shorter pieces are fixed at regular intervals
between the longer pieces and hold these two pieces together. This object is very
useful if you need to paint or repair buildings above the ground floor.
2. The brief case is rectangular and consists of several pieces of plastic and leather
joined together along their edges. One of these pieces is used as a handle for
carrying the objects. It is hollow and it usually has a lock to keep the things inside
safe.
“What are they?’ Read the descriptions of the objects and match the given picture with the descriptions.
abc
de
____ 1. This object is a thin piece of stiff metal. One end is very sharp,
and at the other end, there is a small hole. It is used to make
and mending clothes.
____ 2. This is usually made of plastic. It is rectangular in shape and is
normally about 12 inches long. It is used for measuring or for
drawing straight lines.
____ 3. This is normally made of wood with a piece of graphite inside.
One end needs to be sharp for the object to work.
____ 4. This object consists of two narrow pieces of metal, which are
joined more or less at the middle. Both pieces of metal have a
sharp edge and a loop at one end.
____ 5. This object is made of a piece of paper folded into a rectangle.
It’s thick enough so that another paper or card can be put inside
it. There is a flap on one side which can be stuck down. It’s used
for sending letters.
6. Writing.
Describe an object to your partner without telling what it is. Let him/her
guess what it is. Take turns.
______
Describing places.
1. Listening and speaking. Track 45
Alex: Hi, John. I’ve heard you moved last month. Are you happy in you new
house?
John: Yes, I love it very much. It’s a good place to live.
Alex: What is your new house like?
John: Well, it’s a two-storey wooden house with a low white wooden fence.
Alex: Oh, is it big?
John: Yes, it’s quite big and comfortable, too.
Alex: How many rooms are there altogether?
John: There are three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms.
Alex: Is there a garage?
John: No, but I plan to build a small one in front of the garden.
Alex: Oh, it has a garden too?
John: Of course, that’s the loveliest place of the house, you know?
I planted some roses and African violets.
Alex: Wow! What a fantastic house you’ve got!
2. Language focus.
Vocabulary:
modern garage
comfortablebalcony
old-fashionedbasement
fully furnishedluxurious
single-storeychandelier
European styledecorate
3. Structures.
1. A: What is your new house like?
the living room
the apartment
B: It’s a (an) single-storey house.
modern concrete flat.
fully-furnished apartment.
unfurnished townhouse.
traditional Thai style building.
2. A: How far is your house from downtown?
flat from the airport?
place from the bus terminal?
apartment from the train station?
townhouse from the supermarket?
B: It’s about 20 km away.
It’s a ten minute walk.
4. Activity.
4.1Study the dialog “A” and talk to your partner. Then complete the dialog “B”
with your own words.
Dialog A. Track 46
A: What’s your new apartment like?
B: Well, I live in a nine-storey apartment building in Chiangmai.
A: How many rooms do you have?
B: Three. There is a big bedroom, a living room and a bathroom.
A: There isn’t a kitchen, is there?
B: No, there isn’t.
A: Where do you prepare your meals then?
B: I don’t prepare my own meals. I always eat out.
Dialog B (with your own words).
A: What’s your new house like?
B: ______
A: How many rooms are there?
B: ______
A: ______
B: Yes, it has.
A: Are you happy living there?
B: ______
4.2 Talk to your partner about accommodation.
5. Situation role-play:
Make up a dialog and demonstrate the role-play.
Student A: You are looking for a house or an apartment to rent. You want
to know the information about the house. Ask your partner
about it.
Student B: You own a house for rent. Give the information about it to
your partner.
6. Writing
Describe the following pictures of these three rooms.
______
______
______