How to describe people How to describe a

How to describe people

How to describe a person’s physical appearance

GENERAL QUESTIONS: �PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ØWhat does he/she look like? �PERSONALITY ØWhat is he/she like?

GENERAL DESCRIPTION DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S APPEARANCE �� Age �� Height �� Build �� Face �� Eyes �� Hair �� Skin

GENERAL DESCRIPTION �Beautiful is generally used to describe women; �Handsome is used to describe men; �Good-looking and attractive are used for both. Pretty is another positive word to describe a woman (often a girl), meaning ‘attractive and nice to look at.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION �Being tactful when you're describing people: People can be sensitive about their body shape or age, so be careful when you're describing people. In particular, three words that can cause offense are "fat", "thin" and "old". �Using "a bit“, "a little“ or “quite” before adjectives can make what you say sound more tactful. �Examples: � (X) She’s fat. "He's a little heavy" "She's a bit overweight"

AGE �We often describe a person’s age so the person we are talking to will have an idea of what someone look like. �Sometimes, we don't know, or don't care about someone's exact age but if you want to talk about someone's age in a general way, this phrase is used: � (someone) is in (their) early, mid, or late (decade. )

AGE 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 early mid � Examples: late ◦ She's in her teens. ◦ He's in his early twenties. ◦ She's in her mid-thirties. ◦ He's in his late forties. � These can also be written as 20's, 30's, 40's and so on. � Sample sentences: � A: Do you know how old Mary is? � B: I think she is in her early 30’s. I think she is around your age.

She’s teenager She’s young

She’s middle-aged She’s elderly

HEIGHT He is of average / normal / medium height. He is relatively normal height. He is short. He is quite/ a bit short. . He is tall. He is very tall.

BUILD �People are built in all shapes and sizes. There are those who are fat and overweight. �Some people are extremely overweight and are obese. Other people are naturally slim, but others have absolutely no fat on them and are thin, or skinny.

� Other words for describing people and build are: stocky = small, but well-built lean = with very little fat wiry = quite thin, but muscular athletic / well-proportioned curvaceous (for a woman) / an hour-glass figure (Like a 1940's film star!) fit = healthy / active. flabby = when your muscles go soft � Alternatives to "fat" overweight / heavy / plump / a bit chubby (chubby is especially used for children) curvy /curvaceous (for women) / well-built / a big man (for men) � Alternatives to "thin" slim = no fat, but not skinny slender / petite (especially for women) wiry = without an inch of fat

Skinny Slim Fit

Overweight/ Heavy Muscular/ Well-built Plump

Face

She has a round face She has an oval face

Eyes Color

This is a black eye!

Hair � Hair color � Hair style � Hair length

Hair color black dark brown brunette light brown

Hair color blonde red grey/gray

Hair style straight wavy curly

Hair style bald spiky fringe/ bangs

Hair length short medium length/ shoulder length long

Skin complexion pale fair olive

Skin complexion tanned brown/ light brown dark

Other features freckles mustache beard

Other features wrinkles dimples

Color �You are born with a colour white or Caucasian, black or Asian. �People whose parents are of different ethnic origin are mixed-race. �Southern Europeans are sometimes described as a Mediterranean.

Two general rule �Order of adjectives �Be/have

Be/ have �Height, age, build: ◦ Use verb to be �Face, eyes, hair, skin: ◦ Use have/ have got

Examples �What does your father look like? �He is short. �He has brown hair and dark skin. �What �She does your mother look like? is tall. She is beautiful �She has long hair and fair skin.

Other examples �He is good-looking. He is in his early 30’s. He is tall with short, straight hair. �She is beautiful. She is in her mid 40’s. She is of average height, medium length, and curly brown hair with blue eyes. �She looks like her dad. �He takes after his mother. �*take after someone/ resemble= to look similar to an older member of your family in appearance or character.

Activity Describe the picture….