Archive Language Point 1

Language Point
Describing people
Tim and Helen at the airport

To talk about people's appearance or personality you can use:

be + adjective

Verb:
To be Adjective
I'm slim
He's well-built
She's matronly
You're handsome
We're extroverted
They're shy
To talk about physical characteristics you can use:
have got + (adjective) + noun

Verb:
Have got (Adjective)
+ Noun
I've got hazel eyes
He's got a shaved head
She's got gorgeous black hair
You've got a five o'clock shadow
We've got green eyes
They've got long legs
Some adjectives have a negative connotation (or feeling) and some are more neutral:

NegativeNeutral
fat plump or large
skinny slim
spinster single
To ask about someone's appearance you can use:
do + look like?

Verb:
To do Look like?
What do I look like?
do you
does he/she/it
do they
To ask about someone's personality you can use:
be + like?

Verb:
To be Like?
What am I like?
are you
is he/she/it
are we
are they
Vocabulary:
a five o'clock shadow:
is a kind of beard or moustache (but not a full beard or moustache) that a man gets if he doesn't shave for a
day or two

matronly (adj):
an older woman who is plump
bald (adj):
a person with no hair. A person can have a shaved head if s/he is bald or if s/he has hair but chooses to
shave it off

extroverted (adj):
a confident person who enjoys being with other people

QuickTimeª and a
TIFF (sin comprimir) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Episode 1: At the airport

Helen: What does Michal look like?
Tim: Well, he's tall and well built. He's got brown eyes and a shaved head.
Helen: Is he handsome?
Tim: Of course he is! He's my cousin.
Helen: And what's he like? Is he like you too?
Tim: No, he's quite shy really.
Helen: Oh look! Is that him?
Tim: Yeah! Michal! Michal! He's crying. I wonder what's wrong.

BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates – Quiz – Describing people

You can try the quiz online at:

http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates/episode01/quiz.shtml

For each of the six questions choose the one correct answer.

1. She's tall and slim and ...

a. have got green eyes
b. has got eyes green
c. has got green eyes
d. green eyes

2. Some people think my dad's quite ...

a. matronly
b. handsome
c. built well
d. shaved head

3. "He's really funny" is the answer. What's the question?

a. What is he like?
b. What does he like?
c. What does he look like?
d. What like is he?

4. "He's gorgeous - he's tall and he's got big brown eyes." What are the three "he's"
short for in that sentence?
a. he is, he is and he is
b. he is, he is and he has
c. he is, he has and he has
d. he has, he has and he has

5. She loves going to parties, meeting new people and being the centre of attention.
She's ...
a. shy
b. friendful
c. introvert
d. extrovert

6. "What does she look like?" is the question. What's the answer?
a. She likes Italian food.
b. She's shy.
c. She's tall and slim.
d. She looks like tall and slim.

BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates – Quiz – Describing people

Answers

1. She's tall and slim and ...

a. have got green eyes – Wrong - you can't use 'have' with 'she'.
b. has got eyes green – Wrong - the words are in the wrong order.
c. has got green eyes – Correct - you use 'have/has got' to describe people's
appearance.
d. green eyes – Wrong - you need a verb with 'green eyes'.

2. Some people think my dad's quite ...

a. matronly – Wrong - you use 'matronly' to describe a woman, not a man.
b. handsome – Correct - you use 'handsome' to say someone is good looking
c. built well – Wrong - the words are in the wrong order.
d. shaved head – Wrong - you can say 'He's got a shaved head' but not 'He's shaved
head'.

3. "He's really funny" is the answer. What's the question?

a. What is he like? – Correct - this is the question you use to ask about
someone's personality.
b. What does he like? – Wrong - you use this question to ask about someone's
preferences.
c. What does he look like? – Wrong - you use this question to ask about someone's
appearance.
d. What like is he? – Wrong - the words are in the wrong order.

4. "He's gorgeous - he's tall and he's got big brown eyes." What are the three "he's"
short for in that sentence?
a. he is, he is and he is – Wrong - look at 'he's got brown eyes' again.
b. he is, he is and he has – Correct.
c. he is, he has and he has – Wrong - look at 'he's tall' again.
d. he has, he has and he has – Wrong - look at 'he's gorgeous' and 'he's tall' again.

5. She loves going to parties, meeting new people and being the centre of attention.
She's ...
a. shy – Wrong - this doesn't describe someone who likes to be with people.
b. friendful – Wrong - there is no word 'friendful' in English.
c. introvert – Wrong - this doesn't describe someone who likes to be with people.
d. extrovert – Correct - this describes someone who likes to be with people.

6. "What does she look like?" is the question. What's the answer?
a. She likes Italian food – Wrong – this answers the question "What does she like?".
b. She's shy – Wrong - this answers the question "What is she like?"
c. She's tall and slim - Correct – this is the right question to find out about her
appearance.
d. She looks like tall and slim – Wrong – you don't need 'like' in the answer.