TALLER: DESCRIBING PEOPLE & COMPARISONS

WORKSHOP

Centro Comercio y Servicios

Regional Cauca

Describing people & Comparisons

Goals of Workshop:

 Learn to describe physical appearance and personality.

 Be able to compare things, people among others.

 Use accurately comparatives & superlatives when necessary.

GC-F -005 V. 04
 PRACTICE 1:
PRACTICE
ACTIVITY 1: Check the reading and answer the questions
ACTIVITY 1: Check the reading and answer the questions.

THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER
Hello everyone! My name is Lucy and this is my beloved grandfather!
His name is Tim and he is my best friend. My grandfather is sixty-four
years old and he is retired now, so he has plenty of time to be and play
with me. I love him very much and I know he loves me too. We usually
spend a lot of time together.
He is a widow and he lives with me, my father, my mother and my
brother Kevin. We live in a big house in Fort Collins, Colorado. My
grandfather is a very tall and strong man! Can you see me on his
shoulders in this picture? He is really strong! My grandfather is a
patient and caring man and sometimes I think he is a magician. He’s
always guessing what I want to do or to eat or what I feel inside!…
When I am sad, he always makes me laugh with his funny faces. He puts
me on his shoulders, he tells me many stories (I know they are
imaginary, but I pretend they are real!), he even sings for me!
Everyday my grandfather Tim prepares my breakfast, he drives me
school and picks me up at the end of classes, he helps me with my school
work, he takes me to the swimming-pool, he plays chess with me and he
counts the stars with me. You know, my grandfather is the only grown-
up I know who truly understands me. I love him very much!

A
Match the words from the text with
their equivalent on the right. C Answer the questions about the text.

beloved ● ● well-built 1. How old is Lucy’s grandfather?

big ● ● tolerant _______________________________
strong ● ● large 2. Who is Kevin?
patient ● ● loving
_______________________________
caring ● ● adored
3. Where does Lucy live?
funny ● ● make-believe
imaginary ● ● unreal _______________________________
pretend ● ● adult 4. Is Lucy’s grandfather strong?
grown-up ● ● comic _______________________________
5. Why does Lucy think he is a magician?
B True or False? Correct the false ones. _______________________________

1. Lucy’s grandfather is named John. 6. What does Lucy’s grandfather do when

______________________________ she is sad?

2. He is a teacher. _______________________________

______________________________ 7. Does her grandfather tell her true or real

3. They spend a lot of time together. stories?

______________________________ _______________________________

4. Lucy has got a sister. 8. How does Lucy go to school?

______________________________ _______________________________

5. Her grandfather lives alone. 9. Who prepares Lucy’s breakfast?

______________________________ _______________________________
_
ACTIVITY 2: My Fabulous Sister
MY FABULOUS SISTER
Are the statements true (), false () or
doesn’t it say (∅ )?
1 Sophia is a student.
2 She looks like her mother.
3 She is extremely tall.
4 Her legs are long.
5 The boys don’t like her.
6 She’s very intelligent.
7 Sophia goes to Oxford University.
8 She is a positive character.
9 She doesn’t have a lot of friends.
10 In her free time she does some sports.
Answer the questions.
1 What does Sophia do?
____________________________________
2 Where does she study?
____________________________________
3 How can you describe her?
____________________________________
4 What is her attitude to her friends?
____________________________________
5 Why are her parents proud of her?
____________________________________
Match the pictures to the words.
1 2 3 4
6 7 8 9
11 12 13
old / strong / cheerful / ugly / sad / clever / short / beautiful /
thin / young /
small / fat / weak / big / tall
Hi Friends! Let
me introduce my sister.
Her name is Sophia and
she is 23 years old. She
is absolutely beautiful!
The boys are very fond
of her!
She has got long black hair, blue eyes and a pretty
little nose. Her eyelashes are extremely long. She’s got
very nice white teeth. She’s about 176 cm tall and she
weighs 56 kg. She’s slim and she has got long legs, but
her feet are quite small.
She goes to university where she studies economics.
Sophia is very clever that’s why she gets a lot of money
from various scholarships.
I can’t mention any negative features about her. She’s
very kind, she pays attention to her friends (she has
many!). She’s usually cheerful and likes jokes a lot.
My sister is very helpful. She helps me with my
homework and always helps my parents around the
house.
In her free time she works as a model for a big and
famous company.
She often goes jogging to keep herself fit and healthy.
My parents are very proud of her.
Complete the sentences.
1 Sophia _____________ blue eyes and long
5 black hair.
2 Her ____________ are extremely long.
3 At the university she studies __________.
4 In her free time she __________ as a
10
model.
5 Her parents are proud _______ her.
14 15 Complete: is or has got.
1 My friend ____ tall.
2 His hair _____ short.
3 Fred _______ short hair.
4 The model’s nose ________ pretty.
5 She _______ a small nose.
6 The old woman _______ quite fat.
7 His boss _________ a big head.

WHO IS WHO?
Hello! My name is Karen.
I’ve got dark, shoulder-
length hair. I’m wearing a
yellow T-shirt and a red
sleeveless dress. My shoes
are light yellow and I’m
wearing a cap.
I’m six years old.
Hello! My name is
Jennifer. I’ve got long
wavy brown hair. I’m
wearing a red hairband
with a dotted bow. I’m
wearing a denim skirt and
a red and blue striped T-
shirt. I’m seven years old.
ACTIVITY 3:
Hello! My name is Patrick.
I’m Michael’s best friend.
I’ve got short brown hair.
I’m wearing red shorts, a
blue T-shirt and a pair of
dark blue plimsolls. I’m ten
years old.
Hello! My name is Alice.
I’ve got fair hair and it’s
quite short. I’m wearing a
light and dark blue striped
T-shirt and denim Bermudas.
I’m also wearing blue socks
and dark blue plimsolls. I’m
eleven years old.
Read the descriptions and
write the names in the boxes.
Hello! My name is
Michael. I’m Kevin’s elder
cousin. I’m quite plump.
I’ve got dark curly hair.
I’m wearing blue jeans, a
green T-shirt and green
trainers. I’m nine years
old.
Hello! My name is Kevin.
I’m Michael’s cousin. I’ve
got short fair hair and
freckles. I’m wearing blue
jeans, a navy blue and
white striped T-shirt and
navy blue trainers. I’m
eight years old.
 ACTIVITY 4: Fill in the blanks

Pedro Sombrero Pete Baldy Sen Cypress

 chubby Pedro Sombrero is the …………………. boss of the

 gold tooth Mexican Mafia. Pedro has a ………………... Everyone
can see it when he laughs. He wears a ……………….
 moustache His …………… is fat and he has a huge ………………..
 face He always wears a sombrero …………………….

 double chin
 hat Pete Baldy is a computer hacker. The police wants him
for hacking into the Pentagon’s web server. Peter
 black-rimmed
shaves his ………………… every two days. That’s why
glasses
his nickname is Baldy. He wears ………………………...
 sleeveless shirt …………. He always wears a …………..………………...
 head
 baseball cap Sen Cypress is a drug pusher in Los Angeles. He
wears a white ……………………. sideways. He wears a
 goatie beard
moustache and a ………………………. He has huge
 mean look eyes and a ………………………... His nose is small.
 MEAN SHY INTELLIGENT POLITE

TALKATIVE GENEROUS HARD-WORKING OUTGOING

LAZY TIDY RUDE BRAVE

AGGRESSIVE QUIET SENSITIVE MESSY

COWARD SILLY PEACEFUL AFFECTIONATE

ACTIVITY5: Fill in the gaps with one of the adjectives above.

1. The children never do their homework. They’re very .............................. .

2. It’s impossible to say anything to him. One word and he starts crying. He is so
................................ !
3. My grandfather was a very................................... man. He fought in the Spanish
Civil War and he was never afraid.

4. Tom is very .................................. . He gives money to charity every month.

 5. Peter never goes to parties and he hardly ever talks to others, he is so
.................... !

6. My mother is a very ............................. woman. She is always interceding in our

fights and telling us that we have to solve our problems by talking.

7. Mary is a very .................................. girl. She never interrupts in class and raises
her hand whenever she wants to ask a question.

8. I think he is an extremely ................................ boy. He is always laughing at

stupid things and never understands the lesson.

9. William never stops talking in class. He’s very .................................. .

10. My sister is a very ................................ little girl. She’s always kissing and hugging
us.

 Find an appropriate adjective for each of the following

ACTIVITY 6:
descriptions:

1. Insulting or uncivil, discourteous.

2. One who shows fear in the face of danger or pain.

3. Dirty, confused or untidy.

4. Susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or

circumstances of others.

5. Mentally acute, bright, clever.

6. Making little or no noise, calm.

7. Sociable and responsive to others, friendly.

8. Inclined to behave in an actively hostile manner.

 7: Match one of the adjectives 1-9 to their antonym a-i:
ACTIVITY 

1. SILLY a. SHY
2. GENEROUS b. MESSY
3. TALKATIVE c. COWARD
4. PEACEFUL d. INTELLIGENT
5. TIDY e. POLITE
6. BRAVE f. HARD-WORKING
7. OUTGOING g. MEAN
8. RUDE h. AGGRESSIVE
9. LAZY i. QUIET

ACTIVITY 8: Now write a personality description of a person you know using
some of the adjectives you have learnt. You can also include
some physical features.
 Adjectives: comparative and superlative

1. Complete the chart with the comparatives and superlatives:

Adjective Comparative Superlative
long longer than the longest
fast faster than
pretty the prettiest
beautiful more beautiful than
ugly uglier than
thin the thinnest
fashionable more fashionable than
 

2. Write the comparative:

a. old ……………………………………….. f. good………………………………………..

b. strong ……………………………………...g. large ……………………………………….

c. happy……………………………………… h. serious ………………………………………

d. modern…………………………………….. i. pretty ………………………………………

e. important…………………………………… j. bad ………………………………………..

3. Complete the sentences with a superlative:

a. This building is very old. It’s the oldest building in the town.

b. It was a very happy day. It was…………………………………..of my life.

c. It’s a very good film. It’s ………………………………….I’ve seen.

d. It was a very bad mistake. It was……………………………………. in my life.

e. It was a very cold day. It was ……………………………………..of the year.

f. She’s a popular singer. She’s ……………………………………….in the country.

g. He’s a very boring person. He’s ……………………………………….I know.

h. This house is very big. It is …………………………………………I’ve lived in.

i. My cousin is very tall. He is …………………………………………I have.

j. Laura is a very pretty girl. She is ……………………………………….I know.

 
4. Choose the correct answer:

a. Tom’s car is as big as / the biggest his friend’s.

b. Who is shorter than / the shortest person in your family?

c. Who is more independent than / the most independent person you know?

d. These sofas are more comfortable than / the most comfortable ours.

e. My brother is taller than / the tallest in the class.

f. Is Jason’s dog older than / the oldest yours?

g. Who is the best / better than singer in the world?

h. We are younger than / the youngest the rest of the class.

i. My hair is the straightest / straighter than your hair.

j. He is more popular / the most popular singer in the world.

 

5. Write the sentences in the correct order:

a. taller / than / Gary / Rick / is.

Gary is taller than Rick.

b. trousers / John / got / has / new / light.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….
c. Mary / clothes / likes / bigger
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
d. an / expensive / Rick / wearing / coat / is
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
e. the / Carol / has / scarf / got / shortest
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
f. the / student / he / tallest / is
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
g. actress / Mary / the / was / popular / most
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
h. He / the / was / footballer / best
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
i. plays / than / better / you / Mary
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

a. Carol is as good (good) as you at sport.

b. We like wearing the _______________________(late) fashion.

c. These trousers are ____________________ (comfortable) than those jeans.

d. She is ______________________ (happy) now than he was last year.

e. You are the ________________________ (pretty) girl in class.

f. My grandma is _______________________ (old) than my grandpa.

g. The red dress is the ______________________ (attractive) in the shop.

h. I always tell the _______________________ (fun) jokes.

i. Your hair is ____________________ (curly) than my hair.

j. My hair is ______________________ (short) than yours.

 

7. Underline the superlative form of the adjectives.

a. The elephant is bigger / the biggest animal.

b. My birthday is the happiest / happier day in the year.

c. Maths is more difficult / the most difficult subject in school.

d. Football is the funniest / funnier sport.

e. Australia is smaller / the smallest continent.

8. Choose the correct form of the adjectives.

a. Basketball is more popular / the most popular than horse-riding.

b. Amy is shorter / the shortest girl in my class.

c. Surfing is more dangerous / the most dangerous than tennis.

d. Science is more interesting / the most interesting subject at school.

e. Santiago Segura is fatter / the fattest than Tom Cruise.