DESCRIBING PEOPLE

⮚ Label ALL the paragraphs with headings that state what each of them is about.
⮚ Complete the outline that organizes the information of the body paragraphs. Remember the
outline is what you write BEFORE writing any composition.
⮚ A CLOSE FRIEND
(………………: What information should I include here? ……………………………………………………
⮚
…………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………
⮚
Sammy⮚has been my close friend for ten years. I first met her when I had just moved to the city of Buenos
Aires. I⮚asked her way to the library, and we started talking. She told me she was French and that she was also
⮚
new in town. We immediately hit it off and that’s why we’ve been friends ever since.
⮚
⮚
(1st BODY/DEVELOPMENTAL PARAGRAPH: …………………………………..
⮚
⮚ should you include here? ………………………………………… )
What info
⮚
Regarding
⮚ her physical appearance, Sammy is beautiful. Firstly, she’s got a lovely figure. Actually, she is tall
⮚
and slender with athletic appearance. She also has a glowing and fresh complexion. For instance, her milky
⮚
face with rosy cheeks makes her resemble a doll. Secondly, like many French people, she has a great sense of
⮚
style. In fact, she is always well-dressed even in casual clothes. Clearly, my friend is gorgeous.
⮚
⮚
(2nd BODY/DEVELOPMENTAL PARAGRAPH: …………………………………..
⮚
⮚ should you include here? ………………………………………… )
What info
⮚
As for ⮚ Sammy’s personality, she’s very outgoing and generous. To begin with, she is friendly and loves to
⮚
have fun. She makes friends easily and enjoys hanging out with them whenever she can. Sammy is also a
⮚
friend who
⮚ is always willing to lend you a hand. For instance, I know I can count on her whenever I feel sad
and worried.
⮚ Actually, she always devotes her time to listening to me and helping me to sort out my problems.
⮚ considered, Sammy doesn’t find it difficult to socialize and support her friends in need.
All things
⮚
(3rd BODY/DEVELOMENTAL PARAGRAPH: …………………………………..

What info should you include here? …………………………………………… )

When it comes to her hobbies, Sammy enjoys all type of challenging activities. First of all, she´s keen on
risky water sports. For example, she loves scuba diving and kayaking. In fact, she is part of an outing club
which organizes yearly competitions, and she has won many trophies with her kayak all around France.
Sammy loves strategy board games too. Chess is not a mental torture for her at all. She’s has played chess
from kinder and she’s so good at it that she often gives chess classes to her little neighbor kids. What’s
more, she is a fan of Monopoly. On weekends she invites friends to her place and after dinner, we all play
Monopoly for more than six hours! It´s obvious Sammy is into tasks that test her physical strength and
stimulate her intellect.

(………………….: What information should I include here?………………………………………………………

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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

All in all, I’m glad to have Sammy as my friend. It’s a pleasure to be with her and I really enjoy her company. I’m sure
 DESCRIBING PEOPLE

LABELS

✔ CONCLUSION
✔ INTRODUCTION
✔ HOBBIES AND INTERESTS OR ANY ACTIVITY THIS PERSON TAKES PART IN
✔ PERSONALITY
✔ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

INFO YOU SHOULD INCLUDE

✔ Comments and feelings about the person

✔ Name of the person, time and place where you met or saw her/him
✔ Most striking traits
✔ What he/she likes doing
✔ Height/ build, age, facial features, hair, clothes

OUTLINE:

Developmental paragraph #1

TS:……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1) Having a lovely figure

1.a …………………………………………………
1.b being slender
1.c …………………………………………………

2) Having a ………………………….. and glowing ………………………..

2.a having a milky face

2.b …………………………………………………………………….

3) ……………………………………………………………………………………

3.a Being well-dressed even in ………………………………………

CS: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Developmental paragraph #2

TS:……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1) Being friendly and loving to have fun

1.a …………………………………………………

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
1.b ……………………………………………….

2) ……………………………………………………………….

2.a devoting time to listening to and sorting out friends’ problems

CS: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Developmental paragraph #3

TS: When it comes to her hobbies, Sammy enjoys all type of challenging activities.

1) being keen on …………………………………….

1.a. …………………………………….. and ……………………….
1.b. ……………………………………………………………………

2) loving strategy games

2.a. …………………………………………………………

2.b. ………………………………………………………………

CS: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2) Re read the composition and answer the following questions:

a. What connecting phrases have been used to introduce each developmental paragraph?

b. What connecting words/phrases have been used to introduce supporting ideas?

c. What connecting words/phrases have been used to introduce supporting details?

d. What connecting words/phrases have been used to introduce concluding sentences?

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
e. What do the following expressions mean?

o Been keen on
o hit it off
o lend someone a hand
o being willing to
o count on
o sort out
o be into something

IMPORTANT

⮚ When you describe physical appearance, you have to start with general features (height,
build, age) and move to more specific ones such as hair, eyes, nose, etc.
She has beautiful, long, curly, blond hair.
He wears horrible, big, old, striped, brown, cotton, English suits.
⮚ When you describe someone´s personal qualities, you need to support your description with
examples or justifications.
e.g. Mike is very shy. He speaks in a soft voice as if he were whispering.

⮚ You can also describe someone’s personality through their mannerism by

- Referring to the way they speak
e.g. He speaks in a soft voice as if he were whispering.
- Describing gestures they use.
e.g. She constantly used her hands when she speaks.
- Mentioning a particular habit they have
e.g. Jason always bites her nails when he’s nervous.

⮚ Present tense is used to describe someone connected to the present.

Past tense is used to describe someone related to the past.
⮚ Don´t use slang.
⮚ Use a variety of expression

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE

HELPFUL VOCABULARY

BUILD
Slim, thin, muscular, well-built, overweight, plump/chubby, skinny, slender, petite, long-legged,
stocky, round-shouldered,
bull-necked, gawky, lanky, puny-looking, like a lamp-post, like a pipe cleaner, built like a barrel,
HEIGHT
Tallish, below/above average height, on the short side, tiny, a midget, knee height to a
grasshopper/ant
EARS
pieced, cauliflower
MOUTH
wide, mean
LIPS
thick, cherry, thin, full

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
EYES
slanted, almond-shaped, piercing, hazel, deep-set, puffy, dark
bushy, pencil-thin eyebrows
false, long eyelashes
NOSE
Snub, hook, thin, curved, crooked, freckled, straight, up-turned, broad
CHEEKS
Rosy, hollow,

CHIN
Pointed, doubled, spotty
HAIR
Straight, curly, shoulder-length, dark, blonde, ash-blonde, brunette, thick, wavy, balding,
Swept back, in a bun, back-combed, combed forwards, with a ponytail
Fastened with slides, grips, and ribbons, Hair in plaits
dreadlocks
COMPLEXION
Wrinkled, tanned, pale, freckled, vivid, flawless, sallow, clear, rosy
Other features
A wart, bags under the eyes, a beauty spot, freckles, a mole, a sore, a stye, spots/pimples, dimples,
a boil, a scar

BEHAVIOUR AND TRAITS

(NEGATIVE)
Unscrupulous (-) Blash(-) Calculating (-) Callous (-)
Cantankerous (-) Curt (-) Reckless (-) Fickle (-)
Ruthless (-) Sullen (-) Volatile (-) inquisitive(-)
Nosey (-) Lousy (-) Filthy (-) Wily (-)
Stubborn (-) Immoderate (-) Mulish (-) Stingy (-)
Parsimonious (-) Cunning (-) Sly (-) Sharp-tongued (-)
Unprincipled (-) Superficial (-) Impetuous (-) Pushy (-)
Garrulous (-) Taciturn (-) Aloof (-) Haughty (-)
Conceited (-) Disdainful (-) Unapproachable (-) Gullible (-)
Obstinate (-) Pig-headed (-) Diffident (-) Bossy (-)
Moody (-) Selfish (-) Fussy (-) Nasty (-)
Careless (-) Wasteful (-) Pessimistic (-) Intolerant (-)
Cheeky (-) Childish (-) A wimp (-) A snob (-)
A trouble maker (-) A couch potato (-) A spoilsport (-) A gate crasher (-)
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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
A has-been (-) A pain in the neck (-) An opportunist (-) A name-dropper (-)
boastful (-) a procrastinator (-) Shiftless (-) Slothful (-)

3). Match the adjectives with their justification.

He/she is

✔ Talkative ……………….
✔ Energetic ……………………..
✔ intelligent……………………
✔ bossy……………………
✔ rude……………………
✔ impatient……………………
✔ popular……………………
✔ cheerful……………………
✔ lazy……………………
✔ selfish ……………………

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE

a. Always buys family presents.

b. Doesn´t like working.
c. Always tells people what to do.
d. Wears smart clothes
e. Isn´t polite to other people.
f. Does well at school.
g. Is very active
h. Cares only about himself and does not share even his ideas with others
i. Never stops chatting
j. Hates waiting for anything
k. Always smiles
l. Is liked by anyone.

4). Complete these descriptions using adjectives from the list.

MOODY ENERGETIC GENEROUS CHEERFUL LAZY IMPATIENT AGGRESSIVE SELFISH

1 ……………………., 2 ……………………., 3 …………………….., 4 …………………,5…………………..

6……………………., 7………………………, 8 …………………………………….

5). Read the following descriptions of mannerism and match them with the adjectives below.

SHY LOVING INATTENTIVE AGGRESSIVE

a. Whenever Roger gets involved in an argument, he will shout and become very violent.
…………………………….
b. She is often seen with her children, holding them close, stroking their hair and speaking softly
to them. …………………………….
c. When everybody is busy studying, Shawn spends her time staring at the ceiling, yawning and
playing with her hair. …………………………….

d. She bushes when she talks to people she does not know and her palms sweat.
…………………………….

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
e. She always runs her fingers through her golden hair and admires her reflection in the mirror
before she goes on stage. …………………………….

6). Write SUPPORTING IDEAS with SUPPORTING DETAILS for the following TOPIC SENTENCES
which introduce different developmental paragraphs. Complete the outline and then write the
paragraphs. Use connectors and what you have leant so far.

TS: Physically, Clara looks younger than most other women in her late sixties.

1) …………………………………………………………………..
1.1…………………………………………………………….
1.2…………………………………………………………….
2) ………………………………………………………………………….
2.1 ………………………………………………………………………
2.2 ……………………………………………………………………….
CS: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Developmental Paragraph #1

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE

TS: As for her personality, Clara´s most striking characteristic is her optimism.

1)…………………………………………………………………..
1.1…………………………………………………………….
1.2…………………………………………………………….
2) ………………………………………………………………………….
2.1 ………………………………………………………………………
2.2 ……………………………………………………………………….
10 CS: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Developmental Paragraph #2

TS: Clara has a wide variety of interests.

2) …………………………………………………………………..
1.1…………………………………………………………….
1.2…………………………………………………………….
2) ………………………………………………………………………….

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 DESCRIBING PEOPLE
2.1 ………………………………………………………………………
2.2 ……………………………………………………………………….

CS:

Developmental Paragraph #3

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