English IV DESCRIBING SOMEONE

Describing People

Here’s some useful vocabulary for describing people and talking about physical
appearance. Remember that you need to be quite careful when you’re describing
people. At the bottom of this page are some tips for being tactful.
⮚ Age
If you’re old you might have a pension, so you’re an old age pensioner, or
a senior citizen. An old person might be 65 years old and over.
Before you’re old (around 55, for example) you can be middle-aged. If you have
children when you’re this age, they can be young adult (20-25 years of age)
or teenager. (13-19).
There are other words for younger children. For example, a toddler is around 1-3
years old, while a baby is from 0-12 months old.
⮚ 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 look have absolutely no fat on them and
are thin, or skinny.
Other words for describing people and build are:
stocky = small, but well-built
tall
short
lean = with very little fat
wiry = quite thin, but muscular
athletic
well-proportioned.
curvaceous (for a woman) / an hour-glass figure (Like an 1940’s film star!)
fit = healthy / active. To be fit you should take plenty of exercise.
flabby = when your muscles go soft
⮚ Colouring
You can describe someone as an English rose if they have fair hair and fair skin.
Someone with this complexion doesn’t tan easily and has to be careful in the
sun. You can also be blonde, with a fair complexion.
You are born with a colour – white or Caucasian, black or Asian. You can also
say person of colour (for example, a woman of colour, or a man of colour) to
describe anyone who is not white (but never use the word “coloured”). People
whose parents are of different ethnic origin are mixed-race. Southern Europeans
are sometimes described as Mediterranean.
Other words for describing skin colour:
freckles = small brown dots on your face and arms from the sun
dark-skinned = a dark complexion which allows you to tan easily
⮚ Face
Faces, like build, vary a lot. Some people have oval faces – their foreheads are
much wider than their chins. Other people have heart-shaped,
square or round faces.
Here’s some more vocabulary for describing features:
bushy eyebrows = lots of thick hair on your eyebrows
a hooked nose = a prominent nose (but not a wide nose)
high cheekbones = prominent cheekbones
a broad nose = opposite of a narrow nose
a snub nose = a nose which goes up at the end.
even or regular teeth = teeth which are straight
crooked teeth = you need to wear a brace to make them straight
rosy cheeks = red cheeks
dimples = when you get little hollows in your cheeks or next to your mouth when
you smile
⮚ Describing hair
long, curly hair
short, straight hair
fine hair = it doesn’t weigh very much, vs thick and heavy hair
wavy = between straight and curly
losing your hair / going bald = when men start to lose their hair
a receding hairline = when you lose your hair from your forehead
a red-head = with red hair
Here are some ways you can describe hair styles:
cut in a bob = a short hair style, where the hair comes down to your chin
a fringe = where it is cut horizontally across her forehead
a shaved head = where your hair is shaved off
a ponytail = where you tie (long) hair behind your head, so it falls down like a
horse’s tail
a Mohican = a punk style where your hair is shaved on the sides, but long and
spiky in the middle
⮚ 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” or “a little” before adjectives can make what you say sound more
tactful. For example, “He’s a little heavy” or “She’s a bit overweight” are less direct
(and more polite).
Here are some alternatives to fat, thin and old.
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
Alternatives to “old”
a pensioner / elderly (75+) / a senior citizen
middle-aged (50 +)

Positive Personality Adjectives

⮚ There are lots of reasons why people like SOMEONE.

1st Reason why people like SOMEONE
SOMEONE is very easy to be with. You can talk to him /her easily, and he/she’s
very friendly:
Affable — He/she’s easy to talk to.
Agreeable — He/she’s enjoyable to talk to.
Amiable — He/she’s friendly and nice.
Charming — He/she has a “magic” effect that makes people like him.
Polite — He/she’s good at saying “please,” “thank you,” etc.
Likeable — He/she’s easy to like.
Gregarious — He/she likes being with other people.
2nd Reason why people like someone
He/she thinks about you and how you feel:
Considerate — He/she always thinks about other people when he does something
or talks to someone.
Sympathetic* — He/she shows that he understands and cares about other
people’s problems.

Understanding — The same as “sympathetic” — he understands other people’s

problems well.
*Sympathetic is a false friend: in many languages, it means “nice,” but in English, it
has a different meaning.
3rd Reason why people like someone
He/she doesn’t choose one side when his friends disagree with each other:
Diplomatic — He/she is very good at trying to help people see both sides of a
situation.
Impartial — He/she doesn’t support just one side of a disagreement.
4th Reason why people like someone
He/she’s honest:
Sincere — He says what he really thinks and feels.
Straight-forward — He’s direct and honest.
5th Reason why people like someone
He/she likes giving and helping:
Generous — He/she likes giving things to people.
Helpful — He/she likes helping.
Kind — He/she cares about others and likes to help them, often emotionally.
Giving — He/she likes giving things to people — it’s the same as “generous.”
Positive Personality Adjectives #2
⮚ Someone — the good worker
Alexa is a great worker. She’s focussed and likes to get things done! She’s the
perfect candidate for a job. Bosses like him/her:

There are lots of reasons why someone is a good worker:

1st Reason why someone is a good worker
someone has a lot of natural personal qualities that make her a good worker:
Observant — he/She’s good at noticing different things around her.
Quick-witted — he/She can think quickly and intelligently.
Patient — he/She can accept difficult situations without getting angry.
Dynamic — he/She has a lot of energy and can think creatively.
Bright — he/She’s smart and intelligent.
Reason why someone is a good worker #2
He/She also “applies herself.” This means he/she isn’t lazy, and he/she tries to do
the best work that she can:
Self-disciplined — he/She can control his/her own behaviour easily, and he/she’s
organised.
Resourceful — he/She’s good at finding ways to solve problems.
Proactive — he/She doesn’t wait for things to happen. He/She makes them
happen!
Practical — he/She’s good at finding the simplest and most efficient solution.
Organised — he/She knows how to organise things well.
Efficient — he/She can organise things quickly and clearly.
Hardworking — he/She works hard!
Diligent — he/She does his/her work carefully and cares about the details.
Reason why someone is a good worker #3
To be a good worker, you have to be good at managing change. When things
change, someone can change with them:
Versatile — he/She can do different things depending on the situation.
Intuitive — he/She can understand what’s happening using his/her feelings (not
just facts).
Adaptable — he/She can change depending on the situation.
Reason why someone is a good worker #4
Finally, someone is someone who you can trust:
Dependable — If he/she says he/she will do something, he/she will do it.
Reliable — The same as “dependable”
Trustworthy — You can trust him/her to be honest and sincere.
Loyal — he/She will always be on your side.

⮚ Positive Personality Adjectives #3

 — FUN!
We all need a Freya in our lives. She’s the friend who makes us happy and who we
can have fun with. She’s the friend who puts a smile on our faces and helps us kill
the stress from our working day.

someone is fun to be around for several reasons.

Reason why someone is fun #1
First of all, someone has a lot of energy. When people have a lot of energy, this
energy often transfers to you. It’s fun!
Energetic — he/She has a lot of energy.
Adventurous — he/She likes doing new and different things.
Enthusiastic — he/She shows a lot of excitement and interest in things.
Kooky — he/She’s a little crazy. But in a fun way.
Reason why someone is fun #2
He/She’s also very a very sociable and happy person:
Cheerful — he/She’s always happy.
Chatty — he/She loves talking and talks a lot.
Convivial — he/She’s always in a good mood and is always friendly.
Reason why someone is fun #3
He/She’s also very funny:
Hilarious — he/She’s very, very, funny.
Witty — he/She’s funny and can tell good jokes in an intelligent way.
Humorous —he/ She’s funny and entertaining.
Amusing — he/She’s funny and fun.
Reason why someone is fun #4
Finally, you don’t feel bad when you’re with someone who is fun. You feel like you
can say anything, and he/she won’t think badly of you:
Non-judgemental — he/She won’t make you feel bad for something that you think,
believe or do, even if it’s a mistake.
Laid-back — he/She’s very relaxed about everything.
Easy-going — This is the same as “laid-back” — it means “relaxed”!

⮚ Positive Personality Adjectives #4

— the leader
Delia is the person we know who will probably become successful. She knows
what she wants in life, and she has the power to take it! She may not have so
many friends, but she takes pleasure from her success.

Why will Delia succeed? There are two main reasons for this:
Reason why someone is a good leader #1
He/She has so much power in her. He/She’s an unstoppable force!
Ambitious — he/She has very high targets for himself/herself in life.
Determined — he/She doesn’t quit, even when things get hard.
Passionate — he/She believes in her work and his/her success on an emotional
level.
Persistent — he/She never gives up!
Decisive — he/She can make a decision quickly and confidently.
Reason why someone is a good leader #2
He/She’s also not afraid of anything. Or anyone!
Courageous — he/She’s brave.
Fearless — he/She has no fear.

⮚ Let’s start with a simple adjective to describe someone:

funny
There are different ways we can use this word to describe a person.
If we simply want to describe the person directly, we can say:
She’s funny.
or
She’s a funny woman.
she has a funny personality
She’s a funny person.
She’s a funny friend.
She’s a funny boss.
She seems funny.
She looks funny.
or
She looks like a funny person.
Remember:
she looks + adjective
she looks like + (adjective) noun