Describing people and places
Describe people’s appearance and personality, and describe places — with the right adjectives and word order.
In this lesson you will
- Describe appearance: height, build, hair, age
- Describe personality
- Describe a place: size, atmosphere, features
Learn
Appearance: She’s tall / short / medium height. He’s slim / well-built. She has long, curly, dark hair. He has a beard. She’s in her twenties.
Personality: friendly, kind, funny, shy, confident, lazy, hard-working, generous, patient, honest. Ask: What’s she like? (personality) vs What does she look like? (appearance).
Places: a busy / quiet / lively / historic / modern city; a small, peaceful village; There are lots of cafés. It’s famous for its beaches.
Hair order: length → style → colour: long curly black hair.
Examples
- What does your brother look like? — He’s tall with short brown hair.
- What’s your boss like? — She’s very patient and fair.
- My hometown is a quiet, historic town by a river.
- The city is famous for its markets.
Vocabulary
slim
thin in an attractive way
curly
with curls (hair)
shy
nervous with people
generous
happy to give
lively
full of energy and activity
historic
important in history
Practice
“What’s he like?” asks about…
Listening: Finding a friend at the airport
Audio isn’t available in this browser — read the transcript instead.
Tom: How will I recognise your sister at the airport?
Lina: She’s quite tall, with long dark curly hair.
Tom: Glasses?
Lina: No, but she’ll probably wear a red jacket. She’s very friendly — just say hello!
Tom: And how old is she?
Lina: She’s in her twenties — twenty-six.
1.What is her hair like?
2.She wears glasses.
3.What will she probably wear?
4.How old is she? (number)
Speaking
Describe a friend (appearance and personality) and your favourite place in your town. Speak for one minute.
Writing
Write a description of your hometown for a travel website (70–90 words).
Lesson quiz
Which is about personality?
Review
Key points
- What does … look like? (appearance) / What’s … like? (personality).
- Hair: length → style → colour.
- Places: busy, quiet, lively, historic; famous for…
What you learned
- ✓ I can describe people.
- ✓ I can describe personality.
- ✓ I can describe places.
Grammar reference: Adjectives: position and order