Learn English » Advanced Vocabulary Worksheet-1

Worksheet-1 - Describing People

How do you describe people? What words can you use to talk about someone’s personality, character, habits, or physical appearance? Here is a list of useful adjectives that can be used to describe people, young and old, male and female. These words may exist in the students’ passive vocabulary, so the teacher needs to elicit those using brainstorming methods, or by direct questioning. Once elicited, this vocabulary should be reinforced with the writing exercise and the gap-filling exercise given in worksheet 1 itself.

Personality/character/habits

| fun-loving | gutsy | daring | patient | good | helpful | loyal | trustworthy | reliable | responsible | delicate | open-minded | fun to be with | naughty | generous | caring | self-confident | witty | beautiful | lazy | happy | sensitive | smart | intelligent | kind | pleasant | humorous | funny | modern | polite | humble | enthusiastic | talented | sincere | tidy | neat | honest | studious | adventurous | calm | elegant | clever | fashionable | outgoing | ambitious | gifted | friendly | hardworking | strong | cool | genuine | weak | level-headed | systematic | witty | serious |

Physical appearance/characteristics

| young | old | tall | slim | fat | beautiful | short | fit | plump | chubby | skinny | short | overweight | obese | of medium height | petite | plain | handsome | well-built | gorgeous | bald | attractive | blonde | pretty | good-looking | muscular |

Writing exercise

Describe a person whom you know well, using the words given above. Write about 40-50 words, including information about the person’s physical appearance, character, and behavioural traits.

Sample answer

My mother is tall, slim and very pretty. She is a very kind and caring person. She wears modern, fashionable clothes. Most of the time, she is happy, and fun-loving. However, when there is a crisis at home, she gets very serious, and responsible.

Gap-filling exercise

Fill in the blanks with the right descriptive words from the list above. Please note that there can be more than one answer for some questions.

1. My friend Bob is .................... and ..................... Everywhere he goes, he is the centre of attraction.

2. My sister Kate is very .................... If someone scolds her even mildly, she bursts into tears.

3. All students should be .................... and .................... Then, they will do well in their examinations.

4. My friends are all very .................... They wear the latest ‘cool’ clothes.

5. We should not be anxious when faced with difficult situations. We should be .................... and ....................

6. John won the gold medal in the competition. However, he never bragged about it. He is very .................... .

7. My baby brother is very .................... and .................... . I feel like cuddling him all the time.

8. Exercise is a must for all: both .................... and .................... .

9. …………………… people are at a higher risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

10. Mrs. Jones has a great number of good friends. She is a very .................... and .................... person.

11. My boss is looking for a/an .................... and .................... employee: a person whom he can trust.

12. Look at this .................... girl! She is really beautiful.

13. Melissa is really .................... about the movie ‘Jurassic World’. I think she likes dinosaurs.

14. Mr. Williams is such a .................... man. We can’t stop laughing at his jokes.

15. Jacob is really .................... Why can’t he eat some more food?

Answers

1. My friend Bob is handsome and well-built. People often mistake him for a filmstar.

2. My sister Kate is very sensitive. If someone scolds her even mildly, she bursts into tears.

3. All students should be hardworking/studious and systematic. Then, they will do well in their examinations.

4. My friends are all very fashionable. They wear the latest ‘cool’ clothes.

5. We should not be anxious when faced with difficult situations. We should be calm and level-headed.

6. John won the gold medal in the competition. However, he never bragged about it. He is very humble.

7. My baby brother is very cute and chubby. I feel like cuddling him all the time.

8. Exercise is a must for all: both young and old.

9. Obese/ overweight people are at a higher risk of developing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

10. Mrs. Jones has a great number of good friends. She is a very kind/ caring and friendly person.

11. My boss is looking for an honest and trustworthy employee: a person whom he can trust.

12. Look at this gorgeous/ pretty girl! She is really beautiful.

13. Melissa is really crazy/enthusiastic about watching the movie ‘Jurassic World’. I think she likes dinosaurs.

14. Mr. Williams is such a humorous/ witty/funny man. We can’t stop laughing at his jokes.

15. Jacob is really skinny. Why can’t he eat some more food?

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