مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.
Vocabulary: Describing People – Appearance and Personality
Learning how to describe people is an essential skill in English. This lesson will help 1st year secondary school students (Literary Stream) master the vocabulary needed to describe physical appearance and personality traits. This is a key topic for the Algerian Baccalaureate exam.
1. Describing Physical Appearance
A. Height and Build
| Category | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Height | tall, short, medium-height, average height | He is tall and slim. |
| Build | slim, thin, slender, well-built, muscular, plump, overweight, stocky | She has a slender figure. |
B. Hair
| Feature | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Length | short, medium-length, long, shoulder-length | She has long curly hair. |
| Style | straight, wavy, curly, spiky, bald | He has wavy brown hair. |
| Colour | blonde, fair, brown, black, red, grey, white, dyed | My grandmother has grey hair. |
C. Face and Eyes
| Feature | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Face shape | round, oval, square, long, heart-shaped | She has an oval face. |
| Eye colour | blue, green, brown, black, grey, hazel | He has blue eyes. |
| Other facial features | beard, moustache, freckles, wrinkles, dimples | He has a beard and a moustache. |
2. Describing Personality Traits
| Positive Traits | Negative Traits |
|---|---|
| friendly, kind, generous, honest, polite, hardworking, cheerful, confident, helpful, patient, reliable, thoughtful, optimistic | rude, selfish, lazy, dishonest, impatient, arrogant, pessimistic, stubborn, aggressive, shy, careless, unreliable |
Examples in Context
Example 1: My best friend Ahmed is a tall, well-built young man with short black hair and brown eyes. He is very friendly and helpful.
Example 2: Our teacher Madame Fatima is of medium height with long wavy hair. She is kind and patient with her students.
Example 3: My sister is short and slim with curly red hair and green eyes. She is very cheerful and optimistic.
3. Useful Sentence Structures
- To be + adjective: He is tall and thin.
- To have + (adjective) + noun: She has long black hair.
- To wear + clothing/accessories: He wears glasses.
- To look + adjective: She looks tired today.
- To be + adverb + adjective: He is very intelligent.
4. Exercises
Exercise 1: Match each adjective with its opposite:
- Tall – ______ (a. selfish)
- Generous – ______ (b. short)
- Hardworking – ______ (c. pessimistic)
- Optimistic – ______ (d. lazy)
- Polite – ______ (e. rude)
Exercise 2: Describe the following people using at least 4 adjectives for each:
- Your father/mother
- Your best friend
- Your favourite teacher
- A famous person you admire
Exercise 3: Read the description and guess who the person is:
“This person is short and slim. He has curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wears glasses. He is very funny and cheerful. He is a famous actor who played Harry Potter.”
Exercise 4: Write a paragraph (80-100 words) describing a member of your family. Include both physical appearance and personality traits.
Summary
To describe people effectively in English, you need to master vocabulary related to: height and build, hair (length, style, colour), facial features, and personality traits. Practice using the structures “to be + adjective” and “to have + noun” to create clear and accurate descriptions. This vocabulary is essential for the Baccalaureate exam writing tasks and oral expression.
For more English lessons, check out Present Simple: Formation and Usage and Vocabulary: Daily Routines and Activities.