DESCRIBING PEOPLE B1 AND B2 SPEAKING ENGLISH DEPARTMENT: INMACULADA GUADIX
LEARNING OUTCOMES The students will have to make 2 descriptions and record them using VOICETHREAD. 1. To accomplish this task they will have to previusly DO all the pre-task activities. 2. They have to upload a record of their own description via VOICETHREAD. 3. Then they will choose a photograph (1,2,3 or 4) and they have to send their recorded description via VOICETHREAD. 4. The written versions of both descriptions have to be uploaded too.
1. WHY DESCRIBING SOMEONE?
1. Why Describing Someone?
• Why do we Describe Someone? • •
We describe people all the time. For example, you might tell your friends what your boss is like. You might tell your sister what that cute guy you saw looks like. Even outside of everyday conversations, it’s very useful to know how to describe people. Descriptions are used a lot in books, in articles and in other kinds of communications in English, Reading or listening a description of someone can give you a better idea of what they look like or act like.
• What Are the Different Ways to Describe People? • • • • •
Let’s say you want to describe a friend, a family member or a boss. You will probably use a few kinds of information. Appearance is what someone looks like on the outside. Mannerisms are the ways that someone acts or behaves. Character traits are the little things that make someone who they are. In other words, they make up someone’s personality. Emotions are what someone feels at a certain time.
2. “Mind your Ps and Qs.” Mind or watch your language is said to warn someone to be careful what they say so as not to upset or offend anyone. •Some ways of describing people are polite and respectful. Other ways can be considered rude. •For example, saying someone is full-bodied or curvy is nicer than saying that they are fat. However, if you have to think of a nicer way to say something, maybe it’s better not to say it at all. •Use judgment and common sense. Think about how you would feel if you heard someone using the same words to describe you.
3. Four Useful Ways Of Describing People in English
1. Describing someone’s appearance
•To describe someone’s appearance, you will often use adjectives. An adjective is a kind of word that describes a noun (a person, place or thing). •Here are some words and phrases you can use to describe a person’s appearance. •Some of them are synonyms, or words that mean almost or exactly the same thing. Knowing more than one way of saying something is very helpful when describing people. •To describe someone’s height, you can say they are tall or short. Tall people are higher than short people. Someone who is thin and tall can be called lanky. To say someone is short and also small, you can say they are petite. If you’re talking about a child, they might be pintsized. •Someone who weighs more than average can be curvy, well-built, full-bodied or heavy. (Curvy is usually only used to describe women.) You might also say someone has some meat on their bones. This is a casual way of saying they are overweight, and it might seem rude to someone sensitive. The opposite of overweight can be thin, slim or skinny. • Light, yellowish hair can be described as blonde. But you can also call a person who has that kind of hair a blonde. (This means blonde can be used as a noun or an adjective.) A person with dark hair can be called a brunette. Someone with red hair can be called a redhead.
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Besides what color someone’s hair is, you also can say they are short-haired or long-haired. You can say they have curly, straight or wavy hair. Sometimes hair can also be frizzy, which is when it looks puffy with small, tight curls. If someone has no hair at all on their head, they are bald. Men sometimes have hair on their faces. Hair that covers the chin and cheeks is called a beard. When there’s hair only above the lips it’s a moustache. A beard that’s only on the chin can be called a goatee. None of these are adjectives. They are all nouns. To describe someone with a beard, you would say, “He has a beard.” How does a person look overall? If you think a woman is attractive, you can say she is beautiful, pretty or maybe even gorgeous (very beautiful). You can call an attractive man handsome. Both men and women can be good-looking. If you’re speaking very casually, good-looking men or women can be hot. To say someone is not very goodlooking, you can say they are not much to look at. This is not a nice way to describe someone, but it’s better than ugly. If someone dresses well, they are smartly dressed or they look smart. You can also just say they are well-dressed. If someone dresses fashionably, they are stylish or trendy. If someone has bad taste in clothes, you can say they’re unfashionable. A less nice way to say this is frumpy.
2. Describing someone’s mannerisms
•Someone’s mannerisms are the way they act or speak. When you speak, do you move your arms a lot? Do you touch your hair or bite your lip? All these things are mannerisms. •Since mannerisms are usually actions, they are often described by phrases with verbs (action words). •Here are some common mannerisms you might use to describe people: •Many people have mannerisms that appear when they’re feeling negative (bad) emotions. If someone feels nervous or impatient, for example, they might tap their fingers, crack their knuckles, bite their fingernails or chew the tips of their pencils. •Sometimes people don’t even notice that they twirl their hair around their finger. Other times mannerisms are deliberate (on purpose). For example, someone might roll their eyes to show that they’re being sarcastic (not serious). •When a person thinks hard about something, they sometimes tilt their head to the side or even stick out their tongue. •You can sometimes tell someone is annoyed if they rub the back of their neck, sigh a lot or clench their hands.
3. Describing someone’s character •A person’s character is their personality, who they are on the inside. When you talk about someone, you might mention what they are like as a person. •Here are some ways to do that: •We all know people who are nice and kind. They are a pleasure to be with and always seem to be smiling. These people are usually also friendly and generous. People who are generous like to help others by giving them things. Someone who is the opposite of nice is mean. Mean people can be unpleasant, nasty or vicious. Hopefully you don’t know anyone like this! •Some people always show respect to others, which makes them polite and well-mannered. Someone who doesn’t care about other’s feelings or rules is rude and impolite. If they use bad language, you can say they are vulgar or obscene. •Someone smart is intelligent or clever. If they are smart because of age or experience, they can be called wise. Someone who is not very intelligent could be dumb or slow, but a slightly nicer way to say that is that they’re not too bright. •How does the person you’re describing deal with difficult situations? Some people get angry easily. They are hot-headed. Others are calm and sensible and look at everything in a relaxed way. Others go right
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To describe a person who does not like to go out or be with people much, you can use the word introvert. If that person doesn’t talk a lot and doesn’t seem comfortable around others, they might be shy. People who love company and parties are extroverts. They are often easy-going, meaning not much bothers them.
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Someone who tries hard to do big things is ambitious. They might also be resourceful. Resourceful people use everything they can to help them reach a goal. Someone who is happy with what they have can be called content or fulfilled. None of these are bad things to be. If a person is good at making people laugh, they are funny. If they’re funny in a clever (smart) way, they’re witty. Some people don’t like to laugh a lot, and are very serious instead. Sometimes serious people can seem boring. Arrogant, conceited people are not fun to be around because they act like they are better than you. They can be show-offs, meaning they try to make you see how great they are. Modest people don’t show off how great they are, even if they’re awesome!
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4. Describing someone’s feelings •People’s feelings are always changing. You can be happy one moment, and then hear some bad news and become sad. •You always know how you feel, but it isn’t always easy to tell how someone else is feeling. You can look at how someone is speaking or even how they’re sitting to understand how they feel. When you’re not sure how someone feels, you can say they might be feeling something. You can also say someone looks like they’re feeling a certain way. These phrases show that you might be wrong. •For example, you can say, “I’m mad” when you’re talking about yourself. But you might say “He looks mad,” when you’re talking about another person. This makes sense if this person is yelling into his phone with his face red and his fists clenched (all signs that someone is mad!). •You can use these words to talk about how someone is feeling, how they were feeling before or how they might feel in the future.
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There are so many ways to say that someone is happy! They can be elated, exuberant, cheerful, delighted or even ecstatic (very, very happy). Someone sad might be described as melancholy, miserable (very sad) or out of sorts. When something makes a person mad, they become angry or fed up. Someone very angry is furious or livid. Stay away from those people! We all feel like we have too much to deal with sometimes. This can make us stressed and anxious. New or scary things can make us nervous. Once that stress is gone, you can feel tranquil or serene, which are other ways of saying relaxed. Did the person you’re describing get enough sleep last night? If not, they might look tired or worn out. If they look extremely tired, they might be exhausted. Sleeping well makes a person look wellrested. If someone looks like they’re not interested in what’s going on around them, they might seem bored. If they’re very interested, you might say they’re enthusiastic. If you’re ever stuck trying to think of a different way to say a word, look it up in a thesaurus. A thesaurus lists both synonyms and antonyms (words that have an opposite meaning). It’s a great way to discover new words and more ways of describing people. So, how would you describe yourself?
4. USEFUL VOCABULARY
Appearance I • attractive, good-looking, beautiful, handsome, lovely, pretty, cute, nice; • a pretty girl; a beautiful woman; a handsome man; a good-looking man (woman, girl, boy); • plain, homely (=not good-looking; AmE), unattractive, ugly; an ugly fellow; a plain face; • a pretty (beautiful, ugly, intelligent, round, oval) face; regular features; delicate features; • well-dressed; nicely dressed; casually dressed; poorly dressed; elegant; fashionable; • neat, clean, tidy; untidy, dirty, filthy; a neat person; neat clothes.
Appearance II • Height tall, very tall, quite tall; six feet tall; not very tall; short; he is tall; he is taller than his mother; she isn't tall; she isn't as tall as he is; average height; medium height; middle height; he is average height; she is of medium height; she is of middle height. • Weight and Build thin, quite thin, slim, slender; skinny, underweight; a thin girl; she is thin; she is slim; plump, chubby, stout, overweight, obese, fat; a stout woman; he is overweight; medium-build; heavily built; thickset; broad-shouldered; he is medium-build; a slender young girl; a slim figure; a delicate figure; delicate constitution; strong, muscular, athletic; weak, feeble.
Appearance III Hair •dark, black, brown, chestnut, red, auburn; blond, light, fair; white, gray (grey); •a brunette, a brunet; a redhead; a blonde, a blond; a darkhaired man; corn-colored hair; •long, short; medium-length; shoulder-length; she has long dark-blond hair; •straight, curly, wavy; thick, thinning, bald; she has curly hair; he is bald; •shiny, smooth, neatly combed hair; soft, silken hair; lank hair; dull hair; oily hair; greasy hair; •tousled hair; disheveled hair; plaits, ponytail; beard, mustache (moustache).
Appearance IV Eyes •blue, gray (grey), green, brown, dark; she has blue eyes; •light-blue; dark-gray; grayish-blue; her eyes are dark brown; •big eyes; large eyes; bright eyes; expressive eyes; sharp eyes; •eyebrows, eyelashes; thick eyebrows; green eyes with dark lashes; •nearsighted, shortsighted (near-sighted, short-sighted); blind; •eyeglasses, glasses, spectacles, sunglasses; a pair of glasses; he wears glasses.
Appearance IV Eyes •blue, gray (grey), green, brown, dark; she has blue eyes; •light-blue; dark-gray; grayish-blue; her eyes are dark brown; •big eyes; large eyes; bright eyes; expressive eyes; sharp eyes; •eyebrows, eyelashes; thick eyebrows; green eyes with dark lashes; •nearsighted, shortsighted (near-sighted, short-sighted); blind; •eyeglasses, glasses, spectacles, sunglasses; a pair of glasses; he wears glasses.
5. HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE “a picture paints a thousand words”
USEFUL VOCAB I
USEFUL VOCABULARY II TO TALK ABOUT A PICTURE The picture shows /depicts / features/ ... The photo was taken in ... In this picture I can see… It seems to be… / It seems to me that… I think it must be ... / It might be … The man is ...ing / The people are ...ing He could be ...ing
6. HELPING ACTIVITY. When you are describing a place it is useful to use relative clauses to add details to your description as well as a good range of verb tenses. In a hospital ward : httphttp://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners/skills/speaking/hospitalhttp://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners/skills/speaking/hospital-ward
A_ Match the parts to make correct sentences. •There are four people in a hospital ward •Consultants are senior doctors stethoscope •The nurses are helping the patient •The man is leaning against pillows •On the left of the photo is a nurse •The patient is listening to the doctor
who are specialists who is wearing a blue tunic and has a which is devided by curtains who is standing in front of him which are propped up who is about to go for an operation.
B_ Listen and complete with the appropiate tenses: This__________________a photo of a hospital ward. Three health professionals _____________to see a patient who is in bed. The consultant ________________________a white coat and____________________a stethoscope around his neck. He__________________a clipboard which has the patient's details on it. The nurses__________________at the man. The doctor is talking to him about what__________________during the operation.
7. USE HESITATION WORDS • • • • • • • • • • • • •
In my opinion As I see it If you ask me I suppose/ believe/ guess I would say that Personally Well…, Er…., Let me see… ; Mmmm…, Then…, I mean….., It is not very clear but they could be… I can’t quite make it out but perhaps… Maybe/ perhaps they are… It might be a scene of…. I don’t know what you call it, but it is used for opening / to open It is what you do when you…..
8. MUST HAVE •
LOCATION ( describe where thins are) What? Where?
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PLACE (mention sth about the setting) What is it like? Where is it? ACTION( describe what is happening P.C) What are they doing?
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PEOPLE (speculate about the characters) What are they like? What are they wearing? How are they related?
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IDEAS OR DETAILS (speculate about the scene, give extra info) What do you think it happened/ might happen/ will happen?
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IMPRESSION ( give your opinio) Their emotional state, what do you guess they might be thinking
9. MODEL
• LISTEN TO THIS DESCRIPTION httphttp ://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners/ski lls/speaking/describing-picture-familyhttp://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/learners /skills/speaking/describing-picture-familyscene
TRANSCRIPT • •
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This photograph was taken in a family home, in the dining room, and shows two adults and a little boy sitting at a dining table. The main focus of the photograph is the man on the left hand side, who is working and the little boy on the right hand side, who is eating. In the background, on the far side of the table, there is a lady talking on the telephone. It seems like the two adults are the child’s parents. The room is clean and bright, with white walls, a window and a bookcase with lots of books in it against the far wall. There is a tall, cream lamp on the right, next to the bookcase. The father, who is wearing a white shirt and black glasses, looks like he is working from home today; he appears to be very busy as he is looking down at his notepad and has a pen in his hand. He is not smiling so maybe he just wants to get on with his work. I think the little boy looks about two years old and has light brown, wavy hair. He is sitting in a high chair and is wearing a white and blue stripy jumper, with a white and red bib around his neck. In front of him, there is a baby’s drinking cup, full of juice and a plate. It looks like he has finished the food on his plate and is pushing it away. He has turned away from the table so perhaps he is now bored and wants to go and play. The mother, wearing a blue blouse, is talking to someone on the phone. She could also be working from home, and is having her lunch while she works as she has a plate in front of her. On the other hand, she could just be chatting to a friend. Although everyone looks busy in the picture, they seem very well organised. Maybe they are working hard now so they can enjoy some free time together very soon.
10. VOICETHREAD • MEGAN’S VOICETHREAD SAMPLE https://voicethread.com/myvoice/#thread/ https://voicethread.com/myvoice/#thread/8507008 • ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SAMPLE https://voicethread.com/myvoice/?universal=false#thread/ https://voicethread.com/myvoice/?universal=false#thread/ 165019 • HOW TO USE VOICETHREAD If you need help with voicethread you can watch this tutorial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFQrdl6BmPQ
MEGAN’S TRANSCRIPTION • • • •
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This photo was taken on holiday in Scotland. There are six people in the photo, two of which are women and the other four are children. The main focus of the photo is the people who are sat in the centre. These people are my family. The girl in the foreground is my cousin, she is wearing a yellow jumper and is sat on her mothers legs. Her mum is my auntie by marriage. On the right of her there is me, I am wearing a pink shirt and I was about 7 at the time of this photo. I am sat in from of my step mum who’s head you can only just see. Above her, is my brother and my stepsister. My brother is smiling a lot and laughing because my cousin had just fallen over. In fact we are all smiling because we were so happy to be on holiday together even though the weather was not so good…yo can see in the background cloudy skies…it began to rain not two minutes after the photo was taken. At the bottom of the photo there is a lot of dry grass, towards the middle there is heather and other types of grasses. in the background you can see the clouds that I mentioned and also mountains. To the right at the back of the picture you can just make out a lake in from of one of the hills.
YOUR TURN.
YOUR TURN. TASK 1 •HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? •Record yourself describing it using VOICETHREAD. TASK 2. •Choose a photograph. •Record yourself describing it using VOICETHREAD. •Upload your written description too. •REMEMBER TO TICK TO GET FEEDBACK FROM YOUR TEACHER. •Remember to tick the option (ALLOW ANYONE TO SEE) to receive your teacher’s feedback and your classmates comments. •Remember if it doen’t work you can send it: COPY LINK AND SHARE.
PICTURE ONE
PICTURE TWO
PICTURE THREE
PICTURE FOUR
DOUBLE CHECK 1.I ‘ve used useful vocab. 2.I ‘ve used descriptive ADJECTIVES. 3.I ‘ve used present continuous to describe what is happening at this moment in the photo. 4.I ‘ve used present continuous to describe what they are wearing at this moment in the photo. 5.I ‘ve used hesitate words to express what I THINK or I guessed but I am not certain or I don’t really know.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA While assessing your recording, the teacher will take into account: • clarity of description • accuracy of description • fluency • pronunciation • intonation • use of language (grammar) GOOD LUCK!!!