2013

UNIT 1

APPEARANCE AND PERSONALITY

CLARA

CLARA DEL OLMO | cladelol@gmail.com

 UNIT 1: APPEARANCE AND PERSONALITY
1. WARM-UP: Do you know how to ask for appearance? And for personality?

2. VOCABULARY: Classify these adjectives according if they describe

appearance or personality.

brave, overweight, freckles, shy, talkative, tall, middle-age, wrinkles, extrovert

wavy, confident, well-built, thin, blonde, stubborn, young, curly, intelligent,
spiky, friendly, quiet, short, calm, round, tidy, brown, bald, mustache, polite,
moody, generous, wavy, ponytail, chubby, sensitive, plump, bossy, shoulder-
length, mean, affectionate, oval, rude, hazel, beard, nice, dark, beard, braids.
 APPEARANCE PERSONALITY

Be + Adjective + Preposition

Common combination

good afraid kind sorry

bad proud nice late

slow tired married good

clever sure friendly bad

Fill in the gaps with the right quick fond used ready
preposition.
surprised jealous polite famous

Match the halves to make complete sentences.

1. “What sports are you fond ___ 1. John is very kind a) for work every day.
Isabel?” 2. I’m not responsible b) of my little brother.
“Well... I love jogging... Swimming, 3. I’m bad c) for its monuments..
too! I’m not exactly very good ___ it, d) to his family.
4. The teacher is tired
though! I’m afraid ___ big waves. Oh,
5. Your school bag is e) for your teeth.
and I guess we can say that I’m not
6. John is married f) to eating so much.
bad ___ gymnastics.”
“Great! Exercising is very good ___ 7. Don’t eat sweets! It’s bad g) full of books.

our health... You should be proud ___ 8. My hometown is famous h) for his bad results.
yourself!” 9. My sister is jealous i) to Kate.

2. “Isabel, hurry up! We’re going to be 10. He’s quick j) of your bad behaviour!
late ___ school again,” her brother 11. She’s late k) at Maths.
shouted. “No, we’re not, why are you 12. I’m not used l) at taking decisions.
being so rude ___ me? We still have
10 minutes!” Tom was always
surprised ___ the ease with which
Isabel distorted facts! “10 minutes?!!
 4. I’m certain she’s loyal!
________________________________.
5. I’d like to have dinner now.
________________________________.

Rewrite the following sentences using 6. Loud noises make children afraid.
one of the adjectives in the bubbles. The ________________________________.
sentences must have a similar meaning. 7. I couldn’t believe we had such bad weather.
1. Melanie is Karl’s wife.
__________________________________________.
Melanie is ________________________.
2. I like chocolate. 8. He treats his customers in a nice way
4. GRAMMAR: Order of adjectives to
describe hair.
I _______________________________.
3. English is Isabel’s best subject!
LENGTH STYLE
________________________________. COLOUR + HAIR

Short curly blond hair

Look at these pictures and describe

their hairstyle.
5. GRAMMAR: PHRASAL VERBS

Read the following text about Danica and her family and answer the following
questions about phrasal verbs.

"Danica grew up in South Africa. She has two younger sisters and they were
brought up by their parents. Danica and her youngest sister take after their
father. They like watching sport. The other sister takes after their mother and the
two of them are excellent chefs. They are a happy family. The three sisters get
on really well. They would often just sit and talk until late in the night and laugh
together. Danica looks up to her parents. They have always been good role
models to their three daughters. Danica feels grateful for having such
wonderful parents and sisters."

Match the phrasal verbs with the

correct definitions.

A. grow up 1.
to look or behave like someone
in your family
B. look up to 2.
to become an adult
C. bring up 3. to have a good relationship with someone
D. take after 4. to raise a child
E. get on 5. to admire someone

Think about these questions:

1) Who in your family do you take after?

2) Who do you look up to?

3) Who is someone you get on well with?

4) Where did you grow up?

5) Who brought you up?

6. LISTENING (Elllo.org 696 Family Traits)

Answer the following questions about the interview.

1) How does she describe her mother?

a) She has a great sense of humour.

b) She is very generous.

c) She speaks her mind.

d) She is very organized.

2) How does she describe her father?

a) Kind

b) Tall

c) Outgoing

d) Generous

3) What does she say about her sister?

a) She is younger.

b) She is older.

c) She can make her laugh.

d) They are complete opposites.

4) In her family, who is very similar?

a) Her mother and father

b) Her sister and father

c) Adrienne and her mother

d) Adrienne and her sister

VOCABULARY:

- to have a great sense of humour: Someone who has a great sense of humor would not
take life to seriously and would be able to laugh at herself and at situations.

- Cracks me up: Someone who 'cracks you up' makes you laugh.

- outspoke: blunt (direct)

TAPESCRIPT

Todd: Adrienne, we are talking about your family. Can describe the people in
your family? Like, what's your mother like, and your father like and your sister?
Adrienne: OK, well, let me start with my mother. I'm hoping she doesn't listen to
this, though, maybe. My mother is a very interesting. She has a great sense of
humor and she's a very kind woman, very generous woman. She's also not
afraid to say what she is thinking, which is a quality I admire about her very
much.
Todd: What about your father? How would you describe your dad?
Adrienne: My dad is probably the nicest man you'll ever meet. He's very kind,
very generous, very warm-heart and he's really a good guy and I love him very
much.
Todd: And actually I met your father and he's a very big guy.
Adrienne: He is. Which means he has a very big heart.
Todd: Right.
Adrienne: He is. My dad's very tall and takes up a lot of space. It's true.
Todd: Gentle-Giant, right?
Adrienne: Something like that. Yeah. Yeah.
Todd: OK, now you have a sister. Is she younger or older?
Adrienne: Younger sister.
Todd: Oh, younger sister. How would you describe her personality?
Adrienne: My sister is actually quite similar to my dad in that she has a very
good heart and she's very generous and very open, very friendly and giving
personality and she is probably the only person on the planet who can make
me laugh at any moment.
Todd: That's nice.
Adrienne: She cracks me up. So, She's got a great sense of humour, but part of
that probably comes from being sisters too.
Todd: Now you said that your sister is very similar to your father, so you are very
similar to your mother?
Adrienne: Coincidentally, yes, actually. My mother and I have a lot in common
in terms of our personality, which means that we get along very well and then
sometimes we don't. Cause we remind each other of each other perhaps.
Todd: So, like what traits do you have in common?
Adrienne: I would say that we both very often say what we're thinking, which
not everybody likes all of the time.
Todd: I think being outspoken is good.
Adrienne: It can be. It can be which is why I think it's a good quality but it
sometimes can lead to more conflict than you're prepared for.
Todd: Right. Well, it sounds like you have a nice balance.
Adrienne: Mm, we do.

7. LISTENING: Listen to Jan and Liz talk about photos of celebrities in a

magazine. Who are they talking about? Number the pictures.

Julia Roberts Penélope Cruz Lucy Lu

 Cameron Diaz Gwyneth Paltrow Nicole Kidman

AUDIO: TOUCHSTONE 2 U11

8. SPEAKING: Talk about yourself. Here you’ve got some ideas to guide you.

- How would you describe your character? What’s your sense of humour like?

- How much attention do you pay to your appearance?

- What’s your job? What are you studying? What’s your attitude to work?

- What are your hobbies? What activities would you never take up?

- What are your ideals in life? Do you have any ambitions?

- Who are the most important people in your life? Why?

- Which are the most important decisions you have made in your life?
9. FREE TALK: What ‘s the difference?
10. WRITING: Describe a person you know or you look up to.

PARAGRAPH 1

Introduce the person and give a bit of background, e.g. where she/he was
born, where she/he lives now, her/his job, her/his dislikes.

I’m going to write about my grandfather. He’s called Dennis and he lives on his own
in a little cottage in the country. He used to work as an engineer but now he is retired
PARAGRAPH 2

Describe the person’s physical appearance (but not too many details),
personality and character.

Dennis hasn’t got very much hair and what he has is white. He’s got a large nose and
a very round red face. He’s a rather eccentric man and dislikes being on his own. He
can be irritable especially in the early morning but he is a very generous person.

PARAGRAPH 3

Give some examples of the person’s behavior or relationships with other

people.

He’s very well-known in the village where he lives because is often out walking his
dog, an old Labrador called Einstein. He gets on with most people but is very
impatient with children, particularly when they come and knock on his door at
Halloween.

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Hair: long/short/shoulder-length, black/blond/brown/dark/fair/grey/red/white/

highlights/dyed, curly/wavy/straight/spiky/bald, ponytail, plaits

Age: in his/her (early/mid/late) teens, twenties, thirties, elderly, middle-aged, young.

Face: beard, mustache, freckles, wrinkles, lips, chin. Shape: long/narrow/round/thin/

wide.

General: good-looking, overweight, short, slim, tall, well-built.

Personality: bad-tempered, cheerful, creative, disorganized, dynamic, generous,

honest, helpful, hard-working, insensitive, kind, lazy, materialistic, mean, moody,
nervous, outgoing, relaxed, reliable, selfish, shy, sociable, strong, stubborn,
sympathetic, tolerant, weak.

Likes/dislikes: animals, chess, collecting things, computers, playing/listening to

music, playing/watching sports, reading, travelling, watching films.

__________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
11. HOW MUCH DO I KNOW?

- joven: - de edad media:

- mayor: - grande:

- adolescente: - pequeño:

- alto: - redondo:

- bajo: - ovalado:

- pequeñito: - pesado:

- grueso: - grueso:

- delgado: - simpático:

- corpulento: - seguro:

- rechoncho: - generoso:

- flaco: - educado:

- largo: - cariñoso:

- corto: - abierto:

- melena: - directo:

- rizado: - cabezota:

- ondulado: - ordenado:

- de punta: - divertido:

- calvo: - tranquilo:

- moreno: - tímido:

- rubio: - callado:

- pelirrojo: - malhumorado:

- castaño: - amable:

- canoso: - escandaloso/ruidoso:

- liso:

VOCABULARY

Features Descriptions
Build muscular/ well-built/broad-shouldered/wide-shouldered, slim/thin/skinny,
small/wiry, plump/chubby/stocky/fat, overweight OPP. underweight,
Height of medium height, of average height, just over six foot, short, petite

Age toddler, in his teens, teenager, middle-aged, in his twenties, in his late
forties/fifties/sixties, in her early forties/fifties/sixties, in his mid-forties/mid-
thirties, elderly
Hair ginger, curly , straight, wavy/frizzy, blond/e, thick, bald, shoulder-length, fair,
dark, dyed, highlights, puffy, fringe, side-parting, centre-parting, spiky,
dreadlocks, wears hair in a ponytail/a bun, dry/ grease, shiny/silky

Head shaved, round, bald

Face round, oval, square, fat/ plump, clean-shaven, spotty

Complexion tanned, pale, clear, dark

Note: She has a pale complexion. (light-skinned)
She looks pale. (She looks sick)
Ears small, large, sticking out/prominent
Eyebrows& Eyebrows: bushy/thick, arched
Eyes
Eyes: almond-shaped, hollow, deep-set, wide OPP. narrow, hazel
Cheeks rosy, high
Nose slanted/ curved, sharp, strong/prominent, long, thin, flat, pointed, crooked,
upturned, round, wide
Lips Full, thin, wide mouth

Teeth white, yellow, rotten, false, braces

Chin square chin/double chin

Voice Deep, soft, hoarse

Special mole, wrinkles, scar, freckles, dimples, moustache, sideburns, cleft, birthmark
features