Social Types

1. The following is a list of colloquial names for various social types, i.e. different kinds of people one meets at parties and elsewhere. Use the most suitable one to complete each description below.

wet blanket wallflower gossip social climber

Don Juan chatterbox femme fatale

gate-crasher good mixer life and soul of the party

1. He's very lively and the centre of any group he's in. People always have a good time when he's there. He's the ____.

2. She's so negative and boring. She has a depressing effect on any group of people she's with. She's a ____.

3. She's confident and interested in other people. She likes to meet different kinds of people. She's a ____.

4. He goes to parties and other occasions without an invitation. He just walks in. He's a ____.

5. Unfortunately she is not usually asked to dance by anyone. She just stands there hoping. She's a ____.

6. He just can't stop talking. He goes on and on excitedly, about totally unimportant things. He's a ____.

7. He loves to discuss and pass on news or rumours about people's private lives. He's a ____.

8. She's dangerously attractive to men. Half the men she meets fall in love with her. She's a ____.

9. He knows he's attractive to women. They always fall for him. He's got lots of girl-friends. He's a ____.

10. She's very conscious of her social position and is always trying to improve it by meeting 'upper-class' people. She's a ____.

2. What type or types of person from the list at the top of the exercise above ...

... would be good to have at a party?

... would you especially avoid?

... might have a lot of romantic relationships?

... makes friends easily?

... would get on well together? (make pairs, e.g. Don Juan and femme fatal)

... are you?

3. Instructions as in Exercise 1.

parasite early bird trouble-maker snob

good company loner killjoy

bore socialite jet-setter

1. He's a pleasant, interesting person to have with you at any time. He's ____.

2. She thinks she's socially superior. She looks down on others. She's a ____.

3. He's very strict and correct. I think he doesn't like other people to enjoy themselves. He's a ____.

4. She's always the first to arrive at a party. If the party's due to start at seven, she's there on the dot, or earlier. She's an ____.

5. He likes to spend a lot of time alone. He's not keen on parties and usually does things on his own. He's a ____.

6. She goes on and on telling people about her children, her house, her job, her opinions ... I could go to sleep. She's a ____.

7. She's very rich and spends her time between grand social occasions and luxury holidays in different parts of the world. She's a ____.

8. He's always borrowing money and asking for help from other people. He's a ____.

9. He's an upper-class person and he's often seen at high-society parties and other social events. He's a ____.

10. She's always causing difficulties for other people by interfering in their lives. She's a ____.

4. What type or types of person from the list at the top of Exercise 3 ...

... is extroverted?

... is introverted?

... might be class-conscious?

... do you find interesting?

... would get on well together? (make pairs, e.g. socialite and snob)

... are you?