English. Course1

Round face

Short and round shows you're slightly erratic and romantic. You're positive about your own aims, generous and an excellent host with close friends. You prefer mental activity to physical and there's a lazy streak that comes out now and then if you don't check yourself.

Task 1. Bring a picture of a person you know well and let other students describe his / her character judging by appearance. Have they guessed right?

Vocabulary Exercises

Study the general pattern of describing person’s appearance and character. Stick to these models making your own descriptions.

1.When you describe physical appearance, remember to include: Height, Build, Age, Facial features, Hair, Clothes, moving from the most general adjectives to the most specific ones.

e.g. John is a tall, well-built man. He’s got a round face with bright blue eyes and a big nose. His short grey straight hair makes him look sophisticated. He always dresses smartly in a well-cut suit and tie.

2.When you describe a person’s character, remember to use a balanced combination of good and bad qualities. You should always justify the qualities you mention each time. e.g. He is so reliable that he will never let you down.

As for the negative qualities, they should be written using mild language.

e.g. Instead of saying: He is aggressive, you can say: He has/shows/displays a tendency

to be aggressive or He can be aggressive at times.

Ex.1 Define the categories these words can belong to (eg.: size, colour, etc).

Ex.2 Match the nouns in column A with the adjectives in column B.

Ex. 3 Complete these sentences. (More than one variant may be possible):

1. She's got blonde...

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2.He's got very pale...

3.They both have got curly...

4.I would say he was medium...

5.Her brother has got very broad...

6.She doesn't like men with hairy...

7.Last time I saw him he had grown a…

8.He's got very muscular...

9.Both men were very good-...

10.One of them has got dark...

11.He's only one meter… He's quite…

12.Very ... people are often good at basketball.

13.Models are usually...

14.Is her skin dark? No, it's...

15.She's only 12. She's very...

16.If I eat too much I'll be...

17.My grandmother is in this hospital. It's a hospital for ... people.

Ex. 4 Cross-one-out.

1.forehead, nose, figure, lips.

2.tall, average, short, slim.

3.plain, handsome, beautiful, good-looking.

4.dark, curly, fair, blond.

5.sociable, reliable, tactful, hazel.

6.parents, uncle, brother, sister.

7.granddaughter, grandmother, grandson, father.

Ex.5 Find a noun which can follow both adjectives (you may use the same noun more

2.pale

3.smart

4.slim

5.delicate

6.strong

7.pleasant

8.tall

9.wide

10.well-shaped

Ex.6 Choose the correct verb to answer the question:

Model: great, bad, good, wonderful

Answer: great, wonderful, good, bad

1.regular, irregular, fine, delicate.

2.pleasant, beautiful, ordinary, unpleasant.

3.charming, plain, good-looking, ugly.

4.elderly, young, middle-aged, old.

5.thin, slim, fat, stout.

6.tall, short, average, tiny.

7.rare, unique, unusual, common.

Ex.8 Give English equivalents to the following:

1.хорошо сложенный, широкоплечий парень

2.светлые кудрявые волосы

3.прямые каштановые волосы

4.смуглый цвет лица

5.полный мужчина среднего роста

6.выглядеть молодо для своих лет

7.пойти в отца внешностью и характером

8.курносая девочка

9.гладковыбритое загорелое лицо

10.стройная фигура

11.обычное лицо

12.выразительные глаза

13.правильные черты лица

14.усталое морщинистое лицо

Ex.9. Translate into English.

1.Ты великолепно выглядишь. Ты из отпуска? – Да, я только что вернулся из Сочи.

2.Близнецы очень похожи друг на друга. Я не могу отличить их. Оба черноглазые, широкоплечие, стройные.

3.У нее правильные черты лица и прекрасные глаза. Но больше всего мне нравятся ее волосы, густые, длинные и волнистые.

4.Мой брат среднего роста, но хорошо сложен. У него хорошие манеры, он очень нравится девушкам.

5.Ты растишь бороду? – Да, а что? – Я не очень люблю мужчин с бородой. – Ну, о вкусах не спорят.

6.Моей маме за сорок, но она выглядит очень молодо. У нее светлые волосы, карие глаза и красивый цвет лица. Она очень энергичная и улыбчивая.

7.Красота, как и богатство, не всегда делает человека счастливым, поэтому лучше не волноваться о том, как ты выглядишь, а попытаться быть интересным человеком. У интересных людей всегда интересные лица, в то время как интересные лица не всегда привлекательны.

Dialogues

Task 1. Read the dialogue and describe John.

Strange engagement.

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A:Why do you look so worried, Helen?

H:The news of my daughter's engagement has nearly killed me in fact.

A:I thought you liked John.

H:I hardly know him. All that was so unexpected.

A: You'll learn to love him when you know him better, I'm sure he'll prove to be a good husband and an affectionate son. I've known him for years.

H: But he looks so strange. So very tall, with small head flat at the top, too large green eyes, big ears and that long sharp nose of his. Besides he looks old for his age.

A:Oh, you are exaggerating things. True, he's a bit too tall but his big green eyes are clever, intelligent eyes.

H:I wish his face were not so ugly.

A: Why, I like his face: there's something awfully nice about it. He isn't ugly at all, especially when he smiles and shows those perfect teeth of his.

H:I thought Ella would choose Henry. He is serious and decidedly handsome. They would make such a nice couple.

A:You'll never make me agree with you. Henry is good-looking, indeed, but there's something unkind in the look of his grey eyes. I always feel uncomfortable when he looks at me. It's wise of your daughter to have chosen John. Remember: appearances are deceitful; a fair face may hide a foul soul.

Task 2. Read the dialogue and describe all members of the girl’s family.

A:If you are not too busy, come one evening and have dinner with us. I'll introduce you to all my people.

B:Is your family large?

A:Yes, our family is quite a big one. There are eight of us. I have two sisters and three brothers.

B:Are your sisters as pretty as you are?

A:Oh, they are both prettier than I am. Ruth is the prettiest girl I know. They both have long fair hair, but Ruth's hair is longer and fairer than Margaret's. Margaret is fatter than Ruth. She doesn't like you to say she is fat; and we tell her she will get thinner when she gets older.

B:Tell me about the others in your family, Freda.

A:Well, the youngest and the smallest one is Fred; he is the baby of the family. He is only four. Then there are Hans and Peter, the twins. They are exactly as old as each other, thirteen, and exactly as tall as each other, and they are so much alike that people can hardly tell one from the other.

Communicative Activity

Ex. 1 Answer these remarks with the opposite description:

Model: -I thought you said he was short and with a round face.

-No, quite the opposite, he's tall and with a thin face.

1.- Is his brother a dark-skinned, wavy-haired one?

-Who told you that? Quite the opposite, he has....

2.- So, Helen is that rather plump fair-haired woman, is she?

-No, quite the opposite. Helen is....

3.- So, tell us about the new boss. Is he young and good-looking?

-No, I’m afraid not. He is....

4.- I expected our tour guide to be middle-aged or elderly.

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-No, she is....

5.- I thought his father is a stout elderly man with grey hair.

-That's not true. He....

Ex. 2 Write one sentence to describe each of these people, giving information, about their hair and face, their height, build and general appearance:

Ex. 3 Guess who?

Describe somebody very famous, giving some extra clues about them, e.g.: pop stars, politicians, and see if someone else can guess who you are describing.

(V. V. Putin)

Ex.4 Describe the appearance of each member of your family, using the passages below as models.

My father is tall. He has large hands and his feet are size 45. He has short, dark, curly hair and a small beard. His arms, legs and chest are hairy. He's a cheerful person and when he laughs, you can see even white teeth. He wears spectacles (glasses) and you can't see his eyes, but I know they are steel grey. He's 43. He usually wears jeans and checked shirts or sweaters. But for work he wears a suit and a tie and looks every inch a teacher.

My mother is a very different person. She's short and plumpish. She has small hands and feet. She has long, straight, fair hair. She has dimples and rosy cheeks. She has long eyelashes which she darkens with mascara. She likes pink nail-varnish, high-heeled shoes and fashionable clothes. Her favourite colours are red and light blue.

My 20-year-old sister likes to be well-dressed. She uses lots of make-up, always goes to the hairdresser's and has fantastic hairstyles. She's tall and slim, with slender arms and elegant legs. Her full lips are always red. She's open-minded and nice. She is married and has a baby.

My baby nephew is still just a toddler: he can't speak yet, but he's very selfish and he bores

me.

My boss is an elderly man, rather short and stout. His hair is grey and thin and he's bald on top. He's clean-shaven. He has a double chin. He's always immaculately dressed: a white shirt, a dark well-creased suit with a matching tie and black leather shoes. He's a serious and punctual man, doesn't talk much and seems to be not overgenerous.

Ex.5 Comment on the following statements.

1.Outward appearance means much more in the life of a woman than that of a man.

2.A man is as old as he feels, and a woman as old as she looks.

3.Men and women in the city and in the country look as if they belong to different age groups.

4.Physically over-developed men featured by many advertisements are not in the least attractive. Most men do not look like Rambo and do not want to either, because not everyone is tall and practices weight-lifting! Many women also think it's absolutely tasteless and they prefer more normal human beings.

5.Appearances are deceptive. You can't always judge by looks.

6.He that is not handsome at twenty, nor strong at thirty, nor wise at forty will never be

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handsome, strong nor wise.

7. A good face is a letter of recommendation.

CHARACTER

Topical Vocabulary

1.personality – личность

2.quality – свойство (характера)

3.trait/feature – черта (характера)

4.merit/weakness – достоинство/недостаток

5.innate qualities – свойства личности active – активный

cheerful – веселый bore – скучный calm – спокойный

irritable – раздражительный hot-tempered – вспыльчивый neat – аккуратный

obedient – послушный serious – серьезный sensitive – чувствительный rational – разумный ambitious – честолюбивый boastful – хвастливый proud – гордый

self-confident – уверенный в себе

6.powers of mind – умственные способности broad-/narrow- minded – с широким/узким кругозором bright – сообразительный

clever – умный foolish – глупый wise – мудрый

stupid – невежественный shallow – пустой well-read – начитанный educated – образованный illiterate – неграмотный gifted – одаренный genius – гениальный ordinary – заурядный

7.volitional powers – волевые качества brave – храбрый

coward – трусливый timid – застенчивый cautious – осторожный

firm – непреклонный, твердый obstinate – упрямый

flexible – гибкий persistent – настойчивый

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strong-/weak-willed – волевой/слабовольный submissive – покорный

independent – независимый

8.man and other people – человек в отношении к другим людям communicable – общительный

(un)fair – (не)справедливый faithful – верный

frank – искренний honest – честный just – справедливый

disloyal – неверный, ненадежный false – лживый

indifferent – безразличный

(un)reliable – (не)надежный double-faced – двуликий sly – хитрый

haughty – надменный affectionate – любящий, нежный jealous – ревнивый

strict – строгий cruel – жестокий kind – добрый wicked – злой

selfish – эгоистичный

(im)polite – (не)вежливый

9.emotional states – эмоциональные состояния nervous – нервный

sad – грустный joyful – радостный gloomy – мрачный

disappointed – разочарованный

(dis)pleased – (не)довольный excited – взволнованный passionate – страстный

cool – невозмутимый

Text A

Task 1. Read the text. Point out the main differences between two types of characters.

English and American Characters

One of the most striking features of English life is the self-discipline and courtesy of people of all classes. There is little noisy behaviour, and practically no loud disputing in the street. People do not rush excitedly for seats in buses or trains, but take their seats in queues at bus stops in a quiet and orderly manner.

Englishmen are naturally polite and are never tired in saying "Thank you", "Tm sorry",

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"Beg your pardon". If you follow anyone: who is entering a building or a room, he will hold a door open for you. Many foreigners have commented on a remarkable politeness of the English people.

English people don't like displaying their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situations, and ordinary people seem to remain good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties.

The Englishman does not like any boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech. Sometimes he conceals his knowledge: a linguist, for example, may not mention his understanding of a foreigner's language.

The Englishman prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn't wish his doing to be overlooked by his neighbours. "An Englishman's house is his castle".

American society seems to be much more informal than the British and, in some ways, is characterized by less social distinction. Students do not rise when a teacher enters the room. One does not always address a person by his title, such as "Major" or "General" or "Doctor" in the case of a holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The respectful "Sir" is not always used in the northern and western parts of the country.

However, it is best to use a person's title when first meeting him/her, and then allow the person to tell you how he/she wishes to be called.

They use first names when calling each other, slap on the back, joke and are much freer in their speech, which is more slangy than the conventional British English. You will often hear the word "Hi" (a form of greeting among friends) used instead of the usual "Hello" and "Howdy" instead of "How do you do?"

Those who don't easily show these signs of friendship are called "snooty" or "snobbish". In contrast, people who show such simple signs of friendship, particularly to their own economic and social inferiors, are praised as "regular guys", or as "truly democratic". As a description of character, democratic is generally used to signify that a person of high social or economic status acts in such a way that his or her inferiors are not reminded of their inferiority.

Text B

Task 1. Read the following definitions of colours and complete the table below.

Your Character Traits

Both men and women usually choose one, or at least two or three colours (according to the sphere of application: clothes, furniture, car, etc). Your taste can change with time but in any case your favourite colour can say a lot about your character and temperament.

Some people are of the opinion that so-called "cold" colours (dark blue, green and their derivatives) are indicative of calmness, tenderness, apathy, melancholy and various shades of these conditions. The "warm" colours symbolize strength, power, activity and joy.

You don't need to answer any questions to draw conclusions; you should only read the following definitions.

WHITE is the synthesis of all colours, that's why it is a "dream colour". It includes different shades of meaning and can convey both the brilliance of light and the cold of ice. This colour can be chosen by any person with any character.

BLACK, on the contrary, symbolizes lack of self-confidence and dismal life perception. Those who prefer dressing in black (without taking into account the mourning symbolism which is the very essence of this colour) are frequently pessimistic, diffident and unhappy people, liable to depression, as they are absolutely sure that their ideas are unattainable. A

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frequent change of a black suit or frock to clothes of brighter colours is indicative of the transient nature of pessimistic moods.

GREY is a favourite colour of sober-minded and distrustful people who think twice before taking a decision. This is also a neutral colour, preferred by those who usually keep in the shade. Those who dislike grey possess an impulsive and light-minded character.

RED is the colour of passion. If a person prefers it he is courageous, volitional, masterful, hot-tempered and sociable by nature. Besides, he is an altruist. But if this colour irritates you, this means that you fear quarrels and like solitude and stability in relations.

ORANGE is preferred by passionate dreamers with strong intuition. But according to heraldry this colour also signifies hypocrisy and pretence.

BROWN (the colour of earth) with all its tints is preferred by those who confidently stand on their own feet; they also value the family and traditions. But when this colour is unpleasant to somebody this speaks of pride, selfishness, and reticence.

YELLOW is a symbol of composure, ease of manners and refinement. If you like this colour you are a sociable, curious, bold, easily adaptable person who finds pleasure in attracting people's attention. If you dislike it you are a concentrated person of pessimistic inclination, difficult to mix with.

LIGHT-GREEN is the colour of strong-minded people who like to impose their will on others, at the same time trying to keep in the shadow, to avoid getting into difficulties.

ROSE is a colour of life and every living thing. It calls for love and kindness. People who like it are easily excitable. But at the same time this colour irritates pragmatic people.

VIOLET is characteristic of a very emotional and sensible person with high spiritual qualities and tact. Non-acceptance of this colour is a sign of a highly developed sense of duty and desire to enjoy the present day. This colour is typical of harmoniously developed people.

BLUE, the colour of the sky, is usually associated with high morals and purity. If this colour is your favourite, you are modest and melancholy. So you quickly get tired and have to rest frequently: you badly need people's goodwill and self-confidence means a lot for you. The negative attitude to this colour exposes a person who pretends to be all-powerful, but in reality is an example of diffidence and reticence. Indifference to blue shows certain lightmindedness in the emotional sphere, although this may be good manners.

GREEN is the colour of nature, spring, the very essence of life. A person who prefers it is afraid of falling under somebody's influence and seeks ways of self-assertion which are vitally important for him. Those who dislike it are afraid of everyday problems, the vicissitudes of life and all difficulties on the whole.