1. When we describe somebody, we tend to follow this order in our description: height, build, age, hair, eyes, face, complexion, extra features, dress. Study this example.

My cousin, Paul, is a tallish man in his mid-thirties. He is a bit plump and has got long wavy brown hair. He has a round, friendly-looking face and small brown eyes. He has got a little scar on his cheek from an accident he had when he was a child. He wears glasses and has got a beard. He isn't very smart and tends to wear shabby clothes.

2. Eyes

When we describe people's eyes, we normally start with their size, followed by

shape and colour.

Example: She has got big round blue eyes.

SIZE + SHAPE + COLOUR

Put the following sentences into the correct order.

1. Susan has got brown/large/round/eyes.

2. Klaus has got blue/bright/eyes/small.

3. Mary has eyes/green/large.

4. Mariko has/almond-shaped/large/dark brown/eyes.

3. Hair

When we describe people's hair, we normally give length first followed by

colour and style.

Example: He has got short black curly hair.

LENGTH + COLOUR + STYLE

4. Height and build

1. When we use common adjectives like short and tall, we can modify them by adding -ish. She is tallish means she is fairly but not very tall. We do this in spoken English. Think of other adjectives that can be modified in this way.

2. Here are some other ways of describing build which may be new to you. Mark the definition with the word.

	frail		overweight
	stocky		attractively thin
Someone who is	slim	is	(old) and weak-looking
	plump		unattractively thin
	skinny		shortish but well-built

Skill Ex. 6 Make up short dialogues following the models below.

Developing

a) - What does your father look like?

-Well, he is not very tall, with dark hair and grey eyes.

b) - What docs your cousin look like?

- She's got a slim figure, curly hair and bright eyes. We are very much alike

c) - Is your brother a good-looking/handsome fellow?

- Well, I wouldn't call him handsome but he is very attractive.

d) Is your girlfriend Ann pretty?

- Yes, she is beautiful. She looks very much like her mother who is still a very

good-looking woman.

E.x. 7 Complete the following by describing the person's appearance.

1. You consider him handsome, actually ...

2. He is the kind of man you go for at once ...

3. Richard is quite good-looking ...

4. Little Jane is as pretty as a picture ...

5. She is nice/pleasant to look at...

6. His sister is very plain, actually...

7. She In not it bit like her mother ...

8. Her mother is over 40, but she doesn't look her age.

9. Ann is Arthur's age, but she looks much older.

10. When you meet her, the first thing you notice is ...

11. Cathy is us cute as a doll.

Ex. 8 Say a few words about the appearance of your relatives or friends.

Use the following texts as models.

1. My sister Jane is a pretty girl of twenty. She is rather thin and looks like a teenager. She's got dark brown eyes and brown hair. Her face is round. She looks very much like her mother.

2. My grandmother is an elderly person. She is over seventy but she doesn't look it. She has aged quite well. She's got grey hair and blue eyes. She is rather stout. She's got a kind smile.

3. My cousin John is 22. He is a handsome fellow with an oval face, fair hair and grey eyes. He is tall and slim. Girls think a lot of him.

4. My mother is in her early forties. I must say, she looks young for her age. She is not very tall. She has a good figure and beautiful wavy hair. I like her brown eyes, her soft voice and the way she smiles. We are very alike.

Ex. 9 A. Read the descriptions composed by Caroline Edwards.

David

My brother is 22 years old. He is of medium height and build, is a bit stocky, but strong with it. He has long, curly fair hair. It is fashionable in Britain at the moment for men to grow their hair. His nearly reaches his shoulders. My mother is always telling him to get it cut. He doesn't take much care over his appearance so he often looks quite scruffy. He hates having to wear a tie for work. When he's at home he wears comfortable clothes such as T-shirts and jeans. He doesn't care very much what he looks like.

James

My other brother is much taller - he towers above me, even though he is only 15. He does quite a lot of sport so he's quite strong and has well developed muscles. He has straight brown hair which refuses to lie flat and is always sticking up. He has bluish-grey eyes and a little nose.

He is clever and quiet and spends a lot of time at his computer. People sometimes think that he is morose & sullen but I don't think that's the case - he just prefers to think rather than to talk. When he does talk he has a deep voice. He doesn't pronounce his words very clearly, but just mutters them - he can't be bothered to speak clearly. This is typical of boys of his age I think.

Mother

My mother turned 50 this year, although she doesn't look it. She has aged quite well I think. Only now she is beginning to show signs of old age - her hair started to go grey and her skin is drier. She is also thinner - she used to have a tendency to put on weight. She is usually well dressed. She is the sort of person who always looks quite smart - I'm the exact opposite - it doesn't matter how much time, money & energy I devote to my appearance, I usually look scruffy. Even if I leave home looking good, by the time I reach my destination I look a mess - my things arc splashed, my hem has come down and I generally look untidy as if I'd never bothered.

Father

My father is quite short and a bit plump. I take after my father's side of the family. My father is nearly bald and the hair that remains is grey. He wears sensible, practical clothes most of the time, but for work he has to look smarter so he wears a suit and a tie. He has a grey and blue suit which I think looks good on him. When he puts his glasses on and he wears these suits, he looks every inch a teacher. My father is not a pleasant man. He gets angry and loses his temper quite often.

B. Pick out all the expressions you haven't come across before. Use them in the sentences of your own.

C. Show your partner a picture of your mother (father, sister, friend, etc.) and describe his/her appearance using the expressions from the above exercises.

Ex. 10 Look through the window. You can see a man (a child, a woman) outside. Say whether there is something noticeable in his/her appearance.

Ex. 11 You are looking at your reflection in the mirror. You are not fully satisfied with your appearance. In spite of some of your drawbacks try to convince yourself that you are pleasant to look at and your face is very attractive. Say what you like in your appearance.

Ex. 12 Work in pairs. One of you read text A, and the other read text B. Find out what happened and why. Then exchange information.

A. Last week, Mrs Alice Woolf, aged 65, was tricked into handing over all her savings to a smooth-talking doorstep salesman who said he was selling burglar alarm systems. 'I was completely taken in', she said. 'I know it was foolish to let him talk me into giving him all my savings, but he seemed such a nice man. He came across as completely honest. But I won't make the same mistake again. Once bitten, twice shy'. When asked if she thought the man would be caught, she replied, 'I don't think he'll get away with it. I'm sure the police catch him sooner or later.'

B. The police are looking for a well-dressed young man who has been passing himself off as a doorstep salesman. Last week, he tricked an elderly lady into giving him all her money as a deposit for a burglar alarm system. A police spokesman said, 'Unfortunately, it's quite easy for dishonest people to make a living doing this kind of thing. I suppose we all tend to go by appearances, and very often it's not easy to see through a clean-shaven, well-spoken young man in a good suit, and with a pleasant manner. Appearances can be deceptive, and not everyone is a good judge of character. My advice to people is not to hand over any money until they have checked people's references and made sure they belong to a reputable organisation. Meanwhile we'll do our best to catch the man who took Mrs Woolf s savings'.

Ex. 13 A Guessing Game.

Work in pairs. Guess who your fellow student is describing?

Ex. 14 Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions.

- When you meet someone for the first time, what do you notice most their clothes? voice? facial expression?

- What do these things tell you about the person?

Word Ex. 15 Work with a partner. Try to work out the meaning of the

Meaning multi-word verbs in italics in the text. Then match the verbs in A