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[1] 00:01Hi, I'm Martin.

[2] 00:04Welcome to Oxford Online English!

[3] 00:08In this lesson, you can learn how to describe a person who you know in English.

[4] 00:16Think about someone you know well.

[5] 00:18It could be someone in your family, a close friend, someone you work with, or someone

[6] 00:24else.

[7] 00:26How would you describe this person?

[8] 00:28What does this person look like?

[9] 00:31What kind of personality does this person have?

[10] 00:37Describing a person is useful in many situations, including speaking exams like the IELTS speaking

[11] 00:44test or the FCE speaking exam.

[12] 00:48In this lesson, you'll learn how to describe a person in detail using clear, natural English.

[13] 00:56During this lesson, you're going to practice, so you need to think of someone you're going

[14] 01:01to describe.

[15] 01:03It can be anyone you know well.

[16] 01:06Got someone?

[17] 01:07Great!

[18] 01:08Let's begin.

[19] 01:10Part one: describing appearance.

[20] 01:14First question: what does he or she look like?

[21] 01:19What can you say when describing a person's appearance?

[22] 01:24You can talk about the person's height and build:

[23] 01:27"My brother is tall and well-built."

[24] 01:31"My friend Lia is medium height and slim."

[25] 01:35"Craig, who I work with, is short and overweight."

[26] 01:42Do you know what 'well-built' means?

[27] 01:45Someone who is well-built is broad and strong, with big muscles.

[28] 01:51You can also add adverbs to make your sentences more precise:

[29] 01:56"My brother is quite tall and well-built."

[30] 02:00"My friend Lia is medium height and really slim."

[31] 02:04"Craig, who I work with, is short and a little overweight."

[32] 02:09Then, maybe add something about the person's hair:

[33] 02:16"He has short, brown hair, but he's going bald fast."

[34] 02:21"She has long, dark blonde hair."

[35] 02:25"He has curly, fair hair."

[36] 02:29What does 'fair' mean here?

[37] 02:31It's the opposite of 'dark', and you can use it to describe someone's hair or skin.

[38] 02:39Finally, what else can you say about the person's appearance?

[39] 02:45Imagine you're describing the person to me, and you want me to be able to recognise

[40] 02:52this person from your description.

[41] 02:55What could you say?

[42] 02:58There are many possibilities, of course, but here are a few suggestions:

[43] 03:04"He looks a bit like a younger version of Vin Diesel."

[44] 03:10"She's really beautiful, with very striking features."

[45] 03:15"He has a long scar on his right elbow."

[46] 03:21Do you know what 'striking features' means?

[47] 03:25In this context, 'features' refers to someone's face.

[48] 03:30'Striking' means that you can't help noticing something.

[49] 03:35So if someone has 'striking features', it means he or she has a very unusual and attractive

[50] 03:43face.

[51] 03:45What about 'scar'?

[52] 03:47Scars are left over when you get a deep cut or have an operation.

[53] 03:52Okay, so now you should be able to make three sentences about the person you're describing,

[54] 04:01like this:

[55] 04:02"My brother is quite tall and well-built.

[56] 04:06He has short, brown hair, but he's going bald fast.

[57] 04:10He looks a bit like a younger version of Vin Diesel."

[58] 04:16Your turn: pause the video and make three sentences about the person you're describing.

[59] 04:23Remember: height/build, then hair, then general appearance.

[60] 04:31Could you do this?

[61] 04:33If so, great job-we've only done one part, and you've already got the start of a good

[62] 04:40description.

[63] 04:42But of course, there's more we can add.

[64] 04:46Part two: describing positive characteristics.

[65] 04:51Another question: what's this person like?

[66] 04:57Do you know what this question means?

[67] 05:00It means I want you to tell me about the person's personality.

[68] 05:06Let's start with positive words you can use to talk about someone's character.

[69] 05:13Think about the person you're describing.

[70] 05:16What good things can you say about him or her?

[71] 05:23You could describe someone as 'kind', but it's better to be more specific if you can.

[72] 05:32Better words to use are 'considerate'-meaning someone who always thinks about other people

[73] 05:38and their needs-or 'warm'-meaning someone who shows positive feelings to others and

[74] 05:46makes other people feel good.

[75] 05:49Or, maybe this person is good at making other people laugh.

[76] 05:55You could say they are 'funny' or that they have a 'good sense of humour'.

[77] 06:00More generally, you can describe someone as 'fun' or 'entertaining' if people enjoy spending

[78] 06:07time with them.

[79] 06:10What else?

[80] 06:12Well, for a friend, it's very important that a person is 'reliable'-that you can

[81] 06:18depend on them to keep their promises and be there for you when you need them.

[82] 06:24Similarly, you could describe people as 'honest' or 'straightforward'.

[83] 06:30If someone is straightforward, they're honest, easy to understand and easy to spend time

[84] 06:38with.

[85] 06:40Straightforward people say what they think, but not in a rude way, and they don't keep

[86] 06:46secrets or gossip about other people.

[87] 06:50Let's look at three more.

[88] 06:54Most of us like spending time with people who are 'cheerful'-people who smile a lot

[89] 07:00and are usually in a good mood.

[90] 07:03Cheerful people are often 'positive' and 'optimistic'-they expect good things to happen.

[91] 07:10So now you have twelve positive adjectives you can use to describe someone's personality.

[92] 07:19Can you use any of these adjectives to talk about the person you're describing?

[93] 07:26When you use these adjectives, always try to add an example or a reason.

[94] 07:32For example, don't just say:

[95] 07:34"My brother is really funny."

[96] 07:36"My friend Lia is a very cheerful person."

[97] 07:41Add some details or examples to make your answer more interesting, like this:

[98] 07:48"My brother's really funny.

[99] 07:52He likes making weird jokes, generally at the most inappropriate moment."

[100] 07:57"My friend Lia is a very cheerful person.

[101] 08:02Even early in the morning, she's always smiling and in a good mood.

[102] 08:06I don't know how she does it!"

[103] 08:11If possible, you could even add a story to really illustrate the person's character.

[104] 08:19"Craig, who I work with, is such an honest guy.

[105] 08:23I remember one time he found a wallet with £500 in a pub.

[106] 08:29It would have been easy to keep the money-there was nothing in the wallet to say whose it

[107] 08:34was, but he said it wouldn't be right to keep it, and he insisted on going straight

[108] 08:40to the police, right that minute."

[109] 08:45Adding stories like this can really bring a description to life.

[110] 08:50You've also seen some good ways to use these adjectives:

[111] 08:55"My brother is really _______."

[112] 08:59"My friend Lia is a very ________ ." "Craig is such an _______ guy."

[113] 09:08Of course, you can change these and use them in your answer.

[114] 09:15What about you?

[115] 09:17Pause the video, and try to use some of these adjectives about the person you're describing.

[116] 09:25Don't forget to add details and examples to your description, or you can even add a

[117] 09:31story if possible!

[118] 09:34Next, let's look at part three: describing negative characteristics.

[119] 09:41No one's perfect, right?

[120] 09:44We all have our flaws, so let's look at how to describe the bad side of someone's

[121] 09:51personality.

[122] 09:53Many of the words you saw in part two have direct opposites which you can use.

[123] 09:59For example:

[124] 10:01'kind'  'unkind' 'considerate'  'inconsiderate'

[125] 10:07'honest'  'dishonest' 'reliable'  'unreliable'

[126] 10:13Of course, there are other words you can use, too.

[127] 10:20Some people can be 'selfish' or 'self-centered'-they think about themselves too much, and don't

[128] 10:29think about the needs of others.

[129] 10:32These two words have a similar meaning.

[130] 10:36Even more extreme, you can describe someone as 'self-obsessed'.

[131] 10:40A self-obsessed person only thinks about themselves, and doesn't seem to realise that other people

[132] 10:47exist at all!

[133] 10:51Not everyone can be funny, but you don't want to be seen as 'humourless' or 'dull'.

[134] 10:57'Dull' is similar to 'boring', while 'humourless' means that someone has no sense of humour

[135] 11:05and is too serious.

[136] 11:08If someone doesn't do what they say or doesn't keep their promises, you've already seen

[137] 11:14two words you can use: 'dishonest' or 'unreliable'.

[138] 11:20Similarly, you could describe someone as 'insincere'-meaning that someone says things without meaning them.

[139] 11:30For example, if someone is always friendly on the surface, but they don't really feel

[140] 11:37anything inside, you could describe that person as insincere.

[141] 11:43Their friendliness doesn't mean anything.

[142] 11:47Finally, cheerful people are always in a good mood, but what's the opposite?

[143] 11:54You could describe someone as 'moody' or 'grumpy'.

[144] 11:58Moody people's moods change very easily, and they are often in a bad mood.

[145] 12:05Grumpy people never seem to be in a good mood and are always unhappy and negative.

[146] 12:14So now, you have twelve negative adjectives to go with your twelve positive adjectives!

[147] 12:23As before, when you use these adjectives to describe someone, try to add details or examples.

[148] 12:32For example:

[149] 12:34"My brother can be a little unreliable sometimes.

[150] 12:40He often 'forgets' to do things he promised he would."

[151] 12:46"Lia's great, but sometimes I feel she's a bit insincere.

[152] 12:52She says all these nice things, but I'm not sure she really means them."

[153] 12:57"My colleague Craig is so moody.

[154] 13:01He'll be fine one minute, then suddenly he starts acting like he hates everyone.

[155] 13:08It makes him quite difficult to be around."

[156] 13:13You can see how we often use slightly more indirect language to talk about someone's

[157] 13:20negative characteristics:

[158] 13:22"My brother can be a little _______ sometimes."

[159] 13:27"Sometimes I feel that she's a bit ________."

[160] 13:31Of course, if you really want to be direct, you can be:

[161] 13:38"My colleague is so ________."

[162] 13:42Now, pause the video and try to use these words and phrases.

[163] 13:50Make 2-3 sentences, and don't forget to add examples and details!

[164] 13:59Part four: talking about your relationship.

[165] 14:02Finally, let's add some details about how you know this person and your relationship.

[166] 14:11Look at three sentences:

[167] 14:13"We've known each other ________."

[168] 14:15"We met ________."

[169] 14:18"We get on _______, because ________."

[170] 14:23Do you know what 'get on' means here?

[171] 14:26By itself, it means to have a good relationship with someone.

[172] 14:32You can add adverbs after 'get on' to give it different meanings.

[173] 14:38For example:

[174] 14:39"We get on very well."

[175] 14:41"We get on well sometimes."

[176] 14:45Or you can make it negative:

[177] 14:49"We don't get on very well."

[178] 14:53Okay, look at the sentences again:

[179] 14:56"We've known each other ________."

[180] 14:57"We met ________."

[181] 14:58"We get on _______, because ________."

[182] 14:59How could you complete them?

[183] 15:03You could say:

[184] 15:04"We've known each other for about ten years."

[185] 15:09"We met at university."

[186] 15:10"We get on really well, because we have a similar sense of humour."

[187] 15:17Of course, there are many possibilities:

[188] 15:21"We've known each other almost our whole lives."

[189] 15:25"We met when we were babies, before we could even walk!"

[190] 15:30"We get on well most of the time, although we argue sometimes, too."

[191] 15:39Depending on who you're talking about, it might not make sense to use all of these sentences.

[192] 15:45For example, if you're talking about your brother or another relative, it doesn't

[193] 15:51make sense to talk about how long you've known each other or where you met.

[194] 15:56However, you can still talk about how well you get on and why.

[195] 16:03You could also add how often you see each other, or what you like to do together.

[196] 16:10"I don't see my brother often, though we talk a couple of times a month.

[197] 16:17When we meet up, we like watching films or playing cards."

[198] 16:20Either way, try to make three sentences about the person you're describing, like this:

[199] 16:30"I've known my friend Lia for about five years.

[200] 16:35We met because we worked in the same place for a few months.

[201] 16:39We get on really well, because we have a lot in common: we like the same films, the same

[202] 16:45music, and so on."

[203] 16:48"I've known Craig since July.

[204] 16:52We actually met at a mutual friend's birthday party, and then we realised we work in the

[205] 16:57same place.

[206] 16:59We get on alright but we aren't close.

[207] 17:02We're just different people and we don't seem to have much to talk about."

[208] 17:07Now you try!

[209] 17:09Pause the video and make three sentences about your relationship with the person you're

[210] 17:17talking about.

[211] 17:18Use the words and phrases from this section.

[212] 17:23Alright?

[213] 17:25Now, we have one more thing to do:

[214] 17:30Part five: making a longer answer.

[215] 17:35In this lesson, you've learned how to describe a person by:

[216] 17:40talking about their appearance; talking about the positive and negative sides of their personality;

[217] 17:50talking about your relationship and how you know each other.

[218] 17:56Now, let's put everything we've done together into a longer answer.

[219] 18:04Here's one:

[220] 18:06"My brother is quite tall and well-built.

[221] 18:11He has short, brown hair, but he's going bald fast.

[222] 18:16He looks a bit like a younger version of Vin Diesel.

[223] 18:19He's really funny.

[224] 18:21He likes making weird jokes, generally at the most inappropriate moment.

[225] 18:26However, he can be a little unreliable sometimes.

[226] 18:31He often 'forgets' to do things he promised he would.

[227] 18:35I don't see him often, though we talk a couple of times a month.

[228] 18:40When we meet up, we like watching films or playing cards."

[229] 18:45This answer uses examples you've already seen.

[230] 18:49Let's do one more longer answer with original examples:

[231] 18:55"I'm going to tell you about a friend of mine, Sarah.

[232] 19:00She's quite short and very slim, with light brown hair.

[233] 19:05She's very pretty and she has a really nice smile.

[234] 19:10Sarah's cheerful and fun to be around, and she's also very straightforward: you know

[235] 19:15who she is right away and it's easy to feel comfortable around her.

[236] 19:20I've known her for about twelve years now, since university.

[237] 19:25We get on well because we have a similar attitude to life and we always have lots to talk about."

[238] 19:32Okay, now it's your turn!

[239] 19:36Make a longer answer to describe someone you know.

[240] 19:41Use the examples and language from this lesson to help you.

[241] 19:46If you want, you can post your answer in the video comments and we'll give you feedback.

[242] 19:53That's the end of the lesson.

[243] 19:55I hope it was useful for you!

[244] 19:57Don't forget to check out more of our free English lessons on our website: Oxford Online

[245] 20:05English dot com.

[246] 20:08See you next time!