UNIT ] Describing People 1 Look at the people in the photographs and talk about each in terms of appear- ance, personality and life/lifestyle. Appearance: How would you describe each person’s appearance? Whick features of their appearance ure most noticeable? What does theirway of sting, looking, etc suggest? Personality: What do you imagine each persom is lke? Life & Lifestyle: Whar ese do you imagine about each person concerning such things as profession, ambitions, intress|hobbies, daily routine, ete? ‘Acomposition descriting a person should consist of @) an introduction giving brie information about who the person is, where/how you ‘met hiner, how you heard about hiner, ete: 'b) a main body which may include description of sueh things as physical appearance, personaiity/behaviour, manner/mannerisms andlor details of the person's life and iestyle, (hobbies, interests, everyday activties, etc) and €) a conclusion in which you comment on why the person is o intrest, express your feelings/opinion concerning the pe'son, ete © Ina descriptive composition ofa person, you may aiso be asked to explain why this person is successful/admirable/unusual, etc. why he/she made such a strong /pression on you, how he/she has influenced you, etc. (© Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence which summarises the paragraph, Introdvetion The content of the paragraph depends on the topic tself and where the emphasis placed Paragraph 1 © Descriptions of people may be included in several other types of writing tasks such es who the person is narratives, leters, assessment reaorts, etc whenihow you first met! saw himlher Points to Consider Main Bedy © To describe physical appearance, you should give details of the person's Paragraph 2 height/build, age, facial features, hair, clothing, etc. moving trom the most general physical appearance aspects to the most specific details. e.g. Bl, who is in his early twenties, is quite tall Paragraph 3 and well-built, with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. He is usualy dressed in jowreend a Tone ppersonaiityibenaviour (with @ To describe personality and behaviour, you can support your description with Juesiiemoniavarnles) ‘examples of manner and mannerism: 0.9. Mark is rther unsociable, usually sitting Paragraph 4 silenty in a comer observing others rom a distance. Iteltitestyle/beliets © Todescribe life, lifestyle and beliefs, you should talk about the person's habits interests, profession, daily routine, opinions, etc. Paragraph 5 ‘29, Being both @ university student and a part-time assistant in supermarket, Janet explanation 1 + justification ‘has lite free time to g0 out inthe evenings. Paragraph 6 ‘© Ifthe instructions for tne writing task ask you to describe someone related to the explanation 2 + justification present, e.g. “Describe a person who fs unusual." you wil deserve the person using Present tenses. If you are asked to describe sb relatadto the past, sb who is no longer Conclusion alive, or sb wom you met some me ago ... 8g. “Describe a famous person you met who was not as you expected ..”. you will describe the person using Past tenses. © The use of descriptive vocabulary, e.g. stung, slender, ote. and a vericty of linking words and structures wil make your writing more interesting, Final Paragraph commentsiteelings about personUnit 1 Describing People / 2 Read the following composition and fill in the missing information in the plan. Look at the highlighted adjective-noun combinations, then close your books and try to remember as many of these 2s possible. What other words can you think of which could be used to describe a person’s physical appearance? Describe a person you know well When | began working at Hillerest Nursery School three years ago, | was introduced to Sharon Duna, the school’s headmistress, Her smart appearance and warm, friendly expression made me lke her immediate: ly. She is a smalk-boned, smiling woman in her ealy ities, with twinkling blue eyes and soit, silver curls. Although she dresses simply she always manages to look elegant, She is very fair minded person who treats everyone atthe school with equal respect. Despite clasping her hands nervously when she isupset, she's actually very calm, which is shown by her ability to keep her temper in the most difict situations. Her quiet voice and gentle, caring manner make her popular with the chilren. ‘Ms Dunn has no children of her cwvn; however, she says that she feels like a mother to all ofthe children in her school, infact, she has no time for family li, since she ded: icates her life to her job. Besides taking care of various administrative tasks every day, she always takes time to tak to the teachers and parents. In addition, she often holds moctings with the school's Board of Directors, as well as wih sta and parents To my mind, Sharon Dunn is a dedicated professional who is a wonderful role model not only for the children but forthe teachers, as wel PHYSICAL APPEARANCE '@ A description of a person's appearance could include such aspects as height’build, age, facial features expression, hair, clothes, etc You may describe visual details (e.g. Atal, heavily-bult man wearing a black loathor jacket ..) and/or use words and phrases which describe tne general impression created by the person's appearance (0.9. Donna's slender, youthful build makes her look younger than she Is, while her ace, with its bright smile and friendly expression. is very attractive). Note that when you describe someone for official purposes e.g. a police report, you emphasise the person’s physical appearance, giving the most accurate description possible. Look at the photographs, choose the most appropriate deseripti words from those suggested, and then write a short description of Introduction first met Ms Dunn at Hillrest Nursery Schoo), headmistess Main Body ‘© Appearance smart; warm, friendly expression © Personality/Behaviour © Life/ifestyle/Beliefs Conclusion sarcastic/condescendingriendly smi sparkling/watery/piercing eyes 3) ie scarsfeckles/ wrinkles each person, broad/hooked/button nose z : as inthe example. asmootsway sn porty/slederpowetbutd \ ooscrcunerporudng ey: | (lamedckea-stuventineseaured face | floving/siveeury hat —— fabioy/bugig/vthered biceps | warmyhostie/arogant expression hooked nose, swarthy \ point te eee bese climples/pimples/wrinkes ‘sin and bloodshot eyes.