DESCRIBING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Learning objectives By the end of class students will be able to:
- Describe someone’s physical appearance using short, natural phrases (e.g., “He’s tall with curly hair.”).
- Describe basic personality traits using simple adjectives (e.g., “She’s friendly and funny.”).
- Ask and answer short, meaningful questions about people in a conversational way.
Vocabulary
Describing Physical Appearance
- When you describe how someone looks, you can ask questions like:
- What does he/she look like? → He has short brown hair and green eyes.
- How tall is he/she? → He’s tall.
- What color is his/her hair? → It’s black.
- What color are his eyes? → His eyes are blue.
- What color are her eyes? → Her eyes are brown.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS
When describing hair, English follows a natural and logical order of adjectives — just like when we describe clothes or physical appearance. Here’s the correct order: Order of adjectives for hair Length → short, medium, long Style or shape → straight, wavy, curly Color → black, brown, blonde, red, gray ✅ Formula Length + Style + Color + “hair” She has long straight black hair. He has short curly brown hair. My sister has medium wavy blonde hair.
In real American English, people usually describe skin color in natural, polite, and neutral ways. Here are the most common and acceptable ones: Light skin or fair skin → for people with pale or lighter complexions. Tan → for someone with light brown skin, often from the sun. Olive skin → for people with a slightly greenish or golden tone (common in Mediterranean or Latin backgrounds). Brown skin → for people with medium to dark brown complexions. Dark skin → for people with deeper brown complexions. Pale → used only when someone looks lighter than usual (like sick or tired).
Practice Time! Exericise 1. Exercise 2 . Exercise 3 (listening) . Exercise 4.
Speaking practice
Conversation: “At the Café” Alex: Hey, do you see that guy over there? Mia: Which one? Alex: The tall one with short curly brown hair. He’s wearing a blue T-shirt. Mia: Oh yeah, I see him. He has light skin and green eyes. He looks friendly. Alex: Yeah, he does. He reminds me of my cousin. Mia: Really? Does your cousin look like that? Alex: Kind of. He’s also tall and slim, but he has straight dark hair. Mia: Nice! And what about you? How would you describe yourself? Alex: Hmm, I’m medium height, I have short black hair and brown eyes. What about you? Mia: I have long wavy hair and fair skin. People say I look like my mom! Alex: You do! I can totally see that.
Can You Describe Them?
Work in pairs. Read the conversation “At the Café” together and pay attention to how Alex and Mia describe people using is and has. Then, read it again and change some details such as the person’s hair color, eye color, height, or clothes. After that, practice your new version with your partner, using your own ideas. Finally, take turns describing a real person you know, like a friend, classmate, or celebrity, using similar expressions from the conversation.
Can You Describe Them?
Choose one situation and describe the person in detail with your partner. 1. The Robbery A wallet was stolen at a coffee shop! The police need your help. One student plays the witness and the other plays the police officer. The witness must describe the thief in detail — what they looked like, what they were wearing, and any special features. The police officer asks follow-up questions to make a full report. 2. The Blind Date One student has just met someone on a blind date, and the other is their best friend. The friend asks, “So, what did he/she look like?” The student must describe the person’s appearance — their hair, eyes, clothes, and general impression — without saying the name. The friend tries to guess what kind of person they might be.
Can You Describe Them?
3. The Missing Celebrity A famous singer disappeared before a concert! One student works for the media and the other for the security team. The security guard describes what the celebrity looked like, what they were wearing, and where they were last seen. The reporter asks questions to write a short news report about the incident.
DESCRIBING PERSONALITY
🔹 Short Conversation Mia: I met someone new at the conference yesterday. Alex: Oh really? What was he like? Mia: He was very outgoing and friendly. He asked lots of questions and smiled a lot. Alex: Sounds nice. Was he serious in his work? Mia: Yes, he was also very organized and reliable. I could tell he’s someone you can count on. Alex: Cool. I wish I met someone like that.
Describing Personality When you describe what someone is like (their character), you can ask: What is he/she like? → He’s friendly and hardworking. How is he/she as a person? → She’s kind and funny. Is he/she shy or outgoing? → She’s very outgoing.
How to describe Personality
Exercise 1.
Exercise 2.(listening)
Exercise 3.(listening)
1.How would your best friend describe you?2.How would you describe your best friend? 3.Choose a family member and fully describe him/her.
Create Your Movie Cast! Work in groups and imagine you are creating a new movie or series. Choose the type of movie and make three characters — for example, a hero, a villain, and a funny friend. Find or draw pictures of them and describe their personality using at least three adjectives for each one. Then, present your movie to the class and say what kind of people your characters are.
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Transcript
DESCRIBING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Learning objectives By the end of class students will be able to:
Vocabulary
Describing Physical Appearance
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS
When describing hair, English follows a natural and logical order of adjectives — just like when we describe clothes or physical appearance. Here’s the correct order: Order of adjectives for hair Length → short, medium, long Style or shape → straight, wavy, curly Color → black, brown, blonde, red, gray ✅ Formula Length + Style + Color + “hair” She has long straight black hair. He has short curly brown hair. My sister has medium wavy blonde hair.
In real American English, people usually describe skin color in natural, polite, and neutral ways. Here are the most common and acceptable ones: Light skin or fair skin → for people with pale or lighter complexions. Tan → for someone with light brown skin, often from the sun. Olive skin → for people with a slightly greenish or golden tone (common in Mediterranean or Latin backgrounds). Brown skin → for people with medium to dark brown complexions. Dark skin → for people with deeper brown complexions. Pale → used only when someone looks lighter than usual (like sick or tired).
Practice Time! Exericise 1. Exercise 2 . Exercise 3 (listening) . Exercise 4.
Speaking practice
Conversation: “At the Café” Alex: Hey, do you see that guy over there? Mia: Which one? Alex: The tall one with short curly brown hair. He’s wearing a blue T-shirt. Mia: Oh yeah, I see him. He has light skin and green eyes. He looks friendly. Alex: Yeah, he does. He reminds me of my cousin. Mia: Really? Does your cousin look like that? Alex: Kind of. He’s also tall and slim, but he has straight dark hair. Mia: Nice! And what about you? How would you describe yourself? Alex: Hmm, I’m medium height, I have short black hair and brown eyes. What about you? Mia: I have long wavy hair and fair skin. People say I look like my mom! Alex: You do! I can totally see that.
Can You Describe Them?
Work in pairs. Read the conversation “At the Café” together and pay attention to how Alex and Mia describe people using is and has. Then, read it again and change some details such as the person’s hair color, eye color, height, or clothes. After that, practice your new version with your partner, using your own ideas. Finally, take turns describing a real person you know, like a friend, classmate, or celebrity, using similar expressions from the conversation.
Can You Describe Them?
Choose one situation and describe the person in detail with your partner. 1. The Robbery A wallet was stolen at a coffee shop! The police need your help. One student plays the witness and the other plays the police officer. The witness must describe the thief in detail — what they looked like, what they were wearing, and any special features. The police officer asks follow-up questions to make a full report. 2. The Blind Date One student has just met someone on a blind date, and the other is their best friend. The friend asks, “So, what did he/she look like?” The student must describe the person’s appearance — their hair, eyes, clothes, and general impression — without saying the name. The friend tries to guess what kind of person they might be.
Can You Describe Them?
3. The Missing Celebrity A famous singer disappeared before a concert! One student works for the media and the other for the security team. The security guard describes what the celebrity looked like, what they were wearing, and where they were last seen. The reporter asks questions to write a short news report about the incident.
DESCRIBING PERSONALITY
🔹 Short Conversation Mia: I met someone new at the conference yesterday. Alex: Oh really? What was he like? Mia: He was very outgoing and friendly. He asked lots of questions and smiled a lot. Alex: Sounds nice. Was he serious in his work? Mia: Yes, he was also very organized and reliable. I could tell he’s someone you can count on. Alex: Cool. I wish I met someone like that.
Describing Personality When you describe what someone is like (their character), you can ask: What is he/she like? → He’s friendly and hardworking. How is he/she as a person? → She’s kind and funny. Is he/she shy or outgoing? → She’s very outgoing.
How to describe Personality
Exercise 1.
Exercise 2.(listening)
Exercise 3.(listening)
1.How would your best friend describe you?2.How would you describe your best friend? 3.Choose a family member and fully describe him/her.
Create Your Movie Cast! Work in groups and imagine you are creating a new movie or series. Choose the type of movie and make three characters — for example, a hero, a villain, and a funny friend. Find or draw pictures of them and describe their personality using at least three adjectives for each one. Then, present your movie to the class and say what kind of people your characters are.