Now check your answers to this exercise.

KEY to: DESCRIBING PERSONALITY

KIND/PLEASANT

considerate: kind and thoughtful, taking care not to upset

others and doing things that are helpful to others compassionate: feeling sympathy for the suffering of others and wishing to help them

warm: friendly and pleasant

indulgent: allowing someone to have whatever they want genial: friendly and cheerful, not at all frightening

lenient: tolerant towards someone who has done something wrong and not punishing them severely, when others might do so

tactful: careful in what you say or do so as not to upset anyone affable: friendly, easy to talk to mild-mannered: gentle and kind courteous: polite, having good manners decent: pleasant and honest

generous: kind in your treatment of others and happy to give them things

FEELING SUPERIOR

pompous: speaking or acting in a way that shows you feel you are very important and much more important than others

arrogant: too self-confident, in a way which others dislike

patronizing: speaking in a way that indicates that you consider yourself superior to those you are talking to and that you consider them stupid

conceited: too self-satisfied, happy in the belief that you are wonderful, in a way that others dislike

smug: too pleased with yourself and too happy in the belief that your own situation is better than other people’s, in a way that is disliked

big-headed: having too high an opinion of yourself

snobbish: considering yourself socially superior to others

aloof: unfriendly towards others and not wishing to have а close relationship with them because of considering yourself superior to them

stuck-up: behaving towards others as if you are superior in а way that annoys them

supercilious: showing the attitude that you think you are better than others by being rather rude to them

condescending: treating others in а way that indicates that you think you are superior to them and that you are doing them а favour by dealing with them at all

UNKIND/UNPLEASANT

mean: unkind or unpleasant in what you say or in being unwilling to give things to от share things with people

ruthless: cruel and totally unsympathetic to others because you want to achieve something and dо not care who suffers as long as you achieve it

vindictive: doing things in order to get revenge on others or because you want to cause someone you dislike to suffer

spiteful: saying or doing things that are deliberately intended to cause suffering to someone you dislike intensely

petulant: having а tendency to become angry suddenly because something is not the way that you want it to be, with the result that others suffer

ignorant: rude and bad-mannerd

moody: tending to change moods constantly, so that you suddenly become angry or unhappy when previously you were not, in а way that others find it difficult to deal with

narrow-minded: not tolerant of others or willing to listen to or consider their views, when these differ from yours

surly: unfriendly, unpleasant and rude, especially in the way you deal with others

DETERMINED

single-minded: determined to achieve something in particular and concentrating on that entirely, in а way that others admire

tenacious: not giving up an aim ar changing а belief, despite difficulty or opposition

resolute: very determined, especially when this involves having courage

obstinate: refusing to change your mind or be influenced by other views, despite attempts to persuade you to до so, in а way that others disapprove of

intransigent: completely certain that you are right and unwilling to listen to opposing views, even if these are reasonable

persistent: refusing to give up, despite failure or opposition

pushy: openly determined to get what you want by persuading others to dо things for you, in а way that is disliked

pig-headed: refusing to change your opinion, even though it appears quite possible that you are wrong

tireless: continuing in your efforts to achieve something you are determined to achieve, even though this requires an enormous amount of effort and energy

assertive: showing that you are determined to be listened to or taken seriously, rather than keeping quiet and allowing others to dominate

strong-willed: determined to get what you want and making every effort to get it

DISHONEST

crafty: clever in using deceitful ways to get what you want, rather than doing things openly

cunning: clever at deceiving and tricking people, in а way that is disapproved of

hypocritical: criticizing others for moral reasons while being guilty of the same things yourself

two-faced: deceiving others by pretending to like them when dealing with them but then saying bad things about them to others

scheming: making secret plans to get what you want because other people would disapprove if

they knew what you were doingwant by indirect means

calculating: clever at planning and doing things that аre to your advantage, without other people realizing what you are really doing

devious: being deceiteful and dishonest in order to

Task 4. Write a composition Describing People: Describe your Friend.

When describing people your composition needs to be well organised. The composition should have an introductory paragraph where you briefly set the scene (name, time/ place you met/saw him or her, etc.), a main body consisting of two or more paragraphs describing physical appearance, personality characteristics and hobbies/interests/everyday activities and a final paragraph which summarises your feelings about the person described. Each paragraph starts a new topic. Paragraphs should be well developed and linked together with a variety of linking words.

Points to remember. When describing physical appearance you should give details in the following order: height/build/age, facial features, hair, clothes moving from the most general adjectives to the most specific ones, e.g. Ann is a tall, thin woman. She has got a long face, blue eyes and an upturned nose. She wears her long blond hair loose. She is often casually dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. When describing character and behaviour, support your description with examples, e.g. Tom is very reserved. He never talks about his feelings. If you want to describe negative qualities it is advisable to use mild language, e.g. "He can be aggressive at times" is better than saying "He is aggressive". We can find descriptions of people in letters, articles, witness statements, novels, etc.

• Make your composition more interesting by using a wide range of adjectives (fabulous, superb, etc.) instead of a limited one (good, big, nice, etc).

• Be careful with the use of tenses. You can use present tenses when you describe someone in the present, and past tenses when you describe someone related to the past. e.g. someone you had met before you moved to this city, someone who is no longer alive, etc.

• Avoid writing simple short sentences. More complex sentences joined with connectors make your composition more eye-catching. e.g. Instead of saying: John is thin. He has large blue eyes. He has long curly hair. He has full lips. He wears his hair loose, you can say: John is a tall thin man with large blue eyes and full lips. He wears his long curly hair loose.

Note: When you describe someone for official purposes e.g. a police report, you emphasize the physical features and try to give the most accurate description possible. Read the following composition and put it in the right order. Then answer the following questions.

1. Julie is quite short and slim. She's got a round face with beautiful almond-shaped eyes and a slightly upturned nose. She often wears her shoulder-length fair hair in a pony-tail. Julie prefers comfortable clothes and can often be seen wearing a blue jumper, a pair of denim jeans and trainers.

2. Over the years, I have shared many good times with Julie. She has been one of my best and most trusted friends. 1 feel fortunate to have met her.

3. I've known Julie since my first day at school, when we were only five. 1 can remember her smiling face as the teacher, Mrs Snow, asked me to share the same desk with her.

4. One of Julie's favourite hobbies is cycling. She also enjoys reading people's horoscopes and trying to predict what will happen in the future. Julie likes going to the cinema and is especially fond of adventure films.

5. Although Julie is quite reserved, she is a kind person who will listen to your problems and try to help you. She is also quite active and enjoys outdoor activities.

a. Which paragraphs make up the main body of the composition?

b. Which paragraph sets the scene? How does it begin?

c. Which paragraph summarises the writer's feelings towards the person he describes?

d. Are Julie's personality characteristics justified?

e. Are there complex sentences? Underline the connectors.

f. The writer uses present tenses. Why does he do this?

g. Has the writer given Julie's physical and personality characteristics equal importance?