Words to Describe People

They are words that appear in the 2000 most commonly used vocabulary in the English language, so they are essential for students at the basic to intermediate levels. 

1. First, review the words and circle the words that you do not know. You can underline the words that you think you might know, but aren’t sure. 
2. Next, with a partner (or partners), ask about the words you do not know. 

What does _______ mean? 

To explain the words in English, the following sentences might be helpful: 

• It’s the opposite of __________.

• It’s almost the same as ___________. 

• This is the kind of person who always ________

• This is the kind of person who never __________.

After listening to the explanation, guess the translation of the word in your first language. Later, you can look up the words in a dictionary to see if your guess is correct. 

 

Positive	Neutral	Negative
Bright Friendly   Funny   Gentle    Helpful   Honest    Kind Loving   Lucky Warm	Busy Careful Childlike Cold Fearless Interesting Perfectionist    Quiet    Realistic Serious	Boring  Childish Controlling Forgetful Judgmental Lazy Loud Mean Selfish Silly

 

Talk about the vocabulary. Which words describe you? Which words do not? Use the following sentence patterns. 

I am very _______.  I am __________. I am somewhat ________

I am just a little _________ I’m not really _____________ I’m not _______________ all.

 

Now We’re Talking Textbook Activity Supplement

Book 1-Unit 1-Vocabulary: Describing People 

This is a lesson plan that can complement the vocabulary activities on page 7 of Now We’re Talking Book 1, Unit 1. 

Lesson Plan

1.  Distribute the handout (see above). Have the students look at the list of words and circle the ones they do not know. They can underline words they are not sure about, but have an idea of what they might mean. Tell the students to refrain from looking up words they do not know yet. 
2.  In pairs or small groups, students then ask their partners about the words they circled and underlined. If another student knows the word, the student should try to explain the meaning. This is not an easy task for basic and even intermediate level students, but the given structures in the handout can be helpful. Do a few of the examples as a class before having the students try on their own.
   
   If students have trouble finding a meaning (for example, they get stuck on a word that none of them know), they should call over the instructor to help with an explanation.
   
   Once the word is explained, the student can write down their best guess of the translation of the word. Finally, after this part of the activity is over (or for homework), students can look up the words in a bilingual dictionary to see if their understanding was correct. 

3. In pairs or small groups, the students can discuss the vocabulary as it relates to themselves. If needed, review the sentence structures for this part of the exercise.