Words to Describe People
by Scott Miles
The vocabulary in this supplement is commonly used 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.
- 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.
- 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.
|
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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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Texting Expressions and Acronyms in English: What did you say?
by Carol Cutler
Just when you are starting to feel confident about your English-speaking skills, you come across a new challenge:
texting acronyms from native-speaker friends. Even when you have deciphered the usual letters (like LOL), some texting expressions can still be confusing. You asked, “Can I bring a friend to the party?”, and your roommate replied “Bet”. What does he mean? Was that a yes or no? As it turns out, “bet” means “yes”, or “you bet” (For sure! It’s so certain that you can “bet” on it). These expressions and acronyms are mostly found in text messages, but sometimes they find their way into emails, too. Please be aware that they are INFORMAL and should only be used with close friends and people you know very well. They are most commonly used by teenagers or young adults and also may vary by geographic location in the US. Here is a list of 25 common texting expressions and acronyms with short explanations:
- WDYM – What do you mean? (Please explain yourself)
- OMW – On my way (I’m coming)
- WTM – What’s the matter? (What’s wrong? What is the problem?)
- Ight (or aight) – Alright (Ok or I agree)
- Bet – You bet (It sounds good to me, or for sure)
- ALR – Alright (Okay, or it sounds good to me)
- CU – See you (I will see you later)
- LMK – Let me know (Please give me an answer soon)
- IDK – I don’t know
- IG – I guess (I’m not sure, but I think so)
- RN – Right now
- OMG – Oh my God (Or oh my “gosh”. Some native speakers are sensitive to using the word “God”)
- IMO – In my opinion
- IMHO – In my humble opinion (Or in my honest opinion)
- BTW – By the way (Incidentally)
- TBH – To be honest
- LOL – Laughing “out” loud (That was very funny)
- ROFL – Rolling on the floor laughing (That was very funny)
- BRB – (I will) Be right back
- BBL – (I will) Be back later
- TTYL – (I will) Talk to you later
- GR8 – Great (Wonderful)
- NVM – Never mind (Forget it, ignore it)