The order of describing a person's appearance in English. Description of a person in English - an example of a story with new vocabulary

A description of a person in English will consist of both a story about appearance and a description of character and habits. Since in the lessons about describing a friend we have already touched on some vocabulary regarding descriptive appearance, in this one we will repeat it in various combinations and learn new ones with examples.

Description of appearance in English

Let's see what we can say about human hair.

She has long wavy red hair. – She has long wavy red hair.

He is short-haired. - He has short-cropped hair.

She has straight medium length hair. Her hair is brown. – She has straight hair of medium length. She's brown-haired.

She has shoulder length curly hair. Her hair color is fair. – She has wavy hair of medium length. Her hair color is light.

She has short dark hair. – She has short dark hair.

Please note: when writing a description of a person's appearance in English, we can also mention what kind of hairstyle he/she wears. As in the story about clothes, you can use the verb wear. For example, she wears her hair on a ponytail (she puts her hair in a ponytail).

Hair length and color – Hair length and color

Eyes

We have already talked about eye color in previous lessons, let's see what eye shape they come in.

• Almond - almond-shaped.
• Round - round.
• Asian/upturned – Asian (raised corners).
• Downturned – lowered corners.
• Close-set – widely planted.
• Wide-set – closely planted.
• Hooded – with drooping eyelids.
• Deep-set - deeply planted.
• Protruding - convex.

When writing a description of appearance in English, we can also mention eyelashes and eyebrows, which can be long, short, thick, thin and curved.

About eyebrows (eyebrows) we can say that they have the shape of a soft angle (soft angled), a sharp angle (hard angled), be rounded (round curved) or straight (flat).

Physical appearance - appearance

Let's see how we can describe a person's eyes.

She has almond green eyes with thick dark eyelashes and soft-angled eyebrows. – She has green almond-shaped eyes with thick dark eyelashes and rounded eyebrows.

He has close-set downturned eyes framed with thin short eyelashes. He has flat eyebrows. – He has close-set eyes with downturned corners, framed by short, sparse eyelashes. He has a straight eyebrow shape.

Her blue round eyes are framed with long curved eyelashes and thin round curved eyebrows. – Her round blue eyes are framed by long, rounded eyelashes and thin, rounded eyebrows.

She has wide-set Asian eyes and short dark eyelashes. – She has wide-set Asian eyes and short dark eyelashes.

Face

Let's now see what can be said about a person's face, let's start with the general thing - face shape, it can be:

• Oval - oval.
• Round - round.
• Long - oblong.
• Square – square.
• Triangular - triangle.
• Diamond - diamond.
• Heart - heart.

Speaking about the shape of the face, there is no point in mentioning in detail the shape of the chin; about it we can add that it is sharp (pointed), double (double). You can also describe the shape of the nose.

• Small and short - small and short.
• Long and narrow – long and narrow.
• Aquiline – eagle.
• Turned-up - snub-nosed.
• Bulbous - pear-shaped.
• Hooked - crochet.
• Broad - wide.

We can also mention the mouth and lips. About lips we can say that they are plump (full) or thin (thin).

Let's make some examples.

She has an oval face with a round chin, a big mouth and full lips. She has god a short turned-up nose. – She has an oval face shape with a rounded chin, a large mouth and full lips.

His face shape is square, he has long hooked nose and thin lips. – He has a square face shape, a long hooked nose and thin lips.

She has got a heart face, a broad nose and a pointed chin. Her lips are full. – She has a heart-shaped face, a wide nose and a pointed chin.

Please note: instead of have/has you can say have/has got - both options are correct and the translation does not change.

Face shapes - face shapes

Figure

We will also need to describe the figure and build of a person. In addition to the fact that a person can be tall, short, or medium height, we can also say:

• Slender is slender.
• Petite – graceful, small in stature.
• Overweight - overweight.
• Plump - full.
• Athletic - athletic build.
• Skinny - thin.
• Of medium build - medium build.

Human qualities in English

After we have dealt with external data, let's start describing character and personal qualities, here we can add adjectives in English that characterize a person, words that describe appearance, but are a sign of how a person takes care of himself.

• Friendly - friendly.
• Kind - kind.
• Helpful - responsive.
• Smart - smart.
• Educated - educated.
• Intelligent - smart, erudite.
• Well-behaved - someone who knows how to behave well.
• Well-shaved - well shaved.
• Arrogant – arrogant.
• Neat, tidy - neat, tidy.
• Untidy, messy - sloppy, untidy.
• Fashionable - fashionable.
• Stylish - stylish.
• Old-fashionable - old-fashioned.
• Agile – agile, agile.
• Awkward, clumsy - clumsy, awkward.
• Graceful - graceful.
• Elegant – elegant.
• Hardworking - hardworking.
• Lazy - lazy.
• Confident - confident.
• Shy – shy.

Story

Let's try to create a description in English of a person with the vocabulary that was listed above.

I want to tell you about my neighbor. We are good friends with him. He is quite tall, with short red hair and kind blue eyes framed with short red eyelashes and thick flat eyebrows. He has an athletic build. His face is oval, he has got a long thin nose and thin lips. He is very friendly. When I was moving in our house he suggested to help me with my things. That's how we met for the first time. I noticed at once that he is very elegant and stylish. He is always neat and well-shaved. Later I found out that he is also very smart and intelligent person. He likes to study and share what he has already learned. It is always interesting to talk to him.

I want to tell you about my neighbor. He and I are good friends. He is quite tall, has short red hair and kind blue eyes, framed by short red eyelashes and thick, straight eyebrows. He has an athletic build. He has an oval face shape, a long thin nose and thin lips. He's very friendly. When I moved into our house, he offered to help me with my things. That's how we first met. I immediately noticed that he was very elegant and stylish. He is always neat and well shaven. Later I found out that he is also a very smart and erudite person. He enjoys learning and sharing what he has learned so far. It's always interesting to talk to him.

Describing a person’s character in English may require knowledge of many words, add new vocabulary from the video to your dictionary:

Topic: My Appearance

Topic: My appearance

A well-known proverb says that first impressions are half the battle. It means that when we see a person for the first time, we always estimate his or her appearance and clothes, and then manners and character. And only after we spend much time together with this person, we begin to understand his inner world, his real thoughts and feelings. That is why I think, those who say that appearance doesn’t matter at all, are slightly sincere. Of course, height and weight are not the most crucial things on Earth, but sometimes they really matter. For example, when you are applying for a prestigious job, your appearance may play a decisive role.

A well-known proverb says that people are greeted by their clothes. This means that when we see a person for the first time, we always evaluate his appearance and clothing, and only then his manners and character. And only after we spend a long time with this person, we begin to understand his inner world, his real thoughts and feelings. Therefore, I believe that those who say that appearance does not matter at all are not entirely sincere. Of course, height and weight are not the most important things in the world, but sometimes they do matter. For example, when you apply for a prestigious job, appearance can play a decisive role.

As for my appearance, I consider myself to be neither ugly nor exceptionally beautiful. To my mind, I look quite ordinary, though my friends often say I am good-looking. But first of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Maria, and I am a second-year university student. I am twenty years old. I am quite short in height – just 162 centimeters. I wouldn’t say that I am too thin: my weight is about 57 kilograms. But personally, I think that my body is nice, and I don’t want to be skinny.

As for my appearance, I do not consider myself either ugly or exceptionally beautiful. In my opinion, I look quite ordinary, although my friends often say that I am pretty. But first of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Maria, I am a second year university student. I am twenty years old. I am quite short - only 162 centimeters. I can’t say that I’m thin – my weight is about 57 kilograms. But personally, I think I have a nice figure and I don't want to be skinny.

Original color of my hair is brown, but some time ago I decided to become a blonde. My good friend is a hairdresser. She advised me hair highlighting. She lightened separate strands of my hair, and then toned them to make the color more level. Now I am almost a platinum blonde. I am a sun-seeker, so my skin is always slightly tinted. It matches fair hair and brown eyes very well. My friends consider that with my new hair color I became much brighter and prettier.

My natural hair color is dark brown, however, some time ago I decided to go blonde. My good friend is a hairdresser. She offered me highlights. She lightened individual sections of my hair and then toned them to make the color more even. Now I'm almost platinum blonde. I love sunbathing, so my skin is always a little dark. It goes very well with blonde hair and brown eyes. Friends say that with the updated hair color I have become much brighter and prettier.

As for my facial features, I look more like my mother than father. I have a round face, plush lips, brown eyes and long lashes. Now my hair is straight, but when I was a little girl, it was a little wavy like my father’s. What I don’t like about myself is freckles! Every spring they outbreak on my cheeks, and I have to hide them with the help of tinting cream.

If we talk about facial features, I look more like my mother than my father. I have a round face, full lips, brown eyes and long eyelashes. My hair is straight now, but when I was little it had a little curl, like my father's. What I don't like about myself are freckles! Every spring they break out on my cheeks and I have to hide them with foundation.

Also I want to say a couple of words about my favorite clothes. As I am not very tall, I like to wear high-heeled shoes. My legs are slender enough, so, I can afford mini skirts and short dresses. Of course, like twenty any-year-old girl, I have my favorite and comfortable jeans that are perfectly combined with a lot of things – from check shirts and sweaters to elegant tops and blouses. I prefer warm colors, such as yellow, red, olive, but I dislike violet and green shades.

One of the simplest, but at the same time necessary topics for any person learning English is description of appearance.

This is what is learned immediately after the first greeting phrases are mastered. At the same time, a description of a person’s appearance in English, as in any other language, should be figurative, beautiful and understandable.

We already have adjectives that can be used to describe a person’s appearance and character in a fascinating and unconventional way. But, as they say, not a single adjective... In order to convey all the nuances of appearance as accurately as possible, set expressions are ideal. They will make the description lively, vivid and expressive.

It’s best to start with a proverb or quote (several suitable expressions are waiting for you at the end of the article). But this is an ideal option, so you can get by with the stock phrase “I’d like to tell you about...”, “Now I am going to tell you about...”. What follows is a description of the most common features - height, build, hair color. Then you can move on to specific details. Below we provide a small list of words and expressions that are useful when describing appearance. Remember that the abuse of set expressions and proverbs makes speech somewhat artificial and too “prepared.” The most important thing is the sequence of presentation: you should not jump from figure to face and from leg length to hair.

So, phrases that will definitely be useful to you:

to be typical of smb- typical appearance
For example: He was typical of a clerk. – He had the appearance of a typical clerk.

to look like smb- to look like someone, to be like someone
For example: This woman looks like Rita Hayworth.– This woman looks like Rita Hayworth.

to look every inch a...– look like a typical representative of any profession or social status
For example: She looked every inch a teacher. “She looked like a teacher down to her fingernails.”

to resemble smb- remind someone
For example: My sister resembles our granny. – My sister looks like our grandmother.

to be pretty/handsome– to be beautiful/beautiful
For example: She is rather pretty, but her brother is not handsome, I must say. “She's quite pretty, although I have to admit that her brother is far from handsome.”
Please note that the word "handsome" is used only in relation to a man, and "pretty" is used only in relation to a woman. The phrase “a pretty man” indicates effeminacy and can be perceived in certain circles as an insult.

to look a mess, to look scruffy– have a sloppy and untidy appearance
For example: Why do you usually look a mess? – Why do you always look sloppy?

to look one's age– look just your age
For example: My mom looks her age but she is still a beautiful woman. – My mother looks her age, but she is still a beautiful woman.

Below we present several proverbs and expressions that can serve as an epigraph if you want to write a description of appearance in English.

Appearances are deceptive/Appearances are deceitful.- Appearances are deceptive.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Beauty is only skin deep; goodness goes to the bone.– Don’t drink water from your face.
to go by appearance- greeted by clothes
to judge by appearance- judge by clothes

As you can see, describing a person’s appearance in English is not a difficult task. The most important thing is the consistency of presentation and the beauty of speech. Have beautiful English!

Hello! Very often, when we are asked to describe ourselves or another person in English, we limit ourselves to a verbal depiction of appearance. Meanwhile, a person is a versatile personality, with his own character traits and other characterizing features. Without using these words, you cannot tell anything about a person as an individual. Describing a person in English

In the vast majority of cases, in order to talk about a person, we use characterizing adjectives. In this article, I tried to collect the most popular adjectives that can be used to describe a man or girl as an individual. For this purpose, you can use words that are part of the following categories:

1. Character traits:

• Personality traits
• Mental capacity
• Strong-willed qualities
• Attitude towards other people, towards property, towards work

Let's look at all these categories separately.
Dictionary for describing appearance in English Adjectives characterizing a person in English

When talking about appearance, we describe height, age, voice, clothing. For example, growth can be high ( tall), short ( short) or average ( medium), and age - elderly or old ( old), middle-aged ( middle-aged) and young ( young). Speaking about the voice, you can indicate that it is hoarse (cracked), voiced ( crisp) or melodic ( tuneful).

A smile can be charming ( engaging), charming ( charming) and sincere ( sincere) or vice versa, cunning ( cunning), played out ( forced) and insincere ( artificial). You also need to express your own opinion about how a person looks, using the following adjectives:

• winsome - attractive
• agreeable - pleasant
• stylish - fashionable
• dapper - neat (only about men),
• lovely-looking - delightful
• awkward - clumsy
• untidy-looking - sloppy

Adjectives about character traits

Describing a personality in English involves talking about character traits, habits and preferences. Sides of character can be both positive (intelligent, optimistic, extroverted) and negative (stupid, pessimistic, introverted). And sometimes the same feature, depending on intonation and context, can be both positive and negative (determined, thrifty, obstinate).

When characterizing an individual, do not forget to clarify why you call him that. For example, when you say that a girl is hardworking, explain why you think so:

Any is very hard-working. It can work all day without any break at all. I really admire the way it studies and works. (Annie is a very hard worker. She can work all day without a break. I actually admire the way she studies and works).

Table of characterizing adjectives

The criteria that make up a person’s character are also varied. For ease of memorization and pronunciation, I have placed them in a compact table with translation and transcription. This will make it easier for you to navigate the criteria and remember the characterizing adjectives.

In everyday life, we describe people in a much more down-to-earth manner than, say, writers do, and rarely use sublime, bookish expressions such as “eagle eyes” or “golden waterfalls of hair cascading down our shoulders.” When talking about appearance, we usually describe signs from a simple list: gender, age, nationality, physique, hair, sometimes eye color, characteristic features (mustache, beard, tattoo). Gender, age and nationality are not literally signs of appearance, but a description of a person usually begins with these characteristics.

Appearance, age, nationality (ethnicity) are often very sensitive issues; when talking about them, you should be as polite and correct as possible. For example, in many countries it is not customary to ask a woman how old she is, and it is also not advisable to talk to a stranger about his nationality. When communicating in a foreign language, you need to know the subtleties of using words related to these issues so as not to inadvertently offend your interlocutor.

I have compiled a small selection of words needed when describing a person’s appearance and talking about age. As usual, it is made in the form of electronic Quizlet flashcards.

Talking about age in English

When talking about their age, people usually give an exact number, for example: I’m twenty nine (I’m twenty-nine). When talking about a third person whose age is not known accurately (or would not like to disclose), the expression in his\her teens\twenties\thirties\forties and so on is often used. Let's look at the expression as an example she is in her forties, it is difficult to find an exact Russian-language analogue; literally the expression means that she is over forty and under fifty, from 40 to 50 years old. Ten years is a pretty big difference, isn't it? For clarification, words are often added:

• early – the first of ten years;
• middle – the middle of the ten-year range;
• late – closer to the next ten.

For example: She is in her early forties - She is a little over forty (somewhere 41-44).

Here are more examples:

• The guy is in his early teens – The guy is just over ten.
• His sister is her middle twenties - His sister is about twenty-five (about 24-26).
• Our CEO is young, he is in his late thirties – Our CEO is young, he is somewhere around forty (about 36-39)

Let's also take a closer look at the words denoting age groups. When talking about children, the words baby, toddler and child are usually used. There are no strict frameworks that baby is from so many to so many years, but most often by baby we mean babies, starting from infancy, by toddler children of approximately kindergarten (in our understanding) age, and child - from about 4 years old -6 and up to adolescence. This division is quite arbitrary; you can call a baby a child.

At the age of 12-13, a child enters a stormy adolescence and now he is no longer a child, but a teenager, or teen for short. Every teenager dreams of finishing school as quickly as possible, moving away from their parents and becoming an adult. Please note that the word adult is not used to indicate age. Adult is an adult as opposed to a child or teenager. The age after 60 (somewhere earlier, somewhere later) is usually called advanced, respectable, and in English senior. The expression old man\woman sounds disrespectful (especially old woman), much like our “old man\old woman” or “grandfather\grandmother.” Senior or eldery is a more polite option.

We talk about body shape without hurting anyone's feelings.

If a man suddenly talks to a woman about her age, it will seem rude and impolite to her, but if he is so reckless that he dares to discuss her figure, a slap in the face cannot be avoided. Speaking about figure, build, appearance, you need to remember that there are characteristics only for women (for example, fine - miniature), only for men (handsome - handsome), there are stylistically neutral characteristics (overweight - obese), and there are sharp, rough ones ( fat – thick, greasy).

Female characteristics: slim (slender), neat (graceful), petite (miniature), pretty (beautiful).

Male characteristics: slender (slender), lean (slender, thin), well-built (well-built), handsome (handsome).

As for rough and non-rough characteristics, they relate to the most delicate issue of excess weight. The simplest, most obvious, but rude way to say that a person is fat is to call him or her (the latter is dangerous) fat, that is, fat, fat. A plump man can quite easily be called a plump man (full) or simply a big guy (big). With women it is much more difficult. When talking about a lady in the third person, you can use the following expressions:

• pleasantly plump lady - an old-fashioned, but quite polite expression; in Russian there is an exact equivalent “lady of pleasant plumpness”;
• full-figured – “full”, also a rather polite expression used in relation to women;
• curvy lady is a difficult to translate expression, something like “a lady with curves.”

In general, it’s better not to talk about your figure again.

The sensitive issue of ethnicity in the US

It is better not to raise the issue of ethnicity, especially if you are in a foreign country and do not know its cultural characteristics well. However, when describing appearance, the issue of nationality is difficult to avoid. I’ll tell you how they usually speak in the USA, a country in which the issue of friendship between peoples has been very painful throughout history. The main ethnic groups in the United States are:

• White Americans (or simply white) – white Americans.
• African Americans (or afroamerican) - African Americans.
• Asian Americans - Americans of Asian descent.
• Latin Americans - Latin Americans.
• Native Americans - Native Americans, that is, Indians.

In general, these expressions are the most neutral. Speaking about the third person, you can calmly say: He is white\Afroamerican\Asian\latin American.

Note: There is a difference between the words nationality and race. Nationality usually means citizenship, and the above words white, Asian, etc. are race, that is, race or ethnicity.

The most long-suffering term on this list that has undergone a long evolution is African Americans. It is not surprising, given the difficult path this part of the population has gone through in the United States. Until relatively recently, it was considered normal to say negro (Negro), now this word is considered rude, later Americans began to say colored or black Americans (colored or black Americans), but now African Americans are considered the norm. The word “black” is most often not considered offensive, but depends greatly on the context. Слово же nigger считается оскорбительным, ругательным, его никогда не используют в СМИ, заменяя эвфемизмом “N-word” (слово на букву “н”). This is a very terrible insult. The only thing worse than calling a woman fat.