Vocabulary

1. 94 English Collocations in Use Advanced
Personality and behaviour
Describing people’s personality
Note the collocations in these interviews where famous people
discuss their own or other people’s personality traits (or personal
characteristics).
Singer Tanya Stewart
Interviewer:
You always had a troubled relationship with your
drummer, Brett Porter, when you were in the band
The Loop. Brett died in 2009. How do you remember
him now?
Tanya:
Well, Brett was not an easy person to work with.
He had a very thinly disguised1
dislike of the music industry and the people in it.
Politeness wasn’t his strong point! He had a real stubborn streak2
that made him
unpopular with managers and agents. But, you know, beneath that gruff3
exterior he
had a sharp wit4
.
Interviewer:
You say gruff, some would say downright rude. Would that be too harsh? He always
seemed full of pent-up anger5
towards the world in general.
Tanya:
Well, ‘rude’ is a bit unfair. Yeah, he had a forthright6
manner, and he was capable of
open hostility if he thought we were being manipulated.
Interviewer: Yes, he did display some rather intimidating characteristics.
1
barely hidden 4
was very amusing in a clever way
2
a stubborn side to his character 5
anger he didn’t express
3
rude and unfriendly 6
direct
Film star Jerry Bowen
Interviewer:
You seem to have had such a special relationship with Kara Hanson over many years.
What is it about working with her?
Bowen:
Kara’s wonderful. She just seems to have boundless energy7
and she’s always been
able to boost people’s confidence8
, especially new young actors. She has a wonderful,
bubbly9
personality and she’s got a dazzling smile. She bears a striking resemblance
to10
Ingrid Bergman, one of the great cinema beauties. She has some wonderful
personal qualities that are so rare in stars nowadays.
7
lots of energy 9
lively
8
make more confident 10
looks very like
Retired golfer Andy Barstow
Interviewer:
Andy, you’re retired, you’re a senior citizen, but everyone would agree you certainly
don’t look your age11
. What’s your secret?
Barstow:
Well thanks. I’m sure some people would say I don’t act my age12
either!
Interviewer:
Oh, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! You do always seem to be bursting with energy!
Barstow: That’s what golf does for you!
11
look as old as you are 12
behave in a manner expected of my age
Other useful collocations for behaviour
She had a blank expression on her face. [showing no understanding or emotion]
He always gave everyone a warm, friendly smile.
Tracy’s new colleagues gave her a rather cool reception. [unfriendly welcome]
You have been guilty of unacceptable behaviour.
I’m surprised you find Jack unfriendly. He’s always been perfectly friendly to me.
Chloe has a rather abrasive manner. [rude and unfriendly manner]
A
B
45

2. Exercises
95
English Collocations in Use Advanced
Match words from each box to form collocations from the opposite page.
Then match them to 1–6 below.
blank
gruff
striking
cool
stubborn
bubbly
1 two things or people which look very similar
2 a very lively person
3 a person’s face which shows no emotion
4 when someone is being inflexible
5 an apparently rude and unfriendly personality
6 a rather unfriendly welcome
Which of these things that people say would usually be compliments?
1 He/She certainly looks his/her age. 5 He/She has a very abrasive manner.
2 He/She’s downright rude. 6 He/She has a warm smile.
3 He/She’s bursting with energy. 7 He/She’s full of pent-up anger.
4 He/She has a bubbly personality. 8 He/She has boundless energy.
Complete this conversation using collocations from the box in the appropriate form so
that Nell always agrees with Zoë.
bear a striking resemblance to boost your confidence burst with energy
forthright manner have a lot of admirable qualities strong points
1 Zoë: Tom looks a bit like Brad Pitt, doesn’t he?
Ola: Yes, he does. He him.
2 Zoë: And he’s very good at making you feel more confident, isn’t he?
Ola: Yes, he’s great at .
3 Zoë: Though of course he does say what he thinks directly to you.
Ola: Yes, he sometimes has a rather but I like that.
4 Zoë: Me too. In fact, I think that it might be one of his best characteristics.
Ola: Yes, you could say it is one of his , I suppose.
5 Zoë: Well, he has a lot of good points.
Ola: Yes, I’d certainly agree that he .
6 Zoë: He’s very energetic, for example.
Ola: Yes, I love the way he’s always . It’s very attractive.
Complete each sentence using the word in brackets in the appropriate form.
1 I don’t find Emily unfriendly at all. She is always friendly towards me.
(perfect)
2 Can you see how Holly is looking at him with open ? (hostile)
3 I refuse to put up with such behaviour. (accept)
4 He displays a lot more attractive than his brother does. (character)
5 The woman looked at the official with disguised contempt. (thin)
6 The star was upset that his home town gave him such a cool . (receive)
45.1
45.2
45.3
45.4
Amanda often had a blank
expression.
personality
streak
reception
exterior
resemblance
expression