The document provides guidance on describing people using accurate, clear, and appropriate language. It discusses common phrases used to describe personalities and appearances, such as "a funny bunch", "smiley", and "kind of plump". Examples of conversations describe people both positively and negatively. The document emphasizes using careful, non-offensive language when describing others.

1. DESCRIBING PEOPLE

2. GETTING STARTED
Look at the picture and answer:
1. How would you describe the man in this picture?
2. If you have only 3 words to describe yourself, what words would you use to
describe yourself?
3. How would other people describe you?

3. CONVERSATIONS - PRACTICE
Read and listen to three conversations. Are the people below
described in a POSITIVE way, a NEGATIVE way or both? Put a tick
() in the correct column(s).
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
A. Treavor ………….. ……............
B. The woman next to Rosa at work ………….. …………….
C. Rosa’s boss ………….. …………….
D. Tanya ………….. …………….
E. Carol ………….. …………….

4. Conversation 1
Adam: You know Trevor?
Jon: Uh ... No, I don‘t think so.
Adam: Yes, you do. The guy I sometimes play tennis
with. And he runs the cafe on Broad Street.
Jon: Oh, yes. He’s kind of tall and he‘s got a tattoo.
He always wears a dirty leather jacket.
Adam: That’s him.
Jon: He looks a bit odd. I don’t like the look of him.
Adam: Actually, he’s a good laugh. He’s very
intelligent too. Anyway, he‘s coming to my party on
Friday.
Jon: Oh, OK. Sorry

5. LANGUAGE NOTE
• “Guy” is more common in spoken English than “man”. (“Guy” được sử
dụng phổ biến trong tiếng anh giao tiếp hơn từ “man”)
Ex. I don't know the guy you're talking about. (Tôi không biết gã anh kể
đâu)
• You can also use “guys” to describe a group of people. (Bạn có thể sử
dụng từ “guys” ở dạng số nhiều để mô tả 1 nhóm người)
Ex. Hey, you guys. Come over here! (Này, mấy nhóc kia. Lại đây!)
• “Guy” and “guys” are very popular in American English. (“Guy” và
“guys” được sử dụng khá phổ biến trong tiếng anh mỹ )

6. LANGUAGE NOTE
• “Odd” is used to describe someone or something with an unusual
appearance (“odd” được dùng để mô tả người hoặc vật có ngoại hình khác
biệt)
Ex. She looks rather odd lately. Did she get some plastic surgeries? (Nhìn cô ta
dạo này lạ lạ. Có phải cô ta phẫu thuật thẩm mỹ không?)
• “A good laugh” refers to someone funny and you like to with them (Bạn
dùng “a good laugh” để mô tả một người hài hước và bạn thích ở bên cạnh
họ)
Ex. We need Jason for the party. He’s such a good laugh. (Chúng ta cần
Jason xuất hiện trong buổi tiệc. Anh ta là một người hài hước)
PRACTICE: Are you an odd person or a good laugh?
– I think I’m … because…

7. Conversation 2
Joe: So what’s your new job like? Do you like your colleagues?
Rosa: Oh, the job’s fine, I suppose, but the people ... They‘re a funny bunch
Joe: Really? All of them?
Rosa: Yes! They’re really strange. The woman I sit next to is a know-it-all.
Honestly, she thinks she knows everything. it doesn’t matter what the topic is,
she knows everything about it.
Joe: Oh no
Rosa: And she‘s a name-dropper. She knows the director of the company,
she went to school with this actor, she sat next to this singer on a plane ...
Joe: What about your boss?
Rosa: Terrible. She’s a complete control freak. She checks my work every
day and then changes everything. She tells me to make calls and organize
meetings, and then she calls the people and checks the meetings

8. LANGUAGE NOTE
• “a funny bunch” is sarcastically used to describe a group of people with weird
personalities. (“A funny bunch” là cách dùng châm biếm một nhóm người có tính
cách kỳ lạ.)
Ex. My colleagues are a funny bunch.
• “a name-dropper” refers to someone who likes to impress others by constantly
talking about famous people they met. (“a name dropper” là người thích gây ấn
tượng bằng cách liên tục nhắc tên người nổi tiếng họ biết)
Ex. He is a constant name-dropper, but that's because those names are the only
people he knows. (Anh ta là kẻ khoe khoang tên tuổi, nhưng những cái tên anh ta kể
chỉ có mình anh ta biết.)
• “a control freak” refers to someone who is determined to make things happen in
exactly the way they want and who tries to make other people do what they want
(“a control freak là người quyết tâm làm mọi thứ theo cách mà họ muốn và cố bắt
ép người khác làm những điều họ muốn)
Ex. My boss is a real control freak. (Sếp của tôi là kẻ thích kiểm soát.)

9. Conversation 3
Charlie: See that girl over there?
Dave: Which one?
Charlie: The one with a red bag. She’s kind of short and a bit plump.
Dave: Yes, I see her.
Charlie: That’s my brother’s new girlfriend, Tanya.
Dave: She’s very smiley. She looks nice.
Charlie: She looks friendly, yes, but she’s so two-faced. She says terrible
things about people when they can’t hear her.
Dave: Oh. That’s not nice at all. Who’s the woman she’s talking to?
Charlie: That’s Carol. She’s lovely. She has a heart of gold. She‘s a teacher
and she helped my brother prepare for his exams last year.

10. LANGUAGE NOTE
• “smiley” is used to describe someone who looks friendly and smiles a lot.
(“smiley” là từ dùng để mô tả những người thân thiện và hay cười)
• Someone is “two-faced” when they say unpleasant things about you to
other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you.
(Người 2 mặt là những người chuyên đi nói xấu với người khác về bạn
nhưng lại tỏ ra yêu mến khi bạn có mặt ở đó)
• “a heart of gold” refers to someone who is kind and generous. (“a heart
of gold” dùng để mô tả người tốt bụng và rộng rãi)
• “kind of” is a common phrase in spoken English when you are trying to
explain or describe something, but you cannot be exact: (“kind of” là cụm
từ quen thuộc trong văn nói tiếng Anh dùng khi bạn muốn giải thích hay
mô tả mà lại không chắc chắn 100%)
Ex. She’s kind of tall. (Cô ta khá là cao.)
Ex. The movie was kind of boring, but it wasn’t that bad. (Bộ phim hơi chán
nhưng không tệ đến nỗi vậy.)

11. Fill in the table with the bold words and phrases in the
conversations. Add other words and phrases that you know.
PRACTICE
Personality Appearance

12. Complete the sentences with a physical description similar to the phrases
in brackets.
• She looks…………………….. (strange)
• He’s…………………………. (smiles a lot)
• He doesn't do any exercise. He’s ………………………… (not slim)
• She's………………………… (quite tall )
• She's………………………… (quite short)
Useful tip:
Be careful with negative expressions — they can cause offense! Instead of
saying ‘She’s rude‘, try saying ’She’s a bit rude sometimes’. (Nên cẩn
thận với những từ mô tả mang nghĩa tiêu cực – chúng có thể khiến người
nghe cảm thấy bị xúc phạm. Ví dụ thay vì nói “She is rude.” (cô ta bất lịch
sự.) hãy nói “She’s a bit rude sometimes” (thỉnh thoảng cô ta hơi láo một
chút)

13. SAYING IT ACCURATELY
Complete the sentences with a personal description from Conversations,
exercise 2.
A person who ....
1. likes to manage and check everything is a ..............
2. is extremely clever is .....................
3. uses important people's names to impress others is a .....................
4. is extremely kind has .....................
5. a strange group of people are .....................
6. is fun to be with is a .....................
7. says one thing to a person but then says something different, often
negative, behind their back is .....................
8. believes he/she understands many different topics is a .............

14. SAYING IT CLEARLY
1/ The schwa sound (ə) is a very common weak sound in spoken
English. Listen and repeat. (Âm schwa (ə) là một âm yếu phổ biến trong
văn nói tiếng Anh. Nghe và nhắc lại)
2/ Listen to the phrases below. Pay attention and underline the weak
(unstressed) schwa sounds,highlighted in bold. (Nghe các cụm từ sau.
Gạch chân các âm yếu)
• a bit plump
• a name-dropper
• a heart of gold
• kind of tall
• looks a bit odd
3/ Listen again and repeat. Which three phrases have words that link
together?

15. SAYING IT APPROPRIATELY
Listen to the sentences below and repeat. Pay attention and underline the
stressed (strong) words.
1. She is a complete control freak. She checks everything.
2. Carol has a heart of gold. She’s really kind.
3. Tanya is smiley, but she’s two-faced.
4. She’s a bit plump.
Write 2 sentences to describe someone you know or a character in a TV
program you watch. Then practice saying the sentences and pay attention
to the stressed (strong) words in your sentence.
Useful tip: Using the correct sentence stress and intonation helps you sound
natural. (Đánh trọng âm và nói đúng tông giọng giúp bạn trở nên tự nhiên hơn)
Ex. She looks a bit strange

16. Read the following situations and make notes to prepare your responses.
1. “See that man over there. Do you know who he is?”
Answer: …………………………………………………. (Say his name and then two
negative things about him, and explain your opinion.)
2. “You know Elaine’s friend, Anna. What’s she like?”
Answer : …………………………………………………… (Say two positive things
about Ana and explain your opinion.)
3. “Who are those people by the window. Do you know them?”
Answer : …………………………………………………… (Say two negative things
about the group and explain your opinion.)
4. “See that group of people by the door. They’re friends of Ben’s. I think they’re a
funny bunch, aren’t they?”
Answer : …………………………………………………… (Say two positive things
about the group and explain your opinion)
SAYING IT APPROPRIATELY