Describing A Person’s Look (Appearance)
FAT =
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overweight,
obese,
chubby,
plump,
big,
well-built
fat = a very direct word.
Ex. I'm so fat at the moment!
“You are fat”
overweight = ( polite) someone is fatter than they usually are or than they should be
Ex. She is a little overweight.
obese = used by doctors to describe people who are very fat, in a way that is bad for their health.
chubby (informal) used especially of children or of rounded body parts such as cheeks or knees.
plump = fat and rounded in a pleasant way
Ex. a plump, motherly woman
• big and well-built : (polite) = someone with a large, strong, or fat body
Ex. For big men like him, air travel can be uncomfortable.
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THIN =
slim,
skinny,
slender,
lean,
slight, bony
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Thin = little fat on their body.
Ex. He's much too thin.
• Teenage girls all seem to want to be thin.
Slim = thin in an attractive way
Ex. her lovely slim figure
Skinny (informal) = very thin,
Ex. ridiculously skinny models
Slender, lean, and slight (written English).= thin in an attractive and graceful way
Ex. long slender legs
Lean = thin and looking strong and fit
Ex. a tall, lean athlete
Slight = thin and delicate-looking
Ex. Her brother was very slight and looked younger than he was.
Height
Build
Age
Face
tall
short
(adj.)
average
slim / lean
thin, skinny
slender
plump
fat, overweight
medium
(adj.)
athletic
well-built
muscular
underweight
stocky (big and short)
wiry (thin, but has
strong muscles)
young
old = elderly
(adj.)
middle-aged
teenager
toddler (2-5 yrs)
young adult 13-17)
Adult (18 up)
pre-teen (6-12)
Infant (0-2)
retiree (60 up)
octogenarian (80-90)
in 20s, 30s, 40s, …
round
oval
square
(adj.)
oblong
heart-shaped
medium height
(n.)
wrinkles (n.)
freckles (n.)
Eyes
big
round
small
(adj.)
narrow
blue, brown,
wide
small
full lips (n.)
thin lips (n.)
Hair
straight
curly
wavy
bald
long
short
(adj.)
blonde
grey, red, …
fringe
frizzy
thick
thin
Skin
Fair
sun-tanned
pale
light brown
dark
white
(adj.)
wide
narrow
prominent (turned up)
hooked
Other
moustache,
(mustache)
beard
scar
tattoo
a mole
birthmarks
small nose
flat nose
thick
thin
(n.)
How to describe people’s appearance
S + be + adj.
S + have/has + adj. + n.
He is tall.
Her hair is long.
His skin is black.
Her eyes are small,
black and narrow.
He has a moustache.
She has long hair.
He has black skin .
He has tattoos on his arms.
She has oval face, full lips, long wavy hair
and muscular body.
Practice: find a partner, describe someone you know (your best friend/sister/
brother, etc.) orally and then write the description in a paragraph.
Someone you know
His/her name is ______________.
He/she...
is _____ years old.
is _______________. (Nationality)
speaks ___________. (Language)
is from _______________.
lives in _______________.
is single / PACSed / married / divorced / widowed.
has a boyfriend / a girlfriend.
has ___ children / ___ daughter(s) and ___ son(s).
likes ___________+ing.
likes to ____________.
doesn't like ___________+ing.
doesn't like to ___________.
What does he/she look like?
He/she...
is tall / short.
is fat / skinny.
has long / short hair.
has black / brown / red / blond / gray hair.
is bald.
has brown / blue / hazel / green eyes.
wears glasses / contacts / braces.
wears a hat / earrings / a necklace / a bracelet / a ring.
has a mustache / a beard.
has a piercing / a tattoo.