PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

NOTE: This activity is very useful with learning how to describe people.  It also illustrates the importance of giving students the opportunity to practise the new vocabulary in authentic situations after a period of guided practice. 

The teacher dictates the following definitions to the students who write them in their notebooks. The teacher can vary the speed and emphasis of his / her dictation which stretches the students’ listening skills as well as adding an element of fun to dictation.  To make the dictation more student-centred, the teacher may, instead of repeating the definition, ask one of the students to repeat it.   The definitions and number of synonyms can be varied according to the level of the class. 

NOTE:  These are suggested adjectives, in doing the activity you might well have written down ones which were equally applicable.  

Someone who …..

1. keeps losing things (careless, forgetful, absent-minded)

2. always drops/breaks things (careless)

3. thinks bad things will happen (pessimistic, negative)

4. goes to a lot of parties (outgoing, sociable, gregarious)

5. keeps himself to himself (introverted, unsociable, withdrawn, closed)

6. never smiles (moody, grumpy, bad-tempered, miserable)

7. makes you yawn (boring, uninteresting, dull)   

8. likes making things (creative, artistic)

9. keeps things tidy (neat, organised, efficient)

10. never thinks about others’ feelings (uncaring, insensitive, selfish)

11. always arrives late for meetings, etc. (unpunctual, unreliable)

12. makes you laugh all the time (funny, humorous, silly)

13. thinks good things will happen (optimistic, positive)

14. hurts people or animals (cruel, sadistic, mean)

15. doesn’t like talking about her achievements (modest, unassuming)

16. is easy to get on with (friendly, affable, easygoing)

17. talks about himself a lot (conceited, arrogant, big-headed)

18. never changes her mind even when she knows she is wrong (stubborn, obstinate)

19. never gives presents or buys drinks (mean, tight-fisted)

20. always cries at weddings, in the cinema, etc. (emotional, sentimental)

The students in groups try and write the adjective(s) for each of the definitions.  After class feedback (correction and confirmation) the teacher drills the words so that the students have the opportunity to practise pronouncing them.  Students then work in pairs. 

Student A gives a definition and student B supplies the adjective(s).  Student B then gives a definition and student A supplies the adjectives.  So the students alternate.  Then have the students form new pairs and repeat the exercise.  Repeat three times.  On the fourth change Student A describes a friend, family member or someone they know and Student B gives the adjective(s).  Student B then describes a friend, family member or someone they know and Student A gives the adjective(s).  The students alternate before being moved on for a fifth time with a new partner.  This final time, have the students describe themselves with their partners guessing their partners personal characteristics.  

The teacher can have the pupils stand in rows facing their partner and then have students at one end of the rows to move to the other end and ‘push’ all the students in their respective rows down one thus setting up new pairs. This could also be done in circles with an inner circle facing the outer circle.  After each turn, the inner circle moves round one person clockwise or anticlockwise to form new pairs.