Appearances - How to describe

someone
 Build

She is skinny. (negative) She is fat. (negative)

She is underweight. (negative) She is overweight. (negative)

She is thin. (negative) She is plump. (neutral)

She is slim. (positive) She is stocky. (neutral)
She is slender. (positive) She is bonny. (positive)
 Build
• frail, stocky, slim, thin, plump, fat, skinny,
well-built
!Note - if a man is fat
(especially round the
waist) we often say he has
a beer belly.
 Height

He is normal height.
He is short He is relatively normal height.
He
. is tall .
He is quite short.
He is very tall.
 Height
• tall, short, medium height
 Hair
blonde/fair hair

red hair/
redhead grey hair

brown hair/
brunette black hair
 Hair
• bald, straight, curly, spiky, wavy
 Type of hair

She has short hair.

She has long hair. She has short, black hair
She has long, black hair She has short, straight, black hair
She has long, straight, Her hair is short, straight and black.
black hair.
Or Her hair is long, straight and black
 She has medium length hair
He has no hair. = He is bald.
She has medium length , blonde hair.

She has medium length, straight, blonde hair.

Or Her hair is medium length, straight and blonde.

 She has medium length hair.

She has medium length, red hair.

She has medium length, wavy, red hair.

Or Her hair is medium length, wavy and red.
She wears glasses.

She has short hair.

She has short, blonde hair.
She has short, curly, blonde hair.
Or her hair is short, curly and blonde.
 Eyes

grey eyes blue eyes

Note!
This is a black eye!

green eyes brown eyes

 Eyes
• big round blue eyes, large, small, bright,
narrow
 Type of complexion

She is black. She has dark skin.

He is asian. He has light-brown skin.
 He is white. He
has fair skin.

She is white. She has lightly tanned skin.

She is white. She has very pale skin.

 Age
• young, elderly, middle-aged, teenager, in
20s, 30s, 40s
 Face
• round, oval, square, with scares, wrinkles,
freckles, sun-tanned, pale
 Clothes
• casual, scruffy, shabby, smart, tidy, messy
• careful, hard-working, worried, cheerful,
broadminded, active, curious, secretive
• aggressive, tough, careless, practical,
sensible, independent, strong-minded,
stupid
• dull, boring, imaginative, ambitious, crafty,
sensitive, gentle, naive
• generous, loyal, self-controlled, moody,
trusting, modest, tolerant, friendly
• energetic, confident, selfish, shy, stubborn,
reliable, clumsy, intelligent
Describing Character - What's
he like? Is she nice?
 Other features

moustache beard

chin

forehead
nostrils
 teeth
eyebrows

cheeks

fringe
lips
Slim (a) spotted (g) i high-heeled
shoes wavy , ©…
Smart (a) necklace (d) b middle-aged

Her hands (e) clasped (h) neatly-dressed (f)

She’s a (a) …,(a)....., (b)….woman of

about 50. She has long, ©…hair. She’s
wearing a (d) ….and she has (e) …..in
front of her. She is (f) …..in a black
and white (g) …..blouse and a (h)
…..skirt. She’s wearing black (i)…….
Please describe her !
Curly untidily-dressed plain bow
Teenage baggy slim sandals
Average height her hands by her sides

She’s a (a)….. . She’s a (b) …..girl of

perhaps, 18. She has fair ©….hair.
She’s wearing a (d) …..and she has
(e)…..She’s (f) ……She’s wearing a
dirty, (g)…..tee-shirt, old, (h)
….trousers and a pair of (i)…..
Bald well-polished shoes striped
Elderly his arms folded glasses
Formally-dressed well-pressed short

He’s a (a)….., (b) …..man. He’s

about 75 and he’s © …… He’s
wearing (d) …..and he’s standing
with (e)…… He’s (f) …..in a dark
suit and a (g) …..shirt. His
trousers are (h) ….and he’s
wearing (i) ……
Casually-dressed straight trainers
Patched bracelet in his thirties
Checked his hands on his hips strongly-build

He’s a (a) …..man. He’s probably (b)…..,

maybe 34 or 35. He has dark, ©…..hair. He
has a (d)…..on his wrist and he’s standing
with (e) …… he’s (f) …..in a (g) …..shirt and
(h)…..jeans. He’s wearing (i)……
Cuff formally double-breasted tucked
Lanky creases button hole bow-tie
Breast pocket bowler-hat

He’s a tall, (a)…man. He’s white and he’s

wearing a (b)…..on His head, a dark, © ….suit
and a black (d) …..An inch of (e)…..shows from
each of his sleeves. He has immaculate (f)…..in
his trousers He has a flower in his (g) ….and a
handkerchief (h)…..into his (i)……He’s quite (j)
…..dresses.
 Grin casually skinny plain
Bare-footed lapels trainers slanting
Patched pigeon-toed

She’s a (a) ….little kid, rather oriental-

looking, with a board (b)….on her face.
She’s wearing © ….jeans and a zip-jacket
with (d)….pockets and no (e)
…..Underneath she’s wearing a (f)…..T-shirt.
From the way she’s standing, she looks a bit
(g)…..She’s very (h) …..dressed. She’s (i)
….but she’s carrying her shoes in her hand.
They look like (j)……
 Hips closely-cropped
expression buckle
Strongly-built upright waist
broad
Bare-headed clean-shaved

He’s a (a)….black man with (b) ….shoulders

and a slim © …. He has no beard or
moustache: he’s (d)…..He’s not wearing a hat;
he’s (e)…..He has (f)…..hair and a serious (g)
….on his face. His trousers are held up by a
belt with a large round (h)….He’s standing
very (i)….with his hands on his (j)…..