1.4. DESCRIBING PEOPLE

1.4. DESCRIBING PEOPLE

1.4.1

Reading

Read this description of a famous 18^th century British

writer, who was one of the first to write about

women’s rights. As you read, try to answer the

following questions:

a. What kind of person was she?

b. Would you have admired her if you had met her? Why / Why not?

A harsh and unhappy childhood, dominated by an unstable and drunken father whom she never respected, gave Mary Wollstonecraft an unusual sense of her own independence and reliance on her own judgement; and a corresponding lack of respect for all kinds of male authority that she did not feel had been genuinely earned, whether in life or in literature. At the same time this passionate, ebullient and frequently opinionated woman was given to terrible swings of mood, from hectic, noisy enthusiasm to almost suicidal depression and a sense of futility and loneliness.

Connotation

List the words and phrases in the text that describe

Mary Wollstonecraft. Which of these words and

phrases imply that the author approves of her

character, and which may indicate weaknesses?

1.4.2

Word Form

The adjectives and nouns in the table all have to do with

character and personality. Complete the table by finding

nouns corresponding to the adjectives and adjectives

corresponding to the nouns.

adjectives	nouns	adjectives	nouns
moody	mood	carefree	xxxxx
emotional		warm-hearted
	despair		vivacity
likeable	xxxxx		liveliness
prejudiced		anxious
	affection		enthusiasm
passionate		independent
	charm		instability
optimistic		domineering	xxxxx
	pessimism	lonely

Do the adjectives and nouns describe an attitude to other

people, an attitude to life in general or both?

1.4.3

Activate

Complete the passage with appropriate words from this unit.

My uncle Desmond is the kind of person everyone likes. In fact, he’s so ____a____ that neighbours and friends visit him constantly. Luckily, he enjoys other people’s company.

Almost everyone finds Desmond charming, and as far as I can tell his ___b____ lies in the fact that he always takes a positive view of life. In fact, many people find his ____c_____ infectious. I’ve seen people who are really ___d____ suddenly forget all their terrible worries and become full of life. Last week one woman became so ___e____ that she started dancing on the table, which amused Desmond.

Another thing I like about Desmond is that he is very broad-minded about everything from religion through food to nationality. I have rarely met anyone with so few ___f____ and so much ___g____ for life.

Not surprisingly, although Desmond lives alone, he always has company, so he never feels ___h____ . On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to need the help of anyone, in spite of being 80, and lives a very ___i____ life.

1.4.4

Word Use

In this dialogue, B’s responses have become mixed up.

Indicate their correct position by putting a number in

the brackets (the first one has been done for you).

A: So that’s your friend, Damien.

B: [ 1 ] I’ve known him for ages. We used to go to school together.

A: What’s he like?

B: [ ] Well… perhaps I’d better introduce him to you…

A: I thought you said he has a tendency to be aggressive.

B: [ ] Aristocratic? Damien? Maybe he gives that impression. … yes, now you mention it, he does have an arrogant streak.

A: There’s a touch of the aristocratic about him, I find…

B: [ ] Yes, I think he takes after his father, who was well-known for his bad temper.

A: I don’t mean that exactly. I think there’s something quite distinguished about him.

B: [ ] He’s the quiet type, but he’s not as shy as he seems … I’m quite fond of him.

A: Oh, yes please!

Interaction

Make up a dialogue of your own, discussing some of

your acquaintances or friends. Use the structures in bold.

1.4.5

Style

It’s generally easier to write short sentences rather than

long ones; often short sentences are easier to read and

understand too. Which of these three paragraphs do you

prefer?

1. He is a tall dark-haired man with attractive brown eyes, whose clothes are always smart and who always behaves charmingly even when people are not pleasant to him.

2. He is a tall dark-haired man with attractive brown eyes. His clothes are always smart. He always behaves charmingly even when people are not pleasant to him.

3. He is a tall dark-haired man. He has attractive brown eyes. He always wears smart clothes. He always behaves charmingly. People are not always nice to him.

Practice

Using the following ideas make up four short paragraphs

in the best possible way.

1. He is … overweight mid thirties selfish dishonest loses his temper people disagree with him

2. She is … thin late fifties absent-minded delightful sense of humour helps other people with problems

3. He is … 18 athletic loves sport favourite game football spare time: going out with friends + going to the cinema

4. She is … 16 studious enjoys reading 4 brothers + 2 sisters hopes to go to university wants to study engineering

C Look at these examples. What is the difference between them?

1. She’s a very nice person. It was nice of her to help me and she was nice to you too, wasn’t she?

2. She’s a very likeable person. For example, it was kind of her to help me and she was friendly to you too, wasn’t she?

* Some words that are perfectly all right in conversation are best avoided if you want to make your writing more interesting.

Synonyms

Offer several synonyms to each word:

Write down some sentences for your partner (or for

another pair) to rewrite more interestingly or more clearly.

Activate

Working in pairs write a paragraph or two about

one of your classmates.

1.4.6

Idiom

Read the text and try to explain the idioms in bold.

Of all the children I knew at school, the one I have the fondest memories of is Reggie Bennett. His apparent gruffness made me a bit wary of him when we first met, and I thought that he was something of 1) a rough diamond. Through his quick wit and leadership, however, he quickly gained everyone’s admiration and became the school’s 2) golden boy, both in the classroom and the playground.

Perhaps the main reason for Reggie’s popularity was his ability to tell great stories about ghosts and aliens. Once, being the gullible person I am, I believed him. When I realized he’d been 3) pulling my leg I got embarrassed, but I tried to 4) put on a brave face so no one could tell.

Despite all the teasing, though, Reggie would never 5) stab a friend in the back as, to him, disloyalty among friends was unforgivable and it really 6) made his hackles rise if anyone talked about him 7) behind his back. I shall never forget the time when he found out that someone had been telling everybody, untruthfully, that he had cheated in a test; Reggie got very 8) hot under the collar.

Apart from such occasions, however, Reggie always 9) kept his cool and thanks to his 10) down-to-earth character, he was always the best person to consult if you needed practical advice.

I often wonder what happened to Reggie after we left school. However, I’m certain of one thing: with a character as special as his, he deserved the best in life.

Definition

Match the items with idioms from part A.

a. to remain calm in a difficult situation	f. successful / popular person
b. a good person with uncivil / curt manners	g. to make somebody very angry
c. realistic / practical	h. annoyed / frustrated / excited / worried
d. to tease somebody in a friendly manner	i. without one’s knowledge / consent
e. to try to look happy / pleasant in order to hide feeling upset / embarrassed, etc	j. to be disloyal to a person, especially to somebody who trusts one

1.4.7

Word Use

Fill in the gaps with the phrases from the lists.

1. Mr Horner is a bit of a … ; he’s got rather a harsh manner but deep down he’s a very sweet man.

2. When I need advice I speak to Vicky because she’s so sensible and … .

3. Despite losing the match we … and congratulated the winning team.

4. Charlotte isn’t a loyal friend at all. She’ll be nice to your face and then …

5. The new sports writer is considered the … of the newspaper.

B Fill in the gaps with the phrases from the lists.

Mary: I can’t stand Ray; he truly 1) … !

Bob: Oh come on Mary, 2) … ! He was only 3) … when he said he’d borrowed your car and crashed it. I can’t understand why you’re getting so 4) … .

Mary: I’m sorry Bob, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he borrowed my car 5) … - Ray’s sly enough to do something like that!

1.4.8

Idiom

Read the dialogue and try to explain the idioms in bold.

Boss: Please sit down, Peter. I understand you want to 1) get something off your chest, so tell me quickly because I’ve got a very busy schedule this morning.

Peter: Well, sir. It’s about your choice of applicant for the position of medical director, Jefferson. You know I’m not 2) a nosy Parker, sir, but I couldn’t help noticing at the interview that he was a bit of 3) a dark horse, so I decided to do a bit of investigating.

Boss: And …?

Peter: Well, I spoke to his previous employer, a Mr Todd, and found out that he has a tendency to 4) lose his head when faced with a difficult situation and also that he has a strong dislike of authority – apparently he has a 5) chip on his shoulder because he’s never held a senior position himself. It seems that he 6) has a very short fuse as well, as he ended up hitting a patient who had disagreed with him. Of course, they fired him after that, and as Mr Todd told me, Jefferson reacted badly to that by screaming and shouting and threatening that he would 7) get his own back! Anyway, basically I think you should offer the position to Smith instead.

Boss: Smith! But he’s such 8) a wet blanket! Don’t you remember him refusing to come to last year’s Christmas party because he thought it was silly?

Peter: Ah, but he’s 9) as straight as a die sir, and you know we need someone reliable for this position.

Boss: Yes, I 10) take your point, but how are we going to give Jefferson the bad news?..

Definition

Match the items with the idioms from part A.

a. completely honest / fair	f. somebody who is curious about other people’s business
b. to accept / appreciate what somebody has said	g. to have a tendency to get angry quickly / easily
c. to talk about worries / problems in order to gain relief	h. somebody whose character is unknown
d. a miserable person who doesn’t like others to have fun	i. sense of anger / bitterness because of unfair treatment
e. to take revenge	j. to lose control due to panic / anger, etc

1.4.9

Rephrase

Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets. Do

not change these words.

1. Fiona never wants to do anything exciting; she’s such a miserable person. (blanket)

2. Our neighbours are such curious people, they’re always peeking through their curtains to see what we’re doing. (Parkers)

3. I appreciate what you’re saying, Jo, but we just can’t afford a car right now. (point)

4. Watch what you say to the director, he loses his temper very easily. (fuse)

5. My mother became furious when my brother told her that he had been suspended from school. (lost)

Word Choice

Choose the word which best completes each sentence

1. Charles has had a … on his shoulder ever since he lost the bet with Mike.

a. dimple b. chip c. hole d. dent

2. Angry and upset, Harry called his sister to get a few things off his … .

a. lungs b. heart c. neck d. chest

3. Bill is a bit of a dark …; I had no idea he used to be an Olympic swimmer.

a. horse b. stallion c. donkey d. steed

4. The newly appointed Minister is as … as a die, he’s very honest and reliable.

a. square b. straight c. vertical d. horizontal

5. When Tom stole my doll, I … my own back by stealing his favourite toy car.

a. retrieved b. got c. fetched d. regained

1.4.10

Check Yourself

Fill in the gaps with phrases from the box.

1. Elmer may seem ungracious and blunt but in fact he’s a … .

2. I thought Karen was being serious when she told me she was going to quit her job, but she was just … .

3. Whatever you do, don’t trust Ken – he’ll … given half the chance.

4. Susan let Richard read her diary and then he went … and told everyone what she had written.

5. In the ‘20s and ‘30s, Charlie Chaplin was the … of the silver screen.

6. ‘Yes, yes, I … but if we don’t have any financial backing, we can’t go ahead with the project.’

7. As soon as Doreen came out of the director’s office, all the … wanted to know what he had wanted.

8. Excuse me, I don’t mean to be a … but I’d rather you didn’t tell that joke.

9. Mr Dithers … when his employees threatened to go on strike.

10. Although James loves children, I don’t think he should become a teacher because he has such a … .

Rephrase

Rewrite the sentences using the words in brackets. Do

not change these words.

1. Reginald got upset when he realized that his car had a flat tire. (collar)

2. Even though Deborah was disappointed when her book was rejected, she hid her sadness and told her husband not to worry. (brave)

3. Although Bob is usually an impatient man, he didn’t get angry when he was stuck in traffic for an hour. (cool)

4. Taxi drivers in this city make me mad! They’re so rude and obnoxious. (hackles)

5. Penelope is so sensible, I was stunned when she joined the circus. (earth)

6. After Lucy’s colleague stole her invention she wanted vengeance. (back)

7. Phil has felt resentful since his schooldays because he wasn’t in the football team. (shoulder)

8. They say that the judge who is hearing this case is fair and unbiased, so you have a good chance of winning. (die)

9. Nobody knew much about Mr Fields as he was a secretive person, but we later found out that he was a resistance fighter during the war. (horse)

10. It’s obvious that you’re worried about something so why don’t you just tell me what’s bothering you. (chest)

Correction

Replace the incorrectly used idioms with a suitable

alternative. Some sentences are correct.

1. When William wasn’t accepted by any university, he put on a brave face and said he’d try again next year.

2. My sister is such a dark horse – she’s always interfering in other people’s business.

3. David is a bit of a wet blanket but, despite his gruffness, he’s a very nice man.

4. Richard is always pulling my leg; I never know when he’s being serious or not.

5. Pete Sampras is considered the golden boy of the tennis world. He’s an outstanding player.

6. Mary got hot under the collar when she was told she hadn’t got the promotion.

7. Alex has had a short fuse ever since his brother was given their father’s old car.

8. In order for Arthur to get his problem off his chest, he went to see a psychologist.

9. Robert kept his cool when someone crashed into the back of his car because he jumped out of his car and started screaming at the other driver.

10. The behaviour of impatient drivers takes my point.

Discussion

Answer the questions below:

Would you be surprised if a friend who was usually as straight as a die borrowed your favourite jacket behind your back? Why / Why not?
If you found out that somebody who you considered your friend stabbed you in the back, would you be tempted to get your own back? Why / Why not?
Would you expect a down-to-earth person to be a dark horse? Why / Why not?

1.4.11

Translation

Translate paying attention to the ways in which

people are pictured.

It was impossible to judge the man’s age: his hair was thin and beginning to recede, but the face beneath was not that of an old man. It was round and pasty, the expression sensual. It was a weak face, an indulgent face – the face of a rogue vicar.
As he listened, Roy had difficulty picturing the thin, gangly young agent with a startled-trout face. Because of the reverberant bass voice, it was easier to believe that Kleck was a tall, broad-chested, black rock singer from the doo-wop era.
Dubois, the evening duty officer, was a tall, lanky Texan with mud-brown eyes and hair the colour of range dust, on whom clothes hung like thrift-shop castaways on a stick-and-straw scarecrow. Although big-boned, rough-hewn, with a mottled complexion, with jug-handle ears, with teeth as crooked as the tombstones in a cow-town cemetery, with not a single feature that even the kindest critic could deem perfect, Dubois had a good-old-boy charm and an easy manner that distracted attention from the fact he was a biological tragedy.
‘I liked him,’ Donner said. ‘He was the quietest man I’ve ever known, one of the most polite, one of the smartest – and sure as hell the most self-effacing. Last guy in the world to brag. And he could be a lot of fun when he was in the right mood. But he was very self-contained. No one ever really got to know him.’

1.4.12

Speaking

Describe either

- a well-known politician or

- your favourite pop- / film-star or

- a well-known figure from native or foreign history.

1.4.13

Writing

Give a literary translation of the following short descriptions

of famous Hollywood actors and actresses. Choose one of the

extracts and add three or four more paragraphs about him / her.

Arnold Schwarzenegger The Austrian-born action hero and former Mr. Universe is Hollywood’s most bankable star worldwide. Clever direction and lines tailored to his screen persona have turned Schwarzenegger vehicles like ‘Total Recall’ (1990) and the ‘Terminator’ series (1984-91) into smash hits.

Robin Williams Best-known for his manic energy and improvisational comic gift in ‘Good Morning, Vietnam!’ (1987) and ‘Dead Poets Society’ (1989), Williams gave a more subtle performance as a Russian émigré in ‘Moscow on the Hudson’ (1984).

Anjelica Huston Her acting career did not take off until her mid-30s, but whenever the part calls for a strong woman Hollywood looks to Huston. Her powerful performances in ‘Prizzi’s Honor’ (1985), ‘Enemies, A Love Story’ (1989), and ‘The Grifters’ (1990) define the gallery.

Susan Sarandon Authenticity and intelligence are hallmarks of the characters Sarandon plays in ‘Atlantic City’ (1981) and ‘Bull Durham’ (1988). Her average-woman-turned-outlaw in the recent ‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991) redefines several of Hollywood’s classic genres.

Jack Nicholson The all-American wise guy, Nicholson has made a career of playing rogues, renegades, and demons in such classics as ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ (1975), ‘Chinatown’ (1974), and ‘Batman’ (1989).

Tom Cruise A teen heartthrob in ‘Risky Business’ (1983) and ‘Top Gun’ (1986), Cruise won acclaim for his performance in a more serious role, the wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet in ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989).

Kevin Costner His generation’s leading good guy, Costner’s personal credibility was one key to the success of films like ‘Bull Durham’ (1988), ‘Dances with Wolves’ (1990), and ‘JFK’ (1991).