Welcome to your English lesson on describing people and objects! If you’re just starting to learn English (A1 level), this is a super useful skill. Being able to describe people and things around you helps you communicate in everyday situations. Imagine you want to tell someone about your friend or your favorite book – knowing how to describe them is key! This lesson will give you the basic vocabulary and phrases you need. Let’s get started and learn how to describe the world around you in English!

Why Learn to Describe People and Objects?

Why is it important to learn how to describe people and objects in English? Well, imagine these situations:

• Meeting new people: You can tell your friends about someone you met – “She is very friendly and has long brown hair.”
• Shopping: You can ask for what you want in a shop – “I’m looking for a small, red bag.”
• Asking for help: You can describe someone you are looking for – “He is tall and wearing a blue jacket.”
• Sharing stories: You can make your stories more interesting by describing the people and things in them – “The dog was big and fluffy.”

Learning to describe people and objects in English will make your English conversations much richer and more effective. It’s a fundamental skill for English for beginners, and it will boost your confidence in speaking English.

Key Vocabulary for Describing People

Let’s start with some basic vocabulary to describe people in English. We can describe their appearance and their personality.

Appearance

Appearance is how someone looks. Here are some words to describe appearance:

• Height: tall, short, medium height
• Build: thin, slim, heavy, overweight
• Hair:
  • Hair length: long, short, medium-length
  • Hair color: blonde, brown, black, red, grey, white
  • Hair type: straight, curly, wavy
• Eyes:
  • Eye color: blue, brown, green, grey, black
  • Eye size: big, small
• Age: young, old, middle-aged
• Clothes: (We can describe what someone is wearing – e.g., jeans, t-shirt, dress, jacket)
• Other features: glasses, beard, mustache

Examples:

• “She is tall and thin.”
• “He has short brown hair and blue eyes.”
• “She is wearing a red dress.”
• “He is young and has a beard.”

Personality

Personality is about someone’s character – how they are inside. Here are some simple words to describe personality:

• Friendly: kind and nice to people
• Happy: feeling or showing pleasure
• Funny: making you laugh
• Kind: generous and helpful
• Quiet: not talking much
• Talkative: talking a lot
• Shy: nervous and uncomfortable with other people
• Outgoing: friendly and liking social situations

Examples:

• “He is very friendly and funny.”
• “She is kind and helpful.”
• “He is a bit quiet.”
• “She is very outgoing and talkative.”

Key Vocabulary for Describing Objects

Now let’s learn vocabulary to describe objects in English. We can describe their size, color, shape, material, and use.

Size

• Big: large in size
• Small: not big in size
• Large: big, but often used for area or capacity
• Tiny: very small
• Long: measuring a great distance from end to end
• Short: not long
• Tall: high in stature (often for objects that stand upright)
• Short (height): not tall
• Wide: measuring a great distance from side to side
• Narrow: not wide

Examples:

• “It’s a big table.”
• “This is a small box.”
• “The room is very large.”
• “Look at that tiny bird!”
• “It’s a long road.”

Color

Basic colors are essential for describing objects.

• Red
• Blue
• Yellow
• Green
• Black
• White
• Brown
• Orange
• Pink
• Purple
• Grey

Examples:

• “The car is red.”
• “The sky is blue.”
• “I have a green bag.”

Shape

• Round: shaped like a circle
• Square: with four equal straight sides and four right angles
• Rectangular: shaped like a rectangle (four sides, right angles, but sides not all equal)
• Triangular: shaped like a triangle (three sides)
• Circular: round
• Oval: shaped like an egg

Examples:

• “The plate is round.”
• “The window is square.”
• “The table is rectangular.”

Material

What is it made of?

• Wood: from a tree
• Metal: like iron, steel, aluminum
• Plastic: a synthetic material
• Glass: transparent material
• Paper: thin material for writing or printing
• Cloth/Fabric: material for clothes, curtains, etc.
• Stone: hard, solid material from the earth

Examples:

• “The chair is made of wood.”
• “The key is made of metal.”
• “The bottle is made of plastic.”
• “The window is made of glass.”

Use (What is it for?)

Sometimes describing what an object is used for helps!

• It’s for writing. (e.g., a pen, a pencil)
• It’s for sitting. (e.g., a chair, a sofa)
• It’s for cooking. (e.g., a pan, an oven)
• It’s for reading. (e.g., a book, a magazine)

Examples:

• “A pen is for writing.”
• “A chair is for sitting.”
• “A book is for reading.”

How to Describe – Simple Sentence Structures

We use simple sentences to describe people and objects. Here are some common structures:

Describing People

• He is/She is + adjective(s) (for appearance or personality)
• Example: “She is tall.“
• Example: “He is friendly and funny.“
• He has/She has + noun(s) (for hair, eyes, etc.)
• Example: “She has long hair.“
• Example: “He has blue eyes.“
• He is wearing/She is wearing + clothes
• Example: “She is wearing a blue dress.“
• Example: “He is wearing jeans and a t-shirt.“

Describing Objects

• It is + adjective(s) (for size, color, shape)
• Example: “It is big.“
• Example: “It is red and round.“
• It is made of + material
• Example: “It is made of wood.“
• Example: “It is made of plastic.“
• It is for + verb-ing (for use)
• Example: “It is for writing.“
• Example: “It is for cooking.“

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s your turn to practice! Fill in the blanks to describe the people and objects.

Describing People Practice

1. My friend is _____. (height) and _____. (build)
2. She has _____ hair. (color) and _____ eyes. (color)
3. He is very _____. (personality – nice) and _____. (personality – makes you laugh)
4. They are wearing _____ clothes. (describe clothes – e.g., jeans and t-shirts)
5. My teacher is _____-aged and _____. (personality – helpful)

Describing Objects Practice

1. The ball is _____ and _____. (shape and color)
2. The table is _____. (size) and _____. (shape)
3. This cup is made of _____. (material)
4. A knife is for _____. (use – verb)
5. The book is _____ and _____. (size and color)

Answers

Here are some possible answers. Remember, there can be many correct answers!

Describing People Answers

1. My friend is tall and thin. (or short/medium height, slim/heavy/overweight – any appropriate adjective)
2. She has brown hair and blue eyes. (any hair and eye colors)
3. He is very friendly and funny. (kind/happy/outgoing, etc. and funny/talkative/friendly, etc.)
4. They are wearing jeans and t-shirts. (any description of clothes)
5. My teacher is middle-aged and helpful. (young/old, and kind/friendly/patient etc.)

Describing Objects Answers

1. The ball is round and red. (any shape and color)
2. The table is big and rectangular. (any size and shape)
3. This cup is made of plastic. (or glass/metal/etc.)
4. A knife is for cutting. (or chopping/slicing)
5. The book is small and blue. (any size and color)

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Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve learned the basics of describing people and objects in English. Remember to practice using these words and phrases in your everyday conversations. Keep learning, keep practicing, and you’ll become more fluent in English! For more English for beginners lessons and English pronunciation tips, keep exploring our blog. And don’t forget to check out Lingofrnd.com for fantastic spoken English practice!