1.Look at these pairs of adjectives used to describe personal qualities.
Which pairs are positive, and which negative in meaning?
1.sensitive and thoughtful
6. lively and inquisitive
2.dishonest and unreliable
7.shy and insecure
3.mean and tight-fisted
8.out-going and independent
4.broad-minded and tolerant
9.ambitious and single-minded
5.thoughtless and self-centered
2.Match the pairs of adjectives above with a description below.
1.He’s a liar, and you can’t ask him to do anything for you.
2.He never buys his friends a drink in a bar.
3.She knows exactly what she wants to achieve in life and how to get there.
4.He listens to other people’s opinions, and knows there are always two sides to an argument.
5.She just doesn’t seem to realize that what she does could hurt other people’s feelings. It’s all Me! Me! Me! With her!
6.She is very quiet and goes red if anyone speaks to her.
7.He loves parties and doing his own thing.
8.She’s always asking questions – always wants to know things.
9.She never forgets my birthday.
3.Which words in activity 1 have similar and/or opposite meanings to the words below?
trustworthyfree-spiritedinconsiderateconfident
dependablenarrow-minded generousselfish
4.We often use adjectives that end in –y to describe personality. Find the phrase in the description that defines each of the words below.
fussycheekywittynosymoody
Well, frankly, my brother is all of those things. He likes everything to be in the right place all the time. He always wants to know what everybody else is doing, even when it’s none of his business. He is bright and lively one minute, and quiet and bad-tempered the next. But he thinks very quickly and says the funniest things, although sometimes what he says is funny but rude to people older or more senior than him. For example, he asked his teacher why his red tie was the same colour as his eyes. The teacher had been to a party the night before – it was very funny but definitely rude!
5.Read the descriptions of different people. Then fill in the gaps with words from the lesson.
1.Fiona loves parties – especially her own. That’s because she likes to be the centre of attention. She’s very ___________ and _____________.
2.William loves gossip. He always wants to know what everybody else is up to. That’s because he’s ___________ and _____________.
3.Don’t invite John. He never buys a drink, and he’ll probably steal some of your CDs. He’s _____________ and _____________.
4.What I like about Kate is the way she listens to people, and remembers small things about them. She’s so ___________ and _____________.
6.Write a description of the personality of someone you know. What are they like?
7.Decide whether these expressions are positive or negative.
1.She’s generous to a fault.
2.He’s the life and soul of the party.
3.He’s a bit off-hand with people.
4.She’s ever so kind.
5.He keeps himself to himself.
6.He’s full of himself.
Match the expressions above to one of the adjectives below.
Look at these pairs of adjectives used to describe personal qualities.
Which pairs are positive, and which negative in meaning?
1. sensitive and thoughtful-positive
6. lively and inquisitive-positive
2. dishonest and unreliable-negative
7. shy and insecure-negative
3. mean and tight-fisted-negative
8. out-going and independent-positive
4. broad-minded and tolerant-positive
9. ambitious and single-minded-negative
5. thoughtless and self-centered-positive
2. Match the pairs of adjectives above with a description below.
1. He’s a liar, and you can’t ask him to do anything for you.dishonest
2. He never buys his friends a drink in a bar.thoughtful
3. She knows exactly what she wants to achieve in life and how to get there.lively
4. He listens to other people’s opinions, and knows there are always two sides to an argument.thoughtless
5. She just doesn’t seem to realize that what she does could hurt other people’s feelings. It’s all Me! Me! Me! With her!mean
6. She is very quiet and goes red if anyone speaks to her.shy
7. He loves parties and doing his own thing.
independent
8. She’s always asking questions – always wants to know things.ambitious
9. She never forgets my birthday.broad-minded
1-
1) +
2) -
3) +
4) +
5) -
6) +
7) -
8) +
9) -
2-Match the pairs of adjectives above with a description below.
1) dishonest and unreliable
2) thoughtless and self-centered
3) out-going and independent
4) sensitive and thoughtful
5) ambitious and single-minded
6) shy and insecure
7) mean and tight-fisted
8) lively and inquisitive
9) broad-minded and tolerant
4-
nosy
witty
fussy
moody
cheeky
6- Decide whether these expressions are positive or negative.
1.
2. very sociable
3. rude
4. very kind
5.
6.
Well, frankly, my brother is all of those things. He likes everything to be in the right place all the time. He always wants to know what everybody else is doing, even when it’s none of his business. He is bright and lively one minute, and quiet and bad-tempered the next. But he thinks very quickly and says the funniest things, although sometimes what he says is funny but rude to people older or more senior than him. For example, he asked his teacher why his red tie was the same colour as his eyes. The teacher had been to a party the night before – it was very funny but definitely rude!
