Friday 1 May 2020

Describing people: appearance and mannerisms CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED


CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH VOCABULARY IN USE ADVANCED
UNIT 9
Describing people: appearance and mannerisms

A
Adjectives connected with size, weight and general appearance

She introduced me to a tall, slender woman who looked very serious. [thin in an attractive way]
He was too scrawny to be a football player. [unattractively thin and bony-looking]
A lanky teenager walked in. [very tall and thin, and usually moving awkwardly]
A gangling/gangly youth approached him. [tall, with long, thin arms and legs and rather awkward movements; often used of men and boys]
Recent studies show that an increasing number of children are obese. [very fat, in an unhealthy way]
She’s the rather stout woman wearing glasses over there. [with a quite large, solid body; used of men and women]
My grandfather was a stocky man with big hands and broad shoulders. [short and with a body that is wide across the shoulders and chest]
B
Aspects of appearance and complexion

Hi Jessica,

Guess who I bumped into the other day? Our old college mate, Rob Parsons! First thing I noticed was he’s really bulked up1 (he used to be so lean2 and wiry3, didn’t he?) but also that he still looks so unkempt4. His sister was always the opposite – never a hair out of place5 and immaculate6 clothes, remember? But they were different in appearance too, weren’t they? He has a rather swarthy7 complexion: his sister’s was more sallow8. I must say he looked a bit haggard9 and exhausted too. He’s probably working too hard. Anyway, how are things with you?


Beth

1 increased in body size, especially by gaining more muscle
2 thin and healthy
3 thin but strong
4 untidy, scruffy (the opposite would be smart or neat; ‘kempt’ does not exist)
5 always well-dressed, neat and smart-looking
6 in perfect condition, smart
7 dark-coloured, used about skin
8 yellowish
9 his face looked ill and tired
C
Facial expression

A: What are you grinning at? [giving a big smile]
B: You’ve got ice cream on your nose – it looks so funny!
Look at those models pouting for the photographers! [positioning their lips in an attractive way]
She said if her daughter doesn’t get what she wants, she pouts for the rest of the day. [positions her lips in a look of annoyance]
You don’t have to grimace every time I eat raw garlic. I happen to think it’s delicious. [make an expression of pain or strong dislike]
I arrived late and she just scowled at me. [gave a bad-tempered, angry look]
He was leering at us. I felt very uncomfortable and wanted to leave. [looking in an unpleasant, sexually interested way]
D
Mannerisms and actions

I asked him for advice but he just shrugged his shoulders. [lifted his shoulders up and down to show he didn’t know or couldn’t answer]
He folded his arms and crossed his legs and waited for me to speak. [crossed one arm over the other close to his body] [crossed one leg over the other while sitting]
He sat there twitching nervously as he waited for his interview. [suddenly making small movements]
She bites her nails all the time. It drives me crazy!
She clenched her fist and told him to get out of the room at once. [closed her hand tightly because of anger] He just kept tapping/drumming his fingers on the table, looking impatient. [made quick, light hitting movements]

EXERCISES

9.1
Rewrite these sentences using words from A opposite instead of the underlined words.

1
She looks as if she needs a good meal; her body is so thin and bony.
Martha and David are both rather tall and thin individuals.
Being extremely fat can have health risks.
A very tall, thin, bony, awkward-looking boy carried our bags for us.
2
3
4
5
Her new silk dress suited her thin frame.
A short man with broad shoulders offered to lift the stone so we could look underneath.
That solid-looking woman on the left of the photo is Charlie’s wife.
6
7
9.2
Fill in the gaps in the sentences using words from B opposite.

1
Finn looked really _________ after two weeks of camping – his clothes were dirty and his hair was a mess!
2
Leah always looks amazing – she never has a _________ out of place!
Alex has_________  a lot – must be all that time he spends at the gym lifting weights!
Dan hasn’t slept for three days – he looks really tired and _________!
3
4
9.3
What are these people doing?

9.4
Answer these questions. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1 The verb to pout has two meanings on the opposite page. What are they?
2 If someone scowls at you, how are they probably feeling?
3 What is the difference between a swarthy complexion and a sallow complexion?
4 When would you clench your fist?
5 When do people normally shrug their shoulders?
6 What might you do with your fingers on a table if you were nervous or impatient?
7 In what situations do people typically (a) fold their arms, (b) cross their legs?
8 If someone is ‘lean and wiry’, which of these adjectives are true of them: thin, fat, healthy, weak, ill-looking, strong?





ANSWER KEY

9.1

1 She looks as if she needs a good meal; her body is so scrawny.
2 Martha and David are both rather lanky individuals.
3 Being obese can have health risks.
4 A gangly/gangling boy carried our bags for us.
5 Her new silk dress suited her slender frame.
6 A stocky man offered to lift the stone so we could look underneath.
7 That stout woman on the left of the photo is Charlie’s wife.

9.2
Possible answers:
1 unkempt
2 hair
3 bulked up
4 haggard

9.3
1 He’s folding his arms.
2 He’s clenching his fists.
3 She’s biting her nails.
4 She’s shrugging her shoulders.
5 She’s scowling.
6 She’s grinning.

9.4
1 The two meanings: positioning your lips in an attractive way; positioning your lips in a look of annoyance.
2 They are probably angry or annoyed.
3 A swarthy complexion is dark, a sallow one is rather yellowish and unhealthy-looking.
4 When you feel really angry or frustrated.
5 When they want to show that they don’t understand or know something, or that they don’t care about something.
6 You might tap or drum them.
7 People often fold their arms when they are listening to a lecture or to the teacher in class, or when sitting for a photograph. Folding your arms can also express a refusal to respond, confrontation or hearing something you don’t like. People often cross their legs when sitting and waiting for something.
8 A ‘lean and wiry’ person is thin, healthy and strong.

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