A2 — Describing people’s appearance
Height & build
Hair
Special features
Goal
Learn useful words to talk about a person’s height, body, hair and other features, and practise natural questions such as What does she look like?
Height & build
- tall – higher than most people. Tom is very tall.
- short – smaller in height. My sister is short.
- medium height – not very tall and not very short. He is medium height.
- slim – thin in a healthy, attractive way. She is slim and sporty.
- thin – has little fat on the body (neutral). The boy is quite thin.
- skinny – very thin, often too thin. He looks skinny in that photo.
- overweight – heavier than is healthy. The doctor says I’m a bit overweight.
- fit – strong and in good physical condition. She goes to the gym and is very fit.
- curvy – a woman with attractive body curves. She is curvy and confident.
- petite – small, thin and delicate (usually about women). Anna is petite and elegant.
Talking about hair
We usually describe hair with three ideas: length, shape and colour.
- Length – long hair, short hair, medium-length hair.
- Shape – straight, wavy, curly.
- Colour – blonde hair, brown hair, dark hair. A woman with dark brown hair is often called a brunette.
Word order: length → shape → colour.
long straight dark hair, short wavy blonde hair.
long straight dark hair, short wavy blonde hair.
Hair — example sentences
- She has long straight hair.
- He has short wavy hair.
- My sister has medium-length curly hair.
- I like men with short dark hair.
Other features
- wear glasses – He wears glasses for work.
- have a beard – My teacher has a beard.
- have a moustache – The man with a moustache is my uncle.
- have wrinkles – wrinkles are lines on the skin of older people.
- have freckles – freckles are small brown spots on the skin.
Grammar & questions for appearance
- For height we use be: He is 1.80 metres tall.
- For weight we use weigh: She weighs 60 kilos.
- To ask about appearance, use: What does he look like? / What does she look like?
- Answer with height, build and hair: He is tall and slim with short dark hair.
Try to use 2–3 details together (height + build + hair) to give a clear, simple picture of the person.
Exercises:
Describing People’s Appearance
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence below.
1
My brother is very
; he can reach the top shelf easily.
Correct: tall — high in height.
2
My grandma is only 150 cm; she is
and can’t reach the top cupboard.
Correct: short — small in height.
3
He isn’t very tall or very short; he is
.
Correct: medium height — in the middle, not tall or short.
4
She is
and looks healthy; her clothes fit her very well.
Correct: slim — thin in a nice, healthy way.
5
After his illness he looked very
; he didn’t have much fat on his body.
Correct: thin — little fat, neutral word.
6
You can see all his bones; he is too
and it doesn’t look healthy.
Correct: skinny — extremely thin, not healthy.
7
The doctor says he is
and needs to lose some weight.
Correct: overweight — too heavy for good health.
8
She goes to the gym three times a week and feels strong and
.
Correct: fit — strong and healthy from exercise.
9
She has a
body, with a small waist and bigger hips.
Correct: curvy — with attractive curves.
10
She is very
— short and small, but it looks nice.
Correct: petite — short and small in a nice way.
11
She has
; it goes down to her waist.
Correct: long hair — very long, down her back.
12
He has
; it is only two centimetres long.
Correct: short hair — very little length.
13
Her hair is not long and not short; she has
.
Correct: medium-length hair — in the middle, not long or short.
14
His hair is
; it goes down in one line, not in waves.
Correct: straight — hair with no waves or curls.
15
I love her
hair; it has gentle waves.
Correct: wavy — soft waves in the hair.
16
Our daughter has very
hair; it makes small circles on her head.
Correct: curly — hair that makes many small circles.
17
She has
; it is very light and yellow.
Correct: blonde hair — very light, yellow hair.
18
My brother has
; it isn’t black and it isn’t blonde.
Correct: brown hair — hair with a brown colour.
19
The man has very
; it is almost black.
Correct: dark hair — very dark, almost black.
20
She is
— a woman with dark brown hair.
Correct: a brunette — a woman with dark brown hair.
Describing People’s Appearance
Match the sentences with the words
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