Read the following text and use it to describe the appearance of each member of your family.

Appearance

ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Hair can be:

  1. curly- кудрявые;
  2. smooth - гладкие;
  3. straight/wavy - прямые \волнистые;

e.g.: straight shoulder-length hair прямые волосы по плечи.

You can wear your hair:

1. pinned up с заколкой сзади
2. in bunches fastened with slides(Br) barrettes(Am)
  • grips
  • ribbons
  • hair pins
в хвостиках, закрепленных заколкой
  • резинками
  • лентами
  • шпильками
3. in plaits(Br)/braids(Am) в косах
4. to plait one's hair заплетать косы
  • in a bun/ in a ponytail
в хвосте
  • to have one's hair cut
подстричься
  • to do one's hair
причесываться
  • to grow one's hair
отращивать волосы
  • to dye hair (e.g. in pink)
покрасить волосы (в розовый цвет)
  • to wear a wig
носить парик
  • to wear one's hair short
носить короткие волосы
  • shoulder-long
по плечи
  • hair rollers
бигуди
  • his hair is receding/thinning
у него выпадает волос
  • she's graying
она седеет
  • fringe (AmE: bang)
челка

In colour it can be:

  • red
  • grey/white
  • golden
  • ash-blond
  • silvery
  • dark/fair
  • brown/chestnut e.g. She was a black-haired girl. The boy was red-headed.
  • рыжие
  • седые
  • золотистые
  • пепельные
  • серебристые
  • темные\светлые, белокурые
  • каштановые

NB! Mind the word order of adjectives:
quality size age shape color origin made of type +noun

beautiful long wavy brown hair
old red French car

Face can be:

1. round круглое
2. long длинное
3. to have a long face(to have an unhappy, bored expression) иметь унылый вид
4. thin/chubby худое \ полнощекое
5. pale бледное
6. pretty/ugly хорошенькое, прелестное \уродливое
7. good-humoured добродушное
8. plain простое, обыкновенное
9. expressive выразительное
10. with a round
  • pointed
  • double
  • decided chin
с круглым
  • острым
  • двойным
  • решительным подбородком
11. with hollow/rosy cheeks с впалыми/ румяными щеками
12. with bushy/arched/thin eyebrows с косматыми/ тонкими, полукругом тонко очерченными бровями
13. complexion цвет лица
14. pale/florid бледный/цветущий
       

What can be found on the face

  1. freckles
  2. wrinkles
  3. a beauty spot
  4. a scar
  5. a dimple
  6. to wear spectacles
  7. moustache, also mustache (Am)
  8. beard
  9. stubble
  10. whiskers
  • веснушки
  • морщины
  • родинка
  • шрам
  • ямочка
  • носить очки
  • усы
  • борода
  • щетина
  • бакенбарды

You smell scents and odors with a nose which can be:

  1. flat
  2. straight
  3. bulbous nose
  4. to be snub-nosed
  5. turned-up
  • приплюснутый
  • прямой
  • нос картошкой
  • быть курносым
  • вздернутый

You look at the world around you with eves which can be:

  1. hazel
  2. brown
  3. gray\grey
  4. blue e.g. The girl was blue-eyed.
  5. almond
  6. be almond-eyed
  7. intelligent
  8. mischievous
  9. with long/curving eyelashes
  10. slanting
  • светло-коричневые
  • карие
  • серые
  • голубые
  • миндалевидные
  • с миндалевидным разрезом глаз
  • умные
  • озорной, шаловливый
  • с длинными/загнутыми ресницами
  • косой

Your lips can be:

  1. full
  2. well-cut
  • полные
  • хорошо очерченные

Your figure and features can be:

  1. plain
  2. regular/irregular
  3. plump
  4. slender
  5. well-built
  6. skinny
  • простые, некрасивые
  • правильные/неправильные
  • полный, пухлый
  • стройный, тонкий
  • хорошо сложенный
  • худой

General

  1. to look like
  2. to resemble
  3. What does he look like?
  • выглядеть
  • быть похожим
  • Как он выглядит?

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

Match the words from the right column with the descriptions in the left column.

  1. plump, skinny, slender
  2. silky, smooth, curly
  3. pale, good-humored, long
  4. hazel, mischievous, warm
  5. snub, straight, bulbous
  6. chestnut, silvery, fair
  7. bob, crew-cut, plaits
  8. double, pointed, decided
  • a. hair styles
  • b face
  • c. hair colour
  • d. figure
  • e.hair
  • f. nose
  • g. eyes
  • h. chin

2. Give Russian equivalents to the following.

  1. mischievous almond hazel eyes
  2. turned up nose
  3. pointed chin
  4. short, dark, curly hair
  5. wavy shoulder-length hair
  6. good-humored round face
  7. darken eyelashes with mascara
  8. slanting eyes
  9. skinny figure
  10. deep scar
  11. short curly fringe
  12. hair fastened with barrettes
  13. a man with a long moustache
  14. charming smile
  15. wrinkled face
  16. expressive features
  17. silvery hair
  18. to have a long face
  19. to wear a wig
  20. fashionable stubble

ADVENTURES IN CONVERSATION

Read the following text and use it to describe the appearance of each member of your family.

My father is tall. He has large hands and his feet are size 45. He has short, dark, curly hair and a small beard. His arms, legs and chest are hairy. He's a cheerful person and when he laughs, you can see even white teeth. He wears spectacles (glasses) and you can't see his eyes, but I know they are steel gray. He's 43. He usually wears jeans and checked shirts or sweaters. But for work he wears a suit and a tie and looks every inch a teacher.

My mother is a very different person. She's short and plumpish. She has small hands and feet. She has long, strong, fair hair. She has dimples and rosy cheeks. She has long eyelashes which she darkens with mascara. She likes pink nail-varnish, high-heeled shoes and fashionable clothes. Her favourite colours are red and light blue.

My 20-year old sister likes to be well-dressed. She used lots of make-up, is always going to the hairdresser's and has fantastic hairstyles. She's tall and slim, with slender arms and elegant legs. Her full lips are always red. She's open-minded and nice. She is married and has a baby.

My baby nephew is still just a toddler; he can't speak yet, but he's very selfish and bores me.

My boss is an elderly man, rather short and stout. His hair is grey and thin and he's bald on top. He's clean-shaven. He has a double chin. He's always immaculately dressed: a white shirt, a dark well-creased suit with a matching tie and black leather shoes. He's a serious and punctual man, doesn't talk much and seems to be not overgenerous.

5. Describe your friends / groupmates / some famous people. The others will try to guess who you are describing