What are your roommates like?
MOM: Hi, sweetie! How's college going? Have you settled into your new apartment yet?
DAUGHTER: Hey, Mom! Yeah, it's going pretty well. It felt a little strange at first, but now I'm getting used to it. My roommates are all really nice, so that makes a big difference.
MOM: I'm glad to hear that! I was a bit nervous about you living with people you didn't know. So, tell me about them! What are your roommates like?
DAUGHTER: There are three of them—Emily, Mark, and Lily.
We all get along pretty well. Emily was the first person I met. She's tall and slim, with long, straight brown hair.
She usually wears colorful sweatshirts and sneakers, and she's very cheerful—always smiling. She's super friendly and funny; she tells jokes all the time. She's also outgoing and likes planning movie nights or group dinners for us. We get along really well.
MOM: She sounds like a great person to live with! What about Mark?
DAUGHTER: Mark's really different. He's a bit shorter than Emily and quite skinny, with short, curly blond hair.
He wears glasses and has blue eyes.
He seemed a little shy when we first met, but once you talk to him, he's really kind and helpful.
He actually loves cooking, so he's always asking if anyone wants some food or snacks.
Last weekend, he made homemade pizza for everyone.
He's also very responsible with his homework. Oh, and he's very reliable—when he says he'll do something, you know he will.
MOM: Wow, that's awesome! He sounds great—I already love him. And what about Lily?
DAUGHTER: Lily's pretty quiet and a little more serious.
She's average height, with dark, curly hair, and she usually wears jeans and hoodies.
She's super smart and hardworking—she studies a lot! So, she spends a lot of time in her room, but she's also friendly when you get to know her.
She helped me with my math homework yesterday and explained everything really well. It's great to have someone I can go to with my math questions.
MOM: It sounds like you've got a good mix of people! Do you all hang out together?
DAUGHTER: Yeah, we try to. Sometimes, we eat dinner together or watch TV in the living room. Emily loves planning stuff—she wants us to go to a soccer game next weekend. Mark's always up for board games, and Lily likes to join us for movies even though she's usually busy with her books.
MOM: I'm so happy you found good roommates. It sounds like you all get along well and help each other out.
DAUGHTER: Yeah, I feel lucky. I was worried I wouldn't fit in, but everyone's friendly and easy to talk to. We all have different personalities, but it works. I think this year's going to be really good.
MOM: That's great, honey. Remember, if you ever need anything or just want to talk, I'm always here.
DAUGHTER: I know, Mom. Thanks. I'll call you soon!
MOM: Okay, take care, sweetheart. Love you!
DAUGHTER: Love you too! Bye, Mom
--------------------
Positive
easy-going = relaxed and happy to accept things without worrying or getting angry
good-tempered = cheerful and not easily made angry
laid-back = calm and relaxed
open-minded = willing to listen to, think about or accept different ideas
well-balanced = sensible and emotionally in control
well-behaved = behaving in a way that other people think is polite or correct
Negative
absent-minded = tending to forget things, perhaps because you are not thinking about what is around you, but about something else
bad-tempered = often angry; in an angry mood
big-headed = having a very high opinion of how important and clever you are
narrow-minded = not willing to listen to new ideas or to the opinions of others
*********
lots of ability :
intelligent bright clever sharp shrewd able gifted talented brainy (informal)
lacking ability:
stupid foolish simple silly brainless daft dumb dim thick
(the last five are predominantly informal words, and they can all be offensive)
clever, in a negative way, using brains to trick or deceive:
cunning crafty sly
---------
Attitudes towards life
Amal is pessimistic while Nia is optimistic – he always expects the worst to happen while she looks
on the bright side.
It is strange that one of the twins is so extroverted while the other is so introverted – Ben loves being the focus of attention while Jake prefers to be alone with his thoughts.
I feel very tense (or wound up / stressed out**) after a very busy day at work but, after a hot bath,
I’ll soon feel relaxed.
Eva is very sensible – she’d never do anything stupid. In other words, she’s very practical anddown-to-earth.
Roberto is very sensitive – he gets very upset (or worked-up, more informal), if he feels people are criticising him.
---------------
Attitude towards other people
Enjoying others’ company: sociable gregarious
Disagreeing with others: quarrelsome argumentative
Taking pleasure in others’ pain: cruel sadistic
Relaxed in attitude to self and others: easy-going even-tempered laid-back
Not polite to others: impolite rude ill-mannered discourteous*
Telling the truth to others: honest trustworthy reliable sincere
Unhappy if others have what you do not have yourself: jealous envious
-------------
How people relate to the social norm
She’s a bit of an odd-ball. [peculiar, strange]
He’s really over the top. [very exaggerated in behaviour]
He’s (gone) round the bend, if you ask me. [absolutely crazy/mad]
My politics are very middle- of- the- road. [very normal; no radical ideas; neither left- nor right-wing]
------------------
Who’s who in the class?
Idioms for people in the classroom
Sam’s teacher’s pet. [teacher’s favourite] Laura’s top of the class.
Harry is a real know-all. [thinks he knows everything]
Ali’s a bit of a big-head. [has a high opinion of him/herself] Anna’s a lazy-bones.
The last three idioms are used of people outside the classroom situation too.
-----------
Idioms based on ‘head’
You can learn idioms by associating them with a key word or words. Two of the idioms in A, for
example, are based on gold and two on heart. Here is a set of idioms describing people based on the
word head.
l your head screwed on [be sensible, informal]
l a head for heights [not suffer from vertigo]
to have l a head like a sieve [bad memory]
l a good head for figures [be good at maths]
l your head in the clouds [unaware of reality]
to be head and shoulders above someone [much better than]
to bury your head in the sand [refuse to think about a difficult situation in the hope you won’t have to deal with it] to keep your head [stay calm in a difficult situation]
---------
Positive and negative qualities
positive
She has a heart of gold. [very kind, generous]
He’s as good as gold. [helpful, well-behaved; used generally for children]
negative
She’s as hard as nails. [no sympathy for others]
He’s a nasty piece of work. [unpleasant]
Note also:
Her heart’s in the right place. [is a good and kind person even though they do not always seem so]
He’s such an awkward customer. [difficult person to deal with]
She’s a pain in the neck. Nobody likes her. [nuisance, difficult]
He gets on everyone’s nerves. [irritates everybody]
----------
positive associations
determined
thrifty economical
self-assured confident
unconventional original
frank direct open
broad-minded
enquiring*
generous
innocent
ambitious
assertive
-------------
negative associations
obstinate stubborn pig-headed
stingy mean tight-fisted miserly*
self-important arrogant full ofyourself**
eccentric odd peculiar weird**
blunt abrupt brusque curt
unprincipled permissive
inquisitive
extravagant
naive
pushy**
nosy**
aggressive
bossy**
* Thesewordsaremuchmore commonin written thaninspokenEnglish.
** Thesewordsaremuchmore commonin spoken thaninwrittenEnglish.
-------------
Pair the words that have similar meanings.
brainless- silly
brusque-curt
crafty-cunning
direct-frank
down-to-earth-sensible
gifted-talented
honest-trustworthy
impolite-rude
miserly-tight-fisted
tense-wound up
----------
1 If you arrange to meet at 7pm,do you arriveat 7pm?
reliable
2 When you have a problem,do you think the worst will happen?
pessimistic
3 Do you find it easy to tell your boss if you feel he or she has treated you badly?
assertive
4 Do you alwaysl ook out of the window if you hear a car draw up?
inquisitive
5 Do you often buy your friends presents for no particular reason?
extravagant
6 Do you frequently disagree with what other people say?
argumentative
7 Do you lie awake at night if someone has said something unkind to you?
sensitive
8 Do you prefer to be in the company of other people?
sociable
***********
blunt-If a friend asks you i fyou like her awful new dress, would you say ‘No’?
sensible - If you won a lot of money, would you putitin the bank rather spend it on luxury you have always wanted?
intelligent-Can you give the next letter in this sequence S,M,T,W,T,F?(If you are not sure of the answer,think of the days of the week.)
even-tempered -If someone spills soup on some new clothes of yours, do you just sigh and say ‘That’slife’?
original-Do you never wear blue jeans?
obstinate -Do you become even more determined to do something if people try t opersuade you not to do it?
stressed out- Do you find it hard to sleep at night because problems aregoing round in your head?
Adjectives
PEOPLE
beautiful ( women / children)
handsome (men)
kind
gentle
smart ( fast thinker)
intelligent (with a good brain)
clever (ability to combine skills and intelligence)
friendly
Nice
calm
polite
generous
ambitious
empathic
talkative
honest
open minded
bright
passionate
hilarious
smiley
lovely
sensitive
funny
reliable
trustworthy
outgoing
easygoing
humble (= down to Earth) ---> umile
respectful
diplomatic
cool
cute (babies)
serious ( like focused)
fair
transparent
loyal
pensive ---> riflessivo
cautious
self-critique
creative
coscentious
patient
attractive
thoughtful
helpful
amazing
_______________________________
FOOD
Nice
delicious
fresh
tasty
healthy
aromatic
flavourful
sophisticated
traditional
balanced
slow /fast
delicate
plentyful
homemade
scented
fragrant
refined
ripe (fruit)
memorable
inspiring
organic
BIO
gourmet
steaming
seasonal
comfort
local
vegan
vegetarian
varied
nourishing / nutricious
edible
palatable
fluffy
appetising
lush
crispy
mouth watering
desirable
tender
creamy
juicy
succulent
---------------------
CLOTHES / STYLES
original
unique
comfortable
trendy
fashionable
high quality
classic
chic
formal
casual
elegant
resistant
long lasting
stylish
unconventional
waterproof
fireproof
UV-resistant
colourful
fit
appropriate
tailored
well made
handmade
safe
well priced
useful
sporty
branded
soft
warm
fresh / light
double-faced
smooth
reversible
elastic
gorgeous
seethrough
sexy
adaptable
versatile
discreet
vintage
transpiran
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento