49 Describing character Exercises NOTE Sympathetic doesn't mean 'nice' in English.We use it to describe a person who understands other people's feelings/ problems, e.g. She was very sympathetic when I explained the problem. positive negative warm and friendly kind (= cares about others) nice, pleasant generous (= happy to give/share) optimistic {= thinks positively) easy-going (= relaxed, calm) sensitive (= thinks about people's feelings) honest (= always tells the truth) good fun (= enjoyable to be with) broad-minded cold and unfriendly unkind horrible, unpleasant mean (= never gives to others) pessimistic {= thinks negatively) tense (= nervous; worries a lot; not calm) insensitive dishonest boring narrow-minded (= unable to accept new ideas) 49.1 Organise these words into pairs of opposites and put them in the columns below. My parents are great and don't mind what I wear - they're very broad-minded. When 1 tried on the dress, the shop assistant said it would look better on a younger person. I know she was trying to be honest, but it was a bit insensitive of her. What's he/she like? He's very self-confident. (= feels he can do things, and is relaxed in social situations) When you first meet her she seems shy. (= finds it difficult to talk to people and make conversation) She doesn't show her feelings. (= you don't know what she is thinking or feeling) He's got a great sense of humour. (= laughs a lot and sees the funny side of life) Describing character in work situations positive np.ytitive hard-working punctual (= always on time) reliable clever flexible ambitious has lots of common sense (= thinks in a practical way; doesn't do stupid things) lazy (= never does any work) not very punctual; always late unreliable (= you cannot trust/depend on someone like this) stupid inflexible (= a fixed way of thinking and unable to change) not ambitious (= no desire to be successful/get a better job) has no common sense; an idiot (= a stupid person) First impressions We use impression to talk about the effect that a person has on another person. She made a very good impression at her interview. (= had a positive effect on the interviewer) My first impression of him was a bit negative. She comes across as (= appears to be) quite serious. mean hard-working clever tense nice generous lazy unpleasant relaxed stupid positive negative 49.2 Which prefix forms the opposite of these words? (You need three different prefixes.) unhappy flexible friendly honest reliable sensitive kind pleasant 49.3 How would you describe the person in each of these descriptions? 1 She's always here on time. puwcHjaf 2 He never bought me a drink in ten years. 3 She often promises to do things but half the time she forgets. 4 I don't think he's done any work since he's been here. 5 She finds it difficult to meet people and talk to strangers. 6 He can work in any of the departments - on his own or part of a team. 7 One of her qualities is that she is so aware of what other people think or feel. 8 I know Mike wants to be head of the department and then go on to a bigger company. 49.4 Fill the gaps with a suitable word. 1 At work, James....................................across as serious and a bit boring, but outside of work he's completely different; he's really good.................................... 2 It's important to....................................a good impression on your first day in a new job. 3 I'm sure he can find the place; he just needs to use his common.................................... 4 Meeting new people doesn't worry her; she's a very self-....................................young woman. 5 It's hard to know what Sam thinks - he doesn't really....................................his feelings. 6 Do you think....................................impressions are very important? I do. 7 I always have a laugh with my cousin - he's got a great sense of.................................... 8 She is so....................................-minded: she cannot accept any ideas different from her own. 49.5 What nouns can be formed from these adjectives? Use a dictionary to help you. kind UMcWss optimistic punctual lazy confident ambitious 49.6 Choose three words from the opposite page which describe you. Is there one quality you do not have but would like to have? What, in your opinion, is the worst quality described on the opposite page? If possible, compare your answers with a friend. 100 English Vocabulary in Use fpre-intermediate & intermediate) English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & internied/ate) 101 50 Human feelings and actions Ai Feelings/emotions noun adjective(s) love (opp hate) happiness (opp sadness) anger fear pride jealousy embarrassment happy (opp sad) angry afraid (of)/frightened (of) proud (of) jealous (of) embarrassed/embarrassing (see Unit 36) Exercises 50.1 What nouns can be formed from these adjectives? 1 sad sadness 3 angry 5 happy 2 proud 4 jealous 6 embarrassed 50.2 Find the logical ending on the right for each of the sentence beginnings on the left. Pride can be a positive feeling when you (or people you know) have done something well. I'm not a great photographer, but I'm proud of my pictures because I taught myself. He was very proud when his wife became the first president of the organisation. Jealousy is a negative feeling of anger/unhappiness, often if someone you love shows a lot of interest in others, or if someone has something you want and don't have. My boyfriend gets very jealous when I talk to other boys. He's jealous of his sister because she's more intelligent. Upset is a common adjective, and means unhappy, sad, and sometimes angry. He was upset when they didn't invite him. She gets upset if you shout at her. How do you feel? I felt very sad when I left university and all my friends. It was a great feeling when I finished all my exams. She had mixed feelings (= not sure what to think or feel) about leaving her job. Ways of speaking, looking and walking whisper (= speak very quietly) shout (= speak in a very loud voice) glance (at) (= look at sb/sth very quickly) stare (at) (= look at sb/sth for a long time) stroll (= walk in a slow casual way) march (= walk quickly and with a clear reason) These words can also function as nouns with no change in form. I heard a shout from inside. We had a stroll on the beach. Things we do with our hands Cl^=*^ point (at something knock (on/at a door) push (something) 50.4 50.5 50.6 102 English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate) 1 He was very proud when —a 2 He was very jealous when b 3 He was very embarrassed when c 4 He was very angry when d 5 He was very sad when e 6 He was very frightened when f someone stole his money. his father appeared on TV. he heard his aunt had died. he saw the man had a knife. he sent her a birthday card on the wrong day. his best friend went out with a girl he liked. 50.3 What are these people doing? Describe their actions using words from the opposite page. Replace the underlined words with a single verb that has the same meaning. 1 She stopped working and looked quickly at the clock. 2 As we were in the library, he spoke very quietly in my ear. 3 We walked casually along the beach and then stopped for a drink. 4 He made us all walk quickly up the hill. 5 The man kept looking at Susan, but she didn't seem to notice. 6 He kept talking in a very loud voice. Fill the gaps with the missing preposition. 1 I knocked.....................the door. 2 She glanced.....................her watch. 3 She's jealous.....................her sister. 4 Why is he pointing.....................the clock? 5 He's very proud.....................them. 6 What are they afraid.....................? Answer the questions. If possible, ask someone else the same questions. 1 How would you feel if you forgot your mother's birthday or your father's birthday? 2 How do you feel when you are in a car that is going very fast? 3 How do you feel when other people ask you to do things that you don't want to do? 4 If you made a stupid mistake in English, how would you feel? 5 Is there any one thing that you are very proud of? 6 Are there any common situations where you sometimes feel embarrassed? 7 How do you feel about going home after a wonderful holiday? 8 Have you left school? If so, did you have mixed feelings when you left? If you haven't left school, do you think you'll have mixed feelings when you leave? English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate) 103