THE FLATMATES

Language point:
Describing people
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates - Language point – Describing people

You can see this language point online at:

http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates/episode01/languagepoint.shtml

To talk about people's appearance or personality we can use:

be + adjective
Verb: Adjective
To be
I'm slim
He's well-built
She's matronly
You're handsome
We're extroverted
They're shy

To talk about physical characteristics you can use:

have got + (adjective) + noun
Verb: (adjective)
Have got + noun
I've got hazel eyes
He's got a shaved head
She's got gorgeous black hair
You've got a five o'clock shadow
We've green eyes
They've got long legs

Some adjectives have a negative connotation (or feeling) and some are more
neutral:
Negative Neutral
fat plump or large
skinny slim
spinster single

To ask about someone's appearance you can use:

do + look like?
What Verb: Look like?
To do
do I look like?
do you
does he/she/it
do we
do they

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To ask about someone's personality you can use:

be + like?
Verb: Like?
To do
What am I like?
are you
is he/she/it
are we
are they

Vocabulary:
a five o'clock shadow:
a kind of beard or moustache (but not a full beard or moustache) that a man gets if he
hasn't shaved for a day or two

matronly (adj):
an older woman who is plump

bald (adj):
a person with no hair. A person can have a shaved head if s/he is bald or if s/he has
hair but chooses to shave it off

extroverted (adj):
a confident person who enjoys being with other people

Would you like to try an online quiz about this language point? Go to:
http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates/episode01/quiz.shtml

Or you can download the quiz from:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode01/quiz.pdf

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THE FLATMATES
Quiz:
Compound words
BBC Learning English – The Flatmates

The Flatmates - Language point – Compound words

You can see this Language Point online

http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates/episode02/languagepoint.shtml

Compound words can be made up of two (or sometimes more) separate words. You can
combine nouns (a flatmate), adjectives (lovesick) or verbs (jump-start) to make
compound words.

Sometimes they become one word:

flatmate (noun) lovesick (adjective)

Sometimes they become two words:

tourist guide (noun) travel agent (noun)

Sometimes they become hyphenated:

low-paid (adjective) film-goer (noun)

There are no hard and fast rules about which category each compound word goes into
but a good dictionary will tell you. You can also help yourself by making a note of new
compound words you come across and the category they go into.

Generally the stress is on the first word:

phone box (noun) smoke-free (adjective) spoon-feed (verb)

Vocabulary:
a flatmate (n):
a person who shares a rented house or flat with other people

lovesick (adj):
a feeling of such strong emotion for someone that it makes you feel almost ill (but not
actually physically ill)

a tourist guide (n):

someone who shows visitors around places of interest

to spoon-feed (v):
to feed someone (usually a baby) with a spoon or to give someone so much information
or help that a task or job is very easy for them

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Would you like to try an online quiz about this language point? Go to:
http://www.bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates/episode02/quiz.shtml

Or you can download the quiz from:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode02/quiz.pdf

The Flatmates © BBC Learning English

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