Talking About Family, Friends and Appearance.

In this lesson you build the language to talk warmly and accurately about the most important people in your life. You meet different families and friendship groups in short texts and dialogues, and you notice vocabulary for relationships such as cousin, aunt, nephew and flatmate. You practise describing appearance with simple adjectives like tall, short, slim or with long hair, and you add basic personality words such as friendly, shy or hard working. You use possessive words like my, his, her and their to make it clear who you are talking about. You also learn how to say who you live with and how close you feel to different people. By the end, you can write and talk about a family member or friend so that someone else can imagine them clearly.

1. Meeting classmates and the people in their lives.

Let us imagine your first day in a new English class. The teacher asks everyone to introduce not only themselves, but also one important person in their life. It might be a family member, a partner, or a very good friend. The teacher wants the class to feel warm and friendly, so you all share short descriptions of these people. In this lesson, we are going to build the language you need for that situation. By the end, you will be able to talk and write about a family member or friend so clearly that other people in the class can imagine them. In this first block, you will read two short texts from new classmates. As you read, focus on simple questions. Who are they talking about? What is the relationship? Where do they live and who do they live with? Do not worry too much about every word. First, just understand the main idea. Then we will look more closely at vocabulary and useful sentences like I live with my parents or We are a close family. When you are ready, read the texts on the screen and then answer the questions in the activity.

Our class project: People in your life.

In this lesson your class is creating a small online wall called “People in Our Lives”. Each student writes about one important person so that new classmates can get to know them better.

On the wall there are already two short texts.

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Text A – Maria.

> This is my sister Ana. She is 24 and she lives in Manchester. She is tall and quite slim and she has long, dark hair. She is a student, and she is a very friendly person. I live with my parents, but I visit her every weekend. We are a close family and we talk every day.

Text B – Omar.

> This is my best friend Ravi. He is from India, but now he lives in London. He has short, black hair and brown eyes. He is a funny and hard working person. We work in the same office and I get on well with my colleagues, but Ravi is my closest friend. I play football with him every Friday.

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Understanding the texts.

Do not worry if some words are new. Focus first on the big picture:

• Who is Maria talking about?
• Who is Omar talking about?
• What is the relationship in each text: sister, best friend, cousin, etc.?
• Where do these people live?

Notice how both writers use simple present and very clear sentences:

• She is 24 and she lives in Manchester.
• He has short, black hair and brown eyes.
• We are a close family.
• I get on well with my colleagues.

These are good examples for your own writing later.

In the activity, you will read the same texts again and answer some questions in full sentences. This helps you see the structure of a good description.

Practice & Feedback

Read Text A and Text B in the box carefully one more time. Then answer the questions in full sentences. Try to use simple, clear English like the writers. For example, instead of only writing Ana, write Maria is talking about her sister Ana. This will help you practise useful patterns for your own description later.

Write 4–6 full sentences in total. Answer these questions:

1. Who is Maria talking about? How old is she and where does she live?
2. Who is Omar talking about? Where is he from and where does he live now?
3. How does Maria describe her family?
4. How does Omar feel about his colleagues and about Ravi?

Do not worry about small mistakes. Focus on clear information. I will read your answers and help you improve them.

2. Talking about family with my, his and her.

Now that you have met Maria’s sister and Omar’s best friend, let us look more closely at **family words** and **possessive adjectives** like my, his and her. These small words are very important when you talk about the people in your life, because they show clearly who is connected to whom. For example, there is a big difference between my brother, his brother and her brother. If you mix these words, people can become very confused. In this block we will build a little family picture and add sentences to it. We will also add some useful relationship words such as cousin, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece and flatmate. They help you describe a modern family or friendship group more accurately. On the screen you will see a simple chart with relationships and example sentences like She has two brothers and a sister or I live with my parents. In the activity below, you will read about another student’s family card. Then you will write some sentences about that family using possessive adjectives correctly. Imagine you are explaining this family to a new classmate in your English course. Try to be slow and careful with his, her and their.

Family relationships and small but powerful words.

To describe the people in your life, you need two things:

1. Family and relationship vocabulary
2. Possessive adjectives like my, your, his, her, our, their

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1. Family and relationship words.

Here are some common words. Read the examples and notice how we use them.

• mother / mum – This is my mother. She is 55.
• father / dad – My dad works in a bank.
• parents – I live with my parents.
• brother / sister – She has two brothers and a sister.
• husband / wife – Her husband works in London.
• son / daughter / children – Their children are at school.
• cousin – This is my cousin Marco.
• aunt / uncle – My aunt lives near me.
• nephew / niece – I have one nephew and one niece.
• flatmate – My flatmate is very friendly.
• best friend / colleague – I get on well with my colleagues.

You do not need to remember all of them today, but choose the ones that are useful for your real life.

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2. Possessive adjectives.

These words show who the person belongs to:

Be careful:

• his = for a man or boy
• her = for a woman or girl
• their = for more than one person

In the activity, you will see a short family card. Use it to write clear sentences with these possessive words.

Practice & Feedback

Read the family card in the box. It is about a student called Sofia. Imagine you want to explain Sofia’s family to a new classmate in your English group. Your job is to write 5–7 clear sentences about Sofia’s family.

Use possessive adjectives from the table above. For example: Sofia has one brother. His name is Leo. or Her parents live in Portugal. Try to include different people from the card: parents, brother or sister, husband or wife, children, cousin or flatmate, if they appear.

Do not copy the card word for word. Change it into full sentences. Check that you use my, his, her and their correctly. When you finish, I will check that your information is clear and that your possessive adjectives are correct.

3. Describing how someone looks.

You can now say who people are in your family, but what do they look like? When you describe an important person to a new classmate, it is helpful to give a simple picture of their appearance. They do not need every detail, but a few clear adjectives make your description more alive. For example, He is tall and quite slim, or She has short, dark hair. In this block we will focus on appearance: height, hair and eyes. We will also listen to a short dialogue between two classmates talking about a sister. Listen carefully for useful patterns like He is tall and she has long hair. After you listen, you will answer a question to check your understanding, and then you will write a few sentences about a real person you know, or an imaginary one if you prefer for privacy. Try to use the same patterns: be plus adjective for general description, and have or has for hair and eyes. Take your time and imagine you are drawing a picture with words.

Building a picture: appearance adjectives.

When you describe someone, start with a simple overview, then add a few details.

1. Height and build.

• He is tall.
• She is short.
• He is medium height.
• She is slim.
• He is quite big / well built.

We often use be + adjective:

• He is tall and quite slim.
• She is short but very strong.

2. Hair.

For hair we usually use have/has:

• He has short, dark hair.
• She has long, blond hair.
• He has curly hair.
• She has straight hair.

You can combine words:

• short / long / medium-length
• dark / fair
• curly / straight / wavy

3. Eyes and other details.

• She has blue eyes.
• He has brown eyes.
• She wears glasses.
• He has a beard.

Again, use have/has:

• He has brown eyes and a beard.

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In the audio for this block, you will hear two classmates talk about Ben's sister. While you listen, try to note:

• Is she tall or short?
• What kind of hair does she have?
• What colour are her eyes?

You will then write a short answer about Ben's sister, and some sentences about someone you know.

Practice & Feedback

First, listen to the short conversation about Ben’s sister in the audio box. You can listen two or three times if you like. As you listen, write down key words about her height, hair and eyes.

Then write one or two sentences to answer this question clearly: What does Ben's sister look like? Try to use patterns like She is ... and She has ....

After that, choose one real person in your life (family member, friend or colleague). If you prefer, you can invent a person. Write 3–5 sentences describing this person’s appearance. Include at least:

• height or build (tall, short, slim, etc.)
• hair (length, colour, style)
• eyes, glasses, beard, or another small detail

I will check that your description is clear and that you are using is and has correctly.

4. Talking about personality and relationships.

Appearance is only one part of a person. When you introduce an important person in your life, you usually also say what kind of person they are and how you feel about them. Are they friendly or shy? Funny or serious? Are you a close family, or do you not see each other very often? In this block we will add **personality adjectives** and some simple phrases about relationships. You will see a small bank of useful words such as friendly, quiet, hard working and funny, with example sentences. Notice that we usually use be plus adjective for personality, for example, My best friend is very funny, or My sister is a quiet person. We will also recycle some chunks from earlier, like We are a close family and I get on well with my colleagues. In the activity you will read a short text about one person and their brother. Then you will write some sentences about the personality of your chosen person and your relationship with them. Think about how often you see them and if you can talk to them easily.

What are they like? Personality and connection.

When somebody asks, “Tell me about your family”, they do not only want to know what people look like. They also want to know what they are like as people.

1. Personality adjectives.

Here are some common, simple words to describe personality:

• friendly – likes people and talks to them easily
• My flatmate is very friendly.
• shy – does not like speaking in big groups
• My sister is a bit shy.
• funny – makes good jokes
• My best friend is very funny.
• quiet – does not talk a lot
• My sister is a quiet person.
• hard working – works a lot and tries their best
• He is very hard working.
• kind – friendly and helpful
• My aunt is kind to everyone.
• serious – not very funny, thinks a lot
• outgoing – likes going out and meeting people

We usually say:

• He is very friendly.
• She is quite shy.
• They are hard working and kind.

2. Talking about your relationship.

You can also say how close you are:

• We are a close family.
• I get on well with my colleagues.
• I get on very well with my brother.
• I do not see my cousin very often.
• I can talk to her about everything.

Think about one person you want to describe in this lesson. What three words show their personality? How do you feel when you are with them?

Practice & Feedback

Read the short text in the box. It is about Lina and her brother Tom. First, read to understand the general idea, then notice how Lina talks about Tom’s personality and their relationship.

After reading, choose one person you want to focus on for the rest of this lesson – a family member or a close friend. Write 4–6 sentences about this person:

1. Use 2–3 personality adjectives from the list above (for example, friendly, shy, funny, hard working, quiet, kind).
2. Add 1–2 sentences about your relationship. Are you a close family? Do you get on well? How often do you see them?

Use patterns like He is very ..., She is quite ..., We are a close family, I get on well with .... I will read your description and help you make your personality sentences more natural.

5. Chatting about your friend with a new classmate.

You now have all the important pieces: family words, appearance, personality and relationship phrases. In real life, you often use this language in **short chats**, not only in long paragraphs. For example, in a class WhatsApp group or in messages with a new colleague, you might answer quick questions like Tell me about your family or What is your best friend like? In this block, we will simulate a short chat with a new classmate called **Alex**. On the screen you will see a model conversation between Alex and Julia. Notice how Julia uses short, simple sentences, not big blocks of text. She still gives a clear picture of her sister. Then, in the activity, you will reply to Alex’s questions about the person you chose in the last block. Write your answers as **chat-style messages**: short and friendly, but complete. This is a good chance to reuse chunks from the lesson, such as I live with my parents, My best friend is very funny or We are a close family. Imagine you really want Alex to understand and imagine this person. I will answer you as Alex and help you sound natural.

A class chat about family.

Here is a short example chat from a class WhatsApp group.

> Alex: Hi Julia! Nice to meet you. Tell me about your family?

> Julia: Hi Alex, nice to meet you too. I live with my parents and my sister.

> Alex: Oh great. How old is your sister?

> Julia: She is 18. She is tall and quite slim. She has long, dark hair and brown eyes.

> Alex: What is she like?

> Julia: She is a quiet person but she is very friendly and funny with her friends. We are a close family.

> Alex: Sounds nice! Do you get on well with her?

> Julia: Yes, I get on very well with my sister. I can talk to her about everything.

Notice a few things:

• Julia uses short messages, not one long text.
• She answers all of Alex’s questions: family, age, appearance, personality, relationship.
• She uses useful chunks:
• I live with my parents and my sister.
• We are a close family.
• I get on very well with my sister.

When you chat, it is OK to write in simple sentences, but try to give complete answers so the other person does not need to ask again and again.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are in a class chat and I am Alex, your new classmate. I want to know about the person you chose earlier (your family member or close friend).

Read my three messages in the box. Then write your replies as if you are really chatting. You can write them in one box here, but separate your messages with line breaks, for example:

Alex: ...

You: ...

or simply write 3–5 short messages beginning with You:.

Try to:

• Answer all of Alex’s questions fully.
• Use language from this lesson: family words, appearance adjectives, personality adjectives, and chunks like We are a close family or My best friend is very funny.
• Keep the style friendly and simple.

I will reply as Alex, ask one or two follow-up questions, and then give you feedback on your English.

6. Writing a full description for the class wall.

You have now practised all the pieces in small steps: relationships, my and his and her, appearance, personality, and short chat answers. In this final block, you will bring everything together in one **clear description** for our imagined class wall, “People in Our Lives”. First, you will see a model paragraph about someone’s grandmother. Read it slowly and notice the order of information: relationship and basic facts, appearance, personality, and then the relationship between them. There is no need for complex grammar. Short, clear sentences are perfect at this level. After that, you will write your own paragraph about the person you have been thinking about in this lesson. Aim for around eight to ten sentences. Imagine that your classmates do not know this person at all. After reading your text, they should be able to imagine their face, understand their character and know how you feel about them. Try to recycle at least a few chunks from our lesson, such as My best friend is very funny, She has two brothers and a sister, We are a close family or I get on well with my colleagues, if they fit your situation. When you finish, I will give you detailed feedback and a polished version to compare with your own.

Model description for the class wall.

Read this example text for our online wall “People in Our Lives”.

> This is my grandmother, Rosa. She is 72 and she lives in a small town near Madrid. She is not very tall and she is a little bit slim. She has short, white hair and brown eyes. She wears glasses when she reads.

>

> My grandmother is a very kind and friendly person. She is also quite funny, and she tells a lot of jokes. She is hard working too, because she still works in her little shop.

>

> We are a close family and I get on very well with my grandmother. I do not live with my parents or my grandmother now, but I visit her every month. I can talk to her about everything.

Why is this text clear?.

• In the first part, the writer says who the person is and gives basic facts: age and where she lives.
• In the second part, the writer describes her appearance.
• In the third part, the writer describes her personality.
• At the end, the writer explains the relationship and how often they see each other.

The sentences are short, but together they give a strong picture of Rosa.

Your turn.

Now you will write your own description. Think about the person you used in the last two blocks. Plan your paragraph in this order:

1. Who are they? (mother, cousin, best friend, flatmate...) How old are they and where do they live?
2. What do they look like? (height, hair, eyes, one or two details)
3. What are they like as a person? (2–3 adjectives with He is... / She is...)
4. What is your relationship like? (Are you a close family? Do you live together? How often do you see them?)

Use about 8–10 sentences. Keep it simple but complete.

Practice & Feedback

Write a full description of one important person in your life for our imaginary class wall “People in Our Lives”. Use the model text above to guide you, but do not copy it.

Write 8–10 sentences. Try to follow this structure:

1. Start with the relationship: This is my ... (for example, This is my cousin, Leo or This is my best friend, Sara). Give their age and where they live.
2. Add 2–3 sentences about their appearance (height, hair, eyes, other details).
3. Add 3–4 sentences about their personality and your relationship. Are they friendly, shy, funny, hard working, quiet, kind? Are you a close family? Do you get on well? How often do you see them and what do you do together?

Use chunks from this lesson if they are true for you, such as We are a close family, My best friend is very funny, or I get on very well with .... I will give you detailed feedback and a more polished version to compare.