Self-study
VOCABULARY
6 The weather:
Cold weather
Daytime During the day
Late Towards the end of a period of time
Misty With clouds of small drops of water in the
air, making it difficult to see things in the
distance
Damp Slightly wet, and not pleasant or
comfortable
Frost Thin, white layer of ice on surfaces when
the weather is very cold
Severe Extremely bad
Thaw Change from hard, frozen to softer state
Melts Change from solid to liquid under heat
Warm/hot weather
Tropical Very hot, as in countries near the Equator
Stifling Hot, uncomfortable, you can hardly breathe
Muggy Very warm and a little damp
Humid Hot and damp, makes you sweat a lot
Boiling Extremely hot
Heatwaves Very hot, dry periods
,Wet weather
Shower Short period of rain: “The rain won’t last
long, it’s only a shower.”
Heavy rain It rained heavily during the night
Pouring down/downpour To rain very heavily and continuously
Torrential rain Falling rapidly and in copious quantities,
with force.
Flooded, floods An area is covered with water, like the
roads
Overcast Very cloudy, it looks like it is going to rain.
Drought It did not rain for a long time.
Wind
Gentle breeze Enough wind to cool, not too much.
Strong/high wind
Gale Very high wind
Hurricane Extremely high, dangerous wind
The noun weather is uncountable, so we say: We had bad weather that day (not a bad
weather)
,7 Describing people: appearance
Hair, face, skin and complexion
She’s got…/He’s got…
Long, wavy, curly, straight hair What hair type the person has
Crew-cut A haircut that is trimmed very close to the
head , one in which the hair is shaved at the
back and sides and left slightly longer at the
front and top
Bald Scalp wholly or partly lacking hair.
Receding hair Losing the hair from the front of their head
Ginger/Red-haired
Auburn hair Red-brown hair
Black, white, grey, blonde hair
Beard, moustache Hair on the face (cheeks, chin, under the lip)
Fair, dark, white,.. Can be used for hair, complexion or skin
Getting a tan Exposing their skin to the sun so that it goes
darker
Sunburnt Risks of getting red instead of darking,
unsafe sitting in the sun
Thin face/thin-faced Thin, narrow, lean face
Round face/round-faced Having a plump face of a roundish shape
Chubby face Excess fat on one's cheek can give the
appearance of “chubbiness.”
Wrinkles A slight line or fold in the face
Height and build
Plump, stout, a bit overweight Fat is impolite
Obese (very fat)
Stocky (broad, solid) Someone who tend to be somewhat short
and fairly heavy.
Wide and sturdy
Muscular, well-built Person with good muscles (generally said
about men)
Slim (positive) Someone who is thin
Skinny (negative)
Attractive shape Someone with a nice figure
, General appearance
Smart Clean, tidy, and well dressed.
"you look very smart”
Elegant Graceful and stylish in appearance or
manner
Well-dressed Wearing smart or fashionable clothes
Stunning Very attractive
Good-looking, handsome, beautiful Having a pleasing or attractive appearance
Unattractive Not pleasing or appealing to look at
Untidy-/Messy looking Not tidy or neat; slovenly; disordered
Scruffy shabby and untidy or dirty. Having
short, bristly hairs as a result of not having
been shaved for a while (a man’s face)
Feature The most attractive part
First impression Your first reaction to someone
The suffix -ish= is useful for describing people. = She’s tallish, he has brownish hair, he must
be thirtyish/ in his thirties.
8 Describing people: personalities
VOCABULARY
6 The weather:
Cold weather
Daytime During the day
Late Towards the end of a period of time
Misty With clouds of small drops of water in the
air, making it difficult to see things in the
distance
Damp Slightly wet, and not pleasant or
comfortable
Frost Thin, white layer of ice on surfaces when
the weather is very cold
Severe Extremely bad
Thaw Change from hard, frozen to softer state
Melts Change from solid to liquid under heat
Warm/hot weather
Tropical Very hot, as in countries near the Equator
Stifling Hot, uncomfortable, you can hardly breathe
Muggy Very warm and a little damp
Humid Hot and damp, makes you sweat a lot
Boiling Extremely hot
Heatwaves Very hot, dry periods
,Wet weather
Shower Short period of rain: “The rain won’t last
long, it’s only a shower.”
Heavy rain It rained heavily during the night
Pouring down/downpour To rain very heavily and continuously
Torrential rain Falling rapidly and in copious quantities,
with force.
Flooded, floods An area is covered with water, like the
roads
Overcast Very cloudy, it looks like it is going to rain.
Drought It did not rain for a long time.
Wind
Gentle breeze Enough wind to cool, not too much.
Strong/high wind
Gale Very high wind
Hurricane Extremely high, dangerous wind
The noun weather is uncountable, so we say: We had bad weather that day (not a bad
weather)
,7 Describing people: appearance
Hair, face, skin and complexion
She’s got…/He’s got…
Long, wavy, curly, straight hair What hair type the person has
Crew-cut A haircut that is trimmed very close to the
head , one in which the hair is shaved at the
back and sides and left slightly longer at the
front and top
Bald Scalp wholly or partly lacking hair.
Receding hair Losing the hair from the front of their head
Ginger/Red-haired
Auburn hair Red-brown hair
Black, white, grey, blonde hair
Beard, moustache Hair on the face (cheeks, chin, under the lip)
Fair, dark, white,.. Can be used for hair, complexion or skin
Getting a tan Exposing their skin to the sun so that it goes
darker
Sunburnt Risks of getting red instead of darking,
unsafe sitting in the sun
Thin face/thin-faced Thin, narrow, lean face
Round face/round-faced Having a plump face of a roundish shape
Chubby face Excess fat on one's cheek can give the
appearance of “chubbiness.”
Wrinkles A slight line or fold in the face
Height and build
Plump, stout, a bit overweight Fat is impolite
Obese (very fat)
Stocky (broad, solid) Someone who tend to be somewhat short
and fairly heavy.
Wide and sturdy
Muscular, well-built Person with good muscles (generally said
about men)
Slim (positive) Someone who is thin
Skinny (negative)
Attractive shape Someone with a nice figure
, General appearance
Smart Clean, tidy, and well dressed.
"you look very smart”
Elegant Graceful and stylish in appearance or
manner
Well-dressed Wearing smart or fashionable clothes
Stunning Very attractive
Good-looking, handsome, beautiful Having a pleasing or attractive appearance
Unattractive Not pleasing or appealing to look at
Untidy-/Messy looking Not tidy or neat; slovenly; disordered
Scruffy shabby and untidy or dirty. Having
short, bristly hairs as a result of not having
been shaved for a while (a man’s face)
Feature The most attractive part
First impression Your first reaction to someone
The suffix -ish= is useful for describing people. = She’s tallish, he has brownish hair, he must
be thirtyish/ in his thirties.
8 Describing people: personalities
