EnglishDescribe Someone You Admire
Describe someone you admire.
- What do they look like?
- What kind of person are they?
- Why do you admire them?
Useful starters:
They are …
They have …
I admire them because …
Later, connect two ideas about this person in one sentence.
Words for describing people
- tall [/tɔːl/]
- having greater than average height
My brother is the man who is tall. - curly-haired [/ˌkɜːli ˈheəd/]
- having naturally curly hair
She is the girl who has curly hair. - well-dressed [/ˌwel ˈdrest/]
- wearing stylish, neat clothes
He is a colleague who is always well-dressed. - bearded [/ˈbɪədɪd/]
- having a beard
I know a man who is bearded. - slim [/slɪm/]
- attractively thin
She is the woman who runs every day. - kind [/kaɪnd/]
- caring and helpful
He is someone who helps everyone. - reliable [/rɪˈlaɪəbəl/]
- someone you can trust
She is a friend who keeps her promises. - outgoing [/ˌaʊtˈɡəʊɪŋ/]
- friendly and confident with other people
I like people who enjoy meeting others. - thoughtful [/ˈθɔːtfəl/]
- showing care and consideration
He is the person who remembers birthdays. - ambitious [/æmˈbɪʃəs/]
- strongly wanting to succeed
She is a student who wants to lead a team. - patient [/ˈpeɪʃənt/]
- able to stay calm while waiting or explaining
My teacher is someone who explains things calmly. - generous [/ˈdʒenərəs/]
- willing to give or share
He is the neighbour who shares his food. - confident [/ˈkɒnfɪdənt/]
- sure of yourself and your abilities
She is a speaker who never looks nervous. - creative [/kriˈeɪtɪv/]
- able to produce original ideas
I know an artist who makes unusual sculptures.
Say two sentences about people you know.
Adding essential information
Defining relative clauses give essential information: they identify exactly which person, thing, place, time, or possession we mean.
The friend who lives next door is very reliable.
Reference | Relative word | Example |
|---|---|---|
people | who / that | The woman who teaches me is patient. |
things | which / that | The phone which I bought is new. |
people or things | that | The book that explains grammar is useful. |
places | where | This is the café where we met. |
possession | whose | I know a man whose daughter is an artist. |
time | when | Do you remember the day when we met? |
Leaving out the relative word
You can omit the relative word when it is the object of the verb.
The film that I watched was funny.
The film I watched was funny.
Keep the relative word when it is the subject of the verb.
The film that won the prize was funny.
Question to ask | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
Who watched the film? | I watched the film. | that is the object → it can be omitted. |
What won the prize? | The film won the prize. | that is the subject → do not omit it. |
Common mistakes
Incorrect | Better |
|---|---|
The woman which teaches me is patient. | The woman who teaches me is patient. |
The café which we met. | The café where we met. |
The man who daughter is a doctor. | The man whose daughter is a doctor. |
The film I watched won the prize. | The film that won the prize. |
Build the descriptions
Connect the people with the right detail
Match each sentence beginning with its ending.
Connect each sentence beginning with the correct ending.
- The woman
- who wears glasses is our new manager.
- The friend
- who has a very generous personality always helps me.
- The actor
- that I told you about is bearded.
Connect the ideas
Match each beginning with the correct relative clause.
Connect each sentence beginning with the correct ending.
- This is the park
- where we play tennis.
- I remember the summer
- when they moved to Moscow.
- She knows a designer
- whose clothes are always unusual.
Choose the best relative word
Choose the correct word.
The colleague [___] sits near me is very outgoing.
This is the house [___] my grandparents live.
The book that I recommended is excellent. Can you omit that? [___]
Complete each sentence
Write one relative word.
The man [___] daughter is a doctor is my neighbour.
The restaurant [___] we had dinner was small but friendly.
Join the ideas
Use a defining relative clause.
I have a friend [___] .
Make the sentence shorter
Omit the relative word if possible.
The film [___] was funny.
People in my life
The person who knows me best is my older sister, Anna. She is the woman whose advice I always ask for when I have a problem. Anna is tall and slim, with long curly hair, but people notice her thoughtful personality first. She is patient, reliable, and kind. Her husband, who works as a photographer, is the creative person who takes our family photos. They live in a small flat where everyone meets on Sundays. My best friend is Leo, the well-dressed guy that I met at university. He is confident and outgoing, although he is sometimes quiet with new people. Leo is the friend I can call at any time. I still remember the day when he helped me move house. My family and friends are people who make ordinary days better.
Check the details
- Who knows the narrator best?
- Whose advice does the narrator ask for?
- Where does everyone meet on Sundays?
- Which relative word in the text can be omitted?
Difficult words
- advice — suggestions about what someone should do
- photographer — a person whose job is taking photographs
- thoughtful — kind and careful about other people’s feelings
- reliable — someone you can trust
- outgoing — friendly and confident with people
- ordinary — normal; not special or unusual
What to remember
Key points
- people → who / that
- things → which / that
- places → where
- possession → whose
- time → when
- omit the relative word only when it is the object
Vocabulary review
- tall
- curly-haired
- well-dressed
- bearded
- slim
- kind
- reliable
- outgoing
- thoughtful
- ambitious
- patient
- generous
- confident
- creative
Choose four words to describe your admired person. Then say one defining relative clause about them.
