Talking about Personality

This is another speaking topic for students. Click here to read the introduction to the series.

Students, remember, you can only speak English while you do this activity. Don’t speak your native language for at least one hour. You can do it!

Teachers, you can adapt these for lessons or give them as homework.

Topic: Personality

Objectives: After the discussion, you should be able to discuss personality.

Materials: None

Grammar: Adjectives

Expressions

Listen and repeat these expressions.

She’s really interesting.	Say these to describe a personality.
He’s a funny guy. He makes me laugh.
I like her, but she is a little boring. I wish she was more interesting.
He’s the smartest person I know. I think he should be a professor.
She’s really well-mannered. My parents like her a lot.
She’s so talkative. It’s a good thing I like listening!
I’m shy, so it takes a long time to get to know me.
When I don’t sleep enough, I’m really grouchy.

Vocabulary: trait, interesting, funny, boring, smart, well-mannered, talkative, shy, grouchy

Vocabulary Practice: Draw pictures of these words: Interesting, funny, boring, smart, well-mannered, talkative, shy, grouchy

Some More vocabulary: Go to this website and find five words that seem interesting. Look them up in a dictionary and draw pictures of them.

Go outside! Go to a public place like a mall or a busy street. Look at the different people. Make guesses about their personalities. Ask your partner why they think so. For example…

A: She might be interesting to talk to.

B: Why do you think so?

A: Look at her hair. Anyone with that haircut must be interesting.

B: He seems nice.

A: Why do you think so?

B: Well, he let that lady go first in the line. It was nice.

Question Time Discuss these questions:

Describe your personality. What kind of person are you?

Describe your partner’s personality. What kind of person is he/she?

Describe your parents’ personalities. What kind of people are they?

Do you prefer outgoing or shy people? Why?

Do you prefer slow or fast people? (People who do things slowly or people who do things fast) Why?

Is there a person who changed your personality? Who? How?

Think of three jobs. What kind of personality should people with those jobs have? (Example: A fireman should be brave.)

Your Questions Now write five personality questions and ask your partner your questions.

Paintings Look at three paintings. You can go to a museum or look at paintings here. Discuss these questions.

What kind of person painted this? Describe his/her personality? Why do you think that?