A. Adjectives connected with size, weight and general appearance
- She introduced me to a tall, slender woman who looked very serious. [thin in an attractive way]
- He was too scrawny to be a football player. [unattractively thin and bony-looking]
- A lanky teenager walked in. [very tall and thin, and usually moving awkwardly]
- A gangling/gangly youth approached him. [tall, with long, thin arms and legs and rather awkward movements; often used of men and boys]
- Recent studies show that an increasing number of children are obese. [very fat, in an unhealthy way]
- She’s the rather stout woman wearing glasses over there. [with a quite large, solid body; used of men and women]
- My grandfather was a stocky man with big hands and broad shoulders. [short and with a body that is wide across the shoulders and chest]
B. Aspects of appearance and complexion
Hi Jessica,
Guess who I bumped into the other day? Our old college mate, Rob Parsons! First thing I noticed was he’s really bulked up1
(he used to be so lean2 and wiry3, didn’t he?)
but also that he still looks so unkempt4. His sister was always the opposite – never a
hair out of place5 and immaculate6 clothes, remember?
But they were different in appearance too, weren’t they? He has a rather swarthy7 complexion; his sister’s was more sallow8.
I must say he looked a bit haggard9 and exhausted too. He’s probably working too hard. Anyway, how are things with you?
Beth
- 1 increased in body size, especially by gaining more muscle
- 2 thin and healthy
- 3 thin but strong
- 4 untidy, scruffy (the opposite would be smart or neat; 'kempt' does not exist)
- 5 always well-dressed, neat and smart-looking
- 6 in perfect condition, smart
- 7 dark-coloured, used about skin
- 8 yellowish
- 9 his face looked ill and tired
C. Facial expression
- A: What are you grinning at? [giving a big smile]
- B: You’ve got ice cream on your nose – it looks so funny!
- Look at those models pouting for the photographers! [positioning their lips in an attractive way]
- She said if her daughter doesn’t get what she wants, she pouts for the rest of the day. [positions her lips in a look of annoyance]
- You don’t have to grimace every time I eat raw garlic. I happen to think it’s delicious. [make an expression of pain or strong dislike]
- I arrived late and she just scowled at me. [gave a bad-tempered, angry look]
- He was leering at us. I felt very uncomfortable and wanted to leave. [looking in an unpleasant, sexually interested way]
D. Mannerisms and actions
- I asked him for advice but he just shrugged his shoulders. [lifted his shoulders up and down to show he didn’t know or couldn’t answer]
- He folded his arms and crossed his legs and waited for me to speak. [crossed one arm over the other close to his body; crossed one leg over the other while sitting]
- He sat there twitching nervously as he waited for his interview. [suddenly making small movements]
- She bites her nails all the time. It drives me crazy!
- She clenched her fist and told him to get out of the room at once. [closed her hand tightly because of anger]
- He just kept tapping/drumming his fingers on the table, looking impatient. [made quick, light hitting movements]
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