PART 2- DESCRIBE A PERSON

A. SAMPLE QUESTIONS
In this lesson you'll master the Formula for giving a monologue about a person. Typical IELTS
Part Two questions about a person include:
1) Talk about a good cook.
2) Talk about a famous person you'd like to meet.
3) Talk about an animal you find interesting.
4) Talk about a person who looked after you as a child.
5) Talk about a teacher you know.
6) Talk about a neighbour you have or have had.
7) Talk about a person you enjoy spending time with.
8) Talk about one of your friends.

9) Talk about an old person you know who lives near you.

B. STRUCTURE OF AN ANSWER
To give a good monologue about a person, you should use the following native speaker answer
order.
Stage 1: Say who they are and how you know them.
Stage 2: Say what they are like and what they do.
Stage 3: Say what they have achieved and how they have influenced you.
Stage 4: Say why they are special and how you feel about them.

C. MODEL ANSWER
Read the model answer from the IELTS candidate Sophia.
Interviewer Tell me about a person who looked after you as a child.
:
Stage 1: Say who they are and how you know them.
Sophia: I would like to talk about my grandmother. When I was a child, my parents were
very busy and so my grandmother, who is my father's mother, had to look after
me.
Stage 2: Say what they are like and what they do.
Sophia: My grandmother is a very gentle and kind woman. Her hair - as far back as I can
remember - has always been brilliant white but she is quite self-conscious about
this and wears a shoulder-length wig to hide it. Gran is really short, probably
about four feet something, but she seems even shorter because she has a
permanent stoop. When I think of my grandmother's appearance, the thing which
stands out most is her constantly smiling face - she has a very kind face, which is
covered in wrinkles. Although she was a bit elderly, and had to take care of the
house as well as me, she tried to keep me entertained and find interesting things
for us to do together. I remember once when we were playing hide-and-seek at
home, I ran into the garden and hid so well that she couldn't find me. It was quite
a few hours before I decided to come out and my grandmother was so relieved -
she had almost called the police!
Stage 3 Say what they have achieved and how they have influenced you.
Sophia: My grandmother has always taught me to be more patient and understanding
towards other people. She had been a nurse for many years and I think if it hadn't
been for her, I would never have studied nursing which I love.
Stage 4 Say why they are special and how you feel about them.
Sophia: Gran was a great role model for me when I was growing up, and now I'm an adult
I still admire her. I hope that one day I'll have children and grandchildren too, and
I hope that I'm as good a grandmother as mine was.

D. LANGUAGE PRACTICE
1. STAGE 1
For STAGE 1 of a person monologue, you must: Say who they are and how you know them.
When giving a monologue about a person, it's always a great idea to say something about the
person's relationship to you, their occupation or social position.
Here are some more examples:
Relatives Occupations Relationship/Social Position
great-grandfather surgeon celebrity
grandparents accountant star
aunt architect politician
uncle civil servant TV presenter
cousin plumber sports personality
brother-in-law electrician friend of the family
mother-in-law butcher childhood friend
stepfather self-employed (ex-)boyfriend/(ex-)girlfriend
nephew waiter/waitress distant relation

Examples
I would like to talk about my nephew, who is a plumber like me.
I really admire Daniel Craig, who is an excellent actor and has recently become a huge movie
star.
My grandparents were both surgeons during the war.

ACTIVITY 1: Write the words and phrases below in the correct spaces.
celebrity friend of the family childhood friend
sports personality ex boyfriend TV presenter

a. Yao Ming is probably the most popular ________________ in China.

b. I never speak to my ________________; he hurt me too much when our relationship
ended.
c. It's great shame that Chris Bailey, who was a ________________ of mine, passed away a
few years ago.
d. My family all trust and like Richard Haward. We've known him so long and he always
comes to our family events – he's a true ________________
e. I don't like to watch the show “I Love Movies” because I can't stand the
________________ who hosts the programme.
 f. My schoolmate Saskia Clarke has become something of a ________________after
competing in the 2008 Olympics.

2. STAGE 2
For STAGE 2 of a person monologue, you must: Say what they are like and what they do.
When giving a monologue about a person, it's very important to accurately use adjectives of
personality to describe what the person is/was like.
Look at some more examples of useful adjectives of personality:
Funny Shy Confident Angry Happy
humorous Reserved Ambitious Aggressive Charming
Witty Introverted Self-confident Bad-tempered Cheerful
Funny Quiet Self-assured Moody Vivacious
Hilarious Sensitive Extroverted Irritate Lively
Amusing Conservative Adventurous Short-fused
hysterical Timid Arrogant Abrupt

Helpful Honest Kind Intelligent Stupid

Considerate Straightforward Gentle Clever Immature
Supportive Frank Calm Bright Silly
Sympathetic Reliable Generous Mature Dumb
Helpful Genuine Loving Talented Dim
Sincere Thoughtful Open-minded Daft
altruistic Wise Foolish

Examples:
He is a very extroverted person, and really likes to be the centre of attention.
She seems like a very vivacious and self-assured woman, though she's perhaps quite abrupt if
you make her angry.
My girlfriend really has two sides to her personality; when she's happy she can be open-minded,
thoughtful and really supportive, but when she's in a bad mood she can be really irritable and
selfish.

ACTIVITY 2: Write the words below in the correct spaces.

bright charming ambitious generous
supportive reserved moody
immature humorous frank
a. My colleague is really __________________, she is often irritable and angry - sometimes
I'm too scared to speak to her!
b. I always have lots of ideas at work, but whenever I tell my manager he never listens and
nothing changes – I wish my boss was more __________________.
c. My nephew is almost 25, but he still plays computer games and doesn't think about the
future. He's far too __________________.
d. Politicians are rarely __________________ with the public; usually they hide the truth or
just tell people a part of the truth.
 e. Many women really like Brad Pitt not only because he is handsome but because he seems
really __________________.
f. Bill Gates is obviously an extremely __________________ man; otherwise he wouldn't
have been so successful.
g. One thing I really appreciated about my grandparents was that they were so
__________________- they gave me whatever I needed and didn't really care about
money.
h. I think my uncle is still not married because he is extremely __________________. He
doesn't like to say much when other people are present and his views are quite traditional.
i. My doctor is fantastic – even though her patients are really nervous about seeing the
doctor or going to the hospital, she is so __________________that she can make them
laugh and relax straight away.
j. Although David Beckham is a great football player, he isn't very __________________-
don't ask him any complicated maths questions!

ACTIVITY 3: Work in pairs. Answer the questions.

a. How would you describe yourself?
b. In which ways are you similar to your friends?
c. Are you similar or different to your brother(s)/sister(s)?

3. STAGE 3
For STAGE 3 of a person monologue, you must: Say what they have achieved and how they
have influenced you.
When talking about people that are important to you, or who you admire, you can use phrases of
achievements to make you sound more like a native speaker.
Look at the following phrases of achievements:
through sheer hard work
to struggle for/to do something
to strive for something
to fight for something
to have the determination
to do something
Working hard to stand up for something/somebody
to show perseverance
Examples:
She struggled to get where she is now – she
deserves to be so famous!
He fought for everything he has achieved – I
admire him greatly!
Success to have the will
to succeed
to have a desire for success
to climb the ladder of success
to have a long and brilliant career
to earn the respect of somebody
to get a lucky break
Examples:
 Slowly but surely, she climbed the ladder of
success and finally reached the top position.
He suffered many hardships but nevertheless
had a long and brilliant career.
to have a gift for doing something
to have an outstanding talent for doing
something
Talent to develop his/her talent for doing
something/as a(n)...
Examples:
My brother-in-law has really developed his
talent as an actor; in recent years he has often
appeared in professional plays.

ACTIVITY 4: Write the phrases below in the correct spaces.

has a gift for through sheer hard work to fight for
earn the respect have the will to succeed

a. The problem with Ben is that he doesn't ____________________- he just gives up as

soon as he meets a problem.
b. I admire Dr. Atkinson, who was my Science professor, because she was from an
extremely poor family and it was ____________________that she became an expert in
her field.
c. My brother truly ____________________ cooking; everything he tries tastes fantastic!
d. Most people are impressed with Nelson Mandela's achievements. He showed the
determination ____________________ freedom, equality and human rights.
e. In the future, I hope to find a well-paid job in an international company so that I can
____________________ of my parents.

4. STAGE 4
For STAGE 4 of a person monologue, you must: Say why they are special and how you feel
about them.
When giving a monologue about a person, you should use expressions of admiration to say why
the person is special, or why you admire them.
Here are some expression
Everyone respects wise and peaceful leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi.
My niece really appreciates what my parents did for her.
I look up to her because she is good-natured.
I will always admire him for his extraordinary ability.
His colleagues all think highly of my stepbrother and his work.
I fell proud of my mother’s achievements.
I truly hold in high regard people such as President Obama.
Many movie enthusiasts consider him to be the best actor of his generation.
When we talk about people who are special or important to us, we often express the feeling that
we want to be the same as them in some way.
Let's look at how to say I hope....
I hope I am as + adjective + as + person
I hope I will be as + adjective + as + person
Examples:
I hope I am as successful as Bill Gates.
I hope I will as successful as Bill Gates.
I hope I am as happy as my next-door neighbor when I am old.
I hope I will be as kind a teacher as Mrs. Capp.
I would love to be like my mother.
I would like to be as well-respected as my father.
I want to be like my neighbor Doris when I’m older.

Let's look at some more expressions for describing role models:

A fine example A hero A pop icon A charismatic leader

An idol A mentor A visionary A sex symbol
Example:
John Lennon became a big pop icon. Hen was all over the media.
Ringo was his mentor for the first year he lived away from home.
Charles Manson, who was imprisoned for the murder of Sharon Tate, was a crazy charismatic
leader during the 1960s.
Some people say that the Beatles were not only a talented rock band, but they were visionaries
for their generation.

ACTIVITY 5: Work in pairs. Answer the questions.

a. What kinds of friends do you like best?
b. Who are you closest to in your family?
c. Who do you prefer to spend time with: a friend or a family member?
d. Who was your favorite teacher when you were young?
e. What do you like best about your best friend?

ACTIVITY 6: Using the answer order above, put the following extracts from a model
answer into the correct order.
a. It's probably because of these skills that he has become such a successful actor...
b. As you probably know, he's an incredibly famous Hollywood actor...
c. Brad Pitt has great acting skills – his body language and facial expressions are so
believable that you immediately accept his new character whatever role he plays...
d. I'd like to talk about Brad Pitt, whom I'd love to meet.
e. I hope that I'll really be able to meet him one day!
f. Interviewer: Tell me about a famous person you'd like to meet.
g. I've really enjoyed watching the movies Brad Pitt has made so far, and I'm sure I'll
continue to cry, laugh and be amazed because of his acting in future films...
E. EXAM PRACTICE

PART 1
1. What kind of people do you like to make friends with?
2. What do you think make good friends?
3. Do you think you are a good friend for others?
4. Do you have any far friends? How close are you to them? Why are they close to you?
5. Have you ever contacted with your friends from primary school?
6. How important childhood friends are?

PART 2
Describe a band or a singer you like
You should say:
 Who your favorite singer/ band is
 What his/ her personality is
 What kind of style his/ her music belongs to
And explain why you like him/ her

Describe a friend you feel proud of

You should say:
 Who this person is
 When you met him/her
 What he/she did to make you proud of
And explain how you feel proud of him/her
 HOMEWORK
1. Fill in the blanks with the suitable word or phrase.

slim figure got on like a house on fire fair-skinned

get on really well enjoy each other’s company getting on a bit
a. Do you look like any other people in your family?
No, not at all. Take my brother for example. He has short cropped hair and has quite
a pointed face. He’s also quite _____________________ compared to me.
b. Tell me about your father.
My father’s _____________________ . He’s in his 60s, but he looks very young for his
age. He still does lots of exercise and is quite well-built.
c. What does your best friend look like?
She’s the same age as me. She has shoulder-length hair, fair hair. She also has
a _____________________ and is medium height.
d. Do you see your friends very often?
Yes, we meet up most weekends. We all _____________________ and have a lot in
common so we’re always happy doing the same things and going to the same places.
e. What do you like about your close friends?
I think we _____________________ . We see eye-to-eye on most things so we rarely fall
out with each other.
f. Have you known each other long?
Most of them yes. Although my closest friend Carrie, we struck up a relationship at
college and _____________________ . But fortunately, my other friendships go back
years to when we were at school.

2. Answer the questions in Activity 1.

3. Read the sample answer below and try to explain meaning of the words/ phrases in bold
by making sentences with them.
I’d like to talk about my boyfriend, Jose. We got to know each other at University almost 4
years ago. We were in the same department. Initially, we were just good friends and used to go
out in a group with our other friends. When Jose went back to Spain for the holidays, we
would keep in touch with each other. Then one year he invited me to come to Spain with
him and that’s when we fell for each other, I think. So you couldn’t really say it was love at first
sight as it had been over a year since we’d me but we really hit it off and by the time we got
back to university in September we were able to tell all our friends that we were in a
relationship. What do I like about Jose, well, he’s very kind, funny, supportive and we’re
really well matched in our interests. He hasn’t popped the question yet though we’ve talked
about getting married and I think we’re both ready to settle down and have children. Well, I
think, we’ll just have to wait and see.
4. Prepare a 2-minute talk for the following topics.

a. Describe a person whose appearance you like.

You should say:
 who this person is
 what their relationship is to you
 what they look like
 and say what it is about their appearance you like.
b. Describe a person you are very close to.
You should say:
 who this person is
 when you met them
 where you met them
 and say what it is about them you like so much