There are many questions in the IELTS/TOEFL exam that require you to describe people. Frequently students struggle to think of adjectives and end up using simple words such as nice and good.
Positive Adjectives to Describe People
Adaptable- able to change or be changed in order to deal successfully with new situations
Adventurous-willing to take risks and try new ideas; enjoying being in new, exciting situations
Affectionate-showing caring feelings and love for somebody
Ambitious-determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc.
Compassionate-feeling or showing sympathy for people who are suffering
Considerate-always thinking of other people’s wishes and feelings; careful not to hurt or upset others
Courageous-showing courage or bravery
Courteous-polite, especially in a way that shows respect
Diligent-showing care and effort in your work or duties
Exuberant-full of energy, excitement and happiness
Frank-honest and direct in what you say, sometimes in a way that other people might not like
Generous-giving or willing to give freely; given freely
Genuine-real; exactly what it appears to be; not artificial
Gregarious-liking to be with other people
Impartial-not supporting one person or group more than another
Intuitive-able to understand something by using feelings rather than by considering the facts
Inventive-able to think of new and interesting ideas
Passionate-having or showing strong feelings of sexual love or of anger, etc.
Persistent-determined to do something despite difficulties
Philosophical-having a calm attitude towards a difficult or disappointing situation
Practical-good at making or repairing things
Rational-able to think clearly and make decisions based on reason rather than emotions
Reliable-that can be trusted to do something well; that you can rely on
Resourceful-good at finding ways of doing things and solving problems, etc.
Sensible-able to make good judgements based on reason and experience rather than emotion; practical
Sensitive-aware of and able to understand other people and their feelings
Sincere-showing what you really think or feel
Sympathetic-showing that you understand and care about their problems
Unassuming-not wanting to draw attention to yourself or to your abilities or status
Witty-able to say or write clever, amusing things
Idioms to Describe Personality
Big cheese-an important person
Tough cookie-a mentally or physically strong person
Go-getter-a very ambitious person
Social butterfly-sociable and likes to spend time with people
Dark horse-a secretive person, often with a hidden talent
Sharp cookie-An intelligent person who is difficult to fool
Book worm-A person who loves to read
Book smart-having a lot of academic knowledge learned from books and studying, but not necessarily knowing much about people and living in the real world
Street smart-intelligence gained outside of school in the real world
Common sense-the ability to think about things in a practical way and make sensible decisions
Night owl-a person who goes to bed late and wakes up late
Early bird-a person who goes to bed early and wakes up early
Activity 1
Describe people who are close to you using at least three of the positive adjectives. You should aim to be able to speak about each person for at 2 minutes.
Activity 2
Try to think of other advanced words to describe yourself and consider including some negative characteristics too.
Post your answers in the comments section below.