English Communication & Personal Descriptions

Posted on Aug 1, 2025 in English, Linguistic and Literary Studies

English Communication Methods

This section explores various communication preferences and their perceived advantages and disadvantages.

Communication Preferences

  • Speaker 1 (Email User): “I usually use email; it’s quicker and easier than anything else, but I get a lot of spam. There’s nothing worse than spam when you’re really busy.”
  • Speaker 2 (Letter Writer): “I like to write letters. I know regular mail is slower than email, but letters are more personal. And I never send those e-cards; I just think it’s nicer to get a real card.”
  • Speaker 3 (Text Messenger): “I send text messages to my friends all day. It’s more fun than calling, and you can send photos, too. Too bad I can’t do it in class.”
  • Speaker 4 (Video Conferencer): “Well, at work we use video conferencing. It’s less expensive than a business trip, more convenient, and you don’t get jet lag either.”

True or False Statements

  • Alma says email is slower than anything else. |False|
  • Tim thinks real cards are nicer than e-cards. |True|
  • Mayumi thinks text messages are less fun than phone calls. |False|
  • Kayla says video conferences are more expensive than business trips. |False|
  • Paco’s parents think webcams are better than phone calls. |True|

English Grammar: Comparisons

This section focuses on using comparative forms of adjectives and adverbs.

Comparative Adjectives & Adverbs

  • Email is quicker than regular mail. It’s easier, too.
  • It’s nicer to get a real card than an e-card.
  • Letters are more personal than email.
  • Video conferences are less expensive than trips.
  • Webcams are better than regular phone calls.
  • Spam is worse than regular junk mail.

Comparative Forms Summary

  • More + Adjectives: e.g., more personal, more convenient
  • Less + Adjectives: e.g., less expensive
  • Irregular Comparatives:
    • Good → Better
    • Bad → Worse
  • Regular Comparatives:
    • Slow → Slower
    • Nice → Nicer
    • Easy → Easier
    • Big → Bigger
  • Special Case: Fun → More Fun

Using Comparatives with Nouns and Verbs

With Countable Nouns

  • I get more calls than you (do).
  • You get fewer calls than I do.

With Uncountable Nouns

  • I spend more time on the phone.
  • You spend less time on the phone.

With Verbs

  • She talks more than he does.
  • He talks less than she does.

Comparative Examples

  • I use a regular phone less than a cell phone.
  • I spend less time on the phone than my parents do.
  • When I’m on the phone, I talk more than I listen.
  • I make fewer calls during the day than at night.
  • I get more phone messages than emails.
  • I do less text messaging than instant messaging.
  • I write fewer letters than I did two years ago.

Describing People: Appearance & Characteristics

Learn how to ask about and describe physical appearance and personal characteristics.

Asking About Appearance

  • What does Hayley look like?
    • She’s tall and thin.
  • Who does she look like?
    • She looks like her father.
  • How tall is her father?
    • He’s six (foot) seven (inches tall).
    • He’s two meters five.
  • Do Hayley and Heather look alike?
    • No, they look totally different.
  • What color is Hayley’s hair?
    • It’s blond.
  • Does she have curly hair?
    • No, she has straight hair. (No, she’s got straight hair.)

Using “Have Got” / “Have”

  • Who’s got curly hair?
    • I do. I’ve got curly hair.
  • He’s got blond hair.

Common Physical Descriptions

  • He has a beard and a mustache. (Tiene barba y bigote)
  • She has pierced ears. (Ella tiene orejas perforadas)
  • He has a shaved head. He’s bald. (Él tiene una cabeza afeitada, él es calvo)
  • She wears braces. (Ella usa aparatos ortopédicos)
  • She has long fingernails. (Ella tiene las uñas largas)
  • He wears his hair in a ponytail. (Se pone el pelo en una cola de caballo)
  • She’s got freckles on her nose. (Tiene pecas en la nariz)
  • She wears her hair in cornrows. (Ella usa su cabello en trenzas pegadas al casco)
  • She wears glasses. (Ella usa lentes)
  • He’s very muscular. (Es muy musculoso)
  • She wears braids. (Ella usa trenzas)
  • He’s got spiked hair. (Tiene cabello pinchado)

Describing Family Members

  • My boss has a beard and mustache.
  • My mother has pierced ears.

Identifying People: Phrases with Verbs + -ing and Prepositions

Learn how to identify people using descriptive phrases.

Identifying Women

  • She’s the woman:
    • standing by the table.
    • wearing (the) black pants.
  • She’s the one:
    • by the table.
    • with the long hair.
    • in the black shirt.

Identifying Others

  • Which one is your roommate?
    • The woman with the long hair.
  • Who’s the guy talking to Rosa’s roommate?
    • With the yellow pants? That’s her brother.
  • Who’s the guy in the blue shirt?
    • Which one? The one with glasses? That’s Jason.

Spanish Translations of Identification Phrases

  • Ella es la mujer: de pie junto a la mesa.
  • Vistiendo pantalones negros.
  • Ella es la que: por la mesa.
  • Con el pelo largo.
  • En la camisa negra.
  • ¿Cuál es tu compañero de cuarto?
  • La mujer con el pelo largo.
  • ¿De quién es el chico que habla con el compañero de Rosa?
  • ¿Con los pantalones amarillos? Ese es su hermano.
  • ¿Quién es el chico de la camisa azul?
  • ¿Cuál? ¿El que tiene anteojos? Ese es Jason.

More Identification Examples

  • Who’s the tall man in the striped shirt?
    • With the black pants? That’s Donald.
  • Who’s the woman standing next to Donald?
    • The tall blond one? That’s Jennifer.
  • Who’s the man in the suit?
    • With his hand in his pocket? That’s John.
  • Who’s Erica?
    • The one with long hair talking to John.
  • Who’s the muscular guy in the sweater?
    • Wearing jeans? That’s Bruce.
  • Which one is Andrea?
    • She’s the short one wearing the skirt.

Comparative Descriptions: Jane vs. Sonia

This section provides an exercise in comparing two individuals based on their appearance.

  • Jane is shorter and thinner than Sonia.
  • Sonia’s hair is shorter and lighter than Jane’s.
  • They’ve both got freckles, but Jane has fewer freckles.
  • Sonia is wearing less jewelry.
  • Jane’s the one in the black T-shirt, and Sonia’s the one in the yellow blouse.

Dialogue: Airport Meeting

Kenji and Greg

Kenji: Hello, Greg. This is Kenji from the office in Tokyo. I was calling to ask…

Greg: Well, I have my ticket here. Let’s see, I arrive at, um, 3:30.

Kenji: Okay, all right. I’ll come to the airport to meet you.

Greg: Oh, hold on a second. I’ve got another call.

Kenji: All right.

Greg: Oh, sorry about that. So what was I saying? Oh, yes, I’ll meet you. So how will I recognize you?

Greg: Well, I’m tall and I’ve got blond hair and—

Kenji: Sorry, Greg. I can’t hear you. It seems we have a bad connection.

Greg: Okay. Listen, I’ll—

Kenji: Hi. That’s better. So where were we?

Greg: I was describing myself. So, um, I’ll be the blond guy with sunglasses wearing a USA T-shirt.

Kenji: Um, okay. Maybe I should wear a… just a thing with my name on it so you can find me?

Greg: You mean a badge. Good idea.