PE-96: Describing People, Places and Things
The most common speaking task there is — how to describe someone's appearance and character, a place you love, and an object, using the grammar you already have.
PE-96: Describing People, Places and Things
Ask any examiner what candidates are asked to do most often and the answer is the same: "Describe a person you admire." "Describe your home town." "Describe something important to you." Nothing new is needed here — you already have the grammar. This lesson shows you how to assemble it into a fluent description.
In this lesson you will learn
- be and have got for appearance
- The difference between look like and be like
- How to describe a place with there is/are and prepositions
- Structures that make a description sound thought-out
1. Appearance: be or have got?
The rule is mechanical. Be takes an adjective; have got takes a noun.
be + adjective
- She is tall / short / slim.
- He is in his twenties.
- They are good-looking.
have got + noun
- She has got long dark hair.
- He has got brown eyes.
- She has got a friendly face.
Afsona is quite tall and she has got long dark hair and a very warm smile.
Afsona ancha baland boʻyli, uzun qora sochli va juda iliq tabassumli.
Adjective after is, nouns after has got — never
she is long hair.
2. look like vs be like
Two questions that sound similar and mean completely different things:
| Question | Asks about | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| What does she look like? | appearance | She's tall with dark hair. |
| What is she like? | character | She's kind and very funny. |
| What does she like? | preferences | She likes reading and music. |
My brother looks like my father, but he is like my mother — calm and patient.
Akam otamga oʻxshaydi, lekin xarakteri onamga tortgan — bosiq va sabrli.
3. Personality — and how to make it interesting
A list of adjectives is dull. Add a reason or an example and the description comes alive.
Weak: He is kind and helpful.
Better: He's the kind of person who always notices when you're upset. Last week,
for example, he stayed late to help me with my homework.
U mehribon va yordamchi. — U shunday odam: sen xafa boʻlsang, darrov sezadi. Masalan, oʻtgan hafta uy vazifamga yordam berish uchun kech qolib ketdi.
Useful openers: He's the kind of person who…, What I like about her is… (PE-85), She's one of the most … people I know (PE-67).
4. Describing a place
1What's there
There is / There are … (PE-7)
2Where exactly
in, on, at, next to, opposite (PE-16)
3What it's like
It's quiet / crowded / famous for…
4Feelings
It's the sort of place where you can relax.
My village is in the mountains, about fifty kilometres from the city. There's a small river next to our house, and there are apricot trees everywhere. It's the sort of place where nothing ever hurries.
Qishlogʻim togʻlarda, shahardan ellik chaqirim uzoqda. Uyimiz yonida kichik daryo bor va hamma yerda oʻrik daraxtlari. Bu — hech narsa shoshmaydigan joy.
5. Describing a thing
Use the adjective order from PE-15 — opinion → size → age → colour → origin → material — and finish with what it means to you.
It's a beautiful old wooden box that my grandfather made. It's about twenty centimetres long, and it's the most precious thing I own.
Bu — bobom yasagan chiroyli, eski, yogʻoch quti. Uzunligi taxminan yigirma santimetr va bu men uchun eng qadrli narsa.
6. Common mistakes
She is long hair.
She has got long hair. / She is tall.
What does she like? — She is tall and slim.
What does she look like? — She is tall and slim.
He is looking like his father.
He looks like his father. (stative — PE-13)
In my village is a river.
There is a river in my village.
It's a box wooden old beautiful.
It's a beautiful old wooden box.
Practice
1 be or have got: She ___ green eyes and she ___ quite short.
Show answer
has got green eyes … is quite short. Noun → has got; adjective → is.
2 Which question? — …? — He's very generous and patient.
Show answer
What is he like? The answer describes character, not appearance.
3 Improve it: My city is big. It is nice. There are many people.
Show answer
Model: My city is big and lively. There are wide streets full of cafés, and it's the sort of place where you always meet somebody you know.
4 Order the adjectives: silk / a / beautiful / Uzbek / scarf
Show answer
a beautiful Uzbek silk scarf — opinion, origin, material (PE-15).
5 Describe a person you admire in three sentences.
Show answer
Model: My grandmother is small and she has got very kind eyes. She's the kind of person who never complains, even when she's tired. What I admire most about her is her patience.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Appearancetashqi koʻrinish
- Personalityxarakter
- To look likeoʻxshamoq (tashqi)
- To be likeqanday odam boʻlmoq
- Slimnozik, ozgʻin
- Generoussaxiy
- Patientsabrli
- Crowdedgavjum
- Preciousqadrli
- To admirehayratlanmoq, qadrlamoq
🎯 Remember this
- be + adjective · have got + noun.
- look like = appearance · be like = character · like = preferences.
- Places: there is/are + prepositions + It's the sort of place where…
- Things: adjective order from PE-15, then why it matters to you.
- Always add a reason or an example — that is what turns a list into a description.