Sound Like a NATIVE | Adjectives To Describe People In English

Hi there, this is Harry and welcome back  to my advanced English lessons with Harry.

And what we're going to talk  to you about today are actually  

adjectives. So the lesson today is based on  adjectives. And these are advanced adjectives  

that we use to describe people. Now, unusually,  now I have actually 12, not 10, I usually have  

a list of 10. I don't know why I've got 12. So  I'm going to go down through the list of 12.  

Okay, this is called the 12 disciples  go down through the list of 12.  

And I'll go back through them individually  and give you an example one by one.

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Okay, now, here they are. So some of them are  positive and some of them are negative, I'll  

give you positive and negatives as we  go through them. Sensible, is positive.  

Sensitive, but someone neutral. It could  be depends on how you look at the person.  

Positive or negative or more positive,  negative. Assertive, very positive, assertive.  

Competitive, okay, that can be a little  bit negative if you're too competitive,  

but like me a little bit too competitive at  times. Greedy, very definitely a negative greedy.  

Arrogant, another very definite. On the  negative side negative, arrogant. Thick. Well,  

thick can have a meaning of a bit  stupid. So a little bit negative.  

Patronising, again, a little bit negative.  Patronising. Obnoxious, very definitely negative,  

obnoxious. Pretentious, also a little  bit negative, pretentious. Ruthless.  

And down to earth, okay, so  let's go through them one by one.

Number one sensible. Well, when somebody is  sensible, they take the right approach to  

something without taking risk. It's sensible  when you're standing at the side of the road  

to look right and left to make sure there's no  traffic coming in, not just walk across the road  

without having a care in the world,  okay. So you're sensible about it.

You're sensible in the way  you approach the problem  

that your child might have at school. So when  he comes home, and he's got a bloody nose,  

or some little problem, you don't run  down to school shouting and screaming,  

you sit down in a sensible way with him and try  to find out exactly what happened. And then try  

to find or think about the best way to deal  with the problem. And that would be sensible.

He's very sensible, he doesn't do things  without thinking about the risk. He won't  

just run off with his friend and not  tell us where he is going. He's really,  

really sensible. It's a sensible thing to do.

So when it's sensible, you take  

certain precautions, you don't do  things just in a risky way. Okay?

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Now, sensible is the next word.... Sorry,  sensitive is the next word. And these two words  

get confused, sensible and sensitive, because  in some languages, they actually have the same  

word. So it's hard to distinguish. But in English,  

sensible, and also sensitive. So when somebody is  sensitive, their feelings a little bit close to  

the surface. So if they get criticised, they get  upset. If somebody shouts at them, they get upset.

Or if they see something, unsavoury on the  TV, or in the movie, they, they might shed  

a tear about children that have been orphaned or  animals that have been badly treated. So they're  

very sensitive to those sorts of situations,  and therefore can be very, very emotional.

And emotional can be a word, very synonymous  with the whole idea of being sensitive to.

Now, we can also be sensitive to change, like,  my nose can be very sensitive. At this time of  

the year, when there's fresh pollen in the  air, or the trees are growing leaves or the  

new plants are out. And when you go  out, it's nice to breathe in deeply but  

within a day or two, my eyes are watering. My nose  is running. And I'm sneezing a lot. So I'm very  

sensitive to the change in  the climate, particularly  

in the spring into the early summer. So yeah,  that's about being sensitive in that way as well.

So just to make sure we understand the  difference between sensible doing things  

without taking risk sensitive, where our  emotions sometimes might take over and we  

can be a little emotional about  things particular criticism.

Assertive. So assertive when you make  your point you make it clear and you  

stick to it and you're not going to  be easily persuaded or easily moved.

Competitive. Well, when you're competitive, it  means you... you don't want to give in without  

a fight. Or if there's a game you want to  win, or there's a challenge you want to,  

to achieve it. Yeah, so competitive  means you don't just participate,  

just for the sake of it or even just to have fun.

So, you know, when we were growing up, as kids,  we were always competitive. Yeah, we always wanted  

to be the best. I grew up, I still am, of course,  I'm a twin. And we are identical twins. So we were  

very competitive. So if one did one thing, the  other would want to do better, if one did better,  

the other one would want to be better again. So we  were always in a competitive environment, whether  

our parents did it deliberately or not, I don't  think they did. But you know, one did something,  

they would encourage the other one to do better  the next time. So everything became competitive.  

The game of football, the game of cards,  the game of Monopoly, whatever it might be,  

even the the Easter, Christmas and summer  exams at school also became competitive.

So when you're always thinking as  a challenge, you always want to be  

doing your best or in fact, winning then  you could be described as being competitive.

Greedy. Greedy is when people want more  than they really need. As this is a good  

adjective to describe people. Greedy is often  referred to when we're talking about food,  

but it's not just about food. You know, so that  the child who wants the extra biscuit or two  

can be greedy, Don't be so greedy, yeah, leave  some for somebody else. So they just stuff  

another biscuit that they can hardly chew  up, they have sort of being very greedy.

But we can also be greedy as adults. We  want more money, we want a bigger house,  

we want more responsibility, want more promotion,  all of these things. This is an era of greediness,  

that has crept into society. So to be greedy  is to want more than you actually need.

Arrogant. Well, arrogant is when you walk  around with an aura of supremacy or when you  

feel you are better than other people. You  look down your nose at people and you let  

try let people or you don't even have to  try to let people know that you think you're  

better that your qualifications are better,  you do things better. Everything about you,  

you believe is better than the other people.  So you're somewhat arrogant approach.

People don't usually like arrogant  people, but they're in certain professions  

it's often needed. Okay, so a little bit of  arrogance is not such a bad thing to have. To me,  

if you think you're the best. And  you believe you're the best. Well,  

you actually can be. You know, if you look  at some of these footballers, they can be a  

little bit arrogant, but they're really good  footballers but you can see why, you know.

So Ronaldo might come across as a little  bit arrogant. Why not? He is the best  

footballer in the world.

Thick. Well, thick is a word that we use  to describe somebody when they're a bit  

stupid. Ah, don't be so thick. Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, that child, he's thick at times. I just  wonder, will we ever get through it and will  

he ever understand simple mathematics.  Okay, so thick is an adjective we use to  

describe people a little bit stupid, or don't  understand something or ask stupid questions.

That's, that's a thick question. It's a  really stupid question to ask. Okay, so  

thick meaning a little bit stupid.

And thick is like, thick as wood.  Yes, or something really thick,  

meaning you can't get through. Knock knock, is  there anybody there? No. A little bit thick.

Patronising. So when we talk about  patronising the meaning of patronising is to  

treat somebody in a way that's patronising. That  you sound as if you're trying to be helpful,  

but in reality, you're just trying to show  that you know better than they do. Okay,  

so when somebody might say, Oh, don't be  so patronising. So you might say, Okay,  

let me help you and I can show you how to do  it. After all, I've been doing this for such a  

long time now, but I'll show it to you. And  if you need any help, I can show you again.

So a real patronising way to give somebody  some help, rather than just say, oh, yeah,  

if you need some help, give me a call.  So when you're being patronising,  

it's usually where you're trying to sound or  seem as if you're helpful, but in reality,  

you're actually demonstrating that you  are in some way superior to that person.  

So patronising so and you'll often hear it and  express. I wish you weren't so patronising. No,  

really, really, I could do it on my own. I don't  need anybody else to help me so patronising.

And then after patronising we have obnoxious. Now,  

be careful here with the pronunciation of  obnoxious. Obnoxious. Ob-no-xious. Obnoxious.  

So when somebody is obnoxious, they're really not  very pleasant people. Now, you're going to have  

an obnoxious smell which is a terrible,  terrible smell. You come in and the smell of  

like sulphur or something that would be  obnoxious. Or you come in and the cat's  

litter tray hasn't been cleaned out for three  or four days that will certainly be obnoxious.

But when we're using this as an  adjective to describe people,  

that usually their habits or their  behaviour is somewhat obnoxious.  

Perhaps it's the language they use that  every second word is f this and f that is it.

I really don't like that person is he's obnoxious,  he's got no manners, he's rude. He doesn't  

close his mouth when he's eating. He drinks his  

water or beer so quickly, spills half of it.  And he dresses like a pig. He's obnoxious.

Sort of behaviour, habits, they're all  describe and define the person and the  

adjective describes that person really  well obnoxious and obnoxious individual.

Pretentious, well, when somebody is  pretentious, the meaning of it is that they are  

trying to appear more important than their  position really is yes. So they're a little bit  

pretentious, or somebody who's perhaps a  junior manager or not even a manager at all  

acts in a way that they might feel they're  a manager, but there have been a little  

bit pretentious because they're not  really in that position of seniority.

Okay, so were they trying to appear  to be better, or more important  

than they are. And we often hear this expression,  a pretentious snob. Okay, so somebody's  

trying to be really important. Looking  down the nose, a little bit of people  

a little bit like arrogant. Yes, slightly  like that. But somewhat pretentious. Okay.

And then we have what we have, oh, yeah.  Ruthless. Yes. When somebody is ruthless,  

and we describe them as ruthless, it means  they make decisions without any consideration  

for people's opinion. They're just interested  in getting the job done, or they're getting  

whatever they want done, that don't take into  consideration people's views, or opinions.

Let me give you an example. So a company  is going through a bad time, trading wise,  

they've got 120 people, and the directors come  down and talk to the CEO. And they tell him that  

we're going to have to go through some sort of a  redundancy programme, you're going to have to get  

rid of 30 people, you're gonna have to get rid  of 30 people within the next month, otherwise,  

you're gonna have a serious problem. So the CEO  goes off and thinks about it for a few days,  

has looked at the numbers, calls the staff  together and tells them that tells them that we're  

going to have a redundancy programme. It's going  to be effective from the first of July. And I'd  

be writing to you next week and let you know, who  hasn't hasn't a job. The people who will stay are  

those people who are most needed. And the people  who will go are the people who are not needed. And  

that's a fact, there would be no discussion about  it. So when the letters issue that week later,  

he has selected and has been very ruthless in  his decision. So 30 People have been selected.  

No negotiation, no discussion. The terms have  been offered for the redundancy programme.  

But that's it. So it's not a question  of whether you're his favourite or not.  

He's absolutely ruthless in his choice of those  people who are going to be made redundant,  

so he doesn't care whether you've got two kids  at college or whether you've got a big mortgage,  

he's making a decision in terms of the security  and the long term security of the business.

So very, very ruthless and  absolute, ruthless, individual.

And finally, somebody down to earth. Well, when we  describe somebody as down-to-earth, we mean, he's  

very normal. He's very matter of fact, he's got no  airs and graces, and he's somebody that will just  

say, what he thinks straight out, okay.  So he'd be upfront, he will be direct,  

you'd be very frank and honest. And  we will describe him as down-to-earth.

So what do you think of Patrick? He's a good  guy, when you get to know him. He's really good.  

I mean, he's, he's not somebody who's got airs and  graces, he's not pretentious in any way. And fact,  

if he doesn't like somebody or something,  he will tell them or tell you about that.  

So he's really down-to-earth. Some people  see that as a little bit too frank,  

had been a little bit too honest.  But you know, it's better than  

the other way. At least you know where you are  with him. He's real, down-to-earth character.

Okay, so as I said, we've got 12 adjectives. So  let me just give them two again and the list.  

Sensible, sensitive. And be careful  those two words they do get confused,  

as sensible and sensitive. Assertive,  competitive, greedy, arrogant, thick, patronising,  

obnoxious. And remember that pronunciation  obnoxious. Pretentious and another one you have to  

be careful with the pronunciation. Pretentious,  pretentious, pretentious, pretentious.  

Ruthless. And then down-to-earth, down-to-earth.  So again, the two for the pronunciation there  

obnoxious, pretentious. You get the same sound  at the end. She's obnoxious, pretentious, okay.

All right. So there's your  list of advanced adjectives  

that we use to describe people as  always, I really appreciate you  

watching listening and understanding hopefully  what I've said you can try using some of those  

describe people that you know if you need any  further examples, you can come back to me and  

www.englishlessonviaskype.com. Always happy  to hear from you. And, as always, join me  

again in the future for more of our advanced  English lessons. This is Harry saying goodbye.