23 Positive Adjectives to Describe People in English [Advanced Vocabulary Lesson]

Hi I'm Anne Marie with Speak Confident English and this is Confident English

Wednesday. Welcome to our newest lesson. This week we're focused on 23 ways

that you can describe people that you love in a positive way. If you've been

following me for a while, you know that several weeks ago I did a lesson on how

to describe your personality. And I used three different stories full of new

vocabulary and expressions to help you begin to describe your personality,

whether you need it just for fun in conversations or for a job interview. Or

how you could describe your best friend, your mom, your boss at work,

This lesson is part two and we're focused specifically on more advanced

expressions and vocabulary; focused on the positive the things that we like

about someone. In a few weeks (don't worry) we'll also focus on some

negative aspects because that's life. There are times when we don't have a

great relationship with someone or we want to comment on something that is

negative. So we will do that in the future but today let's focus on 23 new

words or expressions that you can use in English to describe someone in a

positive way. Now just a quick note that you can get all 23 of these expressions

words and a challenge question for practice in the online lesson. So I

encourage you to check out that lesson as soon as you finish watching this

video. And if you want subtitles, don't forget to click the little CC button

just at the bottom of this video. Because I know that you are busy and have a

limited amount of time in the day, in this video I've selected nine of my

favorite expressions from today's lesson or maybe a couple that are often

confusing, misused, to review with you in today's

video. But again, you can get all 23 in the online lesson and you have an

opportunity to practice at the end. So one of my first favorite expressions

from today's list is to describe someone as a ray of sunshine.

Doesn't that sound super beautiful? To be a ray of sunshine.

I would describe one of my best friends as a ray of sunshine. Imagine that moment

that you first walk into the sun and it feels warm and wonderful and you're just

happy. Someone that makes you feel like that is a ray of sunshine. Number two - to

be gregarious or to have a gregarious personality. Gregarious means to be

really social, to have a lot of friends, someone that is the life of a party

(another great expression). If you are the life of a party everyone wants to talk

to you or you are talking to everyone at the party. You know everyone and you love

the opportunity to speak to each person. And you're super fun.

You are gregarious. Number three this is one of my favorites and I try to be like

this. I don't know if I always am but to be easygoing or laid-back. These two

expressions are used to describe someone that is very relaxed and calm. They never

get too stressed, they don't get really angry or upset, everything is just okay

all the time. You're easygoing or very laid-back. Number four is another

favorite: to have an old soul. If, for example, you describe your friend or your

sister as someone who has an old soul, we use it to describe someone that feels

that they come from another time, they're very wise, they're calm,

they spend a lot of time thinking and they always say something that is

meaningful or important. They're not super talkative, they don't

talk too much. They're always thoughtful, smart, calm, and

wise. Number five. Do you know anyone who is affectionate or are you affectionate?

This word is used to describe someone who is very loving or warm. When you are

around them you feel very loved, maybe because of something they do or say or

maybe they love to hug you but they are affectionate. They are loving and warm.

This next one might be new for you - the word is industrious. Someone who is

industrious is extremely hard-working. They are focused on their tasks at work,

they do a good job, and they are diligent. Industrious. Now number seven might be a

little tricky. In fact I often hear many mistakes made with this word because it

sounds very similar to words in other languages, which we call false friends.

Words that seem like they might be the same in two different languages but they

actually have a different meaning. This word is sympathetic. Sympathetic. In

many languages this just means someone that is nice or friendly but in English

we use this word to describe someone who is a good listener. They listen to other

people's problems and you'll often hear them say something like, "Oh I'm really

sorry to hear that. It must be really hard," (or frustrating or upsetting or sad

or stressful) but they express that they are sorry for a particular situation,

they feel bad for you, and they are good at listening to you as you describe the

problem or the stress that you're facing at that moment.

Number eight down-to-earth. Someone who is down-to-earth is really practical and

realistic, in a good way, in a positive way. They're not a dreamer, they're not a

visionary. They see things in reality and they find practical solutions. And

finally the last one on our list today is to have a Type A personality.

This one could actually be positive or negative, it depends on how strong this

personality is because there are kind of two sides to it. But typically this

personality means someone that is very driven, focused, ambitious. They have very

high goals and they work extremely hard to achieve them. They are often very

organized, focused on getting everything done on time, and they're proactive.

They're always looking for solutions. Now on the other hand, they could sometimes

be competitive, maybe too competitive and too sensitive, but today we're going to

focus just on those positive elements and look at this through a positive lens,

to see it in a positive way. So you or someone that you know might have a Type

A personality you are very focused on what you want in life and you're not

going to give up on it. So now you have nine new ways to positively describe the

characteristics or personality of people that you know or even to describe

yourself. Now don't forget there are actually 23 new expressions in today's

lesson, so be sure to visit the online lesson to find out about expressions

such as larger than life, to be larger than life. Or to be classy or

thick-skinned. There are many new expressions for you today. So go to the

lesson, review the additional expressions and, then be sure to check out the

challenge question that I have at the end so that you can immediately

get practice using these new words, expressions, so they become part of your

everyday English and you can use them easily, naturally in your everyday

conversations. And with that, thank you so much for joining me. I love having you

here every Wednesday and I'll see you next week for your Confident English

Wednesday lesson.