What Are You Really Like?
Personality, character, and psychological description. For a psychology assignment, Priya gets the group to describe each other — diplomatically.
📖 Reading: The Character Map
For a psychology assignment, Priya asked her friends to describe each other's personalities.
Leo was described as warm, spontaneous, and entrepreneurial. "He's quite impulsive sometimes," said Omar, "but also incredibly resilient. He doesn't give up easily."
"He can be a bit impatient when the café is busy," added Ana, "but he's never unkind. He's one of the most generous people I know."
Maya was described as perceptive, creative, and slightly introverted. "She's not shy, exactly," said Priya. "She's more reserved in big groups. But one-on-one, she's wonderfully open."
"She can be rather self-critical," said Leo. "She holds herself to an extremely high standard."
Omar was described as analytical, calm, and deeply principled. "He's quite stubborn when he believes in something," said Maya. "But I'd call that determined."
"He's a bit too hard on himself," said Priya. "He tends to internalise things instead of talking about them."
Priya herself refused to be described. "I'm still figuring myself out," she said.
"That," said Leo, "is actually the most self-aware thing any of us has said today."
🔑 Vocabulary Box
Eight key words from this lesson.
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| spontaneous | Acting naturally without planning in advance | adj. — Leo is described as spontaneous. |
| resilient | Able to recover quickly from difficulties | adj. — He is incredibly resilient. |
| perceptive | Having the ability to notice and understand things quickly | adj. — Maya is described as perceptive. |
| introverted | Preferring quiet, solitary environments; inward-focused | adj. — Maya is slightly introverted. |
| principled | Acting according to strong personal values | adj. — Omar is deeply principled. |
| internalise | To keep feelings or thoughts inside rather than expressing them | v. — He tends to internalise things. |
| self-aware | Having conscious knowledge of your own character and emotions | adj. — Priya is the most self-aware. |
| self-critical | Inclined to find fault in your own actions and abilities | adj. — Maya is rather self-critical. |
📚 Key Verbs & Structures in This Lesson | |
can be + adjective (sometimes) | He can be a bit impatient when busy. |
tends to + verb | He tends to internalise instead of talking. |
has become (change over time) | She has become more confident since moving here. |
used to be (past character) | He used to be quite shy. Now he's outgoing. |
📚 Grammar Focus
📚 Personality Adjectives — Positive & Negative Versions | |
Positive → Negative | generous / extravagant | confident / arrogant | determined / stubborn |
Negative → Positive | shy / reserved | blunt / honest | impulsive / spontaneous |
Neutral | analytical, introverted, cautious, private, direct |
Modifying Adverbs
📚 Modifying Adverbs | |
extremely / incredibly | She's incredibly perceptive. / He's extremely resilient. |
quite / fairly / rather | He's quite impulsive. / She's rather self-critical. |
a bit / slightly | He's a bit impatient. / She's slightly introverted. |
not exactly / more... | She's not shy, exactly. She's more reserved. |
Describing Change Over Time
📚 Describing Change Over Time | |
used to be | She used to be quite shy. |
has become | She has become much more confident. |
tends to | He tends to be quite cautious in new situations. |
can be (occasional trait) | He can be a bit impulsive when stressed. |
🎭 Dialogue: What Am I Like?
Priya collects character descriptions for her psychology assignment. Maya tries to be honest about Leo without offending him.
Maya, for my assignment — what three words would you use to describe Leo?
Warm, impulsive, and generous. Extremely generous.
Impulsive? That's a bit harsh!
I'd call it spontaneous. Which is a gift, mostly.
What about me, Omar?
Resilient. That's the word. You don't give up easily.
I'll take that. And Priya — what about you? What are you like?
I'm still figuring that out. Isn't that the point of being in your twenties?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
What positive and negative traits does Omar describe in Leo?
How does Priya describe Maya in one-on-one situations?
What does Maya say about Omar that she then reframes positively?
Practice Exercises
3 questionsNew exercises to reinforce what you learned. Different from the lesson material.
Positive version of: 'stubborn'
Positive version of: 'impulsive'
Positive version of: 'blunt'
🎭 Now It's Your Turn — Role Play
Practice with a partner. Use the dialogue as a model and extend it.
- Student A: Describe the personality of someone important in your life (a friend, family member, or colleague). Use at least 5 adjectives with appropriate modifiers.
- Student B: Ask follow-up questions: Can they be…? Have they changed? What do you admire most about them?
- Then swap. Avoid being unkind — use the diplomatic reframing technique when needed.