Using Collocations for Natural English - Elizabeth Walter, Kate Woodford 2010

Collocations for people's appearance
Review Units 9-12

These exercises use collocations from units 9-12, and will help you see how many you have remembered. After each exercise, add up your score to see how well you have done.

1 Complete the sentences.

1 I woke up with a splitting ... and took two tablets.

2 Looking at these photos really brings ... memories for me.

3 I knew his face but his name slipped my ... .

4 He's had a sore throat and a hacking ... for two weeks now.

5 I ... up a bug on holiday and I came home feeling awful.

6 I ... on so much weight when I was pregnant.

7 This bag was really useful - I knew it would ... in handy.

8 Where have you been? I was worried ... about you!

9 I should finish this job but I can't work up any ... for it.

10 You need a rest, my love -go home and put your ... up.

2 Underline the correct word to complete the collocations.

1 She seemed to be in very low/deep/distant spirits.

2 Don't tank/bucket/bottle up your feelings - let it all out!

3 Do drop/send/throw her a line when you have time. She loves getting letters.

4 He still had vivid/sharp/bright wartime memories.

5 She launched a roasting/baking/blistering attack on her opponent.

6 We had a hot/heated/boiling debate on the subject.

7 They weren't speaking but relations have melted/thawed/dissolved recently.

8 If you develop/grow/evolve any of these symptoms, contact your doctor.

9 She had a raging/furious/fervent fever in the night.

10 Sean swore deaf/blind/dead he hadn't told anyone.

3 Match the collocations 1-10 to the definitions a-j.

1 buoyant mood    6 respond to treatment

2 contract a disease    7 someone's mood lifts

3 upset stomach     8 sink into despair

4 bring about a change   9 raise morale

5 earliest memory    10 dwell on the past have eaten it

a someone stops being sad or angry

b to make a situation different

c to become infected with a disease

d to spend too much time thinking about things that have happened

e the first thing that you can remember from your childhood

f to improve because of medical treatment

g an illness affecting the part of the body where food goes when you

h when someone is feeling happy

I to become very sad

j to make people feel happier or more positive

4 Match the two halves of the sentences.

1 I distinctly remember asking   a till after midnight.

2 She was deeply distressed at  b the news.

3 I smiled at her but she gave me  c he burst out laughing.

4 He went to pieces when   d all the tasks that need to be done.

5 You will receive written confirmation e his wife left him.

6 I could see what's on at the cinema if f you want to catch a film.

7 Did you have any luck    g him to lock the gate.

8 When I told him what had happened, h an icy stare.

9 I didn't get off to sleep    i finding a hotel room?

10 I've drawn up a list of    j of the booking within six working days.

5 Correct the word in italics to make a collocation with the word in bold in each sentence.

1 I walked on stage and suddenly, to my horror, my mind went zero.

2 I didn't have the faintest thought what he was talking about.

3 Linda's constant chatter is pushing me mad.

4 Let's meet in cafe Rosa at the weekend and have a catch-in.

5 I told Rosie the bad news and she just exploded into tears.

6 Don't put up with bad service - kick up a complaint.

7 The doctor has put her on a series of antibiotics.

8 She was accepted to hospital in the early hours of the morning.

9 It's hard to maintain your spirits up when everything is going so badly.

10 He warmly denied that any of the allegations were true.

6 Complete the sentences with collocations from the box. Make sure you use the correct form of the verbs.

refer someone to a specialist • draw a blank • go down with the flu • vague memory • frosty reception • pluck up the courage • run up debts • anger boils up •

be filled with nostalgia • register your dissatisfaction

1 I was so furious with him - I felt the ... inside me till I couldn't contain it any longer.

2 I have a ... of the house that we first lived in when I was a child.

3 She didn't look at all well and I had a feeling she was ... .

4 I tried to think of his name but I just ... .

5 The doctor was clearly concerned about her health because he has ... her ... .

6 There's a boy in my class that I like and I'm trying to ... to ask him out.

7 He ... while he was a student and hasn't paid them off yet.

8 All the same, I wasn't at all happy with the service and I felt I ought to ... my ... .

9 I'm ... when I look at those old photos -such happy times!

10 My suggestion that Bethan pay for the meal herself received a very ... .

13 Collocations for people's appearance

What does he look like?

It is useful to be able to describe people's appearances in many situations. For example, you can explain who you mean when you are talking about one person among a group of people. A good knowledge of collocations in this area will allow you to sketch a quick word picture of someone's appearance.

1 Read a witness statement made to the police about a robbery. Make sure you understand all the words, using a dictionary to help you if necessary. Then read the text again and underline collocations to match the phrases 1-10.

I heard some shouting behind me, so I turned round to see two men running towards me. The first man - the taller of the two - was fair, with longish, shoulder-lengtn hair. He was probably in his early twenties but as he ran past me. I noticed that he had a bald patch at the back of his head. He was tall - probably over six feet -and had a wiry frame, like an athlete. He ran very fast -faster than his mate. He looked slim but strong. with a very flat stomach. All I can remember about his face is that he had a fairly large nose and close-set eyes. I got a better look at the second man. He got very near to me as he ran past. He was more heavily built than the first man. He was shorter but a lot wider with very broad shoulders. His hair was dark and messy and I'm pretty sure he had a receding hairline. He had a beard, too -a big bushy beard. I seem to recall he didn't look well - he was quite pale and spotty and he had bloodshot eyes.

1 a line where the hair starts on a man's forehead which is higher than usual because some hair has fallen out

2 having a body that is wide and strong

3 a wide top of the back

4 no fat on the front of the body

5 an area of thick hair on a man's chin

6 eyes which are red on the part that should be white

7 quite long hair that reaches the bottom of the neck shoulder-length hair

8 an area on the head where there is no hair

9 a body that is thin but strong

10 eyes that are nearer to each other than is usual

Sound natural

Many collocations describe features such as hair and eyes while other collocations refer to the build of a person's body.

They are extremely useful and worth memorising.

2 Look at the statement in Exercise 1 again and answer the questions, using the collocations that you have learned.

1 Did the taller man have short hair? No, he had shoulder-length hair.

2 Was the taller man losing his hair?

3 Was the shorter man losing his hair?

4 Did the shorter man have tidy facial hair?

5 Apart from his big nose, what was unusual about the taller man's features?

6 The shorter man's skin suggested that he was not healthy. What else about his face suggested that he was not well?

7 Was the taller man weak-looking?

8 Was the taller man fat around his middle7

9 Was the shorter man slim?

10 Was the shorter man narrow7

3 A magazine interviewed three men, asking them to describe their appearance and say what they thought was their 'best feature' (most attractive part, usually of the face). Listen to their descriptions and match the pictures A-C to the texts 1-3.

1 JOHN

I'm quite heavily built, though I don't think you'd describe me as fat. I inherited my father's broad shoulders which I'm quite proud of. I've got a few lines around my eyes now I'm in my forties but I've got very little grey hair, which is lucky at my age. I have a beard which used to be quite long but I keep it neatly trimmed nowadays. I'm not sure what my best feature is - perhaps my dark hair?

2 MARCO

I'm suppose I'm of medium height for a man and, like both my parents, pretty slim. I used to do a lot of running when I was younger and (I have the typical long-distance runner's wiry frame. I have blond hair from my mother's side of the family which I'm quite proud of. My eyes are probably my best feature - they're quite big and people say they're very expressive.

3 HENK

I've always struggled with my weight. but I've been going to the gym a lot recently so I've got a fairly flat stomach. I've still got a lot of hair and its quite nice and curly. It’s always been my best feature so I keep it a bit longer than most men my age. I've improved my I diet a lot recently and I think it's really made a difference to my appearance. My skin is looking better and my eyes are bright.

4 Are the descriptions in Exercise 3 accurate? Complete the notes in the table for each man. Your notes should include all ten collocations from Exercise 1.

Classroom extra

Describe yourself or someone that you know to your neighbour using some of the collocations that you have learned.

Really (un)attractive ...

These exercises focus on collocations that are used to describe people's features and, importantly, to show whether the features are considered attractive or unattractive.

5 Read the web posts about celebrities spotted by members of the public. Decide whether the writer thinks the celebrity is looking good or not.

1 Saw Isabella Khan coming out of Gigi's in Knightsbridge. She was 'disguised' in a headscarf and shades but there was no mistaking those high cheekbones and full lips. As far as I could tell, she wasn't wearing make-up. Neither would I if I had her flawless complexion. galpal22

2 Spied Brett Smith in The Maypole, Soho, drinking a black coffee. Was able to get a good look while hiding behind my newspaper. Was that the start of a double chin I saw? (Has Smith cancelled his gym membership now that he has found love?) And why the puffy eyes? I hope his new love hasn't been making him cry ...

Kittypink

3 Carlo Kranz stood behind me in the queue in the Richmond Bakery, Kensington. At least, I think it was him. Could this greasy hair and sallow complexion really belong to Carlo Kranz of the Hero films? That square jaw and those perfect teeth? Could this really be the same man?

Marthajanetuesday

4 Saw Tilly Rose bagging her groceries in Camden's Walkers yesterday. So used to seeing those even features gracing the covers of magazines, could scarcely believe it was her. Such impossibly glossy hair just to go to the supermarket! Had she just stepped out of the salon?

Honeybird20

Study tip

When you are describing someone's appearance, it is important to make sure you choose the right phrases. Are you stating facts, or do want to give your opinion?

6 Put the collocations from Exercise 5 in the correct column in the table.

7 Complete the sentences with words from the box.

puffy • even • glossy • flawless • greasy • high • double • square • full • sallow

1 She looks like a model with her wonderful ... cheekbones.

2 I assumed from her ... eyes that she'd been crying.

3 Rachel's sister had a slightly bent nose and a very big mouth but Rachel had lovely ... features.

4 What shampoo do you use to get such gorgeous ... hair7 It's so shiny!

5 This lip gloss will help you make the most of those lovely ... lips.

6 He had horrible ... hair that badly needed a wash.

7 In the summer, Marta goes brown very easily but in the winter she has quite a ... complexion.

8 He was handsome with strong features and a ... jaw.

9 He'd put on weight, his face was fatter and he had a bit of a ... chin.

10 Your skin doesn't need make-up, Sophie -you have a ... complexion!

8 Match the sentence halves.

1 Like a lot of actresses, she     a a double chin.

2 Sylvie looks like a model     b which made him look slightly unhealthy.

3 I always get horrible puffy eyes when    c the women you see in magazines.

4 Sadly, I didn't inherit      d my mother's even features.

5 If you want a flawless complexion,     e don't eat chocolate and greasy foods.

6 As he grew older and put on weight, he started to get f when I was a teenager.

7 He always looked like a Hollywood hero with his g has beautiful high cheekbones.

8 I had a really greasy skin     h with her gorgeous full lips.

9 He had a rather sallow complexion    i I get a cold.

10 I always wanted glossy hair like     j square jaw.

9 Complete the sentences using the collocations you have learned above. Then complete the crossword.

Across

4 There's no colour at all in my cheeks - I have a very sallow complexion.

5 She has those very ... features that the camera loves.

7 I have such ... hair -it needs washing every day.

9 He has a very manly ... Jaw.

Down

1 Like a lot of older people, he has a double ... .

2 I was admiring her glossy ... and wondering what shampoo she used.

3 She has a ... complexion -not a spot or a blemish anywhere.

4 The photo really captures her beautiful high ... .

6 Hay fever gives you a runny nose and puffy ... .

8 I have such thin lips whereas my lucky sister has gorgeous ... lips.

Classroom extra

In pairs, students choose three words from the collocations in this unit and make mini crosswords like the one in Exercise 9. They should then write their own gap-fill clues and swap them with another pair.