Lesson Focus

This lesson is all about describing people. It covers two main areas:

1. Physical Appearance: What people look like (e.g., hair, face shape, build, height).

2. Personal Qualities: What people's personalities are like (e.g., friendly, selfish, kind).

Key Vocabulary to Master

• For Appearance: wavy, curly, straight hair; round, long, oval face; bald, moustache, beard; tall, short, medium height; well-built, slim, average build; fair, dark-skinned.

• For Qualities: optimistic, pessimistic, outgoing, shy, generous, stingy, ambitious, lazy, confident, co-operative, helpful, selfish.

Grammar Focus: Reported Speech (Statements)

This is a very important grammar point for the O/L exam.

• Rule 1: Present Tense in Direct Speech → Past Tense in Reported Speech.

  • Direct: Mithini said, "I am fine."

  • Reported: Mithini said that she was fine.

• Rule 2: Simple Past in Direct Speech → Past Perfect in Reported Speech.

  • Direct: Uncle Angelo said, "I decided to shave it off."

  • Reported: Uncle Angelo said that he had decided to shave it off.

Important Points for the O/L Exam

• Paper I (Writing): You will very likely get a question asking you to write a description of a person. This could be "Your Best Friend," "Your Favourite Teacher," or "A Famous Person." Use the vocabulary from this unit to get high marks.

• Paper I (Grammar): Reported Speech is a common grammar question. You will be asked to convert sentences from direct to reported speech.

• Paper II (Reading): You will need to understand descriptions of characters in reading passages to answer comprehension questions correctly.

Tips & Tricks for Studying

1. Practice Descriptions: Every day, write a short 3-4 sentence paragraph describing a family member or a friend. Use different adjectives each time.

2. Vocabulary Flashcards: Create flashcards with an adjective (e.g., "generous") on one side and its meaning and opposite ("stingy") on the other.

Grammar Drills: Find all the dialogues in your textbook and practice converting the sentences into reported speech.