B2 - Lesson 07 - Describing Personality

Question 1

cheerful [/ˈtʃɪəfəl/]

Answer 1

1 happy, or behaving in a way that shows you are happy
She’s feeling more cheerful today.
I’m making a real effort to be cheerful despite everything.

Question 2

confident [/ˈkɒnfɪdənt/]

Answer 2

1 [not before noun] sure that something will happen in the way that you want or expect
confident (that)
We are confident next year’s profits will be higher.

2 sure that you have the ability to do things well or deal with situations successfully
Despite her disability, Philippa is very confident.

Question 3

assured [/əˈʃʊəd/]

Answer 3

confident about your own abilities SYN self-assured

an assured manner

Question 4

determine [/dɪˈtɜːmɪn/]

Answer 4

1 to find out the facts about something SYN establish
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

2 if something determines something else, it directly influences or decides it
The amount of available water determines the number of houses that can be built.

3 to officially decide something
The date of the court case has not yet been determined.

Question 5

ambitious [/æmˈbɪʃəs/]

Answer 5

1 determined to be successful, rich, powerful etc
Alfred was intensely ambitious, obsessed with the idea of becoming rich.
ambitious for
mothers who are highly ambitious for their children (=who want their children to be successful)

2 an ambitious plan, idea etc shows a desire to do something good but difficult
an ambitious engineering project

Question 6

approachable [/əˈprəʊtʃəbəl/]

Answer 6

friendly and easy to talk to OPP unapproachable

The head teacher is very approachable.

Question 7

anxious [/ˈæŋkʃəs/]

Answer 7

1 worried about something
anxious about
He was a bit anxious about the safety of the machinery.

Question 8

intense [/ɪnˈtens/]

Answer 8

having a very strong effect or felt very strongly

Young people today are under intense pressure to succeed.

Question 9

charismatic [/ˌkærəzˈmætɪk◂/]

Answer 9

having charisma

Martin Luther King was a very charismatic speaker.

Question 10

thoughtful [/ˈθɔːtfəl/]

Answer 10

1 always thinking of the things you can do to make people happy or comfortable OPP thoughtless
Paul is very thoughtful.
it is thoughtful of somebody to do something
It was really thoughtful of you to remember my birthday.

2 serious and quiet because you are thinking a lot
a thoughtful look
a thoughtful silence

3 well planned and carefully thought about
a thoughtful analysis

Question 11

melancholic [/ˌmelənˈkɒlɪk◂/]

Answer 11

feeling very sad

Question 12

neutral [/ˈnjuːtrəl/]

Answer 12

1 IN AN ARGUMENT ETC not supporting any of the people or groups involved in an argument or disagreement → partisan
I always tried to remain neutral when they started arguing.

2 IN A WAR a country that is neutral does not support any of the countries involved in a war
During World War II, Sweden was neutral.

6 COLOUR a neutral colour is a colour such as grey, light brown, or cream
Neutral tones give the room a feeling of space.

Question 13

bad-tempered []

Answer 13

someone who is bad-tempered becomes easily annoyed and talks in an angry way to people SYN irritable► see thesaurus at angry

Question 14

grumpy [/ˈɡrʌmpi/]

Answer 14

bad-tempered and easily annoyed SYN irritable

Mina’s always a bit grumpy first thing in the morning.

Question 15

annoy [/əˈnɔɪ/]

Answer 15

to make someone feel slightly angry and unhappy about something SYN irritate
What annoyed him most was that he had received no apology.
She annoyed him with her stupid questions.

Question 16

down-to-earth [/ˌdaʊn.tuːˈɜːθ/]

Answer 16

practical and direct in a sensible honest way
Fran’s a friendly, down-to-earth person.
a chef with a down-to-earth approach to cooking

practical, reasonable, and friendly:
She’s a down-to-earth woman with no pretensions.

Question 17

pretension [/prɪˈten.ʃən/]

Answer 17

a claim or belief that you can succeed or that you are important or have serious value:
The Chronicle has pretensions to being a serious newspaper.

Question 18

trustworthy [/ˈtrʌstˌwɜːði/]

Answer 18

able to be trusted and depended on

Question 19

bossy [/ˈbɒsi/]

Answer 19

always telling other people what to do, in a way that is annoying
her loud bossy sister

Question 20

nosy [/ˈnəʊzi/]

Answer 20

always wanting to find out things that do not concern you, especially other people’s private affairs
Don’t be so nosy!
a nosy neighbor

Question 21

chatty [/ˈtʃæti/]

Answer 21

1 liking to talk a lot in a friendly way
He was in an unusually chatty mood.
2 a piece of writing that is chatty has a friendly informal style
a chatty letter

Question 22

disapproval [/ˌdɪsəˈpruːvəl/]

Answer 22

an attitude that shows you think that someone or their behaviour, ideas etc are bad or not suitable OPP approval
disapproval of
strong disapproval of the country’s human rights record
with/in disapproval
Baxter eyed our clothes with obvious disapproval.
Clarissa shook her head in disapproval.

Question 23

pushy [/ˈpʊʃi/]

Answer 23

someone who is pushy does everything they can to get what they want from other people – used to show disapproval
a pushy salesman

Question 24

level-headed []

Answer 24

calm and sensible in making judgments or decisions OPP hot-headed

Question 25

insistent [/ɪnˈsɪstənt/]

Answer 25

1 demanding firmly and repeatedly that something should happen
insistent that
She was insistent that they should all meet for dinner.
insistent on
They were insistent on good manners.

2 making a continuous pattern of sounds that is difficult to ignore
the music’s insistent rhythm

Question 26

consistent [/kənˈsɪstənt/]

Answer 26

1 always behaving in the same way or having the same attitudes, standards etc – usually used to show approval OPP inconsistent
She’s the team’s most consistent player.
consistent in
We need to be consistent in our approach.

2 continuing to happen or develop in the same way
a consistent improvement in the country’s economy

3 a consistent argument or idea does not have any parts that do not match other parts OPP inconsistent
The evidence is not consistent.

Question 27

pry [/praɪ/]

Answer 27

1 [intransitive] to try to find out details about someone else’s private life in an impolite way
I don’t want to pry, but I need to ask you one or two questions.
pry into
reporters prying into the affairs of celebrities

Question 28

talkative [/ˈtɔːkətɪv/]

Answer 28

someone who is talkative talks a lot OPP quiet

Question 29

overbearing [/ˌəʊvəˈbeərɪŋ/]

Answer 29

always trying to control other people without considering their wishes or feelings SYN domineering
a bossy overbearing wife

Question 30

truthful [/ˈtruːθfəl/]

Answer 30

1 someone who is truthful does not usually tell lies SYN honest
a truthful child
You and I must be truthful with each other.

2 a truthful statement gives the true facts about something SYN honest
I have only one question to ask you, and I want a truthful answer.

Question 31

envious [/ˈenviəs/]

Answer 31

wanting something that someone else has → jealous
envious of
Colleagues were envious of her success.
envious looks

Question 32

reliable [/rɪˈlaɪəbəl/]

Answer 32

someone or something that is reliable can be trusted or depended on SYN dependable, → rely
a birth control method that is cheap and reliable
Miller was a quiet and reliable man.

Question 33

impractical [/ɪmˈpræktɪkəl/]

Answer 33

not sensible or possible for practical reasons
The road toll scheme was dismissed as impractical.
James was a foolish man, full of impractical plans.

Question 34

corrupt [/kəˈrʌpt/]

Answer 34

using your power in a dishonest or illegal way in order to get an advantage for yourself OPP incorruptible
Corrupt judges have taken millions of dollars in bribes.

Question 35

submissive [/səbˈmɪsɪv/]

Answer 35

always willing to obey someone and never disagreeing with them, even if they are unkind to you OPP assertive
In those days, women were expected to be quiet and submissive.

Question 36

undependable

Answer 36

antonym of reliable

Question 37

uninterested [/ʌnˈɪntrɪstɪd/]

Answer 37

not interested → disinterested
uninterested in
He was uninterested in politics.

Question 38

reserved [/rɪˈzɜːvd/]

Answer 38

unwilling to express your emotions or talk about your problems → shy
Ellen was a shy, reserved girl.

Question 39

interfere [/ˌɪntəˈfɪə/]

Answer 39

to deliberately get involved in a situation where you are not wanted or needed SYN meddle
My daughter-in-law said that I was interfering, but I was only trying to help.
interfere in
It’s not the church’s job to interfere in politics.

Question 40

fortnight [/ˈfɔːtnaɪt/]

Answer 40

two weeks

a fortnight’s holiday

Question 41

get on

Answer 41

1 LIKE SOMEBODY especially British English if people get on, they like each other and have a friendly relationship with each other
with
I’ve always got on well with Henry.
The two boys get on well most of the time.

2 PROGRESS to deal with a job or situation or to make progress
How is George getting on at school?
with
How are you getting on with your essay?
without
I don’t know how we’ll get on without Michael.

3 CONTINUE DOING SOMETHING to continue doing something
with
Be quiet and get on with your work!

4 BE SUCCESSFUL to be successful in your job
You’ll have to work hard if you want to get on.

Question 42

con‧tent1 /ˈkɒntent/

con‧tent2 /kənˈtent/

Answer 42

—–2—–
1 happy and satisfied
Andy was a good husband, and Nicky was clearly very content.
content with
We’ll be content with a respectable result in tomorrow’s match.

----1-----
2 [singular] the amount of a substance that is contained in something, especially food or drink
fat/protein/alcohol etc content
 the fat content of cheese
 water with a low salt content

3 [singular, uncountable] the ideas, facts, or opinions that are contained in a speech, piece of writing, film, programme etc
The content of the media course includes scripting, editing, and camera work.

4 [singular, uncountable] the information contained in a website, considered separately from the software that makes the website work
The graphics are brilliant. It’s just a shame the content is so poor.

Question 43

soaked [/səʊkt/]

Answer 43

1 very wet or wearing very wet clothes SYN drenched
I was soaked and very cold.
It was raining so hard we were quickly soaked through (=completely wet).
He came in from the barn, soaked to the skin.
Her shoes got soaked as she walked through the wet grass.

Question 44

nasty [/ˈnɑːsti/]

Answer 44

1 BEHAVIOUR nasty behaviour or remarks are extremely unkind and unpleasant
a nasty temper
the nasty things that were being written about her

2 PERSON someone who is nasty behaves in an unkind and unpleasant way
I went to school with him – he was nasty then and he’s nasty now.
You’re a nasty little brute!

4 SIGHT/SMELL ETC having a bad appearance, smell, taste etc
What’s that nasty smell?

Question 45

scruffy [/ˈskrʌfi/]

Answer 45

dirty and untidy
a scruffy old pair of jeans
scruffy shops

Question 46

auburn [/ˈɔːbən]

Answer 46

auburn hair is a reddish brown colour

Question 47

reddish [/ˈredɪʃ/]

Answer 47

slightly red

reddish-brown lipstick

Question 48

freckle [/ˈfrekəl/]

Answer 48

freckles are small brown spots on someone’s skin, especially on their face, which the sun can cause to increase in number and become darker → mole

Question 49

stocky [/ˈstɒki/]

Answer 49

a stocky person is short and heavy and looks strong

a stocky build

Question 50

bald [/bɔːld/]

Answer 50

1 having little or no hair on your head
a bald man
his shiny bald head

2 not having enough of what usually covers something
The car’s tires are completely bald.

Question 51

generous [/ˈdʒenərəs/]

Answer 51

someone who is generous is willing to give money, spend time etc, in order to help people or give them pleasure OPP mean
generous to somebody
She’s always very generous to the kids.