Personality Features Flashcards
He is always considered as the life and soul of the party.
To be the life and soul of the party:
A fun person , someone who is the centre of activity.
He always bends over backwards to help us with our works.
To bend over backwards:
To try very hrd to help someone.
My mother is so broad-minded in spite of being religious.
Broad-minded: prepared to accept other views or behaviours.=narrow-minded
I’ve never seen her worried or anxious in any way - she’s so laid-back.
Laid-back: easy going
If you are fair-minded you’ll be less likely to overact to situations or be quick-tempered.
Fair-minded:
Treating people equally
Her friends describe her as fun-loving and energetic.
Fun-loving: enjoy having fun.
You’ll like Rosie - she’s good company
Good company: enjoyable to socialise with.
I’m not painfully shy! But being alone in most situations is more prefable for me.
Painfully shy: very shy.
Quick-tempered people tend to lose their temper easily.
Quick-tempered: to become wngry quicly
She is a quite , reserved woman.
They are not painfully shy but a little reserved.
Reserved:
Reserved people do not often talk about or show their feelings or thoughts
The interview showed her as a self-assured and mature student.
Self-assured: having confidence in your own abilities or talents.= self-confident
Some people ar eso self-centred! They just think of their own interests and willings.
Self-centred: only interested in yourself and your own activities.
The captain was typically self-effacing when questioned about the team’s successes, giving credit to the other players.
Self-effacing:
not making yourself noticeable, or not trying to get the attention of other people.
You do need to be thick-skinned to survive as a politician here.
Thick-skinned: not easily affected by criticism.
You can always confide in her since she is so trustworthy.
Trustworhy:Can be trusted
I don’t trust her - I suspect she’s a bit two-faced.
Two-faced:
Someone who is two-faced is not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you.
He is very friendly and approachable individual , he actually made an effort to break the ice because I was to shy to strike up a conversation.
Graham’s always very approachable - why don’t you talk the problem over with him?
Approachable:
Friendly easy to talk to
He was a benevolent old man and wouldn’t hurt a fly.
She is a benevolent and good person who possesses a good heart.
Benevolent:
Kind and helpful.
She possesses a charming personality that illuminate people around her.
Illuminate: to light something and make it brighter
You should take more pride in your work.
Honesty is truly the personal trait I take pride in myself and want to share with you today.
Take pride in :
to feel very pleased about something or someone you are closely connected with.
Our history teacher never talks down to us.
My boss treats me like a child.
She is always talking down to me.
Talk down to sb:
To speak to someone in a simple way , as if the person cannot understand things as well as you can
I really put my foot in it, I asked her if jane was her mother, but she said jane is her sister
Put Your foot in it:
To say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets someone
My sister is very direct and always speaks her mind, but at least she never talks about people behind their backs.
Behid sb’s back:
Without somebody knowing about it
Speak your mind:to say exactly what you think in a direct way
What a bad situation, I had asked my child to do something and he answered me back.
Don’t you dare answer me back, young lady!
Answer sb back:
Reply Rudely to somebody who has more authority than you.
I’m always telling her off for being so cheeky.
The teacher told me off for swearing.
If you make your sister cry, you will get told off.
Tell sb off:
Speak angrily to somebody for doing something wrong
Rosa was talking so much that nobody else could get a word in edgeways!!!
I was in a meeting with my boss and I couldn’t get a word in edgeways!!!
Not get a word in edgeways:
To Not be able to say anything because someone else is takking all the time
Do you think he managed to get his ideas across?
The campaign had clearly failed to get its message across to the public.
Get something across:
To manage to make someone understand or believe something
Did you get through to the complaints department?
Succeed in speaking to somebody on the phone
I’ve got something on this Tuesday, but I’m free on wednesday
Have got sth on:
You have planned to do something
I’m absolutely snowed under with work at the moment.
Be snowed under sth:
To have so much work that you have problems dealing with it all.
I don’t feel up going out tonight.
Feel up:
To have the energy to do something
Of course there is some truth in all this , but only up to a point
The new traffic system worked up to a point , but it had its problems.
Up to a point:
Partly
The fact that he doesn’t want to come is beside the point - he should have been invited
Beside the point:
Not related to the subject being discussed
There are a few small things that I don’t like about my job, but by and large its very enjoyable.
By and large: in general
We are just weighing up the pros and cons of moving to a bigger house.
Pros and cons:
Adv and disadv
I take after my father, we are both tall- that runs in the family.
Intelligence seems to run in that family.
We are all ambitious- it seems to run in the family
Run in the family:
If the quality , disease , ability runs in the family , many members of the family have it.
I always looked up to my father so it was no surprise when I followed in his footsteps and joined him on the family farm.
Look up to sb:
To admire and respect someone
He knows the system inside out.
He knows the business inside out.
Know sth inside out:
To know everything about a subject
He enjoys showing me the ropes.
Lynn spent an afternoon showing the new girl the ropes.
Show sb the ropes:
To show someone how to do a job or activity.
Do you realize how much extra work you are letting yourself in for ?
Let yourself in for sth:
To become involved in a difficult or unpleasant situation without intending to.
He looks nothing like his brother.
I’m nothing like my sister.
Nothing like sb:
Not at all similar to someone or something
I’ll get my own back on her one day.
I got my own back by hiding her favourite doll , she always burst into tears when I did that.
Do you remember getting your own back on someone for something horrible they did to you ?
Get your own back (on sb):
to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something unpleasant to you
Sexual stereoypes
Adverts are full of stereotypes.
The study claims that Britinsh advertising stereotypes women.
We tried not to give children sexually stereotyped toys.
Stereotype:A set idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong
The hot weather is partly to blame for the water shortage.
The older generation seem to think we are to blame for everything that goes wrong in the world.
Be to blame for something: be responsible for something bad, be at fault
Be to blame for something: be responsible for something bad, be at fault
I didn’t see any news all the time I was on holiday, so I’m completely out of touch.
Older peope are a bit out of touch when it comes to things like technology.
Be intouch/out of touch:
If you are in touch / out of touch with a subject , activity or situation , your knowledge about it is recent/not recent.
As people get older, they often become set in their ways.
Many people are set in their ways, and that can make them a bit narrow minded.
Be set in your ways:
To do the same things everyday and not to change those habits:
I sometimes feel more at ease with older people because they are not trying to impress you.
He felt completely at ease.
She soon put me at ease.
Feel/Be at ease with sb:
Feel comfortable and relaxed
Don’t go on about politics.
The older generation are always going on about young people.
Go on about sth/sb: talk about for a long time in a boring and complaining way
She has been getting up to all sorts of mischief lately.
What have you been getting up to?
Sh usually gets up to some sort of trouble at school.
Get up to something:to do something especially the one that other people would disapprove of.
She’ll have to get a job and learn to stand on her own two feet sooner or later.
Stand on your own feet:
To be able to provide all of the things you need for living without help from anyone else.
We can’t get through to the government just how serious the problem is!
I don’t seem to be able to get through to him these days.
Get through to sb:
To succeed in making someone understand or believe something
They are worlds apart in their political views.
Be worlds apart:
To be completely opposed or different
Some people are just behind the times.
If someone behind the times, they are old fashioned.
Behind the times:
If someone behind the times, they are old fashioned.
I never take offence when young people say old people are boring. I felt exactly the same when I was wrong.
Was she upset at what you said? No, I dont think she took offence.
Take offence (at sth):
Feel upset or hurt by something
There is no point in arguing with him,- yes, it’s easier just to give in to him.
Give in to someone: stop fighting or arguing with someone and accept you can’t win.
We live next door to a young family who are always willing to help out.
Her parents helped her out with a £500 loan.
Help sb out = lend sb a hand
If you tell him the truth , you run the risk of hurting his feelings.
Run the risk of doing sth:
Do sth that could have a bad result.
I don’t know why she puts up with him.
After your party goes well, thank the neighbours afterwards for putting up with any noise.
Put up with sth:
Accept sth / sb that is unpleasant , without complaining.
I had terrible butterflies before I gave that talk in Venice.
I was starting to get butterflies in my stomach on the morning of the flight.
Have/get butterflies in your stomach:
To feel very nervous, usually about something you are going to do.
The good thing about running is that is takes my mind off any problems I have.
Going to gym takes my mind off the exams.
Take sb’s mind off sth:
To stop you from thinking or worrying about a problem or pain.
If you are having the time of your life , you are enjoying yourself very much.
Have the time of yourself
She was thrilled to bits with her present.
= be over the moon
She was over the moon with/about her new bike.
Thrilled to bits:
Extremely pleased. Very happy snd excited about something.
If somebody’s behavior makes you sick , it makes you very angry and upset.
Makes you sick
If you are feeling on edge , you are feeling nervous and unable to relax.
Feeling on edge
I got cold feet about getting married.
Get cold feet about decision:
You suddenly become nervous about sth you have planned to do.
She is a bit down in the dumps because she failed one of her exams.
Down in the dumps:
Feeling depressed, un happy
He spent all evening chatting her up and buying her drinks.
Chat sb up:
To talk to someone in a way that shows them you are sexually attracted to them
We have stuck together.
The 2 brothers always stick together at school.
We are a family we have to stick together.
stick together:
Support and help eachother; close to each other.
He finally plucked up courage to ask her to marry him.
I can’t pluck up the courage to jump.
Pluck up (the) courage (to do sth): For force yourself to be brave enough to do something, although you are frightened or worried about it.
He walked out on his wife and 2 kids.
With some young couples nowdays it seems that if anything goes wrong, one of them walks out.
To leave your partner and end your realtionship with them.
All the parents walked out of the meetinf in protest.
Walk out:
To leave an event because you are angry or disapprove of something.
I love zohre, but some things about her get on my nerves!
Get on sb’s nerves
He doesn’t do his fair share of the housework.
Your fair share of sth:
A fair and reasonable amount of something
The report doesn’t take into account the problems of people who do not speak english.
I have to take into account the fact that ….
Take sth into account:
To consider or remember something when judging a situation.
In every friendship there has to be some give and take.
Give and take:
A situation in which you do things or compromise for other people, and they do things or compromise for you.
She is always putting me down in front of other people
Why did you have to put me down in front of everybody like that?
Put sb down:
To make somebody feel silly or not important by criticizing them.
He is always making jokes at my expense.
At sb’s expense:
Against somebody
The children were expected to tidy away their toys before bedtime.
To put things back in drawers, cupboards, and other places where are kept after you have used them.
Tidy sth away:
To put things back in drawers, cupboards, and other places where are kept after you have used them.
My flat-mate is driving me up the wall.
Her behavior drives me up the wall.
Drive sb up the wall:
To make someone extremely angry.
My mother has driving me around the bend.
Staying at home all day was driving her around the bend.
Drive sb around the bend:
To make someone very bored or angry
So far, you have kept your feelings to yourself.
Keep sth to your self:
Not tell anyone else about something.
I tried to look interested, but my heart wasn’t in it.
Your heart isn’t in your work and its time to do something else with your life.
Your heart is not in sth:
You are not very interested in or excited about something you are doing.
Did it take you long to find your feet when you started your new job ?
To become familiar with and confident in a new situation.
Find your feet:
To become familiar with and confident in a new situation.
We must not let them take over our lives.
Take control of something.
Take over:
Take control of something.
He lost his job and in the ensuing months became more and more depressed.
Ensuing:
happening after something and because of it
