Vocabulary in Practice
Build your first 300 English words one small unit at a time. Learn the words, then practise with instant feedback – following the topics in Vocabulary in Practice 1 (Cambridge University Press).
Describing appearanceVocabulary – words for how people look – 42 interactive questions
📖 Word Notes – Describing appearance
Learn the words first, then try the 6 exercises.
1 Tier 1 – The Concept & Nuance: Height, Build, Age & Facial Features
Physical descriptions in English require polite vocabulary choices and a strict grammatical order when combining multiple adjectives for hair and facial characteristics.
slim (attractively thin) · thin
heavy / overweight (polite)
elderly / old (65+)
in his/her twenties / thirties
dark / fair / blonde / grey hair
beard · moustache · freckles
💡 Politeness Nuance: Use slim instead of skinny, and overweight / heavy instead of fat when speaking politely in English.
2 Tier 2 – Essential Collocations & Adjective Order
| Tall vs High | Use tall for people, trees, and narrow buildings (“He is very tall”). Use high for mountains, ceilings, walls, and shelves (“a high mountain”). Never say “a high person”. |
| Handsome vs Pretty | Handsome is traditionally for attractive men. Pretty is for girls/women. Good-looking applies equally to everyone. |
– “He has short straight blonde hair.”
3 Tier 3 – Top 3 Common Learner Pitfalls
– Rule: Use tall for human stature, never high.
– Rule: Always place Length before Style, and Style before Colour.
– Rule: Express age with the verb to be, never with have.
Made with care for English learners · allenglish4u.com
Practice material based on the Vocabulary in Practice 1 syllabus (Cambridge University Press). Original interactive practice by All English 4U.