Shadowing Practice: Describing People’s Appearance | ESL Vocabulary Exercises - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
225 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Do you want to describe people's appearance with confidence?
2
Are you tired of using the same basic words like short, tall, thin, or fat?
3
If so, you've come to the right place.
4
In this lesson, we'll practice describing physical appearances together.
5
By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain what someone looks like with a rich vocabulary.
6
To help you master this skill, we'll use a special method called question-and-answer practice.
7
This technique will help you learn vocabulary deeply.
8
Instead of listening passively, you need to think and form your own sentences.
9
This kind of active learning is really effective.
10
It might be a bit challenging at first, but with some practice, you'll be speaking more fluently and confidently.
11
The results will amaze you.
12
So, if you're ready, let's get started.
13
We'll start our practice with this person, Paul.
14
Paul is a man with a slim build.
15
That means he's a bit thinner than the average person.
16
He has black hair with a receding hairline, which means his hair is thinning at the front of his head.
17
He's wearing glasses, also called eyeglasses.
18
And he has a mustache, the hair above his upper lip.
19
To help you practice these descriptive words, I'll start asking questions about Paul's appearance.
20
Please answer each question with a full sentence.
21
Don't worry about making mistakes.
22
I'll provide the correct answer after each question.
23
All right, let's begin our practice.
24
Is Paul thinner than the average person?
25
yes he's thinner than the average person what kind of
26
build does he have does he have an average build no he doesn't have an average build
27
What kind of build does he have?
28
He has a slim build.
29
He's thinner than average.
30
Take a look at his hairline.
31
Does he have a full hairline?
32
No, he doesn't have a full hairline. Is his hairline receding?
33
Yes, his hairline is receding.
34
Recede means to move back, like when the hairline moves up the forehead.
35
Is he losing his hair?
36
Yes, he's losing his hair.
37
We know that because he has a receding hairline.
38
Look at his face.
39
What is he wearing?
40
He's wearing glasses.
41
What's another word for glasses?
42
Another word for glasses is eyeglasses.
43
What kind of facial hair does he have?
44
Does he have a beard?
45
No, he doesn't have a beard.
46
What kind of facial hair does he have?
47
He has a mustache.
48
Good job!
49
You're doing really well.
50
Now, let's make things a bit more challenging.
51
We're going to add two more people to the mix, Sean and Tommy.
52
First, let's take a look at Sean.
53
As you can see, Sean is a man with a medium build.
54
That means his body is average, not thin, and not heavy.
55
He has a clean-shaven face, which means he doesn't have a beard or a mustache.
56
He's quite good-looking.
57
Good-looking means nice or pleasant to look at.
58
Another word for good-looking is attractive.
59
Now, let's take a look at Tommy.
60
Tommy is a man with a large build.
61
That's a polite way to say that someone is bigger than average.
62
If you want to sound even softer, you can say he's on the larger side.
63
Tommy doesn't have any hair on his head, so we can say he's bald.
64
And he's got a beard, the facial hair on the lower part of the face.
65
Now, let's continue with our Q&A practice.
66
So, tell me, does Tommy have a medium build?
67
No, Tommy doesn't have a medium build.
68
Who has a medium build?
69
Sean has a medium build.
70
His body isn't too big or too thin.
71
What about Tommy?
72
What kind of build does Tommy have?
73
Tommy has a large build.
74
Is Tommy on the larger side?
75
Yes, Tommy is on the larger side.
76
He's bigger than average.
77
What kind of facial hair does Tommy have?
78
Does he have a mustache?
79
No, he doesn't have a mustache.
80
What kind of facial hair does Tommy have?
81
Tommy has a beard.
82
Is Tommy clean-shaven?
83
No, Tommy isn't clean-shaven.
84
He has a beard.
85
What about Paul?
86
Does Paul have a clean-shaven face?
87
No, Paul doesn't have a clean shaven face.
88
He has a mustache.
89
Who has a clean shaven face?
90
Sean has a clean shaven face.
91
He doesn't have any facial hair. Is Sean bald?
92
No, Sean isn't bald.
93
He has a lot of hair. Who is bald?
94
Tommy is bald.
95
He doesn't have any hair on his head.
96
Is Paul a bald man?
97
No, Paul isn't a bald man.
98
His hairline is receding, but he still has hair. Is Paul good-looking?
99
No, Paul isn't good-looking.
100
He looks average.
101
Who is a good-looking man?
102
Sean is a good-looking man.
103
He has a nice appearance.
104
What about Tommy?
105
Is Tommy attractive?
106
No, Tommy isn't attractive.
107
He's average-looking.
108
Between the three men, who is the most attractive?
109
Sean is the most attractive.
110
He looks better than both Paul and Tommy.
111
Okay, that was the last question for this part.
112
Now, let's talk about a new group of people, starting with rows.
113
is average height, not too short and not too tall.
114
She has wavy brown hair.
115
The word wavy comes from the word wave.
116
So, just like small waves in the water, her hair has a soft wave to it.
117
She has a birthmark on her face.
118
A birthmark is a mark or spot you're born with.
119
Now, let's begin our Q&A for Rose.
120
So, tell me, is Rose a short woman?
121
No, Rose isn't a short woman.
122
How tall is she?
123
She is average height. Is she medium height?
124
Yes, she's medium height.
125
In casual speech, average and medium mean the same thing.
126
Is she a tall woman?
127
No, she's not a tall woman.
128
How tall is she?
129
She's average height.
130
What kind of build does she have?
131
She has a medium build.
132
We can also say she has an average build.
133
What color is her hair?
134
Is it black?
135
No, it's not black.
136
What color is her hair?
137
Her hair is brown.
138
She has brown hair.
139
What about the texture of her hair?
140
Does she have straight hair?
141
No, she doesn't have straight hair.
142
Straight means not bending or curving.
143
And, as you You can see, Rose's hair isn't straight.
144
It has a soft wave to it.
145
What kind of hair does she have?
146
She has wavy hair.
147
Her hair has soft waves.
148
Does she have wavy brown hair?
149
Yes, she has wavy brown hair.
150
What does she have on her face?
151
Is it a scar?
152
No, it's not a scar.
153
What does she have on her face?
154
She has a birthmark on her face.
155
She's had that since she was born.
156
Good job!
157
Now, let's add two more people to the mix, Jill and Wendy.
158
First, let's take a look at Jill.
159
Jill has straight black hair, which means her hair doesn't curl or wave like the other woman's hair.
160
She's shorter and smaller than average, so we can say she has a small build.
161
Next, we have Wendy.
162
Wendy has curly blonde hair.
163
Curly hair means her hair makes small circles or spirals, like a spring.
164
She has freckles on her face.
165
are small spots caused by sun exposure, and they're quite common among people with very light skin.
166
She also has a birthmark on her arm.
167
Now, let's continue with our Q&A practice.
168
So tell me, does Jill have curly hair?
169
No, Jill doesn't have curly hair.
170
What kind of hair does Jill have?
171
Jill has straight hair.
172
It's not wavy like Rose's or curly like Wendy's.
173
Does Wendy have wavy hair?
174
No, Wendy doesn't have wavy hair.
175
It's Rose who has wavy hair.
176
What kind of hair does Wendy have?
177
Wendy has curly hair.
178
Does Wendy have a scar on her arm?
179
No, Wendy doesn't have a scar on her arm.
180
What does Wendy have on her arm?
181
Wendy has a birthmark on her arm. Is Wendy average height?
182
No, Wendy isn't average height.
183
She's taller than average. Who is average height?
184
Rose is average height.
185
Does Rose have a small build?
186
No, Rose doesn't have a small build.
187
She has a medium build.
188
Who has a small build?
189
Jill has a small build.
190
She's shorter and smaller than average.
191
What about Wendy?
192
What kind of build does Wendy have?
193
Wendy has a large build.
194
Is Wendy on the larger side?
195
Yes, Wendy is on the larger side.
196
Look at Wendy's face.
197
What is she wearing?
198
She's wearing glasses.
199
Does Wendy have small spots on her face?
200
Yes, Wendy has small spots on her face.
201
What are those spots called?
202
Are they called birthmarks?
203
No, they aren't called birthmarks.
204
What are they called?
205
They are called freckles. Does Rose have freckles?
206
No, Rose doesn't have freckles. Who has freckles?
207
Wendy has freckles.
208
Okay, we're almost done.
209
Let's finish our practice with simple questions about skin and hair color.
210
Tell me, who has dark skin?
211
Jill has dark skin. Who has light skin?
212
Rose and Wendy have light skin.
213
Light skin means any skin tone that's not brown or dark.
214
So, even though Rose's skin is a bit darker than Wendy's, they both have light skin.
215
Who has the lightest skin?
216
Wendy has the lightest skin. Who has brown hair?
217
Rose has brown hair. Who has blonde hair?
218
Wendy has blonde hair.
219
Blonde means a light yellow or golden color. Who has black hair?
220
Jill has black hair.
221
All right, that was the last question.
222
You did a great job.
223
If you really want to improve your fluency, repetition is very important.
224
So, make sure to repeat this lesson until you can answer every question easily.
225
Keep up the great work, and I'll see you in the next lesson.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B21
Improve Your English Pronunciation Fast with This Practice
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B220
I found the reason you can't speak English well
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
How to Improve Your Vocabulary and Speak 10x Better
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B22
The Secret to Speaking Fluent English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
How to Pronounce English Words Correctly
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B112
How to Understand English Movies Without Subtitles
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B16
How to Remember Vocabulary (Easily)
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
How to Improve English Writing Skills (Without Studying Grammar)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B214
The Easiest Way to Improve Your English Listening Skills
Daily Conversation
B230
How to Improve Your English Speaking Skills (by Yourself)
Daily Conversation
B12
The Best Way to Improve Your English Vocabulary
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B113
No Subtitles: The Fastest Way to Improve Your English Listening Skills
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B186
21 sentences
How to Describe People | Adjectives to Appearance
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
198 sentences
SLOW ENGLISH: Answering Questions in English - Listening Comprehension
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
44 sentences
English Collocations - Appearance
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B15
70 sentences
🟢 Describing People | Daily English Conversation | English Speaking Practice | English Shadowing
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B113
11 sentences
Improve your English fluency: Describe this situation? #English #ielts #ingles
IELTS PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
110 sentences
English at the Hair Salon
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B113
156 sentences
How to Describe a Picture in English - Spoken English Lesson
British AccentCambridge Exam PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
235 sentences
Learn English Conversation Practice Daily | Improve English Listening and Speaking Skills 💪
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
187 sentences
English Vocabulary to Describe Everyday Objects!
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B14
81 sentences
Are You Forgetting English Words When Speaking? Try These Tips!
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
278 sentences
Talking About Your Personality | Easy English Podcast (A1–B1)
Interview EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B13
123 sentences
How to Build English Sentences (Step-by-Step Guide to Speaking Naturally)
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
What You'll Learn
This video helps you build two key speaking skills: describing people’s appearances with rich vocabulary (no more just "tall" or "thin!") and forming clear, confident sentences through active question-and-answer practice. By the end, you’ll effortlessly use terms like "slim build," "receding hairline," and "mustache" to paint detailed pictures. Plus, you’ll master the art of thinking on your feet—critical for real-world conversations.
Listen For These Sounds
The dialogue uses natural connected speech, so listen closely for linking and reductions. For example, "He has a" often blends into "He’s a," and "eyeglasses" might sound like "eye-glasses" with a soft "g." Notice how questions like "What kind of build does he have?" flow smoothly, with stress on "kind" and "build" to emphasize the key details. These subtle sounds are what make your speech sound native.
Say It Like a Native
To mirror the speaker’s rhythm, practice the shadowing technique: repeat each sentence immediately after hearing it, matching the speed and stress. For instance, when the speaker says, "Paul is a man with a slim build," stress "slim" to highlight his frame. Use a shadowing app or shadowing site to record yourself and compare—you’ll quickly notice improvements in your pronunciation and fluency. This active practice isn’t just effective; it’s fun! You’ll soon find yourself describing people with the same confidence as a native, turning simple conversations into engaging stories. Ready to start? Grab your device, hit play, and let’s get speaking!
Whether you’re using a shadowing site or practicing alone, this video is your shortcut to improving English pronunciation and nailing English speaking practice. Remember: every mistake is a step forward. Keep going, and you’ll be amazed by how quickly you progress!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was born · aren't called · are called |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | hairline, which means · face, which means · hair, which means |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | thinner than · bigger than · better than |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most attractive · the lightest |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.