Lesson 1. She’s very tall.

   A. Listen and practice.

Emily: I hear you have a new girlfriend, Randy.
Randy: Yes. Her name’s Ashley, and she’s gorgeous!

Emily: Really? What does she look like?
Randy: Well, she’s very tall.

Emily: How tall?
Randy: About 6 feet 2, I suppose.

Emily: Wow, that is tall. What color is her hair?
Randy: She has beautiful red hair.

Emily: And how old is she?
Randy: I don’t know. She won’t tell me.

B. Listen to the rest of the conversation. What else do you learn about Ashley?

1) Conversation Overview

This conversation is about describing someone’s physical appearance and asking for personal details.

Emily asks Randy about his new girlfriend, Ashley. Randy describes what Ashley looks like, including her height and hair color. Emily also asks about Ashley’s age, but Randy explains that Ashley does not want to tell him.

In this conversation, you will learn how to:

• Ask what someone looks like.
• Describe a person’s physical appearance.
• Talk about height, hair, and age.
• Ask follow-up questions naturally.
• Use adjectives to describe people.
• Understand the difference between What does she look like? and What is she like?
• Use expressions such as I hear…, I suppose, and She won’t tell me.
• Give more detailed and natural descriptions of people.

Learning Goal

By the end of this conversation, you should be able to ask about and describe someone’s physical appearance confidently and naturally, using appropriate questions, adjectives, and descriptive expressions.

2) Listen & Practice

Listen to the conversation carefully.

Then practice it several times with a partner.

Student A: Read Emily’s part.
Student B: Read Randy’s part.

Then switch roles.

Pronunciation Focus

Pay attention to these expressions:

What does she look like?
→ In natural speech, does she is often pronounced quickly and smoothly.

Her name’s Ashley.
→ Her name is becomes Her name’s.

She’s gorgeous!
→ Stress gorgeous to show enthusiasm.

I suppose.
→ Use a softer tone because the speaker is giving an approximate answer.

3) Main Idea

The main idea of this conversation is:

Randy is describing the physical appearance of his new girlfriend, Ashley, while Emily asks him questions to learn more about her.

The conversation demonstrates how English speakers naturally ask for more information about another person.

4) Key Vocabulary

5) Useful Expressions

I hear you have…

Used when you have heard some news about someone.

Examples:

• I hear you have a new job.
• I hear you moved to London.
• I hear you’re getting married.

What does she look like?

Used to ask about physical appearance.

Example:

A: What does your new teacher look like?
B: She’s tall and has long dark hair.

How tall is she?

Used to ask specifically about height.

Other similar questions:

• How old is she?
• How long is her hair?
• How tall is your brother?

I suppose

Used when you think something is probably true but are not completely certain.

Examples:

• He’s about 25, I suppose.
• It’ll take an hour, I suppose.
• She’s around six feet tall, I suppose.

She won’t tell me.

Here, won’t does not simply describe the future. It can show that someone refuses or is unwilling to do something.

Examples:

• He won’t tell me his age.
• She won’t answer my question.
• They won’t explain what happened.

6) Grammar Focus

A. Asking About Appearance

The key structure is:

What + does + subject + look like?

• What does she look like?
• What does he look like?
• What does your new teacher look like?
• What do they look like?

Possible answers:

• She’s tall and slim.
• He’s short and athletic.
• She has long red hair.
• He has dark eyes and a beard.

B. Be vs. Have for Descriptions

Use be with adjectives:

Subject + be + adjective

• She is tall.
• He is handsome.
• They are young.

Use have/has with physical features:

Subject + have/has + noun

• She has red hair.
• He has blue eyes.
• She has a beautiful smile.

❌ She is red hair.
✅ She has red hair.

C. Asking About Specific Details

How tall is she?
→ She’s about 6 feet 2.

What color is her hair?
→ She has red hair.

How old is she?
→ I don’t know.

These questions allow the speaker to move from a general description to specific details.

7) Important Difference

What does she look like?

This asks about physical appearance.

Answer:
She’s tall, slim, and has long red hair.

What is she like?

This usually asks about personality or character.

Answer:
She’s friendly, intelligent, and very outgoing.

Compare:

A: What does your teacher look like?
B: He’s tall and has short gray hair.

A: What is your teacher like?
B: He’s friendly, patient, and very helpful.

This distinction is especially important at B2 level.

8) Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions:

1. Who has a new girlfriend?
2. What is Randy’s girlfriend’s name?
3. How does Randy describe Ashley?
4. What does Emily ask Randy about Ashley?
5. Approximately how tall is Ashley?
6. What color is Ashley’s hair?
7. Does Randy know Ashley’s age?
8. Why doesn’t he tell Emily her age?
9. What does gorgeous mean in this conversation?
10. What does I suppose tell us about Randy’s answer?

9) Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Who is Ashley?

A. Emily’s sister
B. Randy’s girlfriend
C. Randy’s teacher
D. Emily’s friend

Answer: B

2. How does Randy describe Ashley?

A. Short
B. Average height
C. Very tall
D. Very young

Answer: C

3. Ashley has:

A. black hair
B. red hair
C. brown hair
D. blonde hair

Answer: B

4. How tall is Ashley?

A. About 5 feet 2
B. About 5 feet 6
C. About 6 feet
D. About 6 feet 2

Answer: D

5. Why doesn’t Randy know Ashley’s age?

A. He forgot.
B. Emily interrupted him.
C. Ashley won’t tell him.
D. He has never asked.

Answer: C

10) True or False

Decide whether each statement is True (T) or False (F).

1. Randy has a new girlfriend. — True
2. Her name is Emily. — False
3. Randy thinks Ashley is gorgeous. — True
4. Ashley is very short. — False
5. Ashley is about 6 feet 2 tall. — True
6. Ashley has beautiful red hair. — True
7. Randy tells Emily Ashley’s exact age. — False
8. Ashley does not want to tell Randy her age. — True

11) Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences using:

gorgeous – look like – tall – suppose – red – won’t

1. What does your new friend __________?
2. Ashley is very __________.
3. Randy says Ashley is __________.
4. She has beautiful __________ hair.
5. She’s about 6 feet 2, I __________.
6. Ashley __________ tell Randy her age.

Answers

1. look like
2. tall
3. gorgeous
4. red
5. suppose
6. won’t

12) Speaking Practice

Work with a partner.

Student A

Think of a person you know or a fictional character.

Student B

Ask questions to find out what the person looks like.

Use:

• What does he/she look like?
• How tall is he/she?
• What color is his/her hair?
• Does he/she have long or short hair?
• What color are his/her eyes?
• How old is he/she?
• Does he/she wear glasses?
• What is he/she like?

Then switch roles.

13) Describe Someone

Try to give a more detailed B2-level description.

Instead of:

She is tall. She has red hair.

Try:

She’s quite tall, with beautiful red hair and a very distinctive appearance. I’d say she’s around six feet tall, although I’m not completely sure.

B2 Challenge

Describe someone using at least five of these words:

tall – slim – attractive – curly – straight – medium-height – well-dressed – gorgeous – distinctive – athletic – youthful – elegant

14) Writing Practice

Write 80–100 words describing someone you know, a famous person, or an imaginary character.

Include:

• General appearance
• Height
• Hair
• Eyes
• Age or approximate age
• Clothing/style
• Personality

Try to use expressions from the lesson such as:

I’d say…
I suppose…
He/She looks…
He/She has…
What I notice most is…

15) B2 Communication Tip

At B2 level, try not to give only short descriptions.

Instead of:

She’s tall and has red hair.

Expand your answer naturally:

She’s quite tall—probably around six feet—and she has beautiful red hair. She’s also very stylish, and she definitely stands out in a crowd.

This makes your English sound more fluent, natural, and descriptive.

Lesson Goal Achieved

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

Ask about someone’s appearance, describe physical characteristics in detail, ask natural follow-up questions, and distinguish between physical appearance and personality.