6     I can talk about character

How I see myself

Dan (33) ‘I’m ambitious, self-confident, and generous. I’m also very impatient.’

Kaz (18) ‘I’m always cheerful, I’m easy-going, and I’ve got lots of energy.’

Giles (45) ‘I see myself as honest, hard-working, and generally tolerant.’

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How others see me

‘Some people really like me; others think I’m arrogant and maybe aggressive.’

‘My parents don’t think I’m very responsible; my friends just think I’m crazy.’

‘Other people probably think I’m a bit dull, without much sense of humour.’

 

spotlight  crazy, mad, stupid

Crazy INF\nand mad mean ‘not sensible or practical: a bit stupid’.

Both\nwords can describe a person or an action or idea, but the meaning is not always negative. They can describe someone who is a bit out of control but just wants to enjoy life. Stupid is always negative.

 

Glossary

see sb as sth  imagine or think of sb in a particular way.

ambitious  having a strong desire to do well or be successful. OPP unambitious. ambition N.

self-confident  feeling sure about your own ability. OFF insecure.

generous  happy to give more money and help than is usual. OPP mean. generosity N.

impatient  not able to stay calm and wait for sth/sb. OPP patient. patience N.

arrogant  thinking you are better than other people. OPP modest. arrogance N.

aggressive  likely to light or argue. aggression N.

cheerful  feeling happy.

easy-going  relaxed and not worried by what other people do.

energy  the ability to be very active without getting tired. energetic ADJ.

responsible  able to act sensibly and intelligently. OPP irresponsible.

honest  always telling the truth. OPP dishonest. honesty N.

hard-working  able to work with effort and for a long time. OPP lazy.

tolerant  able to accept ideas you don’t agree with. OPP intolerant. tolerance N.

dull  boring.

sense of humour  the ability to laugh at things and see when sth is funny.

6     ABOUT YOU  Answer the questions, or ask another student.

1     Are you ambitious? If so, in what way? ________

2     Would you say you’re hard-working or a bit lazy? ________

3     Are you intolerant of anything? If so, what? ________

4     When do you get impatient? ________

5     How do you see yourself? Write three adjectives. ________

6     Which two qualities do you think are the most important: honesty, patience, tolerance, or generosity? ________

Answers from a German person

1     Yes, I am a very ambitious person. I like to do well in most things that I try.

2     I am a hard-working person but I also enjoy letting my hair down.

3     I’m not an intolerant person but I don’t like people imposing things on me.

4     I get impatient when passport control only has one lane open at the airport.

5     I’m a self-confident, easy-going person with a good sense of humour.

6     I think honesty and tolerance are the most important qualities.

7     Test yourself. Cover your opposites and nouns in Exercise 4 and test yourself. Then cover the glossary meanings and look at the words. What do they mean?