Be and Have for Describing Appearances

Be and have for describing appearances speaking games

Warmer – Be and have with appearance words simplest responses game

Listen to your teacher read out words from the right-hand column below, e.g. “beard” or “tall” and show if you think the word takes “is” or “has (got)” by:

• Holding up the “is” card or the “has (got)” card that you have been given
• Running and touching or pointing at “is” or “has (got)” on the classroom walls
• Raising your right hand for “is” or left hand for “has (got)”
• Shouting out the right word

Do the same, but this time for a whole sentence, e.g. “My English teacher hmmmm a beard” or “My uncle BLANK bald”.

Do the same, but this time listen carefully to your teacher’s sentence and show but if you think the verb should be “be” or “have” and if you think it is positive or negative for the person who your teacher is talking about, by:

• Holding up the “is” or “has (got)” card and a “not” card if you think the sentence should be negative
• Running and touching or pointing at the “is”, “isn’t”, “has got” or “hasn’t got” card on the classroom walls
• Raising your right hand for “is” or left hand for “has (got)” and standing up to show “not” if you think the sentence should be negative (and staying sat down if you think it should be a positive sentence)
• Shouting out the right word(s)

Do the same with another student reading out (true) sentences with missing verbs.

 

Be and have for appearances personalised speaking game

In pairs, think about a positive or negative sentence to describe someone you know such as one of the sentences in the box below. Say the sentence without using the verb, e.g. “My dad LA LA LA a tattoo” or “My pet SOMETHING cute”. Without looking at the worksheet, your partner should repeat the sentence with the right verb, including “not” if they think the real sentence is negative. 

 

Be and have for appearances grammar presentation

Write “has (got)” or “is” next to all of words in the right-hand column on the other page.

What kinds of words go with each verb?

Which of the two verbs go with each of these kinds of words?

• “a/ an …”
• “…s”
• noun
• adjective
• adjective + noun

 

Suggested describing appearances with be and have statements

my aunt my brother my coach my cousin my dad/ my father my doctor my doll my English teacher my favourite Disney character my favourite basketball player my favourite character my favourite newsreader my favourite rapper my favourite singer my favourite sumo wrestler my favourite television presenter my grandfather my grandmother my mum/ my mother my music teacher my pet my school teacher my sister my sports teacher my teddy bear my uncle

is   isn’t   doesn’t have   has   has got   hasn’t got

a beard/ a moustache a big mouth/ (a) big… a hairy chest/ hairy legs/ (a) hairy… a long nose/ long eyelashes/ (a) long… a perm a ponytail/ piggy tails a round face/ (a) round... a scar a small mouth/ (a) small… a square face/ (a) square… a tattoo/ tattoos bald/ balding beautiful/ handsome/ pretty black hair/ (a) black… blue eyes/ green eyes brown hair/ (a) brown… curly hair/ wavy hair cute dark brown eyes/ dark brown… dyed hair/ dyed… fair hair/ blond hair/ ginger hair/ red hair fashionable/ trendy/ cool fat/ chubby fat cheeks/ (a) fat… grey hair/ white hair medium build medium-length hair pierced ears/ pierced… red lips/ red… scruffy short short hair/ (a) short… slim/ thin smartly dressed straight hair/ (a) straight… strong/ muscular tall thick eyebrows/ thick… ugly … arms/ … hands … hair … legs … skin a… body a… nose

 

Cards for students to hold up 

is	has (got)	is	has (got)
not		not
is	has (got)	is	has (got)
not		not

 

 

Be and have with appearance words freer speaking

Describing people brainstorming

Without looking above, choose someone you both know and take turns making true sentences about how they look. If anyone repeats, says something not true or gives up, the other person gets one point. Do the same about different people until your teacher stops the game.

 

Describing people with be and have brainstorming dice game

Do the same for a different person, but this time roll the dice before you make each sentence. Depending on what number you roll, you must use this verb in your sentence:

1 or 2 – is

3 or 4 – has (got)

5 – isn’t

6 – hasn’t (got)

 

Make your own person with be and have game

Take turns describing an imaginary person. When you have said or written at least ten sentences, try to draw that person. If you made negative sentences, draw that thing next to the person with a cross (X) through it.

Then ask someone from another group to describe the person who you have drawn. Is their description the same as yours was?

 

Make your own person with be and have dice game

Play the same describing and drawing game as before, but this time rolling a dice to decide which verb you must use in each sentence:

1 or 2 – is

3 or 4 – has (got)

5 – isn’t

6 – hasn’t (got)

If you made negative sentences, draw that thing next to the person with a cross (X) through it.

Then ask someone from another group to describe the person who you have drawn. Is their description the same as yours was?