TESOL/Describing family members

Fletcher, James, John, and Joseph Harper

Key sentences

Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Do your sisters look alike? They are the spitting image of each other.
They look nothing like each other.
Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Who do you (verb) in your family? My mother. I have my mother's (noun).
Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
How do you take after your (family member?) We both (verb).
I (verb) the way she does.

Drills

Say these sentences without looking.

Who do you (verb) in your family?
verb sentence
take after Who do you take after in your family?
look like Who do you look like in your family?
resemble Who do you resemble in your family?
act like Who do you act like in your family?
My mother. I have my mother's (noun).
noun sentence
eyes My mother. I have my mother's eyes.
nose My mother. I have my mother's nose.
personality My mother. I have my mother's personality.
attitude My mother. I have my mother's attitude.
How do you take after your (family member?)
family member? sentence
mother? How do you take after your mother?
father? How do you take after your father?
grandmother? How do you take after your grandmother?
brother? How do you take after your brother?
We both (verb).
verb sentence
snore We both snore.
enjoy reading We both enjoy reading.
sleep too much We both sleep too much.
sing We both sing.

Example

Practice this conversation.

Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Do your sisters look alike? They are the spitting image of each other.
Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Who do you (take after) in your family? My mother. I have my mother's (eyes).
Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
How do you take after your (mother?) We both (snore).

Change partners. Use your imagination and change the sentences.

Exercise

Use your imagination. Make your own conversation.

Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family

Do your sisters look alike?

They are the spitting image of each other.

Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Who do you ... in your family? My mother. I have my mother's ....
Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
How do you take after your ... We both ....

Change partners. Use your imagination and make another conversation.

Practice

Asking about your partner's family Talking about your own family
Ask about your partner's family. Talk about your family. Think about the nose, mouth, hair (or no hair), eyes, height, weight, and so on. Also think about who:
  • is good at sports
  • is good at math
  • enjoys art or music
  • likes or hates certain foods
  • likes cats or dogs

Further study


  Resource type: this resource is a lesson in English as a second language.

Review

edit

1 Put these words in the correct order.

you after who take do
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4
Word 5

2 Put these words in the correct order.

have eyes mother's I my
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4
Word 5

3 Put these words in the correct order.

I way the does she walk
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4
Word 5
Word 6