Instructions

Describing Things

We often have to describe an object, or a piece of equipment, or a machine, or a gadget to people. We need to do this because the listener is unfamiliar with the object or because we cannot think of the name for it. N.B. Even native speakers sometimes have the latter problem and in some cases substitute the forgotten word with such words as "thingamigig or  "wadayacallit"

“Pass me the thingamijig”

“Have you seen the wadayacallit?”

These expressions are very useful in our daily lives, but are not sufficient in more professional situations, or on the occasions when we need to be more precise. In these situations we need to have a bit more structure.

In describing an object we often have to answer these questions:

What size is it?
What shape is it?
What colour is it ?
What is it made of?
What does it look like?
What is it used for?
How does it work?

Let’s take an example: the Swedish national flag

What size is it?

In English we give size: length x breadth x depth.
The ‘x’ is pronounced ‘by’

In this example we can say the flag is: 2 meters x 1 meter

What shape is it?

In the case of our flag, the shape is rectangular

For a review of the different shapes, click the exercise button.

What colour is it?

Our flag has a blue background and a yellow cross..

What is it made of?

Flags can be made of many different things. In our case it is made of cloth.

Exercise

move your mouse over the following names to get a picture of something made out of that substance.

What does it look like?

Mmm, this is a bit tricky isn’t it? A flag looks like a flag! But maybe here we could say that the image represents the rays of the sun in the form of a cross on a blue sky.

What is it used for?

The main purpose of flags is to display some kind of allegiance, and is most commonly used as part of a ceremony or a celebration.

How does it work?

Now things start getting more complicated! How does a flag work?

Well, in the first case it is tied to a flagpole and hoisted. Then the flag spends a period of time flapping in the wind. The stronger the wind, the harder the flag flaps. At the end of the day the flag is lowered and packed away until the next occasion it is to be used.

Putting it all together

Now listen to the complete description and decide for yourself if this is a good complete description of a flag. If you think you can do a better job then please send us a copy!

Listening Exercise

Listen to these four descriptions of things and try to decide what they are. When you think you have worked it out, click the ‘answer’ button and check it out.