DESCRIBE OBJECTS

1. Basic information : name, origin (when and where you go the object)
It was probably 1 year or so ago when I bought a cell phone and went through a terrible
experience. The thing that I bought was a cell phone called Mobistar from a shop of the city
shopping mall.

The gift I gave my sister on her birthday is a cell phone. The model of the cell phone is Sony
Experia Z with Android Operating System. Obviously it was manufactured by Sony and currently,
it is a very popular phone in the market.

2. Outward appearance
Put the adjectives into the tables :
Rectangular, strap, initials, wooden, carvings, Medium-sized, plain, steel, antique, label, granite,
square, light, heavy, drawer, oval, stone
Size and weight
Color
Material
Pattern/decoration
Special feature

Underline the adjectives or phrases to describe each items :

1) The pocket watch is made of brass and is attached to a long chain. It has an ivory face
with roman numerals and a separate dial for the second hand. There is a small
inscription on the back which reads “J.Q.W 1927”
2) On wiping it over with a cloth, I found that the album was beautifully bound in leather
and even had the family crest embossed on the cover. Its corners had become a slightly
tatty, but on the whole it was in surprisingly good condition
3) My overcoat is dark blue and made of lambswool. It is very old but should be recognised
from the initials P. sewn on the lining.
4) This beautiful Chinese antique necklace is guaranteed to enhance even the most classic
of outfits. Made of the finest miniature black and white pearls, this masterpiece of
craftsmanship is a must for any serious jewelry collector.

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 1

 5) It was a brown shopping bag with 2 handles. There were 3 articles of clothing inside the
bag. One was an expensive silk blouse with a gold collar. There was also a dark green
scarf to match. The third item was a pair of grey trousers.
6) The last time I saw you, I forgot to tell you about the lovely new mountain bike that my
Dad got me for my birthday. I wish you could see it! It is quite big, but it is really light. It
has a special handlebar and 18 gears. I’ve been going everywhere on it.
7) As I walked into the grand dining room, the first thing I noticed was a huge polished
wooden table. It stretched from one end of the room to the other and it was black and
shiny. Its feet were shaped like claws.

Practise describing about the outward appearance of:

- Your mobile phone

- The oldest object in your family

3. Things you use it for + Opinions

Underline the adjectives or phrases to describe opinions about each items:

1) Since discovering this album I have felt closer to my family. Through the album, I know
more about the occasions in their lives which I would have never known about otherwise.
I gained a real feeling of how one generation adds to the next, and could see that all
qualities of past generations survive in each and every member of the family.

2) Leafing through this album also gave me a strong sense of the realities of history. The
clothes, houses and vehicles depicted in the photos all looked so strange and old-
fashioned that it ws easy to assume that the people were very different as well. But
having actually known some of these people, I knew that they were very much the same

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 2

 as I am and that, while external things might change, humans remain fundamentally the
same throughout history.

3) I would like to think that maybe one day, one of my descendants will cherish the album’s
value. Then they, too, will be able to recapture those long-forgotten moments preserved
in these pictures, which are indeed worth more than a thousand words.

Sample Answer
Describe an expensive thing you bought recently
You should say
What was it
When did you buy it
Where did you buy it
And explain how you could manage to buy it

The expensive thing that I recently bought is a Sony Vaio laptop which cost me around 700
dollars. The Sony laptop I bought is a third generation i7 laptop and it came with the original
Windows 8 operating system. Actually, I bought it 3 months ago from the computer market. I
bought it from the Sony showroom and they gave me 2 years warranty on my laptop. What I
like about this laptop is that it has a large screen and it is white color. I think it looks very
fashionable. The reason why I had to buy a new laptop is that my previous laptop was getting
out-of-dated, it ran very slow and always had problems. To give you an example, it took around
5 minutes to just start it up. I’m glad my father gave me the 50% of the price to help me buying
it. The remaining half came from my savings. I saved the money from the amount I earn from
my part-time job. I did have to look for computers for a long time and tested it carefully before
buying. However, as you know, Vaio is a very popular and reliable brand of laptop so I’m not
worried that it might break down soon in the future. I was so happy to have this new laptop
even though it cost me more than other brands of laptop.

Describe an item of clothing that you recently bought.

You should say:
What it is
When and where you bought it
What it looks like
And explain why you bought it

I’m going describe an item of clothing that I recently bought. It was a pair of high heels. Actually
I just bought it last month in a store close to my house. I often buy shoes here because the shop
Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 3
offers reasonable price, and as well as this, I’m on good terms with the shop attendant. To tell
you a little bit about the appearance of the high heels that I bought, they are in black color and
the material that they are made of is very soft. They look very smart and stylist and I suppose
they match my clothes and other accessories perfectly. In fact, it didn’t take me long to choose
this pair of high heels. The first reason is that I’m a little bit short, so they make me look a little
bit taller. The thing I like about these high heels is I don’t feel uncomfortable, difficult or
awkward to walk in them. They have plenty of room for my feet but it doesn’t look bulky at all.
Besides this, what attracted me to this pair of high heels is it’s very reasonably-priced. I suppose
if I bought any high heels of the same style in a shopping mall, it would cost me an arm and a
leg to get them. Even though it’s not so expensive, I believe it’s very durable because the shop
attendant personally told me that she is willing to change another pair for me if this pair is
broken within a year. Honestly speaking, I think I made a good decision to buy this pair of high
heels.

Practice
A Gift
Describe a gift that you recently gave to another person.
You should say:
what the gift was
who you gave it to
why you chose this particular gift
and explain whether this person liked this present or not. (= explain how much the
person liked the gift.)

A Book
Describe a book that you learned something from.
You should say:
what the book was
what the contents of the book were (are)
how and where you got the book
and explain what you learned from this book.

Clothes
Describe an item of clothing that you recently bought.
You should say:
what it is
Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 4
 what it looks like
when & where you bought it
and explain why you bought it.
Or explain why you like it.

A Piece of Furniture
Describe an item of furniture in your house that you use often
You should say:
what it is
where it is
what it looks like
and explain how or why you use it.

A Work of Art
Describe a painting or work of art that you have seen.
You should say:
when you saw this work of art
where you saw it
what it looked like
and explain your impression of it.

A Vehicle You Would Like to Own

Describe a vehicle you would like to own.
You should say:
what kind of vehicle
why you would like to have it
how you would get (buy) it
and explain why you would prefer this means of transport.

A Newspaper You Like to Read

Describe a newspaper (in your own language) you like to read.
You should say:
what the newspaper's name is
what the contents of the newspaper are (what sections it has)
when or how often it is printed/published

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 5

 how long you usually spend reading this newspaper
explain what sections of the newspaper are most interesting to you.

A Photograph
Describe a photograph that is important to you.
You should say:
what (or who) is in the photograph
when and where it was taken
where you can see this photograph
who took the photograph
and explain why this photograph is important to you.
or
and explain how you feel about this photograph.

An Email or Postcard
Describe a holiday postcard or email you received and that you liked.
You should say:
who the postcard/email was from
where it was sent from
when you received it
what the contents of the postcard or email were
and explain why you liked it.

A Magazine
Describe an interesting magazine.
You should say:
how you know about this magazine
where it can be bought
what information it contains
who you think reads this magazine
and explain why you think this magazine is interesting.

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 6

A Piece of Equipment
Describe a useful piece of equipment (besides the computer) that you use at home.
You should say
how you use it
where you use it
what you use it for
and explain why you think this thing is so useful.
or explain what influence this equipment has on your life.

Something You Want to Buy

Describe something special you want to buy in the future.
You should say:
what it is
what it is like
how long you have wanted to buy it
when you intend to buy it
who you want to buy it for
and explain why you want to buy it.

A Childhood Toy
Describe a toy that was important to you in your childhood.
You should say:
when you got this toy
how you got this toy (or, who gave you this toy)
how often you played with it (or: how much time you spent playing with it)
what you did with this toy
and explain why it was important to you.

A Gift You Gave

Describe a special gift that you gave to someone.
You should say:
what the gift was
who the gift was for (= who you gave it to)
when and where you bought it
and explain why it was special.

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 7

A Book You Read When You Were a Child
Describe a book you enjoyed reading when you were a child.
You should say:
what book it was
what the book was about
who gave you this book
and explain why you enjoyed this book.

Something You Made Yourself

Describe something you made yourself (either alone or with others)
You should say:
what it was
where (and when) you made it
how you made it
what you needed to make it (e.g., what tools equipment and materials)
and explain why you made it yourself.
or explain how you felt after you made it.

An Old Thing in Your Family

Describe an old thing in your family
You should say:
what it is
how (or when) your family first got this thing
how long your family has kept it
and explain why this thing is important to your family.

Pham Bao Ngoc Huyen – 091 699 1290 https://huyenielts.jimdo.com/ Page 8