How to write a personal profile – A1 English writing

How to write a personal profile

When you write a personal profile, you should include information about your appearance, personality and the things you enjoy.

Use adjectives

Use adjectives to describe your appearance and personality. We use adjectives with the verb be.

• I am short/tall/slim/fat/friendly/patient.

We can use an adjective + noun to describe our personality. We do this with the verb be.

• I’m a fast runner.
• I am a good cook.
• I’m not a good singer.

We can also use an adjective + noun to describe our appearance. We use this with the verb have or have got.

• I’ve got long hair.
• I have green eyes.
• I’ve got dark skin
• I don’t have short hair.
• I haven’t got blue eyes.

Use adverbs of degree

You can use adverbs of degree with adjectives to show how much something is true.

• I am very tall.
• I’m quite friendly.
• I’m a bit fat.
• I’m not very sporty.

Countable, Uncountable, Singular and Plural nouns

Countable nouns are nouns you can count; for example, we have two eyes. With singular countable nouns, use a/an.

• I’m a fast runner.
• I’m a good cook.

With plural countable nouns, don’t use a/an.

• I have green eyes.
• I have brown eyes.

Uncountable nouns are nouns you can’t count, for example, your hair or your skin. Don’t use a/an with uncountable nouns.

• I have long hair.

Other physical features

Use have or have got to talk about other features of your body.

• I have a moustache.
• I have freckles.
• I’ve got a beard.

Use wear for things that are not part of your body.

• I wear glasses.
• I wear braces.

Your personality

We use be for personality adjectives that stay the same.

• I am shy.
• I’m kind.
• I am patient.

Sometimes, our personality changes in different situations. Then, we can use get (adjective) when.

• I get impatient when people are late.
• I get upset when people are angry.
• I get shy when I am with strangers.

Your likes and dislikes

You can use these verbs to talk about things you like and dislike: I (don’t ) like…, I love…, I hate…

After these verbs, use a noun or a verb in the -ing form.

• I like football. / I like reading.
• I don’t like horror films. / I don’t like cooking.
• I hate sports. / I hate running.              
• I love art. / I love painting.             

You can also use enjoy + verb-ing.

• I enjoy writing stories.              
• I don’t enjoy painting.

Your favourite things

You can use this structure to talk about your favourite things: My favourite (noun) is (noun).

• My favourite subject is maths.
• My favourite sport is volleyball.

You can use kind of to talk about what style you like best.

• My favourite kind of music is hip-hop.
• My favourite kind of book is horror.
• My favourite kind of film is comedy.

Your abilities

You can use can and can’t + verb to talk about your abilities.

• I can play the piano.
• I can’t cook.

You can also use I’m good at + noun /verb-ing:

• I’m good at sports.
• I’m not good at cooking.

You can add adverbs of manner after can + verb to show how good you are.

• I can dance very well. (=I’m very good at dancing.)
• I can dance well. (=I’m good at dancing.)
• I can dance quite well. (=I’m quite good at dancing.)
• I can’t dance very well. (=I’m not very good at dancing.)

Write 3 Paragraphs

When you write a personal profile, you should organise your ideas into paragraphs with the same topic. You can write three paragraphs:

1. Your appearance: write about your height, build, hair, eyes and any other physical features.
2. Your personality: write about how you behave. You could write about how your personality changes in different situations.
3. Your hobbies and abilities: write about your likes, dislikes and your favourite things. Talk about what you can and can’t do well.