Personality, Character and Behaviour B1 Vocabulary Practice Tests Rules & Examples

Personality, Character and Behaviour

How do you describe the people in your life? Whether you are talking about a loyal friend, a generous colleague, or a difficult neighbour, the words you use to describe personality, character and behaviour are essential in everyday English. At B1 level, you need to go beyond simple words like "nice" or "bad" and use more precise, natural vocabulary to express who people really are.

Mini Situation: New Flatmates

Emma has just moved into a shared flat with two new people. She calls her friend to describe them:

"My new flatmate Marco is really outgoing — he's always chatting to people and making everyone laugh. But our other flatmate, Sara, is quite reserved. She's not unfriendly, just a bit quiet. She's also incredibly reliable — she always pays the rent on time and keeps her promises. Marco can be a bit impulsive sometimes, though. Last week he bought a motorbike without thinking about it at all!"

In this lesson, you will learn key vocabulary for describing personality, character and behaviour, including useful collocations, common mistakes, and confusing words.

Key Vocabulary & Meaning Breakdown

1. Positive Personality Adjectives

2. Negative Personality Adjectives

3. Neutral Character Traits & Behaviour Nouns

Collocations & Useful Expressions

At B1 level, it is very important to learn words in natural combinations (collocations). Here are the most useful ones for describing personality, character and behaviour:

have + a positive / negative attitude
She has a very positive attitude towards her work, which motivates the whole team.

show + (true) character
He really showed his true character when he helped his colleague during the crisis.

have + a tendency to + verb
She has a tendency to worry too much about small problems.

get on (well) with + someone
I really get on well with my new colleagues — they're so friendly.

get along with + someone
Do you get along with your boss?

behave + well / badly / strangely
The children behaved really well during the long trip.

lose + patience (with someone)
I eventually lost patience with him because he kept making the same mistake.

lack + confidence
She lacks confidence when speaking in front of large groups.

build up + confidence
Joining a drama club helped him build up his confidence.

have + a reputation for + noun / -ing
That company has a reputation for treating its employees very well.

be + honest / open + with someone
You should be honest with her about how you feel.

be + dependent on / independent of + someone
At 25, she wanted to be completely independent of her parents.

be + jealous of + someone
Don't be jealous of your friends' success — use it to motivate yourself.

a personality clash
They had a personality clash and found it very difficult to work together.

Important Differences & Confusing Words

Personality vs Character

These two words are often used in similar ways, but there is a small and useful difference:

• Personality refers to the qualities and ways of behaving that other people can see — it is the impression you give to the world. "She has a very bubbly personality."
• Character refers to deeper moral qualities — what kind of person someone truly is inside, especially in difficult situations. "He showed great character when he helped his neighbour after the flood."

In everyday B1 conversation, both words are often used interchangeably — but remember that character sounds slightly more formal and serious.

Shy vs Reserved

• Shy describes someone who feels nervous or uncomfortable around other people, especially strangers. It often suggests a negative feeling. "She was too shy to ask for directions."
• Reserved describes someone who chooses not to show their feelings or opinions openly. It is more neutral — they may be very comfortable inside, just quiet. "He's reserved in public, but very talkative at home."

Jealous vs Envious

• Jealous typically means you are afraid of losing something you already have (such as a relationship), or you feel unhappy because someone else has something you want. "He felt jealous when his girlfriend talked to other men."
• Envious means you wish you had what someone else has, but without the aggressive or threatening feeling of jealousy. It is slightly more formal. "I'm a little envious of your flat — it's so spacious!"

In everyday B1 English, many people use these interchangeably, but it is useful to know the difference.

Arrogant vs Confident

• Confident means you believe in yourself in a healthy, reasonable way. People usually admire confident people. "She gave a confident speech."
• Arrogant means you think you are better than other people in a way that is rude and unpleasant. People do not admire arrogant people. "He was so arrogant that he never listened to anyone else's ideas."

Tip: Confident = positive. Arrogant = negative. Both describe self-belief, but the degree and the attitude towards others is very different.

Stubborn vs Determined

• Stubborn = refusing to change, even when it is wrong or unreasonable. Negative meaning. "He was too stubborn to apologise."
• Determined = working hard to achieve a goal and not giving up. Positive meaning. "She was determined to pass her exam, so she studied every night."

These two words describe similar behaviour, but determined is positive and stubborn is negative. The real difference is context and reason.

Common Mistakes

❌ She is very outgoing and she likes be with other people.
✅ She is very outgoing and she likes being with other people. (After "like", use the -ing form of the verb.)

❌ He has a tendency of talking too much.
✅ He has a tendency to talk too much. (Use tendency to + infinitive, NOT tendency of + -ing.)

❌ She is jealous from her sister's success.
✅ She is jealous of her sister's success. (Always use jealous of, NOT jealous from.)

❌ He is very reliable and I can always trust on him.
✅ He is very reliable and I can always rely on him. (Say rely on someone. Do NOT say "trust on".)

❌ My colleague has a very strong personality — she is very character.
✅ My colleague has a very strong personality — she has a lot of character. ("Character" is used as a noun, NOT as an adjective.)

❌ He is shy to speak in public.
✅ He is shy about speaking in public. (Use shy about + -ing or shy when + clause.)

❌ She has a good reputation of being honest.
✅ She has a good reputation for being honest. (Always use reputation for, NOT reputation of.)

❌ I really get on with well my new boss.
✅ I really get on well with my new boss. (In the phrasal verb get on well with, "well" comes before "with".)

Personality, Character and Behaviour: Quick Summary & Review

In this lesson, you have learned key vocabulary for describing personality, character and behaviour in natural, everyday English. Here are the main takeaways:

• Use positive adjectives like outgoing, reliable, generous, thoughtful, patient, confident and honest to describe people you admire.
• Use negative adjectives like selfish, arrogant, stubborn, moody, impulsive and bossy to describe difficult behaviour.
• Remember important dependent prepositions: jealous of, reputation for, tendency to, attitude towards, honest with, rely on.
• Do not confuse: shy vs reserved, arrogant vs confident, stubborn vs determined, and jealous vs envious.
• Learn words as collocations: have a tendency to, build up confidence, lose patience, get on well with, show (true) character.
• Use the nouns personality, character, behaviour, attitude, tendency and reputation to talk about people in a more natural, fluent way.

Now practise personality, character and behaviour vocabulary in the exercises below.