English

Rule: People, Family, Profession

At all levels of English, we use special words to describe who people are, how they are related to us, and what they do.

1. People

“People” means all human beings — men, women, and children.
We use nouns and adjectives to describe them:
• a man, a woman, a child, a friend, a student
• tall, young, kind, friendly

We can describe appearance (She has long hair), age (He is old), or character (They are polite and helpful).

2. Family

Family words show relationships between people.
Basic members: father, mother, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather.
Wider family: aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, parents, children.
We can use ’s to show possession:
• Anna’s father is a doctor.
• My mother’s brother is my uncle.

We can also use whose to ask about relationships:
• Whose bag is this? It’s my brother’s.

3. Profession

A profession (or job) tells what a person does for work.
We use a / an before the name of a profession:
• I am a teacher.
• She is an engineer.
In the plural, we do not use an article:
• They are doctors.

Typical job verbs describe what people do:
• A teacher teaches students.
• A doctor helps sick people.
• A driver drives a car or bus.
• An artist paints pictures.

4. Grammar Patterns
• With professions and family words, we use the verb to be:
I am a student. / He is my brother.
• To describe people, we use adjectives:
She is kind and clever.
• To talk about relationships or jobs in general, we use the Present Simple:
My father works in a hospital. / My sister studies at school.