How to Talk about Talent in English

How to Talk about Talent in English

Hi English learners! Have you got any talents? Are you good at singing, playing an instrument or giving presentations? In today’s lesson, we will be learning how to talk about talent in English.

Vocabulary is the basis of any language and a building block we use to transfer our thoughts into speech. Once you have a good vocabulary, you are able not only to communicate your ideas but also to understand the language you’re learning better. Our vocabulary is the first thing people notice when they meet us so it is undoubtedly a very powerful tool which presents us to our colleagues and superiors. In case you want to go for tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, FCE, CAE, etc, make sure you know the right words to make your point. 

Let’s dive into today’s vocabulary lesson. When someone is talented, we can say that they are:

• Good/great/excellent/brilliant at something
• Gifted
• Born + profession
• Natural
• Accomplished
• Head and shoulders above the rest
• Have a magic touch
• Able to do something in your sleep
• One of a kind
• First-rate

How to Talk about Talent in English

Good/great/excellent/brilliant at something

• John is good at French.
• Sandra is great at telling jokes. She always makes us laugh.
• Our biology teacher is excellent at motivating us to learn. 

To be gifted

Someone can be gifted or talented. These two words are synonymous.

• Sean is a gifted artist. He’s been awarded so many times.
• She is a young gifted basketball player. She’s going to go far.

To be a born…

When we say that someone is a born + profession, we mean that they are exceptionally good at it.

• Although he didn’t study acting, Peter is a born actor.
• George is communicative, a good listener, patient and decisive. He is a born leader. 

Someone is natural…

When we say that someone is (a) natural at something, we mean that they don’t have to put much effort into doing it; it just comes naturally to them.

• Mary is a great singer. She’s a natural.
• Celia has a natural talent for storytelling. 

To be accomplished

An accomplished person is an expert at something.

• She is the most accomplished movie director of our time.
• Sara is an accomplished pianist. What a joy is listening to her play.

Head and shoulders above the rest

When we say that someone is head and shoulders above the rest, we mean that they are way better at something than other people.

• Though not very tall, Brian was a head and shoulders above the rest at basketball.
• Sylvia has been awarded for writing essays a few times. She’s head and shoulders above the rest.

How to Talk about Talent in English

To have a magic touch

If you have a magic touch, you are able to perform something with excellence and ease.

• Sandra’s got a magic touch with children. They adore her and do everything she asks.
• Paul told me I have a magic touch in the garden. Everything I plant grows well.

Someone can do something in their sleep

If you can do something in your sleep, you must be skilled because you’ve done it many times.

• I’ve cooked this pasta dish many times. I think I could do it in my sleep.
• My grandma was a great knitter. She could knit anything in her sleep.

To be one of a kind

If you say that someone is one of a kind you actually ay that they are unique

• She was the best accountant I’ve ever worked with. She was one of a kind.
• Simon is one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable teacher in our school. We are all going to miss him once he retires.

How to Talk about Talent in English

To be a  first-rate

Someone who is first-rate is superior in what he or she does.

• Robert was a first-rate craftsman whose works were rather expensive.
• Henrik Ibsen was a first-rate playwright. His plays are still popular and invaluable today.

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