Writing a Short Biography
Write a simple biography about yourself or someone else using past tense and key personal details.
📖 Lesson
What You Will Learn
You'll learn how to write a short biography — a few sentences about someone's life. This is useful for job applications, social media profiles, introductions, or school projects.
Explanation
A biography tells important facts about a person's life in a clear, organized way. Think of it like introducing your friend to someone new — you'd mention their name, where they're from, what they do, and maybe something interesting about them.
The basic structure is simple:
1. Name and basic info (where they're from, age)
2. What they do (job, studies, hobbies)
3. Something interesting or important (achievements, goals)
You'll usually use past tense for things that already happened and present tense for what they do now.
Examples
Example 1 (About yourself):
"My name is Sofia. I'm from Portugal and I'm 24 years old. I work as a graphic designer in Lisbon. I love traveling and photography. Last year, I visited Japan and won a design competition."
Example 2 (About someone else):
"Juan is a coffee shop owner in Madrid. He's 35 and studied business in Barcelona. He opened his café five years ago. Now it's very popular with students. He's passionate about fair-trade coffee."
Example 3 (Short and simple):
"Anna is a nurse from Poland. She works in a hospital in London. She enjoys helping people and loves cooking in her free time."
Common Mistakes
❌ "She is work as a teacher." → ✅ "She works as a teacher." (Don't use "is" with the simple present)
❌ "He born in 1995." → ✅ "He was born in 1995." (Use "was born" for the past)
❌ "I am very interested in music. I like to play piano. I studied music for ten years." → ✅ Keep it shorter! Choose 2-3 most important facts.
Quick Tips
• Keep it short — 4-5 sentences is perfect
• Use connecting words — "and," "but," "because" make it sound natural
• Be honest — Real biographies are more interesting than invented details
• Start with the most important fact — Usually your name or what you do
• Read it aloud — Does it sound like how you naturally talk?
🃏 Key Vocabulary — tap to flip
14 words✏️ Fill in the Blank
Type the missing word to complete each sentence.