IELTS Vocabulary: usage intead of explanation

A student asked me to explain the difference between the words below:

• trait
• personality
• character
• characteristic

But when we explain vocabulary, we're not getting the full picture. An explanation might help you to understand a meaning, but it won't necessarily help you to use the vocabulary in a natural way.

Instead of explaining, which is a 'grammar mindset' exercise, let's shift to a 'vocabulary mindset' and look at usage.

Fill the gaps below using the word that seems most natural.

1. My client is a person of good ______.
2. My worst ______ is that I am sometimes self-centred.
3. A key ______ of entrepreneurs is that they are action-oriented.
4. She's a little girl with a big ______.

Comments

[Maha Mustafa]

1.Character
2.trait
3.chatacteristic
4.personality

[Sajan]

1. character
2. personality
3. characteristic
4. trait

[Shiva Tavasoli]

1.personality
2.character
3.characteristic
4.trait

[colette]

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=person+of+good+*&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2Cperson%20of%20good%20%2A%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20character%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20moral%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20will%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20repute%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20sense%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20reputation%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20taste%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20family%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20judgment%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bperson%20of%20good%20breeding%3B%2Cc0

https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=%22My+worst+trait%22&num=10

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=A+key+*_NOUN%2Ca+key+characteristic%2C+a+key+trait%2C+a+key+character%2C+a+key+personality&case_insensitive=on&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2CA%20key%20%2A_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3BA%20key%20element_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20feature_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20factor_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20question_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20issue_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20point_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20aspect_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20component_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20part_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20concept_NOUN%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Ca%20key%20characteristic%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20key%20characteristic%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20characteristic%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Ca%20key%20trait%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20key%20trait%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20trait%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Ca%20key%20character%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20key%20character%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20character%3B%2Cc0%3B.t4%3B%2Ca%20key%20personality%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Ba%20key%20personality%3B%2Cc0%3B%3BA%20key%20personality%3B%2Cc0

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=girl+with+a+big+*%2C*+with+a+big+personality&year_start=1960&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t2%3B%2Cgirl%20with%20a%20big%20%2A%3B%2Cc0%3B%2Cs0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20smile%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20nose%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20voice%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20mouth%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20heart%3B%2Cc0%3B%3Bgirl%20with%20a%20big%20head%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cman%20with%20a%20big%20personality%3B%2Cc0

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&ei=lzOsXY_pEKOKmgfa-LPICw&q=%22little+girl+with+a+big+personality%22&oq=%22little+girl+with+a+big+personality%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3...340127.352557.0.352859.52.50.1.0.0.0.346.7643.0j34j7j1.42.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..15.19.3546...0j33i10k1j0i13k1.0.2vdZVdPLIQI

[RIAD]

1. personality
2. character
3. characteristic
4. trait

[Binbi]

character
characteristic
trait
personality

[Jackie]

Character
Characteristic
Trait
Personality

[Loc Vo]

1. character
2. characteristic
3. trait
4. personality

[Loc Vo]

character
(formal) the opinion that people have of you, particularly of whether you can be trusted or relied on; danh tiếng:
She was a victim of character assassination (= an unfair attack on the good opinion people had of her).
a slur/attack on his character
My teacher agreed to be a character witness for me in court.
a character reference (= a letter that a person who knows you well writes to an employer to tell them about your good qualities)

characteristic (of sth/sb)
very typical of sth or of sb’s character; tính cách đặc thù:
She spoke with characteristic enthusiasm.

trait
a particular quality in your personality; đức tính
personality traits
Awareness of class is a typically British trait.

personality
the qualities of a person’s character that make them interesting and attractive; cá tính:
We need someone with lots of personality to head the project.
She was very beautiful but seemed to lack personality.

Preference: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/

[Bella]

1.character
2. characteristic
3. trait
4. personality

[Keiko]

character
characteristic
trait
personality

[Tarannum fatima]

Character
Personality
Characteristics
Trait

[Fuzzy]

Personality
Trait
Characteristics
Character

[Nga Tran]

1. Characteristic
2. Personality
3. Trait
4. Character

[ARIFUL HAQUE]

1. character
2. personality
3. characteristic
4. trait

[farah]

1- character
2. personality
3- Trait
4. characteristic

[farah]

1- character
2. characteristic
3- Trait
4. personality

[Adam]

1 personality
2 characteristic
3 trait
4 character

[TURANA]

PERSONALITY
TRAIT
CHARACTERISTIC
CHARACTER

[Simon]

CORRECT ANSWERS FROM SIMON:

1. character
2. trait
3. characteristic
4. personality

[shokhrukh]

Here's my explanation anyways (hopefully correct ones)

1. A 'character' describes someone in relation to their morals, ethics, values, etc.

2. A 'trait' is used to talk about more specific and particular aspect of someone's personality.

3. A 'characteristic' is something that defines you and makes you unique and different from others.

4. A 'personality' is usually attributed to adults. Those who have weathered the tribulations and ups and downs of young-hood (years of uncertainty and unpredictability) and finally have come to develop a certain way of behaving and thinking that is lasting and permanent. Children's today refutes their yesterday. So that's why we are usually surprised when a child has a personality and acts a certain way in most situations, and so we say things like "She's a little girl with a big personality".

[Allan]

My client is a person of good character______.
My worst _characteristic_____ is that I am sometimes self-centred.
A key ___trait___ of entrepreneurs is that they are action-oriented.
She's a little girl with a big _personality_____.

[Hung]

1. personality
2. characteristic
3. trait
4. character

[Hung]

1. personality
2. trait
3. characterisctic
4. character

[Sondd107]

1. personality
2. characteristic
3. trait
4. character

[HYS]

1. personality
2. trait
3. characterisctic
4. character

[Levi]

1. Character
2. Characteristic
3. Trait
4. Personality

[Marimoika]

1. personality
2. characteristics
3. trait
4. character

[Loc Vo]

Thank @colette for letting me know how useful Google Books and its Ngram Viewer are!