English language offers plenty of choices that are effective and much more fun to use

When applying for a job, many people list their hobbies at the end of the resumé. And almost everyone I know has a ‘profile page' on some website, and these pages have detailed lists of their favourite books, movies, and so on. Clearly, telling other people about ourselves is an important preoccupation for everybody. Some of the expressions that we use for this are standard: ‘I like action movies,' we say, or ‘I hate movies with violence.' But beyond these, the English language offers plenty of choices that are equally effective, and much more fun to use. Let's consider a few here.

When I have a preference for something, I can say I ‘go for' it. There is an implied metaphor of direction and movement here -- when you like something, you most likely want to move close to it, and in that sense you ‘go for' it.

This expression is best used for general categories rather than specific objects. For example, saying ‘he really goes for coffee' isn't quite right. The statement is too specific, and the meaning is really no different than if you just said ‘he likes coffee.' Here, the phrase ‘go for' is used to refer to something general-- not some specific object, but the overall idea of adventure-seeking as an aspect of one's personality.

This phrase is equally useful if you want to talk about the things you don't like. “I don't go for that sort of thing,” you can say, or “I don't really go for such stuff.” Here again, it's important to remember that this particular expression refers only to a general preference (or lack of it) and not an actual dislike. When you ‘don't go for' some activity, you have no strong dislike for it, but still prefer to avoid it.

Another expression that works well is ‘thing.' Used with a possessive pronoun (my, his, her) it becomes a handy little phrase for referring to an area of expertise, or a specialty. For example, if a friend asks you what you'll be wearing for the New Year's party, you could say, 'I was going to ask you for advice, because style is your thing.' This is a compact way of saying ‘you know a lot about style and about dressing well, and also have keen interest in this area.'

As usual, these are expressions for conversational English. Avoid them in very formal situations and in writing, but conversationally, they should be fine to use even in the classroom.