General Writing Describing People. Description of a person is widely used both in fiction and in our daily writing and speaking. If we want to describe.

General WritingGeneral Writing

Describing PeopleDescribing People

Describing PeopleDescribing People

Description of a person is widely used both in fiction and in our daily writing and speaking. If we want to describe a person what angle we could think from:

Eyes; Style of hair; The clothes they wear; The hobby; The things they have done.

A. Topic sentencesA. Topic sentences

Examine the following sentences: 1. Mrs. William is the most patient person in the

neighborhood. 2. I met a surprisingly handsome young man at

the bus stop yesterday. 3. Dr. Smith is a typical middle-aged bachelor. 4. I’d like to tell  you what my father looks like. 5. I’m going to describe Mr. Piper, my history pr

ofessor.

A. Topic sentencesA. Topic sentences Every topic sentence has its own central impression except the

last two. The central impression doesn’t only give readers a clue to what

they will read, it also controls our writing effectively. Generally from appearance and personality Appearance: Face  facial expressions, body, clothes Personality: Habits, interests, manners, tastes, actions Without limitation of space, we could draw a whole picture with

both of the two aspects. However, a good description doesn’t need everything, and you have to highlight the most different thing of the people which could attract reader.

Always remember, you describe people according the way you feel, so this reveals your attitude too, exactly.

B. Supporting DetailsB. Supporting Details

1.Using specific details About appearance:

Eyes: big or small; black or blue;Nose: straight or crooked;

About person’s character:Action: efficient or not;Habits: positive or negative;Manners: gentle or notLanguage: rude or polite

2. Organize the paragraph in spatial orderAbout appearance: From the top to bottom or from bottom to top;From back to front or F to B;Right to left or L to R;

Model 1Model 1 General marks:

Marie is as beautiful as any Hollywood star. She has long black hair that falls down to her shoulders and surrounds her attractive face, which is usually suntanned. She has dark brown eyebrows over her charming eyes. Her nose is as beautiful as you can imagine, and on the left side of the bottom of her nose, by her nostril, is a small mole. She has a lovely mouth, and her teeth are straight and white. There is nothing but extraordinary beauty in the face of Marie.

Model 2Model 2 Specific description: Marie is as beautiful as any Hollywood star. Her thick, wavy, long

black hair gracefully falls down to her shoulders and surrounds her diamond-shaped face. A golden suntan highlights her smooth, clear complexion. Her slightly arched chestnut brown eyebrows draw attention to her deep blue eyes. Her eyes are large with thick eyelashes. Her nose is straight and neither too long nor too short. A small black mole on the left side of her mouth adds to her beauty. She has a full-lipped mouth, and her light pink lipstick adds another touch of beauty. When she smiles, which is often, her well-formed and even, white teeth brighten up her whole face. There is nothing but extraordinary beauty in the face of Marie.

Model 3Model 3 My sister is a boyish girl. Her hair is short and straight just like a

boy’s. she doesn’t like those bright colors such as  red, yellow, pink and green, but like white, black and grey best. Never caring for skirts, stockings and stylish shoes, she loves wearing jackets and jeans. A pair of white sneakers are always on her feet. Sometimes she wears a men’s suit and leather shoes as if she were a gentleman. Basketball and football are her favorite sports. She also enjoys watching boxing and wrestling on TV. She always shouts and cheers excitedly when she is watching football match. When she is with her friends, she often says ”ladies first” to other girls. The most interesting thing is that she has been mistaken for a boy many times. And she is very pleased with that. She always says that should have been a boy.

Model 4Model 4 One will easily notice Mary’s  shyness at the first glance.

Whenever you see her in the classroom, you find her sheltering herself in a corner and reading a book. Putting the book on her thighs, she  buries  her head completely behind the desk as if she is allergic to light. When you call her by name, she looks up and then immediately droops her big, black eyes again in order to avoid meeting your gaze. As she does that, her straight, black hair hangs down, covering both of her fair cheeks. A rather long bangs over her forehead almost hides one third of her face like a striped curtain. Nevertheless, you can still see her face turning red before she begins to speak. The quiet, timid tone of her voice is so soft that you have to strain your ears to catch her murmur. And she has the irritating habit of biting her lower lip and at same time fidgeting with her fingernails when speaking in class. Sometimes, you even can not help feeling sorry for being the cause of her blushes and self-consciousness. That is why I, a shy boy myself, always get cold feet getting close to her, the shyest girl in the class.

Writing taskWriting task Now, we need to think and write: How well do you know me?/ the

other teacher, or your friends.Appearance.Personality traits in the classroom.

Describe you boss, family, friend… anyone you like! 

Model 5Model 5 The most impressive thing about Tom is his

mouth. Tom’s mouth is more than one-third bigger than ordinary boys’ with very thin lips. It gives you the impression that  the two corners of the mouth are directly connected with the two ears. By looking at his mouth, you can tell whether he was plotting evil or had recently accomplished it. If he is bent upon mischief, his lips are all puckered up, like those of billiard player about to make a difficult shot. After the deed is done, the pucker is replaced by a delicate, contented smile.

Model 6Model 6

Douglas is a boy who drives every teacher crazy. He always strolls into the class about eight minutes late when the class has just settled down. Offering a polite ”Good Morning” he continues at the same slow pace across to the far end of the room, seemingly unaware of the waiting silence. He sits for a couple of minutes quietly as the teacher makes effort to get going. Then, when the teacher is really into introducing the lesson, he gets up and walks to a vacant seat  as close to the teacher as possible. If the teacher asks in a tense, controlled voice why he is disturbing the class, he explains, again in a polite voice, that he moved because he wished to hear him better. Later, with a sincere and puzzled look, he asks questions every three minutes about what the teacher has just explained. Many times, when the assignment was given and everybody else was working on it, Douglas raised a trembling hand and whispered out a request with apology to the teacher for pen and paper which he had forgotten to bring; or he tried to borrow a sharpener for his broken pencil from one of the distracted students. And it is typical of him to ask, 30 seconds before time is up, in a loud, earnest voice, “Excuse me, Sir, What is the assignment?”

Model 7Model 7 A Priest studying at University  Along with his student activities, Murakami continues the Buddhist

training that has been part of his life since the age of twelve. But in his enjoyment of comedy programs, going out drinking, and karaoke, he is no different from any other student. “People tend to think of Buddhism as a separate world, but in fact it's not so distant from ordinary life. It might be nice if I were the occasion for people getting interested in Buddhism," he says mischievously, stroking his clean-shaven head. “I want to be a monk with an impact.”

He is always willing to act as a guide when his club visits old temples. He tries to explain Buddhist statues and temples in simple words, sometimes mixing in humor, in order to communicate the profound concepts of the Buddhist world, which he studies them very hard, in terms of the language and sensibility of the younger generation. “If people know a little about Buddhism, they can look at Buddhist statues and temples from various perspectives, and it makes things more interesting. We younger monks have the responsibility to put across what Buddhism really is to people whose level of interest is low,” he says.

Model 7Model 7 A Priest studying at University 

The world of Buddhism, carrying on a long tradition handed down over the generations, and the ceaselessly changing society around it. Numberless monks in every era must have tried to connect these two contradictory worlds. Though Murakami is just getting started as a monk and a member of society, he has many things he wants to promote both within Buddhism organizations and in modern society, taking advantage of his comparatively free position as a student. He determinedly says, “Just because I want to play the role of a bridge between society and Buddhism, I don't want to waste any of the time I'm spending at Waseda. When I return to my temple, I think the most important thing will be how much I can give back of what I've gained and how much I can retain of my present feelings." Perhaps Murakami's true vocation is nothing other than maintaining and persevering in this faith.

Useful expressionsUseful expressions face       

Broad 大的，宽的；Who has the broad face in your memory?Usually, the big guy has  a broad face.   The first thing you could see is his red and broad face

 an angular face ( 削瘦的脸庞 ) ；When we describe the people who is very tired we could use this one.Her angular face make you think that she may lead a miserable life.

oblong 长方形 ; Two small eyes on his oblong face, you could feel nothing but uncomfortable.

moon-shaped;You could even tell he is an honest boy just from his moon-shaped face.

Useful expressionsUseful expressions Eyes

Beady 像珠子一样 ; His beady eyes will be wider 2 times as usual, when he stares at the money.

bulging 鼓、胀 ;Though her eyes are little bit bulging, she is still extraordinary beautiful.

bloodshot 充血的 ; I could tell that she must have not a good sleep last night.

Empty: Occasionally, her empty eyes flicker as she listens to the song. Sleepy: Tom always has sleepy eyes even just after 20-hour sleep. Sad: The sad eyes on his diamond-shaped face, add her beauty, you coul

d not help feeling mercy.

Useful expressionsUseful expressions Eyebrows

thick;The thick eyebrows seem to be stuck above the blue smiling narrow eyes.

Arched  弯形的，拱形的；Every one wants to know how did she make the arched eyebrows.

uneven 不平坦的，不均匀的；The uneven eyebrows remind me the monster.

neatly pluckedHer eyebrows are neatly plucked, so you could see how does she spend on her face.

Wavy ；The wavy is her favorite style, so she never changes it.

blond; She is the only girl who has blond hair in my school.

loose; His long and  loose hair often becomes the clue that he was mistaken as a girl.pigtail; ponytail; No matter she has the pigtail or ponytail, only one thing you could tell, that he loves sports.

curly; The curly hair neatly covered his head.

Bald; Sometimes the bald man is kind, but sometimes he is so rude, you feel more scary due to his bald.

Useful expressionsUseful expressions Mouth

Full-lipped ( 厚嘴唇 ) thin-lipped( 薄嘴唇 ) turned-down( 下翻的嘴唇 )

NoseCrooked 弯曲的；straight;

Complexion 气色、肤色、局面 (face)Fair 皮肤白皙；sallow  Malarial poison had swallowed his skin. 疟疾病毒使他皮肤成灰黄色。Ruddy 红润的，有血色的；rosy 玫瑰红色；freckled: Her face was freckled all over.  她的脸长满雀斑。She has a freckled but fair face. Creamy 奶油色Pale; spotty;   

Useful expressionsUseful expressions Others

Cleft chin 有凹陷的下巴；pointed chin 尖角的下巴；protruding forehead 突出的额头Body and build ( 体形 )Thick-set 短粗的；Fat: plump 丰满的； robust 强壮的；精力充沛的； stout, 矮胖子；Thin: slender 纤细的，修长的； skinny皮包骨的；

Writing tasksWriting tasks

Who do you want describe in the classroom?

Try to get describe sb’s appearance and personality traits together.

Thanks!