Describing people

Tips

ADVANCED 2
writing
Marisa de Dios

A good piece of descriptive writing conveys feelings and reactions as well as simple
facts..
Read this two extracts. Which of them contains the most information and what kind of
information is it?
A. She is 71 years old. She has an oval face, a straight nose, blue eyes
and a wrinkled face. She has wavy grey hair which she keeps in a
bun.
B. When she laughs, her sparkling blue eyes flash with youthful delight
and shine brightly from behind the mask of her wrinkled face.
Character adjectives, when used in moderation, can help to bring a description of a
person into focus. In addition to character adjectives, almost any item or object can be
used to help to delineate a character. Look at the following example:
One of the students in the class is painfully shy. She always wears an
extra-large waxed cotton jacket that envelops her almost completely and
which comes up to her chin; with a shake of the head, most of the rest of
her face can be hidden behind her long black hair. All this, together with a
voice that is never raised above a whisper, makes you wonder sometimes
whether she is there at all.
Think of a friend or a member of your family. If you were writing a creative description
of them, which of the following items might you find useful?
Their hair
Their facial features
Their problems
Things they have done
Things they like to do
Things they have said
Their hands

Their attitudes and beliefs

Their relationships
Their shoes
Their gestures and reactions
Their furniture
The walls in their room
Their clothes

Their skin
Their possessions
Their age
Their habits
Their hobbies
Their build
Their occupation

Physical
description

USE LINKING EXPRESSIONS TO CONNECT YOUR IDEAS WITHIN AND BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS.
TRY TO ENHANCE YOUR VOCABULARY. REVISE AND EDIT BEFORE HANDING IT IN.

Introduce the
person you are
going to
describe
Your feelings
towards this
person. Reasons
for them
Specific
examples of
your
relationship
with this person

His/her style

Character and
personality: details to
support this idea
Anecdotes that
bring the person
to life

CHOOSE ONE OF THESE OPTIONS TO WRITE A DESCRIPTION

You are going to write a description of the person whom you would most like to see again.
1. General approach. Take care in the planning stage .
2. Brainstorming. Think of the most significant features about the person. Consider whether you will
use character adjectives or external items to help you.
3. Organization. Arrange your thoughts into several clearly defined paragraphs.
You could begin with some general information about the person, where you
met, and explain why you have not seen them recently;
You could take one or two paragraphs to describe their personality in some
detail and give examples;
Then you could finish by talking about the likelihood of seeing them again.

Write a composition of about 200-250 words

Write a description of the person whom you would most like to see again. (300 words)

Tips:
Take care in the planning stage.
Brainstorm. Think of the most significant features about the person. Consider
whether you will use character adjectives or external items to help you.
Arrange your thoughts into several clearly defined paragraphs.
Where did you meet? Why have you not seen him/her recently?
What is the likelihood of seeing him/her again?

INTRODUCTION: Introduce the person and explain why you would like to see
him/her again.
SUPPORTING PARAGRAPHS: give specific examples of your relationship with
this person. Talk about his/her qualities and give details to support this idea. Give
details that bring the person to life.
CLOSING PARAGRAPH: Give final comments, summarise your feelings towards
this person and give reasons for them.
USE LINKING EXPRESSIONS to connect your ideas within and between
paragraphs.
TRY TO ENHANCE YOUR VOCABULARY.

SET YOUR DESCRIPTION IN CLEAR PARAGRAPHS.