Unit 1: The People

Descriptive Writing — Describe a Person

We see different people in the society. Sometimes we come across with situations when we have to describe someone. How can we do that? In this lesson we are going to learn how to describe a person in different ways.

There are three main parts in describing a person

1. Physical appearance
2. Personality and character (qualities)
3. Feelings and emotions

1. Describing a person’s physical appearance

The most common way to describe a person is describing their features using adjectives.

Adjectives that can be used to describe features

• Age : toddler, young, teenager, middle-aged, old, in his/her early/mid/late 20s/40s/60s
• General appearance: beautiful, handsome, pretty, elegant, cute, funny, gorgeous, attractive, ugly
• Build : small-build, medium-build, average-build, well-build, skinny, thin/slim, muscular, stocky, chubby, overweight/obese, fat
• Complexion : fair, light-skinned, tan, pale, dark-skinned, person of colour(to describe anyone who is not white, without using the words “coloured” or “black”).
• Height : tall, average height, medium height, short, 5' 5" in height, about 165cm tall, big(tall and well-build)
• Face : thin, long, round, oval, square, rectangular, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, clean-shaven, bearded
• Hair : long hair, medium-length/shoulder-length hair, short hair, bold, straight hair, wavy hair, curly hair, frizzy hair, black hair, brown hair, blonde hair, grey hair, red hair
• Eyes : Brown eyes, blue eyes, small eyes, large eyes, round eyes, narrow eyes, wear glasses/spectacles
• Nose: thin nose, broad nose, hooked nose, snub nose, straight nose, long nose
• Mouth: large mouth, small mouth, thin lips, full lips, curved lips, even teeth, crooked teeth, braced teeth
• Other: dimples, freckles, high cheekbones, rosy cheeks, brushy eyebrows, broad shoulders, mustache, goatee, ponytail, tight-up hair, bun, clothing(shirt, t-shirt, blouse, pair of trousers, shorts, skirt, dress, a hijab, a tie, shoes, slippers, office suit, casual suit)

Let’s see how to write this in a paragraph.

Amanda is a beautiful teenager. She is average height, medium-build and fair in complexion. She has a long, blonde hair which she wear in two. She has a square face and brown eyes. She has curved lips and even teeth which gives her a beautiful smile. She is wearing a red blouse, brown pants and red shoes.

Peter is a handsome boy in his early 20s. He is tall, average-build and fair in complexion. He has brown hair which he cut in side short bangs. He has a clean-shaven face and black eyes. He has brushy eyebrows and even teeth which gives her a beautiful smile. He is wearing a hoody with striped t-shirt and blue pants and brown sneakers.

John is a handsome middle-aged man. He is big and tan. He has brown short hair. He has a long face and black eyes. He wears a pair of spectacles. He has a small mouth with thin lips. He is wearing a blue long sleeve t-shirt, a grey pair of trousers and shoes.

Maria is a pretty woman in her 90s. She is average height, medium-build and fair in complexion. She has a long white hair which she wear as a bun. She has a wrinkled face and blue eyes. She wears a pair of spectacles. She has thin lips that adds more beauty to her face. She is wearing a white long sleeves blouse and a long purple skirt. She is wearing a necklace with a magnifying glass around her neck.

2. Describing a person’s personality and character

The second step of describing a person is describing their qualities, character and personality.

Adjectives/words that can be used to describe the personality and character

• Positive: ambitious, brave, calm, caring, charming, courageous, faithful, honest, humorous, helpful, kind, knowledgeable, loving, nice, open-minded, organized, optimistic, passionate, self-confident, warmhearted, perfect, outstanding, awesome, remarkable, stunning, vivid, brilliant, enchanting, sensitive, trustworthy, patient
• Negative: aggressive, arrogant, bossy, boring, careless, cruel, dishonest, greedy, impatient, jealous, moody, narrow-minded, rude, selfish, untrustworthy, unhappy, unhelpful, unkind, unsensitive

Let’s see how to write this in a paragraph.

Jane is a stunning girl in our class. She is organized and courageous at every work she is doing. She is always willing to help others. Everyone likes to be a friend of her as she is honest and trustworthy. Sometimes, she is a little bossy when she knows the subject better than other. But, her charming nature fades it away.

Mr. Sliva is a nice man in our neighborhood. People like to associate him as he is humorous and open-minded. Sometimes, he is unsensitive as he hit the neighbor’s dog when it run across his flower beds. But he is helpful and always ready to care about other when they are in need.

3. Describing a person’s feelings and emotions

The next step of describing a person is describing their feelings and emotions.

Words that can be used to describe feelings

• Happy: hopeful, grateful, joyful, celebrating, overjoyed, supported, content, ecstatic, thrilled, relaxed
• Sad: angry, annoyed, depressed, disappointed, frustrated, upset, sorrowful, mournful, hateful, frightened
• Helped: appreciated, accepted, loved, cherished, befriended, empowered, blessed, healed, saved
• Hurt: offended, forgotten, hated, injured, tortured, ignored, rejected
• Confident: brave, strong, assured, successful, encouraged, secure, comforted, forgiven, prepared, proud, capable
• Insecure: helpless, doubtful, defeated, guilty, worried, embarrassed, nervous, scared, anxious, forced, lonely, unsure, uneasy, threatened
• Tired: bored, sick, weary, fatigued, paralyzed, exhausted, drained
• Energized: creative, determined, alert, refreshed, strengthened, healthy, motivated, focused, adequate

Writing these three parts separately is not enough. Let’s write a full description of a person.

Describe a person

It is easy to write the paragraph in the following structure.

Structure a Descriptive Paragraph:

^Topic Sentence — Introduce the person you are talking about.

^Supporting Sentences

• Talk about their physical appearance
• Talk about their personality
• Try to add something special about the person

^Concluding Sentence — Write a concluding sentence to end the paragraph. Sum up the topic in your first line.

Now, let’s describe a person.

Princess Diana is one of the most popular people in the world. She is beautiful as an angel. Her short blonde hair gracefully encircles her long face. A golden suntan usually brings out her smooth, clear complexion and high cheek bones. Her slightly arched chestnut brown eyebrows highlight her emotions by moving up and down as she reacts to the world around her. Her deep blue eyes glimmer like the gem in her ring. Her long nose fulfils her pretty face. And her mouth is a small mouth outlined by curved lips that she often wears a smile, When she smiles, which is often, her well formed and even, white teeth brighten up her whole face. Her tall slim body shines as a golden statue.

Princess Diana is a lady with an outstanding personality. She is caring always willing to help others. Her warmhearted and honest nature remarks her as a trustworthy person. She is self-confident and her braveness was revealed as she walked across a partially cleared minefield to spread awareness of land mines. She is also humorous. She loves to make jokes and entertain others.

Being a princess, Princess Diana always wears magnificent dresses and outfits. Her hair style became a fashion of the people. Sometimes, she broke the Royal protocol to try new things. Once she participated in a Sports day race for parents at Prince Harry’s school. But princesses were not allowed to . However, she did not win the race but she clearly put in a lot of effort. This incident is considered as most adorable moment in her motherhood.

Princess Diana is an inspiration for many people because of her success in changing the lives of people around the world.

Descriptive Writing — Describe an Object or an Animal

There are occasions that we have to describe objects and animals. In this part of the lesson, we are going to learn how to write lost and found notices.

What are lost and found notices?

These notices are issued informing the readers about personal belongings lost or found and requesting the finder/owner to return or collect it from or give it to the one issuing the notice. They are clear and more informative. In case of seeking lost items, the issuer of the notice often offers a reward to the one who returns it.

The Format of the notice

Keep the following guidelines in mind when you are writing the notices.

• Do not exceed 50 words. ( The reader does not spend long time at the notice board)
• Always write within a box.
• Provide only the important and relevant information.
• Use simple language.
• Use present tense and future tense as needed.
• Use third person narration and avoid first and second person narrations.