Hairstyles and facial features play a big role, but aren’t the main ones. Eyes – color, shape, length of eyelashes, perfect vision or contacts/glasses? When you begin to create a character sketch, you need to take each character trait and ask yourself questions to develop your character. thin? describe people's appearance and clothing. If you use all five when you write, you will have three-dimensional characters. Don’t describe the physical appearance of a character right away, like in the first paragraph of the story. When describing someone's skin tone and complexion, you may consider some of the following words. These words can be categorized into words that describe a person’s general appearance, eyes, ears, face, nose, arms, hair, height and build, etc.In this ESL lesson you will learn how to describe people and their physical characteristics.. high/prominent cheek bones? different colored eyes? 3. You can describe a person’s personality by saying things like: She is really nice; They are really cool friends; We are very friendly people; You can describe a person’s physical appearance by saying things like: So today, let’s look at 72 adjectives to describe appearance in English. Then, have the students write short descriptions of the people in the pictures using the verb to be and adjectives, e.g. Identify them as male or female when appropriate. light? I have an elliptical face with large brown eyes and slightly plump lips. toddler - Toddlers … prominent? friendly (Everyone was very friendly towards me.) While you can dye your hair, get contact lenses, get a tan, or get plastic surgery, ultimately, you should embrace the unique physical characteristics you have, since they make you who you are. Beyond the basics, you can use words to describe a character’s hair that reflects who they are as a person. You can describe people’s appearance and personality. Describing someone’s appearance. But be sure to work against these cliches and make your villain fresh and interesting. OK. Let’s start with some adjectives to describe someone’s general body shape. I chop around in my novels sometimes giving a physical description of a character and sometimes not. Breast size, hip size, waist size, shoe size, are all far too specific, and if you think about it, this is the telling of facts, not showing the consequences of those facts, which is what you really want to do. Some of them are synonyms, or words that mean almost or exactly the same thing. There are two ways to describe people in English. straight teeth, or crooked? Character description, when done well, helps the readers see characters in their minds. That makes numerous people feel not at ease with those models that society imposes. Teeth/Smile – gap? baby - Everyone goes through a lot of diapers when they are a baby. Having a defined list (and i do actually mean “list”) of physical things helps to begin with (eye colour, hair colour, skin colour etc). Character traits are qualities or characteristics that describe what a person is like. Facial hair – beard? Injuries – black eye, broken bone, stitches, brace, paralysis, concussion. [1] X Research source For instance, if you’re trying to describe a suspect to the police, you may ha… However, not everyone conforms to these categories, and it’s typically best not to make assumptions unless necessary. There are hundreds of ways to use actions to describe your characters. Trim 13. moving from the most general aspects to the most specific details e.g. complexion refers to the color of a person’s skin, especially the face. The following is an exhaustive … 6 fingers on one hand? polite (Please be polite to our guests.) Still haven't found what you're looking for? Strong character descriptions work on multiple levels. How do they carry themselves? … But when it comes to describing a character, it’s much easier to start with things about their personality, traits and desires than with their physical appearance. Describe yourself physically. bunions? Film is a visual medium, and a screenwriter might have plenty of reasons to describe a female character’s look beyond simply flattering an actress or enticing the reader. –Basically, I am a young green-eyed girl with white skin and brown hair with the typical Russian look. I find that describing facial features can be especially tricky! birthmark? Character is the overall mental and moral qualities of an individual. We usually identify a person by gender as male or female when appropriate, most of the times this is the very first thing that we notice.. W e know that each person has many physical characteristics relating to different areas of appearance. Some common adjectives that you may use to describe the build of a person may include the following: 1. It contains a PowerPoint presentation that guides children through an example character description, ... Progress the plot of the story while effectively describing characters at the same time, with this resource on dialogue. But when it comes to describing a character, it’s much easier to start with things about their personality, traits and desires than with their physical appearance. Eyebrows – thick? Step #1: Self-Perception. Obviously, the physical description you give your character should typically align with their age and race/ethnicity, so just keep that in mind. For example, where your character lives, their physical appearance, education, hobbies, interests, personality, and possessions to name a few. sideburns? Sometimes you can create an incident in which there's a reason to mention a key detail about the main character's appearance. Common Writing Mistakes (+ How to Avoid Them), How to Write the Perfect Novel, Pt. Each word is placed into a related category and example sentences are used to provide context. And don't forget, being able to describe people is a very useful skill:- Basic English . Is it possible to describe everything in the world around us? Include everything from their physical description to their background, position, interests, fears, hobbies, and other details. Hands – calloused? In this post, I’m going to give you a checklist of everything you need to describe your characters’ appearance. These are aspects that are visually apparent, knowing nothing else about the person. texture? I've tried to write the traits to blend with the writing but they stick out and look ugly. In “The Temp” Karen the principal character was the beautiful Asian woman with a perfect sophistication. Just take a look at this list of descriptive words for appearance. I'm tired of writing the "mirror" thing. Writing great character descriptions is the first step in getting readers to fall in love with your story. braces/retainer/headgear? After all, this isn’t Moby-Dick . A character builder is an outline of your character’s life. If you want to do it well, describing people’s appearance in English can be tricky and requires a lot of detail. This includes their basic personality, talents and habits. Use this collection of character descriptions for KS2 students in your class to help your Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 students improve their descriptions of characters.With activities covering physical appearance, personality, and motivation, they'll be penning masterpieces in no time! Unfortunately it is neither. How Do They Act? by Jacky Eubanks | Nov 25, 2016 | Characters, Inspiration, Writing | 1 comment. Harrison personifies the epitome of the human condition. For example, describing the same character on a blind date: Only when they sat down at a two-seater in the corner did he take off his shades. There are two ways to describe people in English. And what’s happening in the scene? Describing someone’s Physical Appearance Examples 2. When we think of character description, we often think … A human face reveals a lot about a person. missing/abnormal limbs? Even just a smile can show you’re friendly. Use figurative language. Distinguishing traits – scars? Is it possible to describe everything in the world around us? I think I must’ve done something right. If your character is athletic, think what kind of brands they might wear, what style shoes – immediately I picture someone wearing Nike running shoes, sweatpants or joggers, a t-shirt or tank-top, and a zip-up hoodie. Physical measurements seldom make any difference to the plot, and (IMO) it is an amateur mistake to imagine any character, male or female, with too specific a set of measurements. Film and television are visual mediums, but they always start on a blank screenplay page. There are funny de… These are all examples of physical characteristics. It ties all of the other physical descriptions of individual parts together to convey a message without coming outright and saying it (“Show, don’t tell.” Remember?). 1. Harrison is now a young man who has escaped from prison. pedicure? These words can be categorized into words that describe a person’s general appearance, eyes, ears, face, nose, arms, hair, height and build, etc.In this ESL lesson you will learn how to describe people and their physical characteristics.. Slender 9. dry? The society is a factor that marks fashion and beauty stereotypes that does not correspond to reality. Your article has very unique and reliable information on new topic so i am really impress with your post. Learn useful Adjectives for Describing People in English with examples and pictures. Yeah, okay — the irony here isn’t lost on us. the points to consider when describing people. To describe someone’s appearance, you will often use adjectives. For example, depending on which details you choose to focus on, you could convey a wild character (spiked lime-green Mohawk, mermaid tattoo, wearing a live yellow boa constrictor as a scarf), a sloppy character (uncombed hair, wrinkled shirt, crumbs in beard), or a timid character (hunched posture, eyes cast downward, plain/muted clothing). • I am average height. missing any? • I have long brown hair • I am wearing a hat, earrings, sunglasses, and a black jacket. When describing the physical characteristics of an individual, one of the first things that will strike you is the overall build or body type. If you want to do it well, describing people’s appearance in English can be tricky and requires a lot of detail. Writers can zoom in on individual features, like the eyes or mouth, or describe a face in its entirety to paint a picture of a character. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. baby - Everyone goes through a lot of diapers when they are a baby. English language has a variety of words for describing people, their physical appearance and way of walking. You can describe a person’s personality by saying things like: She is really nice; They are really cool friends; We are very friendly people; You can describe a person’s physical appearance by saying things like: And sometimes it makes sense to have other characters say things to or about the main character that imply aspects of the main character's appearance. Physical characteristics can include a variety of things. So today, let’s look at 72 adjectives to describe appearance in English. I love your examples! Sure! They encompass anything you can describe about a person or group of people, just on sight. Slick, greasy, or wispy hair could suggest an untrustworthy or sneaky character. Medium build 7. While many physical characteristics can't be changed, you can improve your physical characteristics to ensure a more positive outlook. Ripped 17. sloping? There are certain physical characteristics that you are born with. * I have short, black tousled and hair that looks a bit shaggy because my haircut is a month past due. Atwood creates a clear sense of Laura’s troubled personality by describing her clothing:‘I could picture th… By making sure you’ve washed and put on clean clothes, you can show others you’re a little bit classier. Consider it another tool in your writer’s toolbox when it comes to character … When you describe how a character looks, think about how appearance illuminates personality.In Margaret Atwood’s Booker-winning novel The Blind Assassin, for example, Atwood’s narrator Iris opens the story remembering her sister Laura’s death. Adjectives for Body Shapes. I chop around in my novels sometimes giving a physical description of a character and sometimes not. polite (Please be polite to our guests.) are all adjectives - they describe things very, quite and slightly are all modifiers - they change (modify) the adjectives. Useful adjectives for describing character and personality in English. Weave setting into first descriptions. Try describing one character through another character’s eyes. arthritis? 2: Characters, How to Design Your Self-Pub Book Like a Pro. Character traits are qualities or characteristics that describe what a person is like. Cheeks – pale, or rosy? These words are used when describing people and their physical characteristics, including nouns and adjectives. Here is a list of English Adjectives to describe someone’s personality. color? We have to be really careful when we describe other people’s physical appearance since some descriptions might be considered impolite or offensive to some people. But while giving distinct … PHYSICAL APPEARANCE–Two options I had a friend read the first 4 chapters and she described my two main characters almost exactly as I picture them, and she had the setting spot on. You need to know everything about your main characters, and a character sheet is the best way to build a solid character. How does he looks like? Judgment is never the way to go. swollen? In literature, writers use mannerisms to help enhance physical descriptions and put characters in motion on the page. Unfortunately it is neither. dentures? gnarled? Sure! One of my biggest hangups is that I don't want to do it using words that aren't commonly used, because if I have to learn a bunch of new uncommon words to describe somebody, how am I supposed to expect my readers to understand my descriptions? Some examples: "I like your tattoo." unibrow? In fact, with the main character, I often do not describe them until the … In this one, I did not describe the character’s in detail, and I didn’t name the setting. But sometimes when you're in the middle of writing, it can be hard to think of physical adjectives and distinguishing features for characters. When describing the physical characteristics of an individual, one of the first things that will strike you is the overall build or body type. white, or yellowed? Here we are going to learn few words which will help you describe an appearance of a person when you encounter them. For example, never have your narrator directly ascribe beauty or ugliness to the physical appearance of anyone they describe, instead having other characters offer their opinions on the matter to the narrator. Fat 5. It’s important to be able to describe your own personality or someone else’s. dark? A vocabulary for describing character. We go over some great character description examples to help identify how you can nail this crucial part of the process. This may mean a character tries to be brave, but it may also mean that a character who knows they are cowardly is especially sensitive about this being discovered. Race/Ethnicity, so just keep that in mind – those are the only point-of-view character can be especially tricky I... ), how to develop a character sheet is the overall mental and moral qualities of an individual or else. Or group of people, their physical appearance or a clever way face large... Or size and more yeah, okay — the irony here isn ’ t lost on.... 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