Describing a person

-mentions why he is famous

- mention the special features why the person is outstanding

- use present tense if the person is still alive

The essay:

Introduction: Describe her physical characteristics and your first impressions.

Body: His/Her characteristics and how he/she influenced you.

Conclusion: Describe what he/she means to you.

Look at my previous lessons on how to add descriptive details to make your essay come alive.

What he/she has done for you (How has he/she changed your life or influenced you?)

Techniques in Descriptive Writing

Use details to make your descriptions come alive.

Focus on evoking the senses. (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch)

Nouns, adjectives and verbs help the reader see and feel things.

A descriptive essay need not be boring and monotonous.

Make use of a lively tone – show your own feelings, responses and reactions and let the reader feel
them too.

Describe different aspects. If you are describing a person, do not limit your description to the person’s
physical appearance. Include a detailed description of the person’s character and personality and how
other people react to him/her.

Include a detailed paragraph of an incident which highlights one of these aspects.

Before you begin writing a descriptive essay, you need to identify what you want to describe.

Consider the following topic:

My favourite teacher

Extract 1
Mr L was my English Literature lecturer. He was thin and of average height. He was boyish looking guy.
He spoke with an unusual accent. He was also quite sarcastic and some of the students did not like this.
He did not like students coming in late to class. Some of us loved him but others hated him.

Extract 1 is a simple description of the teacher. Although there are several adjectives, the description is
somewhat dull as the structures used are simple and repetitive.

Extract 2

The first time I entered his class, I, like many of the other students, was charmed by his boyish looks. A
quick calculation told us that he was in his twenties. His straight black hair fell across his forehead when
it was slightly long and his clear complexion enhanced his looks. For a Chinese, he had unusually big eyes
and quite a sharp nose. He was always well dressed in a rugged sort of way. He was not outrageously
handsome but there was something in him who definitely made him attractive His unusual accent
mesmerised some of us but his sarcasm did not go down too well with others. You see, he did not
approve of tardiness or sloppy work. The fact that many of us were working adults was not an excuse for
lack of punctuality or delay in handing in assignments. Some of us grew to love him but some hated him.
Extract 2, on the other hand, is a vivid and interesting description which brings the character to life.

Note the details about his overall physical description (boyish looks, in his twenties, not outrageously
handsome, attractive, straight black hair, unusual accent), his facial features (unusually big eyes, quite a
sharp nose), and his manner of dressing (well-dressed in a rugged sort of way). Note his qualities (he did
not approve of tardiness or sloppy work) and the feelings the students had for him ( His unusual accent
mesmerised some of us but his sarcasm did not go down too well with others. Some of us grew to love
him but some hated him). The description of his physical appearance supports and reinforces the fact
that he is likeable character but his values made him unpopular with some.

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