Lecture+9+Description+of+a+person.pptVIP

Lecture 9 Description of a person 1.General remarks about description Description is a strategy for presenting a picture in words of a person, a place, an object, or a scene, etc. There are two kinds of description. The first is practical or utilitarian description, in which facts are presented plainly, clearly, and without emotional coloring. A police description of a wanted man, a house agent’s description of a house, the details of interesting buildings mentioned in a town guidebook are all examples. The second is impressionistic description, which gives impressions as well as carefully-observed facts. A successful description of this kind does not deepen on merely visual effects, however. It attempts to evoke all the all the senses by identifying a subject’s features and by arranging those features in an appropriate pattern. How to describe a person Focus on the main character, mention the opponent (=someone whom you try to defeat in a competition, game, fight, or argument) where necessary and ignore other characters that are created to bring out/heighten a contrast with the main character. Briefly describe the main character’s appearance and behavior in a shorter and clearer way using straightforward, everyday words and expressions. Describe an incident to display the main character’s character and personality. Conclude with a remark about what the incident implies. In describing a person, the writer should not merely give details of his appearance. He should try to reveal the person’s character, thoughts and feelings, which may be shown in what the person does and says, or in how he behaves to others. And it is important to grasp the characteristic features that distinguish him from all other people. These features that he shares with others can be omitted. Peculiarities should be included, for they are usually impress the reader deeply and give life to the person he described. How it is organized Text 1