Manners and Mannerism

Instead of only using adjectives to describe a person’s character, you can also include examples of the way they speak/look/smile, etc. in order to give a clearer picture and to make the description more lively, e.g. His blue eyes light up whenever he sees his grandchild. Although the adjectives kind and affectionate could be used to describe the person, giving examples of mannerism makes the description more vivid.

Exercise № 31. Read the following descriptions and say which quality each one describes.

1 When little Tommy wants a new toy, he screams until his parents buy it for him. (Hysterical)

2 Jim tends to stand by himself at parties and hardly ever meets anyone’s eye.

3 When Sarah listens to sad music her eyes fill with tears.

4 Whenever he received bad news, John would remain quite still and expressionless.

5 Little Annie makes a face and sticks out her tongue each time she wants to show she doesn’t approve of someone.

6 Whenever someone disagrees with Louise, she gets red in the face and shouts until she gets her own way.

7 Jerry is always ready with a smile and a good joke. I’ve never seen him cross or sad.

Exercise № 32. Read the following text and notice the way of describing manners of the star. Then similarly write your own description of a famous Russian person.

Whitney Houston is just a person no one can fail to admire. Over the past ten years she became both a popular singer and a famous actress, appearing in successful films such as The Bodyguard.

Looking at Whitney, it was not difficult to see why she was so popular. She had gorgeous black hair, kind brown eyes and a beautiful smile which lighted up her whole face. The elegant clothes she wore always complement her perfect figure.

Whitney had a reputation for being a very warm and generous person. At the same time, she was obviously very determined and could sometimes be rather strong-willed, but this came from her desire to do things well.

In her free time Whitney, a sociable person, could often be seen at glamorous Hollywood parties. However, she was a very family-minded person who would have never let her social life get in the way of her relationship with her daughter.

All in all, Whitney was an incredible woman. Few people manage to fit as much into their lives as she did. It must have been exhausting, but she always managed to look fresh and beautiful for the cameras.

Exercise № 33. Here are some descriptions of typical people for different Zodiac signs. Read them over and use Appendix № 2 and your knowledge to match the descriptions to the proper signs. Then you can write a short paragraph of your own describing yourself due to the Zodiac sign.

1. They are hard to understand. They are very easily influenced by others, and can be passive. They have strong family ties, but can be a little sad and discontented.
2. They are very just and believe in fairness. They always want to establish good relationships with everyone. They have excellent taste, and they can also be artistic. They can be dreamers, and money slips through their fingers.
3. Although jolly and cheerful, they can be impolite as well. They often make their way to the top. They think a lot of themselves, and though generous hosts, they are not one hundred per cent trustworthy.