Describing Your Favorite Character, Part 2
2022-09-30
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1In a past report of Everyday Grammar, we talked about how to describe your favorite character from a book you had read.
2We looked at the children's book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien to help us describe my favorite character, Mrs. Frisby.
3We considered how O'Brien used adjectives to describe Mrs. Frisby's physical appearance or how she looks.
4We thought about how Mrs. Frisby talks with other characters like Jeremy the crow or black bird by questioning him or how she used commands.
5Finally, we looked at her thoughts and memories.
6In today's Everyday Grammar, we will finish our discussion about Mrs. Frisby, who is a field mouse and a mother.
7We will look at her actions and the effect she has on other characters.
8Another way we can describe our favorite character is by looking at the character's actions throughout the story.
9We can look at what the character does and how the character acts.
10In one part of the story Mrs. Frisby helps to set Jeremy free from the string in which he is tied up.
11Here we see that Mrs. Frisby is hard at work, cutting through the string to help Jeremy.
12As the characters talk, we realize why Mrs. Frisby is in such a hurry... Jeremy sees Farmer Fitzgibbon's cat named Dragon.
13Mrs. Frisby showed courage through this experience.
14She was willing to help the crow escape from Dragon without any expectation that he would help her.
15She was selfless or not thinking about herself or her safety during this time.
16The author uses two descriptive verbs to show Mrs. Frisby's actions, "cut" and "gnawing."
17Mrs. Frisby uses those sharp teeth to cut through the string.
18"Gnawing" is biting at something repeatedly.
19Some animals gnaw wood, for example, to sharpen their teeth.
20Through these two descriptive verbs we can see Mrs. Frisby's actions very clearly in our minds.
21The verbs paint a picture of what she is doing.
22The final way that we can describe our favorite character is looking at how other characters think about or act towards them.
23Remember Jeremy's reactions to Mrs. Frisby when she is trying to help him?
24"Come down here," she said. "I'll get the string off."
25"How?" said the crow dubiously.
26"Don't argue. I have only a few minutes."
27She said this in a voice so authoritative that the crow fluttered down immediately.
28Here writer O'Brien describes Jeremy's reaction to Mrs. Frisby. Note the adverbs O'Brien uses.
29To be dubious is to be unsure about something, to question an idea, maybe.
30To flutter is to flap the wings as quickly as possible.
31The word can suggest some fear or worry as well.
32Jeremy's questioning of Mrs. Frisby's ability was very brief.
33She answered with a single command and he obeyed at once.
34In this week's report we finished our discussion about how to describe your favorite character.
35We considered how the author uses descriptive verbs to describe Mrs. Frisby's actions.
36We even considered how other characters, like Jeremy, respond to her.
37The author uses adverbs to describe Jeremy's reactions to Mrs. Frisby.
38Let's finish our description of Mrs. Frisby below.
39The first four sentences are how we described Mrs. Frisby with her physical appearance, her thoughts and words.
40Mrs. Frisby is a small, brown field mouse and mother.
41She uses her sharp teeth when finding food for her children.
42Although Mrs. Frisby is a curious mouse, she always questions the situation.
43She uses her mothering skills to help others in need.
44For example, Mrs. Frisby saves Jeremy the crow from Dragon, the farmer's cat, by gnawing through a string.
45Jeremy is at first unsure about accepting Mrs. Frisby's help,
46but her command in the situation is undeniable.
47Jeremy does as she says and is rescued.
48Let's end this report by finishing our homework assignment.
49Add to the description of your character.
50What is the character doing? Or how is the character behaving?
51Find descriptive verbs, they show the action of the character.
52Next, look at where the other characters interact with your favorite character.
53How does that other character respond, feel, or behave?
54How does your favorite character affect other characters?
55Look for adverbs when finding how the other characters react.
56Write these sections down and send them to us at learningenglish@voanews.com.
57We will look at a few descriptions and give some feedback in a future report of Every Grammar.
58I'm Faith Pirlo
1In a past report of Everyday Grammar, we talked about how to describe your favorite character from a book you had read. We looked at the children's book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien to help us describe my favorite character, Mrs. Frisby. 2We considered how O'Brien used adjectives to describe Mrs. Frisby's physical appearance or how she looks. We thought about how Mrs. Frisby talks with other characters like Jeremy the crow or black bird by questioning him or how she used commands. Finally, we looked at her thoughts and memories. 3In today's Everyday Grammar, we will finish our discussion about Mrs. Frisby, who is a field mouse and a mother. We will look at her actions and the effect she has on other characters. 4The character's actions 5Another way we can describe our favorite character is by looking at the character's actions throughout the story. We can look at what the character does and how the character acts. 6In one part of the story Mrs. Frisby helps to set Jeremy free from the string in which he is tied up. Here we see that Mrs. Frisby is hard at work, cutting through the string to help Jeremy. 7As the characters talk, we realize why Mrs. Frisby is in such a hurry... Jeremy sees Farmer Fitzgibbon's cat named Dragon. 8Mrs. Frisby showed courage through this experience. She was willing to help the crow escape from Dragon without any expectation that he would help her. She was selfless or not thinking about herself or her safety during this time. 9The author uses two descriptive verbs to show Mrs. Frisby's actions, "cut" and "gnawing." 10Mrs. Frisby uses those sharp teeth to cut through the string. "Gnawing" is biting at something repeatedly. Some animals gnaw wood, for example, to sharpen their teeth. 11Through these two descriptive verbs we can see Mrs. Frisby's actions very clearly in our minds. The verbs paint a picture of what she is doing. 12Other characters' thoughts 13The final way that we can describe our favorite character is looking at how other characters think about or act towards them. 14Remember Jeremy's reactions to Mrs. Frisby when she is trying to help him? 15"Come down here," she said. "I'll get the string off." 16"How?" said the crow dubiously. 17"Don't argue. I have only a few minutes." She said this in a voice so authoritative that the crow fluttered down immediately. 18Here writer O'Brien describes Jeremy's reaction to Mrs. Frisby. Note the adverbs O'Brien uses. 19To be dubious is to be unsure about something, to question an idea, maybe. To flutter is to flap the wings as quickly as possible. The word can suggest some fear or worry as well. 20Jeremy's questioning of Mrs. Frisby's ability was very brief. She answered with a single command and he obeyed at once. 21Final thoughts 22In this week's report we finished our discussion about how to describe your favorite character. We considered how the author uses descriptive verbs to describe Mrs. Frisby's actions. We even considered how other characters, like Jeremy, respond to her. The author uses adverbs to describe Jeremy's reactions to Mrs. Frisby. 23Let's finish our description of Mrs. Frisby below. The first four sentences are how we described Mrs. Frisby with her physical appearance, her thoughts and words. 24Mrs. Frisby is a small, brown field mouse and mother. She uses her sharp teeth when finding food for her children. Although Mrs. Frisby is a curious mouse, she always questions the situation. She uses her mothering skills to help others in need. 25For example, Mrs. Frisby saves Jeremy the crow from Dragon, the farmer's cat, by gnawing through a string. Jeremy is at first unsure about accepting Mrs. Frisby's help, but her command in the situation is undeniable. Jeremy does as she says and is rescued. 26Homework assignment 27Let's end this report by finishing our homework assignment. Add to the description of your character. What is the character doing? Or how is the character behaving? Find descriptive verbs, they show the action of the character. 28Next, look at where the other characters interact with your favorite character. How does that other character respond, feel, or behave? How does your favorite character affect other characters? Look for adverbs when finding how the other characters react. 29Write these sections down and send them to us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 30We will look at a few descriptions and give some feedback in a future report of Every Grammar. 31I'm Faith Pirlo 32Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 33Describe your favorite character in the comments below or write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 34___________________________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36character - n. a person (or animal) who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 37gnaw - v. to bite at something over and over 38strand - n. a thin piece of hair or string 39dubiously - adv. with uncertainty or hesitation 40authoritative - adj. able to be trusted as being accurate or true 41flutter - v. to flap the wings rapidly 42_______________________________________________________________________ 43What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 44Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them.