Describing Character and Qualities

This page offers a comprehensive list of adjectives for describing personality traits, essential for a thorough Charakterisierung einer Person (characterization of a person). The list is divided into positive and negative qualities:

Positive traits:

• Careful (vorsichtig)
• Clever (klug)
• Friendly (freundlich)
• Generous (großzügig)
• Honest (ehrlich)
• Interesting (interessant)
• Kind (nett)
• Hard working (fleißig)
• Modest (bescheiden)
• Patient (geduldig)
• Polite (höflich)
• Relaxed (entspannt)
• Sensible (vernünftig)
• Strong (stark)
• Thoughtful (nachdenklich)
• Unselfish (uneigennützig)

Negative traits:

• Careless (leichtsinnig)
• Stupid (dumm)
• Unfriendly (unfreundlich)
• Mean (gemein)
• Dishonest (unehrlich)
• Boring (langweilig)
• Cruel (grausam)
• Lazy (faul)
• Proud (stolz)
• Loud (laut)
• Tense (angespannt)
• Silly (albern)
• Weak (schwach)
• Thoughtless (gedankenlos)
• Selfish (egoistisch)

Example: "Despite his outward appearance of strength, the character's actions reveal him to be weak and selfish, often putting his own needs before those of others."

Introduction to Writing a Characterization

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to write a Charakterisierung (characterization) in English, aimed at students looking to improve their analytical writing skills. The document outlines the structure, key elements, and useful vocabulary for crafting an effective character analysis.

Key points covered:

• Structure of a characterization: introduction, main body, and conclusion
• Essential elements to include in each section
• Useful phrases and sentence starters
• Extensive vocabulary lists for describing appearance, personality traits, and emotions

Highlight: The guide emphasizes using simple present tense and incorporating quotes from the text to support observations.

Formulierungshilfen for Characterization

This page provides valuable Formulierungshilfen (phrasing aids) for each section of the characterization, offering a Charakterisierung Vorlage (characterization template) that students can follow:

Introduction:

• "In the (type of text) ... written by ... (Author's name), (Character's name) is one of the main characters..."

Main part:

• "The person is... / seems to be... / acts like... / is described as..."
• "His behavior shows that..."
• "From the way he acts, you can assume that..."
• "This is an example of..."
• "Another important fact is that..."
• "This shows that..."
• "Throughout the book... the character changes/does not change."

Conclusion:

• "To sum up..."
• "All in all, you can see that..."

Example: "In the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' written by Harper Lee, Scout Finch is one of the main characters. She is described as a curious and intelligent young girl. Her behavior shows that she is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in."