Useful Phrases for Character Analysis

This page presents a comprehensive guide for characterization phrases and techniques in literary analysis. It provides students and writers with valuable tools to effectively describe and analyze characters in fiction.

The document begins by offering several key phrases for character description:

• "The author/narrator points out features of..."
• "The character is described as..."
• "The character changes his/her behaviour/characteristics/traits/features throughout the novel/book"
• "The character remains essentially unchanged"
• "The author/narrator uses ... to show/to tell as a method..."

These phrases serve as excellent starting points for discussing character development and authorial techniques in character analysis.

Highlight: The guide emphasizes the importance of noting both character changes and consistency throughout a story, which is crucial for a thorough character analysis.

The document then provides a list of transitional phrases to enhance the flow of the analysis:

"In addition...", "As well as...", "Also...", "Furthermore...", "Besides...", "Apart from...", "Moreover...", "And..."

These transitions are essential for creating a cohesive and well-structured character analysis.

Vocabulary: Transitional phrases are words or phrases that help connect ideas and improve the flow of writing.

The bulk of the page is dedicated to a comprehensive list of character qualities, presented in contrasting pairs:

• odd/strange ↔ normal
• unfriendly ↔ friendly
• stupid ↔ intelligent
• quiet/calm ↔ loud/excited
• popular/well-liked ↔ unpopular/not liked

This list serves as an excellent resource for students learning how to describe a character's appearance and personality in writing.

Example: A character might be described as "odd and unfriendly" at the beginning of a story, but develop into someone "outgoing and well-liked" by the end.

The document concludes with an extensive list of additional character traits, including:

violent, brave, tolerant, kind, caring, sensible, reliable, polite, patient, cheerful, stubborn, modest, selfish, humble, gentle, jealous, proud, touchy, picky, complicated, (self-) confident, clumsy, social, anti-social, cruel, arrogant, shy

This comprehensive list of adjectives provides a rich vocabulary for creating detailed and nuanced character descriptions.

Definition: Character traits are the individual attributes or qualities that make up a person's personality.

Overall, this document serves as an invaluable resource for students and writers looking to improve their skills in character analysis and description. It provides a structured approach to discussing characters in literature, offering both general phrases for analysis and specific adjectives for detailed descriptions.