DISCUSSING CHARACTERS

Read and remember how to use the words:

person, personal: a person of strong character; personal opinion; personal responsibility. What kind of person is he? He has always been a person of strong character. That is my personal opinion.

personality: a strong personality. What makes a personality? Nobody doubts that he is a personality.

to characterize: The author characterizes the hero as a generous man How would you characterize the man from that picture? A strong need for change characterizes our time. Stubbornness characterizes the donkey.

characteristic: a family characteristic; the characteristic smell of burning rubber. This landscape is so characteristic of England. Ambition is a characteristic of all successful businessmen. Each bird has its own characteristic song.

trait: personal traits; traits of character. Certain personality traits made her unpopular.

feature: characteristic features. He was taller than me, with very regular features. Which features of a man's character do you like most of all?

to analyse: Specialists may be useful to analyse a situation. The students are to describe and analyse the paintings. We'd like to analyse the chapter, to read it carefully and in detail in order to understand and explain it.

moral: moral values; a moral duty; to give moral support to someone; moral courage. He had that moral courage which helps a man to stand alone. It is our moral duty to take care of them. The moral support I was given turned out to be very helpful and encouraging.

to respond: to respond to the characters from the story; to respond to kindness; to respond to someone's needs. The pupils responded to questions by raising their hands.

response, responsive: to act in response; a responsive audience. He was surprised to see no response to his attention. The children proved to be the quickest and most responsive members of the audience.

PRACTICE

Exercise 1. A story's success often depends on how well the characters are presented. Even if the story is well constructed, readers may not become interested in it unless they can respond to its characters. Generally a writer develops a character in different ways:
· through the character's actions;
· through the character's thoughts and speeches;
· through a physical description of the character;
· through the opinion of other characters.

a) Which of these ways, in your opinion, is the most effective and can help you form your impressions of the main characters?

b) Say how you analyse characters in your Literature lessons.

Exercise 2. Each character must have a special, interesting and unusual quality that makes you remember him or her. Give an example of a character who impressed you or who you like or dislike. Discuss your feelings about this character with your classmates.

You may use these formulas:
· If you want my opinion …
· Well, in my opinion …
· As I see it …
· Frankly speaking …
· I suppose …
· I can characterize the (man) as a generous person because …
· The writer develops the character through …
· The character is presented through …
· I like the way the author describes …
· I find it boring …