City or village adventages and disadvantages of different lifestiles

UNIT 4. APPEARANCE

It is useful to be able to estimate and describe characters. There are however, two aspects of the subject. Personal appearance, physical features, stature and build, clothes or individual details which make one person different from another. Such description is often given of missing persons. There will be little indication of character in these cases.
Yet clothes and appearance are often an index to character, not only the kind of clothes people wear, but how they wear them. A person who takes little interest in his or her appearance, is not likely to be a meth­odical or tidy person.
Characters may be described in several ways: by description, by suggestion, by conversation, or by action.
Simple description is perhaps the easiest, but also the least satisfactory method, e.g. you may say John Brown is a very methodical and tidy person, which is a plain statement of fact. If, however, you describe some of his habits which help to build character, such as his neatly- parted hair and clean shoes, his careful and accurate work, tidy desk, and so on, all this will suggest his character far better. If you wish to add that John is also cheerful and good-tempered, you can do so by des­cribing what he says and what he does. If you listen to a person's talk, you soon have some idea of his character. You should remember, also, that "Actions speak louder than words" and by telling how people act, you will be indicating their character.
If you wish to describe people well, you should notice such things as habits, mannerisms, amusements or hobbies, clothes, particularly hats and shoes. Habits and amusements can also tell us much. Character shows itself through such details as one's voice, walk, features, eyes, mouth, hands, rouge, or other make-up.
Yet we cannot say that a person is wholly good or bad, any more than we can say that a high forehead always denotes intelligence or a big chin indicates a strong will.
(After "English Every Day" by R. E. Houseman)
EXERCISES