Ever heard the saying that we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more and talk less?
Well, today, we are going to delve into the ears!
Hello everyone. I’m Miss Su Xin, a specialist English teacher at Little Big Mighty. Welcome to another part of our descriptive writing series, About the Face.
Today, we are going to take a closer look at a part of our face that does a lot more than just hear.
Our ears do so much more than pick up sound. They can also give away exactly how we are feeling, often before we even say a word.
As such, we can embellish our descriptive writing by honing in on what most people overlook entirely. If you want to stand out as a writer, let’s look at how we can use phrases related to the ears to describe different ways of expressing emotions.
Describing Emotions
1. Embarrassment
An embarrassed character’s ears might turn pink or bright red, or feel as though they are scalding hot.
For example:
The moment his name was called out in front of the class, his ears turned bright red, feeling like they were scalding hot with shame.
2. Concern or Alarm
A concerned or alarmed character might repeatedly touch their ear or tug on it.
For example:
As the teacher read out the exam results, Sarah kept tugging on her ear, her eyes darting anxiously around the room.
3. Disbelief
A character in disbelief might cover both ears with their hands.
For example:
When she heard the news, she covered both ears with her hands, shaking her head as if that could make the words untrue.
4. Fear
A fearful character might feel their pulse pounding in their ears.
For example:
He pressed himself against the wall, his pulse pounding in his ears as the footsteps outside grew louder and closer.
5. Anxiety
An anxious character might push their hair behind their ear.
For example:
She kept pushing her hair behind her ear as she waited for her turn to speak, her hands unable to stay still.
These small physical details can help you show, rather than simply tell, what a character is feeling.
Instead of writing, “She was anxious,” describing her actions allows your reader to experience the emotion more vividly.
Ear-Related Idioms and Phrases
To elevate your writing even further, let’s look at some essential idioms and phrases related to the ears.
1. All ears
We use this to describe someone who is listening eagerly.
For example:
We were all ears when our teacher was explaining the rules of the game as we were excited to play it.
2. Play it by ear
We use this when someone acts spontaneously and according to the situation.
For example:
As we do not know what to expect tomorrow, we will just play it by ear and decide what to do if the situation changes.
3. Bend someone’s ear
We use this when someone talks to another person for a long time about something.
For example:
She would not stop bending my ear over her own problems at work. I wish she would stop that.
4. Music to the ears
We use this to describe something that is very pleasant or happy to hear.
For example:
Hearing that we had won first place in the competition was music to the ears.
5. Fall on deaf ears
We use this when a statement, request or piece of advice is ignored.
For example:
The teacher’s repeated advice fell on deaf ears, and the stubborn student eventually ended up failing his exams.
Challenge Yourself
Now it is your turn!
See if you can use as many of these phrases as possible to write a short anecdote or story using the words and expressions you have just learnt.
From ears burning with embarrassment to a pulse pounding with fear, the ears reveal far more than we give them credit for.
Paying attention to these small details can help make your characters feel more expressive, believable and alive.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our About the Face series, where we explore how every feature, from the eyes to the mouth to the nose, can bring your characters to life.
Have fun writing!
