Beyond the verb to be

I was reading about Beautiful Girls (one of my favorite movies) and I came across an description of Uma Thurman, one of the great actresses in that film. These are just three lines of that review:

Uma Thurman has been systematically compared to screen legends of Hollywood’s Golden Era: Dietrich, Garbo and Lauren Bacall. Like them (…) she projects a special allure, a magnetic aura of self-possession, sophistication and intelligence.

Check this out:

The writer says	An intermediate student would probably say
She has been systematically compared to	She is like
Screen legends	famous actresses
She projects a special allure	She is very attractive
Self-possession	Self-confidence

So… How can we make our descriptions more interesting? Well. First of all, people don’t need to be things. They can make you feel good. They can project an aura. They can look like the gorgeous neighbor next door. They can turn your stomach. They can inspire you to do something. You can melt when you see them. You can look up to them or look down on them. You can find them interesting. You can say you don’t think much of them. There are so many alternatives to “they are”.

Next time you talk about someone in particular bear all this in mind. Your audience might appreciate it. I know your English teacher certainly will.