Take a Compliment: Words to Describe a Teacher

There were men at Cambridge who were mentally agile as teachers, and still played a decent game of tennis, still rowed, who were twenty years older than him. Atonement

He saw Njemile talking to someone he didn’t recognize, both of them animated and expressive. Anger Is a Gift

Still, the festival afforded many attractions and occasional revelations, largely because most of the performers were not only excellent musicians but also articulate and well-versed speakers with big public personalities. New York Times (Mar 15, 2010)

“My mother was an avid reader of detective fiction, and she brought ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ home when I was in my teens,” Mr. Branagh said. New York Times (Nov 9, 2017)

He was a scholar, the friend of Raleigh and of Nashe, the most brilliant and educated of the Cambridge wits. The Secret History

"You must be very clever to find a use for something that costs nothing," she said. Matilda

“He was an eloquent speaker and writer,” says Kosinski in a phone interview. Washington Post (Nov 23, 2020)

According to them, I was too enthusiastic, too preppy, and my teaching style was too unorthodox. The Freedom Writers Diary

He’s an erudite, lyrical, enthusiastic and exceptionally well-read guide. New York Times (Jul 27, 2016)

“And Ben is next in line. He’s helpful. If you ever need something and I’m not around, ask Ben. He’s the Elder-in-training now, right, Ben?” Orphan Island

“That’s the genius of these institutions. They want the working classes, laborers. Boys who aren’t stamped by”—Herr Siedler frowns— “middle-class garbage. The cinemas and so forth. They want industrious boys. Exceptional boys.” All the Light We Cannot See

She was so inspiring, even the panicked centaurs started to rally. The Last Olympian

“It revealed to me a lot of what I thought I was seeing. He was a very thoughtful, intellectual kind of a baseball player.” Washington Times (Feb 23, 2016)

Mary was also a shrewd and intuitive judge of character, an emotionally intelligent woman who paid close attention to her surroundings and the people around her. Hidden Figures

She’s as knowledgeable about the topic as she is about everything else. Red, White & Royal Blue

Always didactic, he went into a learned exposition of the diabolical properties of cinnabar, but Úrsula paid no attention to him, although she took the children off to pray. One Hundred Years of Solitude

But my grandfather, a working compositor, learned and well lettered, transcribed into modern Breton all the manuscripts that were in Gallic. Sue, Eug?ne

"Gordon was simply brilliant to be around, incredibly motivating and ever positive," he said. BBC (Mar 12, 2021)

When I search his gaze, I recognize that curious, passionate, intelligent man I’d first seen in his office, showing me his newest creation. Warcross

Because home cooks are often a resourceful bunch, there are usually plenty of clever strategies for making use of these types of tools or equipment. Washington Post (Jun 22, 2020)

Here we find the words Homer applies to Ulysses, the same descriptions applied to the hero of the Odyssey: sagacious, cunning, astute, shrewd, artful, crafty, deceitful, tricky. The Guardian (Nov 26, 2020)

He was firm but kind, grandfatherly and sage with a dry wit. Seattle Times (Jan 2, 2021)

He was a scholarly young man with a face as sharp and bright as a fox’s. Johnny Tremain

“I guess so. I like it, and all those books. Do you think our grandfather was smart? Do you think he went to college or just read? What do you think he was like?” Homecoming

She thought that he was wise and contemplative and listened with all his heart. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn