Implied examples Implied characteristics

Niang was dressed in a dark brown Parisian silk dress, with dangling pearl earrings and a string of large  stylish
pearls around her neck.
 expensive taste

 non-traditional

Surprised and hurt, Niang bent down to pick up her baby, who was wriggling and resisting with all her
might. An unnatural hush fell upon the room.

“Keep still!” Niang screamed futilely, again and again, in a piercing voice.

This proved simply too much for Niang. Thoroughly exasperated, she gave a stinging slap across her baby’s
face.
Deliberately and viciously, Niang now set about beating her daughter in earnest. Her blows landed
indiscriminately on Little Sister’s ears, cheeks, neck and head.

Niang glared at me. Her large, prominent eyes appeared to be popping out of their orbits with fury. “How
dare you!” she hissed.

Fuming with rage, Niang slowly extended her right arm and pointed her index finger at me.

“Get out!” she snarled in a cold, distinctive voice. “I shall never forgive you! Never! Never! You’d better
watch out from now on! You will pay for your arrogance!”

Explicit example Explicit characteristics

In those few moments, we had understood everything. Not only about Niang, but also about all the grown-
ups. Now that Nai Nai was dead, there was no doubt about who was in charge.