How to describe these?

How do you want to describe them? As in:

The building facade was old and crumbling? Or

The building's exterior was as crumbly as blue cheese?

With regards to height; is the person actually short or tall?

Metaphors are helpful: Big as a linebacker, scrawny as a famine victim, pint-sized....

you could use terms like "statuesque" or "large framed" for big people, how about "ancient and crumbling" as descriptive terms for old walls, might i suggest you avail yourself of a thesaurus (english ) which gives a selection of literary alternatives for specific words or phrases, good luck with learning the english language, i`ve been at it all my life and am still learning.

How to describe these?
A person's height: How about dominating for the main character and everyone else he was towering above? You could use the other characters to describe the main character as tall in an informal way (no use of tall or short).
Old and Aged: Sagging, creaking, weathered, dilapidated, moldy, stagnant, "seen better days", "weaving when the wind blows", you could also do smells of an old building.
Modern building: Architecture, smooth lines, smells of a new building, contemporary, clean, colors to define contemporary, etc.

Good luck with your writing!

Thank you for all your inputs! I shall make good use of words suggested.

As crumbly as blue cheese? I wonder what it means?


I want adjectives for both.



Yes, I do love metaphors, it helps to express better. Another question, can I use idioms in formal writings? Are all idioms formal?

Some idioms verge on slang, others are completely appropriate in formal writing.

I'm afraid you have to examine each idiom in the context you plan to use.