I learnt the phrase 'strike somebody as something', which means 'to seem to have a particular quality or feature'. I think it is similar to 'impress somebody with something'. Maybe it is most common for you native speakers to use either of them, but as second language learners, we must say 'impress' at once, but rarely use 'strike', it seems a little authentic and can't remember.
And how do you choose words and phrases in written English?