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Descriptive Writing Alaa

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Nomi Dhillon
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26 views21 pages

Descriptive Writing Alaa

Uploaded by

Nomi Dhillon
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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 Descriptive writing creates a picture of a person, place, thing, or

event. A well-written description should arouse a particular response


or emotion in the reader's imagination.

 Description tells what something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or


feels like. It works with all of the senses, i.e., Sight, smell, taste,
touch, hearing.

 Descriptive writing is the only type of writing which can be and


should be used in all other forms: Expository, Narrative, and
Persuasive.

 Your goal as a writer is to describe something so well that your


reader will see, in his or her imagination, what you have
experienced in life!
 Vivid sensory details-details appealing to one or more of the
five senses. This is often best achieved by using vocabulary
that includes specific nouns, active verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs.

 A clear, consistent organization using either spatial,


chronological, or thematic order.

 To make an imaginary world seem real, an author often makes


use of words and phrases that appeal to the senses. These
words and phrases, are called images, and help a reader
mentally experience what the characters in the literary
selection are actually experiencing.
Before writing the Descriptive Essay, you have to think about
3W.

What, Why, and How.

1)What do you want to describe?


 It’s an important step for you to know what are you
describing:. a person , a place , a memory, an experience , an
object .
2)Why are you writing your descriptive essay?
 Usually, you have a particular reason why you need to write this descriptive essay.

 Getting in touch with this reason can help you focus your description and imbue
your language with a particular perspective or emotion.
 Example

 Imagine that you want to write a descriptive essay about your grandfather.

 chose to write about his

◦ physical appearance
◦ the way that he interacts with people.
 However, rather than providing a general description of these aspects, you want to
convey
◦ your admiration for his strength
◦ kindness.
 This is your reason for writing the descriptive essay.

 To achieve this, you might focus one of your paragraphs on describing the
roughness of his hands, roughness resulting from the labor of his work throughout
his life, but you might also describe how he would hold your hands so gently with
his rough hands when having a conversation with you or when taking a walk.
3)How should you write your description?
 As you write your descriptive essay, the best way to
create a vivid experience for your readers is to focus
on the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

 When you focus your descriptions on the senses, you


provide vivid and specific details that show your
readers rather than tell your readers what you are
describing.
Good descriptive writing is comprised of five elements;
 Sensory Details,

 Figurative Language,

 dominant impression,

 precise language, and

 Careful Organization.
1) Sensory Details
 Good descriptive writing includes many vivid sensory details that paint a
picture and appeals to all of the reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch,
smell, and taste when appropriate. Descriptive writing may also paint a
pictures of the feelings the person, place or thing invokes the writer.

2) Figurative Language
 Good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language to help
paint the picture in the reader's mind. There are many ways to use
figurative language, and it is a talent that should be practiced until
perfected.
 -A simile uses like or as to compare two unlike things.

Example: Her smile was like sunshine.


 -A metaphor compares two unlike things without using like or as:

Example: Her smile was a light that lit up the room.


 -Personification suggests comparison between a nonliving thing and a
person by giving the nonliving thing human traits.
3) A Dominant Impression
 When you plan a descriptive essay, your focus on selecting
details that help your readers see what you see, feel what you
feel, and experience what you experience. Your goal is to
create a single dominant impression, a central theme or idea to
which all the details relate-for example, the liveliness of a
street scene or the quiet of a summer night. This dominant
impression unifies the description and gives readers an overall
sense of what the person, place, object, or scene looks like(and
perhaps what it sounds, smells, tastes, or feels like).
Sometimes _ but not always_ your details will support a thesis
making a point about the subject you are describing.
4) Precise language
 Good descriptive writing uses precise language. Using
specific words and phrases will help the reader “see”
what you are describing. If a word or phrase is specific,
it is exact and precise. The opposite of specific
language is language that is vague, general, or fuzzy.

5) Careful Organization
 Good descriptive writing is organized. Some ways to
organize descriptive writing include: chronological
(time), spatial (location), and order of importance.

 Transitions used in descriptive writing vary
depending on whether you are describing a
person, a place, or a thing. Here are some
examples of transitions that might be used in
descriptive contexts:
 Descriptions of people or places : These portray the
physical appearance of a person or place and show readers
why the subject is important or special.

 Remembrances : Capture a memorable experience in the


writer’s life, either a specific moment or a longer period.

 Observations : Describe an event the writer has witnessed.

 Vignettes : Capture a single moment in the writer’s life,


painting a picture with words.
 A descriptive essay simply describes something or someone by appealing to the reader’s senses:
 sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Here are the basic steps to writing an effective descriptive
 essay:
 1. Select a subject
 Observation is the key to writing a good description. For example, if you are writing about a place, go there
 and take notes on the sights, sounds, and smells. A descriptive essay paints a picture for the reader, using
 descriptive devices and the senses. Create a thesis statement that informs the reader who or what you are
 describing. Examples: “The wooden roller coaster in Coney Island is a work of art.” “My bedroom is an
 ocean sanctuary.”
 2. Select dominant details
 Select only the details that support the dominant impression (your thesis statement).
 3. Organize details
 The paragraphs in a descriptive essay can be structured spatially (from top to bottom or from near to far) or
 chronologically (time order) or from general to specific. Descriptive essays can also use other patterns of
 organization such as narrative or exemplification.
 4. Use descriptive words
 Do not use vague words or generalities (such as good, nice, bad, or beautiful). Be specific and use sensory,
 descriptive words (adjectives). For example:
 I ate a good dinner. OR I devoured a steaming hot, cheese-filled pepperoni pizza for dinner.
 Provide sensory details:
 Smells that are in the air (the aroma of freshly brewed coffee)
 Sounds (traffic, honking horns)
 Sights (“The sun scattered tiny diamonds across dew-covered grass as it peeked out from beyond the
 horizon.”)
 Touch (“The texture of the adobe hut’s walls resembled coarse sandpaper.”)
 Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tart (“Giant goose bumps formed on my tongue when I accidently
 bit into a sliver of lemon.”)
 5. Draw a logical conclusion
 The conclusion may also use descriptive words; however, make certain the conclusion is logical and
 relevant.
 Planning your descriptive essay:
◦ What or who do you want to describe?
◦ What is your reason for writing your description?
◦ What are the particular qualities that you want to focus on?
 Drafting your descriptive essay:
◦ What sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures are important for
developing your description?
◦ Which details can you include to ensure that your readers gain a vivid
impression imbued with your emotion or perspective?
 Revising your descriptive essay:
◦ Have you provided enough details and descriptions to enable your readers to
gain a complete and vivid perception?
◦ Have you left out any minor but important details?
◦ Have you used words that convey your emotion or perspective?
◦ Are there any unnecessary details in your description?
◦ Does each paragraph of your essay focus on one aspect of your description?
◦ Are you paragraphs ordered in the most affective way?
Thank you

so much

for

your attention

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