Understanding Descriptive Essay Writing

Part A: Characteristics of a Descriptive Essay

Key Features:

a. Vivid sensory details (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)

b. Figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification)
c. Use of descriptive vocabulary
d. Clear structure: introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion

Five Key Steps

1. Setting and Weather ( dark green forest-nice balmy da y)
2. Atmosphere and Mood ( sense of happiness = birds are chirping )
3. Central Focus ( deer or a Willow tree or a cottage )
4. Feelings ( Zoom in on feelings )
5. Slight Change ( Don’t go from day to night. Just show slight change like birds’
chirping silenced)

Tip: 1.Keep a 40 second frame and think of whatever can happen in that timeframe.

2. Add a minimum of 5 language as well as structural techniques.

Language Devices Structural Devices

Alliteration Listing

Simile Tricolon

Onomatopoeia Repetition

Hyperbole Ellipses

Pathetic Fallacy or Personification Minor sentences (one word )

Checklist
1. Use a variety of vocabulary appropriate for the scene you are describing.
2. Include details about the sounds in the setting to help the reader imagine the scene.
3. Use adjectives to create vivid images. However, make sure each adjective adds
something new to the description and isn't just there for the sake of using an adjective.
4. Consider the best way to start and finish the description to create a clear structure.
You could start with a broad overview and then zoom in on specific details, or vice versa.
5. Focus on showing what is happening, rather than just telling the reader what is there.
For example, instead of saying "the market was crowded," you could say "shoppers
jostled each other, their bags overflowing with colourful produce."
6. Use similes and metaphors thoughtfully to help the reader visualise the scene. A
simile compares one thing to another using "like" or "as," while a metaphor states that
one thing is another. Don't use them just to show off; make sure they add to the
description and make sense in the context of what you are describing.
7. Vary the length of your sentences. Use short sentences to create impact and long
sentences to build detail and atmosphere.
8. Read your work aloud in your head to check that it makes sense and flows well.
9. Make sure to use a range of punctuation, including colons, exclamation marks,
ellipses, brackets, and dashes, where appropriate.
10. Start each sentence with a different word as much as possible.
11. Structure the description around contrasts to create interest and complexity. For
example, you could contrast the sights and sounds of a busy city street with the peace
and quiet of a park.
12. Focus on details of colour, sound, and smell to create a vivid sensory experience.
Engage all five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste) whenever possible.
13. Include a character's feelings and thoughts to make the description more engaging
and meaningful for the reader. Describe how the character interacts with the
environment and what their impressions are.

Task 1: Analyze the Prompt

Sample Prompt: Describe a celebration, festival or event which featured music.(500 words)

● Questions to ask:
1. Who/what am I describing?
2. What emotions or atmosphere should I convey?
3. Who is my audience?
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The summer melody festival was a night filled with and music,
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making the usually quiet town square into a vibrant celebration
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filled with revelers. The air was filled with exuberance as people
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gathered under the midnight sky.

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The moment you entered the square, the celebratory vibe filled the
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area. Tye place was filled with dangling lights which made the
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faces of the crowd glow in the dark night. You could hear the
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swoosh of the leaves in the cold breeze and the laughter and
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chatter of the crowd. There was a mouth watering smell of grilled

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kebabs and barbecue glided through the air.

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The main part of the festival was the stage in the center of the
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town square, decorated with beautiful twinkling lights. The first
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notes of music surged through the crowd. A young singer was
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standing there, his voice was heartfelt and soulful as he sung
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through the microphone. Each word he sang seemed to draw

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pictures of his experiences in the minds of the listeners , making
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the crowd and new comers advance towards him.
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As the sky got darker and darker, the music changed, a folk band
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took over the stage and blasted their music into the peoples ears
like a thunderstorm making everyone feel energetic and alive.
Some of the crowd moved gently with rhythm but a few danced
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