Download Descriptive Writing

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
WHAT IS DESCRIPTIVE
WRITING?
The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to
describe a person, place or thing in such a way that
a picture is formed in the reader's mind. Capturing
an event through descriptive writing involves paying
close attention to the details by using all of your five
senses.
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.
• often makes use of figurative language such as analogies,
similes and metaphors to help paint the picture in the reader's mind.
• uses precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive
verbs do not have a place in good descriptive writing. Use specific
adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs to give life to the
picture you are painting in the reader's mind.
• is organized. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include:
chronological (time), spatial (location), and order of importance.
When describing a person, you might begin with a physical
description, followed by how that person thinks, feels and acts.
DON'T TELL.
SHOW!
To tell
The house was old.
To show
The house frowned with a wrinkled brow,
and inside it creaked with each step,
releasing a scent of neglected laundry.
• The sunset filled the entire sky with the deep colour of rubies, setting the
clouds ablaze.
• The waves crashed along the shore, moving up and down in a graceful and
gentle rhythm like they were dancing.
• The painting was a field of flowers, with deep and rich blues and yellows
atop vibrant green stems that seemed to beckon you to reach right in and
pick them.
Choose
three
details that
convey the
extreme
heat of the
day. Give
reasons
for your
choice.
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
VOCABULARY
Palpable, pallid, redolent, maelstrom, florid, evanescent, ephemeral,
deleterious, eclectic, arid, tepid, austere, agreeable, boisterous,
conscientious, assertive, artistic, conceited, demure, ferocious, meticulous,
modest, outspoken, passionate, superficial, reliable, quirky, timid, comical,
dependable, analytical, ambitious, adorable, jubilant, delirious, intrepid,
luxurious, mediocre, composed, acclaimed, ornate, organic, flustered, Agony
Apocalypse, Armageddon, Assault, Backlash, Beating, Beware, Blinded,
Cadaver, Catastrophe, Caution, Collapse, Devastating, Disastrous,
Drowning, Dumb, Embarrass, Fail, Feeble, Fired, Fool, Miracle, Pluck,
Sensational, Spectacular, Spine, Spirit, Staggering, Stunning, Surprising,
Triumph, Uplifting, Valor, Victory, Wonderful, Wondrous
DESCRIBING A DESERT LANDSCAPE
Desert: harsh, dry,
arid, sparse, severe,
hot
Rock: sharp, rough,
jagged, angular
Grasses: windblown,
bent, dry, pale green,
brown
Sand: coarse, fine,
glittering, shifting,
rippling, sifting, white,
golden
Sky: pale, intense,
cloudless, azure,
purple, crimson
Cactus: tall, short,
DESCRIBING A CITY
City: active, bustling, noisy, busy, clean, dirty,
windy
Traffic: loud, congested, snarled
Buildings: old, shabby, rundown,
crumbling, modern, futuristic, sleek, towering,
squat
Buildings (walls): brick, stone, marble, glass,
steel, graffiti-covered
Monuments, statues: stone, copper, carved,
ancient, moss-covered, faded, green, bronze
Sidewalk: concrete, cement, slick, cracked, tidy,
littered, swept
Paint: fresh, weathered, peeling
Signs: neon, weathered, worn, bright, welcoming,
flashing
Buses, cars, taxis: belching, crawling, speeding,
honking, waiting, screeching
People: hurried, bundled, smiling, frowning,
eager, rushed