DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Descriptive writing describes a person, place, or thing in a way that enables the reader to
visualize it.
This type of writing is characterized by the following:
• Including descriptive words and details (look, sound, movement, taste, composition, age,
size, location, etc.).

• Using precise language (tulip instead of flower; mansion instead of home).

• Including strong verbs (She raced to the park. He gulped down his lunch.).

• Making comparisons (fast as lightning, hair like silk, hotter than burning coal).

• Using words that engage and surprise the reader (enormous shrimp; muscles bigger than a
mountain)

❖ Descriptive Essay Sample

The Best Pizza in Town and Maybe the World

I have suffered a great deal because of a terrible addiction to pizza. Basically, I enjoy pizza too
much. In fact, I enjoy it so much; I won’t share it, not even with my mother. People in my hometown of
Cabimas, Venezuela, laugh at me and call me the Pizza King of Cabimas, but it is a name that I am
proud of. I have eaten in many places, and none is as good as the pizza of Cabimas.
The best place to eat pizza in Cabimas is at Papa’s restaurant. Customers have to wait in line to get
a table, but the wait is worth it. Once they are seated, pizza –lovers can choose from many varieties of
pizza, such as pizza with shrimp and smoked oysters or pizza with pine nuts and garlics, but my
favorite is the sausage and pepperoni. First of all, it is big. When the waiter puts it down in front of me,
I feel happy because I will get enough to eat; it smells of garlic, oil, and spices. And it looks delicious
too. The sauce oozes out from under a layer of rich melted cheese. The best part is the first bite. I sink
my teeth into a slightly crunchy crust, thick tomato sauce and gooey cheese, and I am in heaven. I can
eat two of these pizzas in one night, even though I know I will have a stomachache afterwards.
Now that I am in the United States, I am trying different kinds of pizzas here. I have never seen so
many different pizza restaurants! I want to try them one by one. So far, some of them are delicious, but
I am convinced that the best pizza in the world is still at Papa’s restaurant a couple of blocks from the
house where I grew up.

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 ❖ Structuring a Descriptive Essay

As all essays, the structure of the descriptive essay should include the following structure:
• Introduction:
▪ generally establishes the purpose and why it is interesting to make the description.
▪ should start with an opening that grabs the reader’s attention.
▪ sets the tone for the overall impression.
▪ is finished by a more specific statement (thesis statement) which tells why the object or
event of description is important to the writer.

• Development : (Body Paragraphs)

▪ Most of the description is in the body paragraphs.
▪ Adjectives and adverb make the experience more vivid.
▪ The scene is often described with prepositions and prepositional phrases that specify
location or position in place.
▪ Anecdotes or “narrative chunks’’ may serve as details or examples.
▪ Transitions connect ideas to each other in a logical way and ensure the flow from
paragraph to another.

• Conclusion:
▪ rephrases the thesis statement.
▪ ties things up and makes a tidy and complete package.
▪ summarizes the writer’s main points and his emotional and physical attitude.
▪ summarizes the importance of the described things.

• Exercise: Identifying Specific Language

Read the following pairs of sentences. Put a check ( √ ) next to the sentence that is more specific.
1. a. I like to wear my grandmother’s jewelry.
b. I like to wear my grandmother’s pearl necklace.
2. a. My best friend gave me a novel by Chang-Rae Lee for my birthday.
b. My best friend gave me a book for my birthday.
3. a. Someone lent her an umbrella.
b. Her father lent her an umbrella.
4. a. I inherited some furniture.
b. I inherited my grandmother’s chair.
5. a. Steve has a new laptop.

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 b. Steve has a new computer.
6. a. Jordan received a toy.
b. Jordan received a teddy bear.

• Exercise: Adding specific details

Rewrite the following sentences. Replace the underlined words and phrases with words that are
more specific.
1. I bought a pair of shoes.
I bought a pair of running shoes.
2. Maria found some jewelry in the basement.

3. My mother gave me some money.

4. I like my desk.

5. My father enjoyed making things.

6. My grandparents collected souvenirs.

7. We always have vegetables with dinner.

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• Exercise:
Read the following paragraph. Underline five words or phrases that could be more
specific.

My Lost Treasure Box

When I left my hometown, my relative gave me a special box. She said I could use the
box to keep my special treasures. The box was made of a special material, and it waspainted
a bright color. When I Opened it, it played a pretty song. I kept this box on my dresser and
I used it to store my things. Unfortunately, I lost my beautiful box when I moved to a
different city, but I will always remember it and my relative who gave it to me.

❖ Features of Descriptive Essay

A good descriptive essay is comprised of following elements:
• Sensory and specific details:
 Sensory details: Good descriptive essay includes many vivid sensory details that paints
a picture and appeals to all of the reader’s senses of sights, sound, touch, smell, and taste
when appropriate.
 Specific details: the more specific the details are the more effective and interesting the
essay will be. Clear, specific details allow the reader to create a picture in his or her
mind of what is being described. We can use nouns, adjectives, adverbs to add details to
sentences.
Eg. The crabs were good (general sentence).
The crabs were tender and sweet with a salty taste. (sentence with sensory and specific
details.)

• Figurative language: good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language to help
paint the picture in the reader’s mind.
✓ Similes: Descriptive writing may use similes to make something seem more familiar or more
creative. Similes are often used in literature and poetry.
Eg.1 The sun was like glowing ball of fire.
Eg.2 I was young and easy…and happy as the grass was green.
Simile structure:
• A simile can use the preposition like + noun or noun phrase.
Eg. The stars looked like diamond.
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• A simile can also use as…as+ noun or noun phrase. This kind of simile also uses an adjective.
Eg. He is as clever as a fox.

✓ Metaphor: a figure of speech in which one thing is represented (or spoken of) as something
else.
Eg. Juliet is the sun.(Shakespeare). Girl Juliet is spoken of as sun.

✓ Personification: is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea, or an animal is given human

attributes.
Eg. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.

• Precise Language: Good descriptive uses precise language. Using specific words and phrases
will help the reader (see) what you are describing.

• Careful Organization: the paragraphs in descriptive essay can be structured spatially (from
top to bottom or from near to far) or chronologically (time order) or from general to specific.

• Prepositional Phrases: Prepositional phrases are important in descriptive writing. They show
the position, location, or direction of objects in space and time. We can also use Prepositional
phrases to show manner or attitude.

❖ Language focus
One of the characteristics of the descriptive writing is the frequent use of adjectives and
prepositional phrases:

- Prepositional phrases that show position and location:

Eg. The boat slowly sank with the water level until it rested on the bay floor.

- Prepositional phrases that show direction:

Eg. We took the boat out to his underwater oyster park.

- Prepositional phrases that show time:

Eg. At six in the morning in that sweet moment on Sunday

- Prepositional phrases that show manner or attitude:

Eg. I stood up in defiance.
He pulled back in horror.

• Using adjectives: adjectives are words that describe nouns-people, place, and things.
Adjectives appear in different positions in the sentence.

- Adjectives usually come after an article and before a noun.

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 Eg. We sat in roaring sun.

- Adjectives can also occur after some stative verbs such as appear, be, become, feel look,
seem. Use and to separate two adjectives that fellow a verb. Separate more than two
adjectives with commas and the word and.
Eg1. He was hungry.
Eg2.He became thoughtful.
Eg3. He was sick and tired.
Eg4. We were exited, nervous, and anxious.

Practice
➔ Activity One:
Turn the general sentences below into specific ones (details) using adjectives , nouns, verbs, etc.

General: Specific details:

• He bought a vegetable.
He bought some green spinach.
• We returned from the store.
……………………………………………………………………………….
• I entered the room.
…………………………….…………………………………………………
• Our guests enjoyed the dinner.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
• We put the spinach in the pan.
………………………………………………………………………………..

➔ Activity Two: Using adjectives

Change the following sentences by adding two or three adjectives to each one.
1. My umbrella is like a friend.

2. I love my bicycle.

3. No one understands why I still wear my jeans.

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 4. If I could only save one thing from a fire, it would be my chair.

5. The piano in my parent’s house is located in the room.

6. My mother gave me her ring.

➔ Activity Three: Adding Specific Details

Rewrite the following sentences. Replace the underlined words and phrases with words that are
more specific.
1. I bought a pair of shoes.
I bought a pair of running shoes
2. Maria found some jewelry in the basement.
__________________________________________________
3. My mother gave me some money.
__________________________________________________
4. I like my desk.
__________________________________________________
5. My father enjoyed making things.
__________________________________________________

❖ Common Adjectives for Describing People

Physical Appearance
tall short medium pale-looking beautiful attractive

pretty elegant smart handsome good-looking strong

stocky weak frail bold fat obese

well-built slim thin skinny ugly plumb

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Specific physical appearance

Face Hair Eyes Nose Cheeks Clothes

oval bald big flat glowing formal
round wavy emerald-green curved hollow casual
wrinkled curly narrow reddened pallid tidy
pale-looking straight blue square blushing messy
sun-tanned black tiny noble sunken shabby
fair-skinned spiky round sharp sunburnt elegant
baby thorny brown velvet livid fashionable

Positive Qualities Negative Qualities

nice nasty
helpful unhelpful
modest arrogant
ambitious boastful
audacious narrow-minded
hospitable nervous
optimistic annoying
serious idiotic
honest boring
friendly immature
imaginative childish
sociable impolite
brave careless
easy-going pessimistic
careful foolish
patient impatient

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Character or Personal Qualities
These are not necessarily opposites
cheerful introverted
hardworking lazy
extroverted cruel
reliable shy
polite snobbish
intelligent hypocritical
practical tense
quiet irritable
clever anxious
sensitive moody
active impulsive
balanced cold-blooded
peaceful reserved
determined dominant
carefree adventurous
punctual hot-blooded
thoughtful thoughtless
open-minded sceptical
benevolent talkative
generous mean
exact reckless
well-organised stubborn
resolute obstinate
even-tempered greedy

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❖ Using Sensory Language and Figures of Speech

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