Descriptive Writing Language

Descriptive Writing

By Philip Rice

Organization of a Descriptive Intro Paragraph

• Hook (Getting Attention)

• Background information/Connecting Info

• Thesis ( The main idea of the paper)

Organization of a Descriptive Intro Paragraph

• Hook (Getting Attention)

• FIQSO

Organization of a Descriptive Intro Paragraph

• Hook (Getting Attention)

  • Facts

  • Illustration(Story)

  • Quotes/Questions

  • Statistics (#s, %, etc.)

  • O​bservations (Have you ever noticed?)

Organization of a Descriptive Intro Paragraph

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1. Background information/Connecting Info

• Summarizes the Issue, History, or relevant information about recent developments

Organization of a Descriptive Intro Paragraph

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• Thesis ( The main idea of the paper)

• States the main purpose and topic of the essay. ​

​ Fifty years ago, there weren’t many computers in public schools or even big businesses, let alone a restaurant, store, or home.  Now computers are everywhere: we use them to check out at grocery stores, have them in our homes, and even keep them in our pockets.  There are even some ambitious people, such as myself, who build their own computers by buying individual parts and putting them together.  I have built many high-quality computers since I was in high school, but my absolute favorite computer is the one I built most recently because it is lightning-quick, has a cool design, and runs Windows 7.

Organization of a Descriptive Body Paragraph

• Topic Sentence (States the topic of the paragraph, usually with a transition)

• Supporting Details (Gives examples, evidence,details,reasons, uses transitions)

• Concluding Sentence​ (Transitions, restates the main idea)

Organization of a Descriptive Body Paragraph

• Here is a link to some great transition words and phrases (Bookmark this in your browser)

Pretend that you are reading a descriptive essay about my car's favorite features. Answer the questions on the next few slides.

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Organization of the Body Paragraphs

Multiple Choice

What part of the paragraph is this sentence?

One of the main reasons I love my car is its amazing sound system.

• Concluding sentence

• Topic Sentence

• Supporting details

Multiple Choice

What part of the paragraph is this sentence?

Therefore, my vehicle's sound system is one of my favorite features.

• Concluding sentence

• Topic Sentence

• Supporting details

Multiple Choice

What part of the paragraph is this sentence?

Another feature of my car that I love is the interior design.

• Concluding sentence

• Topic Sentence

• Supporting details

Multiple Choice

What part of the paragraph is this sentence?

Specifically, I enjoy the smooth chocolate brown leather seats that I can electronically adjust.

• Concluding sentence

• Topic Sentence

• Supporting details

What are the five senses? Discuss

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​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Description Language #1- The Five Senses

Multiple Choice

Which one of these words does NOT describe taste?

• Beautiful

• Delicious

• Scrumptious

• Salty

Multiple Select

Choose the best words for "touch." There is more than one answer.

• smooth

• scratchy

• high

• sweet

Poll

Which of these words do/does NOT describe sounds? More than one answer may be possible.

• Ringing

• Clanking

• Banging

• Blinking

• Twinkling

Draw

Circle all of the words that help you to "see" what is happening.

Open Ended

Copy and paste this paragraph and fill in the blanks with sensory language/five sense words.

Today was an amazing day. First, I went to my favorite diner and had a ____ (taste) breakfast. Afterwards, I bought my wife some ____(smell) flowers. The petals on the flowers were ____ (touch) on my fingers. Next, I saw a ____ (visual) blue bird flying through the trees. The bird was singing a ____(sound) swhile flying.

Which senses can you use for your description?

​Look at your topic and decide which sense or senses could be used.

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Using specific language is very important to making your descriptions strong.

Description Part II:

Getting Specific​

A good meal -> A delicious and tasty meal

A good student -> A diligent and hard-working student.​

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​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

​Examples of Specific Language

The best way to find specific language...

Use the thesaurus

Click this link, and prepare yourself for the next slide.

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Open Ended

Using the link to the thesaurus, look up some synonyms for the words below and copy and paste them as a response:

Big

Open Ended

Using the link to the thesaurus, look up some synonyms for the words below and copy and paste them as a response:

Small

Open Ended

Using the link to the thesaurus, look up some synonyms for the words below and copy and paste them as a response:

Hot

Open Ended

Using the link to the thesaurus, look up some synonyms for the words below and copy and paste them as a response:

Cold

Open Ended

Using the link to the thesaurus, look up some synonyms for the words below and copy and paste them as a response:

Bad

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence below - Which one of these words is a synonym for BIG?

Additionally, the hard drive spins at a blazing fast 10,000rpm and gives me instant access to my vast library of music and movies. 

• hard

• instant

• vast

• blazing fast

Open Ended

Now, copy, paste, and change the sentence below by taking out NON-SPECIFIC words and replacing them with more SPECIFIC vocabulary from the thesaurus. Not all words work as synonyms, so make sure you know the meaning of the synonym.

CHANGE this SENTENCE:

It was a hot day, so I started to feel bad. Then, my friend got me a cold drink, so I began to feel good.

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Without Adverbs: It was a cold day. ​

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Description Part III: Using Adverbs

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With adverbs and synonyms:

It was a terribly chilly day.​

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Description Part III: Using Adverbs

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Without Adverbs: Phil has a big collection of toys.

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Description Part III: Using Adverbs

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With Adverbs and Synonyms: Phil has an abnormally large collection of toys.

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

Description Part III: Using Adverbs

Multiple Choice

What are the adverbs in this sentence below?

Running programs quickly and easily is not the only feature of my computer that I am proud of.

• proud, easily

• Running, feature

• quickly, easily

• computer, proud

Adverb Choices

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Bookmark THIS LINK for more adverb choices.​

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Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion