Descriptive writing

​Descriptive writing part2

By Elizabeth Whitehurst

​“It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting […] The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight […] Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with starts […] It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn’t simply open on to the heavens.”

–J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Open Ended

What is the setting of the last passage?

Draw

Underline the descriptive language used:

I heard students chattering and utensils clinking in the lunch room. I saw that the place was packed. I had to jostle my way through a sea of students just to find a spot to stand in line. I felt warm and stuffy despite the large fans whirring overhead. I could smell the aromas of chicken nuggets.

Open Ended

Describe what could be heard: I heard students chattering and utensils clinking in the lunch room.

Open Ended

How can we make these sentence flow better: I saw that the place was packed. I had to jostle my way through a sea of students just to find a spot to stand in line.

Open Ended

Describe the feeling: I felt warm and stuffy despite the large fans whirring overhead.

Open Ended

What does the chicken nuggets smell like? I could smell the aromas of chicken nuggets.

​By the time I got there, the lunch room was already abuzz with the chatter of students and the clinking of utensils. The place was packed; I had to jostle my way through a sea of students just to find a spot to stand in line. Despite the large whirring fans overhead, the air felt warm and stuffy, thick with the mingled aromas of chicken nuggets which made my hungry stomach growl.