Descriptive Paragraph

Space Order
Spatial order shows how people and
objects are arranged in a space or a scene.
A description can be organized spatially in
several ways:
 From top to bottom
 Outside to inside
 Left to right
 Near to far
Inside to outside
 or the reverse of any of these
 In Mr. Abid’s classroom, we see a lot
of interesting things. To the left of the
class, we see 10 posters in the colors of
the rainbow. To the right, there is a black
radio on top of the silver file cabinet. In
the back, there is a huge blue curtain
hanging on the wall. In front of the class,
we see a green, rectangular chalkboard.
Indeed Mr. Abid’s classroom is very
interesting.
 My Favorite Café

My favorite place to relax is a small café down the

street from where I live. This café is on a small side street
and as soon as you see it, you feel like going in. There are
three windows on either side of the door, and each window
has a small window box with brightly colored flowers.
There is a small wooden door that opens into the café, and
as soon as you go in, you can see a dozen small tables all
around the room. I always like to sit at a small table in the
corner near the front windows. From here, I can look at
the artwork on the walls and at the pretty green plants
hanging from the ceiling. With a strong cup of coffee and
a good book, I feel very happy and relaxed in my favorite
place.
 Prepositions for Descriptive Writing

• in front of / in back of/ behind

• on top of / on the bottom of / next to
• above / below / underneath / across
• to the right / to the left
• in the middle of
• around
• between
• behind
 Descriptive Paragraphs
 The topic sentence of a descriptive paragraph
should name the topic. The controlling idea should
give the overall impression of the place you are
describing
 My bedroom is my refuge from the outside
world.
 The campus of our university is like a small
city.
 The cafeteria at lunchtime is the school's social
center.
Read the following topic sentence for a descriptive paragraph. Then
discuss with your partner or group some possible details to describe
the place.

1. The park near my house is full of

activity on a sunny weekend afternoon.
a. _______________________________
b. _______________________________
c. _______________________________
 My Mother’s Kitchen

My mother’s kitchen is not very big,

but it is warm and comfortable.___________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
________________________. Now I live
far away, but I often think about my
mother’s kitchen.
 My Mother’s Kitchen

My mother’s kitchen is not very big, but it is

warm and comfortable. On the left side, there is a
nice, small fridge with some family pictures placed
on fridge’s door. To the right, there is a small,
round table with four wooden chairs. In the left
corner of the kitchen stands the food cabinet
which has my mother’s favourite spices and
utensils. My brother and I used to sit on the chairs
around the table watching my mother cooking. We
liked learning new things, talking, and making
delicious foods. Now I live far away, but I often
think about my mother’s kitchen.
Activity: Write a description of a place by answering some of these questions:

1. Where is the place?

2. How big is it?
3. How warm or cold is the place?
4. How does the place make you feel?
5. What things can you see in the
place?
6. What colors do you see?
7. What sounds do you hear?
8. What smell do you find in this
place?
 Describing People
1. Age: twenty-one, a young woman, elderly, old, middle-
aged, in his mid fifties, in her late thirties
2. Hair: a- color: dark, blonde, gray
b- length: straight, short, long, curly, bald, wavy
3. Eyes: Color : blue, dark, brown, green.
Shape: large, round, almond-shape
4. Height: tall, 180 cm tall, 155 cm short, average
5. Facial features: Face: smooth, wrinkled, thin
eyebrows: bushy
6. body: thin, fat, chubby, well-built
7. Personality: optimistic, kind, angry, considerate,
happy, cheerful, annoying, helpful, scary
 Describing People
[ fair, straight, green, wrinkled, thin, old, bushy,
round, twenties, 170 cm, sixties, short ]
Khalil is an ___________ man in his mid
____________. His face is ___________ and
___________. His hair is ___________ and
his eyebrows are ____________. Nora, on the
other hand, is in her late ____________. She
has ______________ hair, and ___________,
_____________ eyes. She is approximately
______________ tall.
 Jack Collins
Jack Collins is the most amazing person I
have ever met. He came to my school and talked
about his difficult life in prison. He was in prison
for 15 years. He made a lot of mistakes when he
was young, but now he has changed his life. He
saw a lot of violence in prison, so he uses his
experience to help high school students. Jack is
tall and strong and looks a little scary. The thing I
remember most about him is his sensitive
personality. He is really kind and wants to help
young people. In a word, I’ve never met anyone
like Jack before.
 My Grandfather
My grandfather is a great person who
often had a difficult life he had when he was
young._________________________________
____________________________________
______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_________________. In short, spending time
with my grandfather is always great, as I can
learn many things from his stories.
 My Grandfather
My grandfather is a great person who often told us tells
great stories about the difficult life he had when he was
young. He is 94 years old, but his voice is still strong
and clear. He speaks quietly and slowly when he
tells stories. His life was difficult when he was
young. His family didn’t have much money, so he
worked hard to support them. Even though his life
was not easy, he is still positive and optimistic. In
short, spending time with my grandfather is always great, as I
can learn many things from his stories.
 Using Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Writers use adjectives to give readers a
more complete picture of the people, places and things they want to describe.
Identify the adjectives in the following sentences:
1. I take care of my expensive old bicycle.
2. I am fond of my house plants.
3. It has broad green leaves and delicate white flowers.
4. I bought a straw hat at a music festival.
5. It was not expensive, but I liked it because it was
practical and attractive.
6. I bought my mug at a small, tourist shop at the
airport.
7. I took a three-week holiday last year.
8. My friend bought a used car.
 Ordering Adjectives
Sometimes we use two or more adjectives together:
• My parents live in a nice new house
• A dirty old black cat is wandering the streets

1. OPINION Adjectives

Adjectives like nice and dirty are opinion adjectives. They tell us
what you think about somebody or something. Opinion
adjectives usually go before fact adjectives

2. FACT Adjectives
Adjectives like new, old, green are fact adjectives. They give us
factual information about age, shape, colour, make, etc.
 Ordering Adjectives
2. FACT Adjectives: Very often, we put fact adjectives in this order:
1- Articles, demonstratives, pronouns, possessives: a, an, those, her, Mary’s
2- Quantity: two, fifty, some, many, a few
3- Opinion: happy, beautiful, exciting, silly, cheerful
4- SIZE : How big? large, small, tiny, huge, little
5-SHAPE : What shape? square, round, rectangular, flat
6- CONDITION: rusty, broken, hungry, west, cold
7- AGE : How old? new, young, old, ancient
8- COLOUR : What colour? blue, pink, yellow, crimson
9- ORIGIN : Where from? English, American, Chinese
10- MATERIAL: What it is made of ? plastic, wooden, glass, woolen
11- PURPOSE : What it is used for? racing car, frying pan, rocking chair
A. An interesting old book
B. An ugly pink plastic necklace
C. A nice small African drum
D. A delicious round chocolate cake
E. A pair of smart brown leather boots
F. A beautiful small white Chinese computer
 Ordering Adjectives
1. At home there is (a wooden beautiful square )
table in the dining room.
2. I was offered (gold unusual an) ring by my
husband.
3. My grandmother has knitted ( a new woolen
nice) pullover for me.
4. I saw (an American interesting old) movie with
friends at home.
5. It may rain ! There are (black big ) clouds
floating in the air.
 Ordering Adjectives
6. Last week, I visited (a small old lovely )
village in a remote area.
7. It started to rain so I opened (red yellow
huge a) umbrella
8. John was given (an black little adorable)
cat by his sister.
9. A (shiny new sports Italian) car was
parked opposite my house.
10. It was such (a sunny lovely ) day that we
decided to go out for a walk.
Activity: Adding two or three adjectives to the following sentences:

1. My umbrella is like a friend.

2. No one understands why I still wear my
jeans.
3. If I could save one thing from the fire, it
would be my chair.
4. My mother gave me a ring.
5. My brother owned a car.
Narrative Paragraphs
 WHAT IS A NARRATIVE PARAGRAPH?

 Narratives tell stories. Everyone has read

narratives, watched them on television or heard
them from other people. A narrative paragraph
tells a short story or describes an event.

 In other words, it is a story about a personal

memory.

 It’s about a time so important that you don’t

ever want to forget.
What Would Make a Good Narrative
and What Wouldn’t?
 Good Choice  Bad Choice
 A house fire  Getting out of
 A car accident bed
 A death  Eating dinner

 Getting lost  Meeting your

 A scary time friend

 A Personal Narrative is...
 a story that really happened ( a true story).
 a story that happened to or observed by the writer.
 a story that makes the reader think or feel the
same as the writer felt at that time
 a story that shows strong feelings.
 a story that is written in the first person. Use these
words:

I, me, my, us, we

 A good Narration
 It reveals something of importance to you (your
main point)
 It includes all of the major events of the story.
 It uses details to bring the story to life.
 It presents the events in a clear order, usually
according to when it happened.
 Common time transitions
 Before  Later
 After  At last
 During  Last
 First  Eventually
 Next  Meanwhile
 Second  Since
 Then  Now
 Finally  Soon
 while  when
 Writing a Narrative Paragraph
A narrative paragraph has 3 parts:

1. The topic sentence – introduces the experience

2. The body sentences – share details that re-create

the experience

3. The concluding sentence – reflects on the

experience
 Guidelines of a Narrative Paragraph
1) Write out the topic sentence and circle the
point of view.
2) List any background information.
3) Briefly summarize the incident (write several
sentences telling what happened in your own
words)
4) Write all of these sentences support your point
of view?
5) Are the events in the story in chronological
order?
 A UFO Sighting
I never believed in aliens before one night last
year. It was a cold, dark winter evening, and I was
walking home from a friend’s house. I stopped to tie my
shoe. When I looked up again, I saw a round object
coming toward me. It was very large and shiny. I couldn’t
believe what I was seeing. Before I could shout or run, the
object suddenly moved and then disappeared. After the
object disappeared, I ran all the way home and called my
best friend. When she picked up the phone, I couldn’t say
anything. I knew she would think I was crazy. I never told
anyone about my UFO sighting. (UFO) - a mysterious object seen in the
sky for which it is claimed no orthodox scientific explanation can be found, often supposed to
be a vehicle carrying extraterrestrials
 Ask yourself questions:
1. When was an important time in my life?
2. What has happened in my experience that I would
enjoy writing about?
3. Is there an event in my life that other people would
enjoy hearing about?
4. How did I feel about a particular experience?
5. Who was involved?
6. Why do I remember this event so strongly?
7. What effect did it have on me?
8. Did anything change because of this experience?
9. What interesting experiences do I know of that
happened to other people?
1. Write about a recent experience or
incident you witnessed that left a strong
impression on you.
2. Write about an event when you were
proud of someone in your family.
3. Think of a time when you had to do something
against your wishes.
Or

4. Think of a memorable experience you have had

– it could be frightening or amusing.
 Activity: Complete the middle parts of the two stories below.
1) A Fright in the forest
- Suddenly I felt very cold and scared.
- I grew up in a small town in the countryside. Near my house was a
large forest, and my parents told me not to play there.
- After that day, I never went back to the forest.
- One day, I was playing in the forest with some of my school friends.
2)- A Strange Day in Class:
- I have been studying English for a few years and I really enjoy the
classes.
- I heard everyone laughing. I woke up and realized it was a dream.
- One day something unusual happened in class.
- The teacher was explaining grammar when I saw something strange.
 Verb Tenses in Narration
(1)- Simple Past: It is used to express a completed action at a
definite time in the past. It is also used to describe the sequence of
events in a narrative.

1.Mohammed was driving along the road when suddenly he saw

a camel run out in front of him. He braked as hard as he could
but couldn't stop in time. The car hit the camel. The man got
out of the car and checked to see if the animal was alive.
2.The two men were crossing the desert when they heard a loud
bang. It sounded like a rifle but they were not sure. They
heard another shot but this time something hit the side of the
car. Now they were sure it was a gunshot.
 Verb Tenses in Narration
(2)- Past Continuous: (1) It is good for setting the scene; it is used to
describe the situation in which the events of the narrative occurred.

1- When I woke up at 8am (1) the sun was shining (2) and the birds
were singing (2). I had a shower (3), ate some breakfast (4) and left
for work at 9am.(5)
(2) It is used for an action that was in progress for some time and is
usually used with an action in the simple past.

nMohammed was driving along the road when suddenly he ran out of petrol.
nAs the two men were crossing the desert, they saw a camel.
nWhen the lights went out, I was talking to my brother.
 Verb Tenses in Narration
(3)- Past Perfect Simple: It is to show an action or situation happened
BEFORE another event in the past.

nWhen I woke up at 8am (1), the sun was shining and the birds were
singing. I had slept (2) really well the night before. I had a shower (3),
ate some breakfast (4) and left for work at 9am. (5)
nThe car was speeding down the deserted highway when the accident
happened. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and driven straight
into a tree. Another car passed by. The driver saw what had happened and
stopped his car. He called the police and said that he had witnessed an
accident.
nI woke up at 7am and left for work after I had had a shower and eaten
some breakfast.
 Verb Tenses in Narration
(4)- Past Perfect Continuous: It is used for longer activities that
were happening continuously up until a specified time in the past.

1.He looked very tired (1) because he had been working

very hard (2) over the past three weeks.

2.He hadn't heard the telephone ring because he had been

reading.
Activity 1: Change the verbs in brackets to the past tense: simple, continuous, or
perfect

1. While I _______________________(play) football I_______(hurt)

my leg.
2. The police _____(go) to the bank after a neighbour ______(phone)
to tell them what __________(happen). They soon ____________
(discover) that the robbers _____________ (escape) in a stolen car.
The men _________ (kill) one of the guards who _________(try)
to stop them as they _____________ (drive) away. The guard
______________ (jump) out in front of them but they just
_________________ (run) over him.
3. Suddenly they _________(hear) a strange noise and _______(look)
at each other in terror. All evening they ___________ (play) cards
and ____________ (watch) TV without thinking of the ghost.
Activity 2: Change the verbs in brackets to the past tense: simple, continuous, or
perfect
The Unlucky Burglar
One evening Paul (watch) ____________ the television and
(eat)____________ his supper when the door suddenly (open)
____________ and a burglar (come) ____________ in. He (wear)
____________ a mask and (carry) ____________ a sack. Before doing
anything else, he (tie) ____________ Paul to the chair. Then he went
upstairs to look for money. Although he (not find) ____________ any
money, he (find) ____________ a lot of jewelry, which he (put)
____________ into his sack. In his rush to get downstairs, he (not see)
____________ the dog that (lie) ____________ at the bottom of the
stairs, and he (fall) ____________ over it, losing his glasses.
____________ the burglar (look for) ____________ them, Paul (try)
____________ to free himself. Finally, Paul (manage) ____________
to escape and he (phone) ____________ the police. When the burglar
(find) ____________ his glasses, he (run) ____________ out of the
house. However, unfortunately for him, the police (wait)
____________ for him at the end of the garden.
 Activity 3: Complete the following with a suitable past tense:

1. My landlord threw me out of my flat because (not pay the rent for
six months and break all the windows)
2. When I eventually got to the meeting, I was bad tempered and
exhausted! I (sit in traffic jam for 45 minutes, a motorist bump
into me, and get completely lost)
3. By the time 5 o'clock arrived, Brenda was furious. She (wait for an
hour, drink six cups of tea, and they not arrive.
4. I was so depressed that I couldn't do the exam. I (study every day
for two months and give up see my friends)
5. After I (finish) my lunch, I went back to work.
6. When the police (interview) me, they let me go home.
7. As soon as I got home my brother (go out).
8. The children had to stay in until the rain (stop).
 Activity 4: Correct the mistakes with the simple past and the past continuous tense:
When I am a university student about two years ago, I enrolled
in a scuba diving course. My scuba diving teacher was having a big
surprise: I wasn’t knowing how to swim. In fact, I had a big fear of
water. When I was a child, my parents try to help me, so they make
me take many swimming lessons. Although I try hard, I didn’t
learning to swim. When I enrolled in the scuba diving course, I was
still afraid of water. Everyday I entered the swimming pool, I battle
my fear. Fortunately, my courage won every time. Finally, one day
while I practicing my dive, I realized I was do very well. So, finally,
after six months of hard work, I completed the course. It is true that I
was always the worst of the group, but in my own evaluation, I was a
champion because I conquer my fear of water. For me, this experience
was very important. It was a test of courage, and I pass it.