Academic Writing

From Paragraph to Essay

Unit 4: Descriptive and Process Paragraph
• Descriptive paragraphs and reasons for writing them
• Organising and writing descriptive paragraphs using adjectives and prepositions
• Process paragraphs and reasons for writing them
• Using transition words to write a process paragraph

Presented by Mr PHON Vannak

Email: vannak.ais@gmail.com
 Review
1. How do you develop your paragraph?

2. What is a concluding sentence?

3. What is peer editing?

4. Why do writers need peer editing?

5. How do you give constructive suggestions?

 Descriptive and Process Paragraphs
In this unit you will learn about...
o Descriptive paragraphs and reasons for writing them
o Organising and writing descriptive paragraphs using adjectives and
prepositions
o Process paragraphs and reasons for writing them
o Using transition words to write a process paragraph
 Descriptive and Process Paragraphs
Describing people, places, and process

A descriptive paragraph explains how someone or something looks or feels.

A process paragraph explains how something is done.

 Descriptive Paragraphs
Using adjectives
Descriptive Paragraphs Continue
 Descriptive Paragraphs Continue

Exercise 1: List some words to describe these places.

 Descriptive Paragraphs Continue

Exercise 2: Read this description from a travel brochure. Circle the adjectives.
 Describing the place around you
Using prepositions
 Describing the place around you Continue

Exercise 3: Read this paragraph that describe someone’s favourite place.

Underline the prepositions.
 Describing the place around you Continue

Exercise 4: Write six sentences to describe the place where you are right now.
Try to answer some of the questions below. Use adjectives and
prepositions.
 Describing a character
Describing people
Here are some common adjectives for describing people:
 Describing a character Continue

A description of people may answer some of the following questions:

o Who is the person?

o What does the person do?
o What does he or she look like?
o How does the person act – what is his or her personality like?
o How does he or she make others feel?
 Describing a character Continue

Exercise 5: With a partner, add at least two other adjectives to the list.

Personality Physical characteristics

............................. .............................

............................. .............................

............................. .............................

............................. .............................
 Describing a character Continue

Exercise 6: Read this description written by a young woman about her

grandmother. Circle the adjectives that describe the grandmother.
 Describing a character Continue

Exercise 7: Describe one of these people. Write eight sentences. Try to

answer three or more the questions. Use your imagination!

o Who is the person?

o What does the person do?
o What does he or she look like?
o How does the person act –
what is his or her personality
like?
o How does he or she make
others feel?
 Describing a character Continue

Exercise 8: Think of a person or place you know well. Then brainstorm your
ideas, narrow down your topic, and write a descriptive paragraph.
 Process Paragraphs
A process paragraph is a description of how to do something. It explains the
steps you need to follow to complete an activity.
 Process Paragraphs Continue

Exercise 9: Read this recipe and do the exercise below.

Process Paragraphs Continue
 Transitions
What are transitions?

Exercise 10: Add other transition words you know to the list above.
 Transitions
Exercise 11: Choose appropriate transition words to connect the steps in this paragraph about
preparing a trip.
 Ordering Sentences
Exercise 12: Order the steps to form a process paragraph. Write 1 next to the
first step, 2 for the second step, and so on.
Ordering Sentences Continue
 Ordering Sentences Continue

Exercise 13: Write a process paragraph about a topic that you know well.
First, brainstorm all the steps that need to be followed. Then
write the paragraph. Remember to use transitions.
 Review
Exercise 14: This paragraph describes a city park, but it doesn’t have enough
description details. Imagine that you live next to a park. Rewrite
the paragraph, adding description, to make it more interesting.
Review Continue
Enjoy your course!