Descriptive

writing
Made by Ayaan, Sarah.
 What is descriptive writing?

Writing to describe is a bit like

explaining a picture or a film-clip. You
need to re-create that image, only using
words, so that the person reading your
description has an almost exact replica
of that image in their head afterwards.
It’s a bit like telepathy! The important
thing to remember is to be detailed .
How to Compose a
Descriptive Essay?
 CONCEPTS
Take this picture, for example. Imagine you need
to explain what this looks like to someone who
can’t see it, and they want to know exactly what
it looks like. The trick is in the DETAIL. You need
to be very, very specific about your description.
.
If you’re not specific, they’re going to be missing
crucial elements and the image they have in
their head will be very different to what you
intend.You want to describe the first picture, but
if you’re not careful, you’re reader will end up
with the second one.
SHOW NOT TELL!
https://youtu.be/ATysG32zrsE
 Zoom
in/zoom out
technique
ENHANCING YOUR DESCRIPTIVE
When writing your descriptive, ALWAYS use one paragraph to focus on a particular part
of the image you are creating. Essentially, the effect is like a camera, zooming into that
one detail for that one paragraph and then zooming back out to the whole picture.

How to do it? It’s easy!

1. Choose a part of your image to focus on
2. Select details like colors, textures, etc.
3. Remember the 5 senses- tactile, kinaesthetic, gustatory, visual, auditory and
olfactory
4. After zooming in, remember to zoom out and pan back to the whole image

Tip- you’re more likely to score better if you steer clear of cliches like the perfect
sunset but if you do write something cliched, try adding something different to it to
catch your examiner’s eye
 Example- the inside of the house in the pic
Start with classic desc. of the inside of the house.
Describe the furniture, the colours, the lighting, etc.

Zoom in(here we will be describing the center

table)- White birch is fringed with soft teal tassels.
Atop the table, scattered books are wrapped in
their covers like secrets hidden behind glossy
illustrations of sprawling symbols and glowing
swords. An empty agate mug rests among the
clutter, the dregs of coffee leaving a bittersweet
aroma. A DVD case for Ocean’s 13 rests snuggly in
the folds of a delicate beige shawl. Pages rustle in
the light caress of the wind. A croissant, rich and Visual- red Gustatory- white
buttery, lays forgotten on a ceramic plate. Tactile- blue Kinaesthetic- pink
Olfactory- green
Slowly pan out, do not make it too sudden as it will
disorient your reader.
Core Word Classes
So how to write these detailed descriptions that you
need for the exam? The best place to start is with your
core word classes, which are:

Adjectives
Nouns
Verbs CREDITS: This presentation template was
created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon,
Adverbs and infographics & images by Freepik.
Size, shape and colour can be a good start , so try
and use 1-2 adjectives before the noun.For
example….

apple, CIE IGCSE English“Here’s is an apple”. That

does the job – but there’s nothing distinctive about
that description. So be more detailed by adding a
couple of adjectives. Make it a “large, green
apple”.That’s getting there, but it’s still a bit vague.
So let’s add more detail, this time to a hairbrush:
A medium-sized, round, red hairbrush with several rows of
bristles.”

This detail gives the reader a much clearer image of your object.
But it sounds a little forensic – almost like a piece of evidence
at a crime scene. So we need to bring our descriptions to life a
bit more….
Try to make your objects slightly extraordinary or
unusual.So perhaps your apple is “misshapen and
battered, with a bruise on one side”.

Here are some more examples of how to use adjectives.

She was wearing red shoes = ruby-red ballet-style shoes
without a heel.
He was wearing a tie = blue and pink polka-dot tie that
was slightly too tight.
She took out a cookie = chocolate-chip cookie slightly
larger than the palm of her hand.
If someone is walking in your scene, think about HOW they’re walking, but also WHY they’re walking
in the first place.So are they’re strolling because it’s a casual walk, or are they creeping because
they don’t want to get caught doing something? Is someone sauntering because they have a bit of
an attitude? There are lots of different ways of walking so you should specify the exact manner
because it will give a much clearer and more nuanced image, plus it adds extra connotations to
your writing.When they’re deliberate, and you’ve added them for effect, connotations make your
writing more sophisticated because they influence the emotions going on; they can make the
scene more uplifting or eerie or sombre etc.This also makes your writing more suspenseful and
dramatic, and can add much more depth by creating an atmosphere which can enhance or
foreshadow some drama that’s about to happen:

She meandered in the hallway a while – slightly unsteadily – before creeping up the second flight
of stairs. Obviously the writer could have just said “She walked around in the hallway before she
went upstairs.”But the words “meander” and “creep” have slightly ominous connotations so
immediately our reader knows something sinister might be about to happen. All because we’ve
carefully chosen the precise verbs to suit the scene.Finally, the other detail in that example which
gives it its ominous effect is the adverb unsteadily, which shows how also enhancing your adverbs
helps to increase the level of detail in your writing.
Here are some examples of some adverbs you can use:

Helplessly Nervously Passionately Boldly

Absently Coolly Guiltily Knowingly

Viciously Energetically Stealthily Queasily

Rudely Sedately Solemnly Reluctantly

Righteously Shrilly Silently Respectfully

Righteously Coolly Passionately

Think about the connotations of each of these words, and how they might change the
emotions of a sentence.

There are obviously hundreds of others you can use! But this short list should gives you
an idea about how much more exciting and realistic your writing can be.
Appeal to the reader’s sense of sight so they can imagine what the scene looks like.Creme brulee, CIE IGCSE English For instance:“After years of heavy
smoking, the once-white walls in her living room were now the colour of a torched crem-brulee.”As long as the reader knows what crème brulee looks
like, they now have a very accurate description of how the living room walls appear.

Auditory
Write for the reader’s hearing senses so they can imagine what sounds are going on.Labrador bark“George woke to the sound of his Labrador
barking, deep and loud, repeatedly and angrily, at the neighbour’s cat standing on the opposite side of the window.”It helps us imagine the sound now
we know its pitch and volume.Be aware: onomatopoeia can be effective – perhaps a burst tyre can hiss or blood can gargle – but don’t use it
gratuitously – only if it adds extra detail to your description.

Olfactory
Think about what scents and smells are going on. You can even cause a physical reaction with this one! Particularly if you’re describing food because
you can get the reader’s mouth to water. For instance:“As I lifted my slice of pizza from the box, that rich, creamy smell of four melted cheeses –
together with the sweet, sticky smell of buffalo-chicken – sent my tastebuds gushing.”Adding some detail about the smells in the scene helps place
the reader there and makes it much more realistic.

Gustatory
If the person in your description is eating, what tastes can you describe?For instance:“The roasted hazelnut mixed with the flavour of dark chocolate.
It was sweet, and bitter, with a slight aftertaste of wood – that same taste you get when you bite the top of a pencil.”Be creative, using your own
experiences to help express your ideas.

Tactile
What do the objects in your scene feel like? Is the blanket someone’s sat on slightly itchy and course; is the ticket they’re holding slightly waxy; is the
snowball they’re holding so cold that it feels numb to begin with, then turns slightly wet, and suddenly it feel like hundreds of needles are going into
their skin as the cold sets in? We’ve all felt these sensations, so almost everyone can relate to these feelings. Another example here:“I was expecting
it to be wet and slimy, but as the snake moved on my palm it was surprisingly dry and incredibly smooth – like a well-polished wooden banister.”

Personification
You can also immerse your reader by using personification to bring some of these senses to life a bit more.
The wheels screamed
The trees trembled
The dog danced enthusiastically
The fire swallowed the whole building
The mountains bullied and intimidated the valley
underneath
You could even make your landscape an extra
‘character’ in your description.

Here’s an example by Emily Dickinson to show how

effective that can be:

“When it comes, the landscape listens,

Shadows hold their breath,”

Practice Question
Describe this painting
Thank you!