Structure

1. Setting
(If you are describing a place, it is appropriate to set the general scene of location, surroundings, atmosphere, time of day, week, month,
season, weather, temperature. Either time or distance can be used as the framework for a descriptive composition. Descriptive compositions
must have some kind of framework to give them a shape and structure and logical progression to involve the reader.)
2. Positioning
(The observe takes up a position with regard to the object or place being described e.g. they are standing outside a room. This should be at a
distance so that interest is aroused as to what wil be revealed on closer inspection e.g. when the gate into the secret garden is opened or the
chest in the attic is opened. The senses of sight and sound will be explored in this section and used to draw the reader in. If time is the
framework then this must be established, e.g. daylight is beginning to fade at dusk.)
3. Approaching
(The observer moves towards the object or place being described. New details can be revealed because of the closer proximity e.g. as the
beach becomes clearer to view. At this stage the sense of smell can be added to sight and sound. Alternatively, time has moved on e.g.
darkness is creeping into the sky and natural appearances are changing.)
4. Arriving (The observer is now part of the scene, e.g. in the heart of the street market, or in contact with the object e.g. going
through the items in a chest. Minute details of vision and noise can be used here, and also the sense of touch can be explored, and taste
implied e.g. people in the scene are eating, the sea is salty. Alternatively, time has reached its climax, e.g. it is now night and the new sky and
atmosphere can be described.)
5. Farewell
(The observer leaves the scene, with or without a backward glance. They may have replaced anything they disturbed in a room and now close
the door so that things are again as they were at the beginning; alternatively it may be going home time for the people on the beach or at the
market, so that the scene empties and becomes the opposite of how it was at the beginning. Reference to either time or distance is used as
closure.)
 TECHNIQUES IN STARTING A DESCRIPTIVE COMPOSITION

Different techniques can be used to make the beginning of a description more interesting. The techniques include

A Creating suspense B Using direct speech C Vivid description involving senses.

D Addressing the reader E Asking the reader a Question

Below are the beginnings for a composition on a ruin you have visited. Read the techniques listed above and write the letter of the
technique that matches each beginning.

1 “Don’t stand on that beam”, shouted my father, as we explored the interior of a ruined castle. It was the very fact that the castle
was ruined that made it more interesting to me. In fact, I’ve always been intrigued by ruined buildings. Technique:__________

2 You may have entered many old buildings in your life, but perhaps you may not have been in one that has been deserted for years.
One that I visited recently had been an old farm workshop. Its many machines were still in place, yet the amount of dust showed that
they had stood idle for many years. Technique:__________

3 The walls exuded damp and mustiness. Water dripped from the rotting timbers above my head. Light streamed through gaps in the
walls. This was my first encounter of an old ruined farm. Technique:_____

4 I opened the old dungeon doors slowly. What would I find in this old room that centuries ago had held prisoners until they died?
Would I find bones still there? Would there be markings on the stone walls where prisoners had marked off the final days of their
lives, in the hope of keeping track of time? Technique:__________

5 Wouldn’t you explore an old ruin if you were a child? Wouldn’t you sneak out of your holiday home and wander down a field to
the pile of stones that centuries ago formed a lookout tower in times of war? It was certainly a temptation I could not resist.
Technique:__________
1.I was really scared to ride the roller coaster. I felt a little
sick, but excited at the same time. When the bar clicked
into place, I held on tight. When the ride started, I hoped
for the best.
2.As I slid into the crimson plastic seat of the roller coaster,
my mouth went dry and my hands felt clammy. The bar in
front of me clicked into place and I gripped it so hard my
knuckles turned white. I could taste the cotton candy I’d
eaten earlier at the back of my throat. When the car jolted
forward, my stomach dropped. I held my breath, and I told
myself I would survive.