Sentence 1:

The car sped on the road.

Sentence 2:
The shiny red car weaved dangerously
amidst the traffic on the narrow busy
road.
Descriptive Writing
 Learning Objective
• To use a range of figurative language to describe a situation/ scene.

Success Criteria
• To use wider vocabulary to describe an image.
• To produce a piece of descriptive writing.
 Why Do We Add Detail to Writing?

• To describe events, people, places or actions clearly to

the reader.
• To give the reader enough information to create a
picture in their mind.
• To hook the reader in and make them interested in
reading more.
So How Do We Add Detail to Writing?
 Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe nouns (naming words).

Noun: Nouns are names of

i.e. The shiny mirror. people, places and things.

Adjective: Adjectives describe the

mirror’s appearance. Without this,
the reader wouldn’t know if the
mirror was clean or dusty or what
it was like at all.
 Adding Adjectives

Example: I watched the sunset as the sun went behind the hills.

I watched the glorious sunset as the sun went behind the hills.
 Adjectives
Make a list of five adjectives based on this picture.
 Banned Adjectives!
• As writers, we need to be as creative and interesting as possible.
• This means using a variety of vocabulary.

Pause for Thought Banned List

If your adjectives are on the
banned list, you will have to big
think of new ones!
beautiful

nice
Try to think of
alternative options,
small
ask a friend for
suggestions, or use a
thesaurus.
 Verbs
Verbs are action words – ‘doing’ words. They often end in –ed/-ing depending on
tense. They show what the noun is ‘doing’.

Verb: this is what the lion is doing.

i.e. The lion roared.

Can you remember what this type

of word is called?
 Verbs
Make a list of five verbs based on this picture.
Starting the Sentence with a Verb

By starting a sentence off with a verb, it captures the reader's

interest and makes them focus on the action that is happening.
Note the difference here!
 Starting the Sentence with a Verb

Example: I ran fast through the door and threw my bag on the
floor.

Running through the door, I threw my bag on the floor.

Starting with the verb 'running' is more

interesting than starting with 'I ran'. The reader
will also be wondering why the character is
running.
 Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs! They add detail to explain how the action is
being ‘done’.

Adverb: The adverb tells us how the

i.e. The lion roared slowly. lion was roaring by describing the
action of its roar and creates a much
clearer image for the reader.

What was this

word class?
What is this?
A verb or an adjective?
 Adding an Adverb

Example:  The Formula One car sped along the track.

The Formula One car sped furiously along the track.

Now add an adverb to the verbs
in your list of verbs.
We have a good basis for
some writing. However,
great writers need a little
more…
 Similes
A simile describes something by comparing it to something else using ‘like’ or
‘as’.

e.g. The lion’s roar was like a trumpet,

calling the pride to war.

Or

e.g. The elephant’s skin was as grey as

the miserable sky.
 Similes
Use your ideas so far to create two similes.
NB

Descriptive Writing

What makes my writing interesting?

• Interesting verbs
• Powerful adjectives
• Carefully selected adverbs
• Similes
• Varied vocabulary

Banned adjectives:

• big
• beautiful
• nice
• small
Look at this short section of writing:

The crimson ball in the sky seemed to stare furiously down at him, angry
with him for losing his way. Brown, withered plant tendrils, as dry as paper,
tickled him as they slithered their scorched scratchy skins across his
forearm.

Try to find the following:

A verb
An adverb
An adjective
A simile
Burj Khalifa
 Your Turn!
Your task is to write a description of a jungle scene. It doesn't have to describe this
picture but you can use it to help you.

Remember: you
are trying to
create a vivid
image for the
reader.

Use your ideas so far to make sure

you have used lots of interesting
vocabulary and figurative language.

Aim to write at least 2 paragraphs for your description.

 Descriptive Writing Checklist
Have I… Yes/No
used interesting adjectives

used powerful verbs

used carefully selected adverbs

similes

started at least one sentence with a verb

 Further Activities
1. Pick one particular object/person/animal from your
description and create a detailed description of just that
object/person/animal.

2. Highlight any vocabulary you think you could improve in

your work and use a thesaurus to make a better word choice.

3. Use what you have learnt today to write a description of one

of the following:

• A beach
• A busy market
• The first day of school