READING AND WRITING

Content Standard: The learner realizes that information in a written

text may be selected and organized to achieve a particular purpose.
Performance Standard: The learner critiques a chosen sample of each
pattern of development focusing on information selection,
organization, and development.
Most Essential Learning Competencies: Compare and contrast
patterns of written texts across disciplines.
LESSON 2: READING & THINKING STRATEGIES:
DESCRIPTION AND DEFINITION
Descriptive writing emphasizes a reader’s ability to
paint vivid pictures using words on a reader’s mind.
This relies on the writer’s ability to appeal to his/her five
senses: the sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing.
To rouse feelings, emotions and reactions from the
readers is what descriptive paragraphs aim for.

Simple adjectives will not simply cut it for

readers desiring for appropriate description
of an event, thing, place or person.
colorful < vivid
yellow < golden
windy < wuthering
• Description gives information of what a person, an
object, a place or a situation is like.
• It appeals to the reader’s senses.
• A descriptive paragraph has concrete and specific
details, which are carefully chosen by a writer to paint
a picture in the mind of the reader.
According to Dagdag (2010), there are two types of
description: objective and subjective.

Subjective description allows the

Objective description is a
factual description of the
topic at hand.
This relies its information
on physical aspects and
appeals to those who crave
for facts.
writer to explore ways to describe an
emotion, an event, a thing, a place or
person, appealing to emotions.
Often, this is an artistic way of
describing things, mostly from the eye
and perspective of the writer.
 Subjective description
Objective description
“My desk is a warm brown
“My desk is a wooden rectangular wood whose surface
desk.” reveals the scratched impression of a
thousand school assignments.”
Descriptive language is used to help the reader feel
almost as if they are a part of the scene or event being
described.
Description is useful because it helps readers engage
with the world of the story, often creating an emotional
response.
It can help a reader visualize what a character or a place
is like.
The ground crumbled like sand
under my feet as I heaved another
step towards the summit. Looking
below, the trees were dots to my
squinting eyes in the midday heat.
Beating down upon my back, the sun
was relentless as I wiped the drips of
salty sweat from my neckline. The
silence of the chasm below was
deafening; suddenly, eagles broke
the silence and screeched above me
in hunger.
Here is a word bank of sensory words to refer to when you
want to add descriptive details to your paragraphs:
• Definition explains a concept, term or subject. Its main
purpose is to tell what something is.
• It consists of three parts: (1) the term, concept or subject
to be defined; (2) the general class to which it belongs;
and (3) the characteristics that differentiate it from the
other members of its class.
• A definition explains what a term means. When you want
your readers to know exactly how you are using a certain
term or an unfamiliar concept, you use definition.
Definition is the main constituent of any dictionary. In
developing a paragraph by definition, you should take
account of these things:
a) the term to be defined
b) the class to which the term belongs
c) the characteristics that distinguish the term from the
other members of its class.
An owl is a bird with a large head,
strong talons and has a nocturnal
habit.
• owl – is the term being defined
• bird – is the class where the owl belongs
• with a large head, strong talons and has a
nocturnal habit – are the characteristics
that distinguish the owl from the other
birds.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFINITIONS:
1. Formal Definition. The definitions provided in dictionaries.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFINITIONS:
2. Informal Definitions. The three common informal definitions are
operational definitions, synonyms, and connotations.
a. Operational Definitions gives the meaning of an abstract word for
one particular time and place.
Example:
"Height" as defined by the number of feet/inches a person is tall.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFINITIONS:
b. Synonyms or words that mean the same as another word.

Example:
A synonym for beautiful is stunning.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFINITIONS:
c. Denotation is the exact meaning of the word
Example:
Denotation of the word “blue” is the color blue.

d. Connotation is an idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a

word or things.
Example:
A connotation for the word “blue” is sad.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEFINITIONS:
3. Definition Paragraph. It is a definition sentence which is extended
into a paragraph by adding meanings, descriptions, narrations, and
other kinds of paragraph development to make clear the term being
defined.