Descriptive Writing
1. “In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that
looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the
river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the
water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went
by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the
leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leaves
fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the
dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers
marching and afterward the road bare and white except for the leaves.”
–Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Hemingway uses only the sense of sight, but the scene is very easy to
imagine. He uses things that everyone can recognize no matter who they
are and he uses them to his advantage. This is what you want to strive for
when using descriptive language.
2. “It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were
floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students
were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and
goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the
teachers were sitting […] The hundreds of faces staring at them
looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight […] Harry looked
upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with starts […] It was
hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall
didn’t simply open on to the heavens.”
–J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Harry Potter series provides lot of great descriptive writing
examples due to the fact that it is meant for children.
3. “The flowers were unnecessary, for two o’clock a greenhouse arrived from
Gatsby’s, with innumerable receptacles to contain it. An hour later the front
door opened nervously, and Gatsby, in a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and
gold-colored tie, hurried in. He was pale, and there were dark signs of
sleeplessness beneath his eyes.”
–F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
This descriptive writing example is short, but it gives a lot of information to
the reader in just a few words. The description of Gatsby in this instance is
very easy to picture in your mind. Just the idea of him being pale with dark
circles under his eyes leads the reader to imagine the face of a very tired
man. You don’t always have to exhaust yourself with descriptive writing, keep
it short and precise. As long as you can picture your character from your
writing, your readers will be able to as well.
Describe 2 libraries and make them as
different as possible
The class HAS TO DO THIS individually.
Time: 20-25 mins
Discussion
What changed between the 2 descriptions?
Word Choice
Atmosphere
Imagery used
What makes a paragraph descriptive?
Colours
Shapes
Sizes
Textures
Materials Used
Sounds
Smells
Imagery
Beyond the low, wooden bridge the old canal lock sleeps, forgotten
and motionless as if trapped by the strange, haunting trees that
surround it.
Beyond the low wooden bridge the old canal lock sleeps, forgotten and
motionless as if trapped by the strange haunting trees that surround it.
Their branches are like a tall giant’s fine fingers grasping at the walls.
Importance of Adjectives
Size and shape first
•
Colour
•
Other adjectives
•
The large, silver framed, speckled, antique mirror
•
The tiny, square, black, velvet-covered box
•
BRAINSTORM THE ADJECTIVES
● The adjective should be specific.
● It should be engaging.
● It should paint a vivid picture.
● You can use more than one word with commas, if it fits
grammatically
1. I would love to wear a ____________________
dress.
2. The coffee shop had a ________________
atmosphere as was reflected in the
_______________ furniture.
3. I had a/an ___________________ day.
4. The new restaurant we tried last night had
__________ food.
5. What a _______________ piece of art !
POSSIBLE STRUCTURE OF THE
PARAGRAPH
Sample
CHECKLIST
PLANNING SHEET
VOCABULARY LIST FOR REFERENCE
WRITING TECHNIQUES
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
