HOW TO WRITE 3
PLATE-01
Descriptive Writing
Descriptive writing is just that; descriptive! We are able to describe
something because we can sense it. Our senses are hearing, sight, smell,
touch and taste.
Descriptive writing allows the writer to be imaginative and creative. The
following sentences have been provided to get your imagination going.
Use the sentences to begin a piece of writing. These sentences are
story starters.
This is where I spent three very long weeks at sea. No-one thought I
would survive, but I proved them wrong. Bitterly cold winds...
My backyard is full of old rusty barrels, broken fences and old tin
sheds. One day, I was mucking around with...
It was 2575 when I went on my first interplanetary trip. Humans had
populated...
I found Rover in the park and managed to hide the dog from Dad for
a whole week. I promised Dad I would do anything to keep Rover.
Eventually, he said yes. Now, this has happened, how am I going to
explain to dad that Rover is not a him but a her!...
The day I met my mother, I was shocked. She had curly blonde hair
and I was a redhead. I kept smiling but...
Sun, surf and sharks! Even though the water is azure, I refuse to put
any part of my body into it because...
My grandmother had always been fascinated by antiquities. She told
me the story when she had started collecting. In 1930, when she
was seven years old she...
PLATE-02
Descriptive Writing - Senses
Sight - To describe it, you need to use words that will explain, or
evoke what you sense with your eyes.
Sound - What we hear is just as important as what we see. With the
sense of sound, we look at the idea of degree.
Texture - What words could you use to describe the texture of
wood?
Taste - How many words can you think of which describe the taste?
There are three letters of the alphabet which don't have words to
describe the taste food (K, Q and X).
Smell - Some words that may be used to describe the smell of a
rose: aromatic, fresh, perfumy, fragrant, sweet, intoxicating and
astringent.
PLATE-03
Descriptive Writing - Sound
When describing the sound of a place, person or thing, there are tools that
can be used to provide the appropriate detail. One of the most common is
onomatopoeia.
VIDEO: LISTEN TO WEATHER BEFORE STROM [SOUNDS OF INSECTS,
WATER, BIRDS, THUNDER & ETC.]
Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like the sound it represents.
Examples of onomatopoeic words are pop, bark, thud, clang, hiss and
cuckoo. Sometimes using onomatopoeia can give a reader a clearer
description of what is being described. For example: "The sausages were
hissing in the frying pan," is a stronger description than, "The sausages
were cooking in the frying pan." Consider what you hear in the video. Can
you see how you might use onomatopoeia in your descriptions of those
sounds?
PLATE-04
Descriptive Writing - Sound
While playing the following game consider how you might use the volume
of a sound in your descriptions. Sounds evoke different emotions; a quiet
soothing sound such as a whisper will evoke a sense of peace whereas the
jarring tones of a jackhammer can induce extreme agitation. When you
use sound in a description you have control over your audience's
emotions!
Practice writing the descriptions of the sounds in this audio file.
AUDIO OF DIFFERENT SOUNDS
PLATE-05
Descriptive Writing - Taste
The table below shows words that describe and words that do not
describe the cake in the image:
Describes the Do not Describe the
cake cake
Sugary Sour
Delicious Acrid
Palatable Bitter
Scrumptious Tangy
Sweet Tart
Delectable Piquant
Luscious
PLATE-06
Descriptive Writing - Taste
Now, use the images below to practice descriptive writing;
PLATE-07
Descriptive Writing - Smell
DESCRIBING SMELLS
Here is a jumbled group of words that can be used to describe smell. Move
them around so that they [THAY] are grouped in columns of similar smells.
1-Fragrant ----------Cloying
2-Perfumed ----------Offensive
3-Sweet ---------------Pungent
4-Scented -------------Loathsome
5-Balmy ----------------Putrid
6-Ambrosial ------------Fetid
7-Aromatic --------------Repellent
PLATE-08
Descriptive Writing
When you are trying to communicate a sense of a particular object or
thing, it is important that you think carefully about your choice of words.
Have you chosen very specific words that give your reader a clear picture
of the object?
When you read an accurate description of a place, for example, you might
feel that you are actually there. If however, the description is less specific
you might feel that the place evoked could be a number of areas that you
have visited.
Rock formation; Twyelffontein, Namibia.
PLATE-09
Descriptive Writing
When a number of people are describing the same object they will do so
in varying ways. They may focus on different aspects of the object. Look
at the image and see how a number of people have described the same
image. After you have written your description, you might like to compare
your writing with that of other students.
Description 1
Description 2
Description 3
Description 4
Description 5
"Smile!" yelled the Cockney photographer. Sharon Windsor smiled bravely
for the camera despite the freezing cold temperatures of a typical London
winter’s day. It was the third shot they had taken and she was getting sick
of standing around in the middle of this usually busy London street.
{END OF TOPIC-4}
I found it beneficial as well as informative. Thanks Alison.
