Descriptive Writing
Name:________________________
In order to start writing your paragraph, you will have to choose a topic first. Your topic will need to a
noun, which is a person, a place or a thing. Try choosing a topic that will be easy to describe.
STEP 1: TOPIC: ______________________________________
The dominant impression I want to create with my paragraph about this topic is
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Now you need to select some characteristics or things about your topic that stand out about it that will
help describe it to someone. For example: If I was describing a chair, I would mention the legs of the
chair, the backing, the seat, its shape and what it is made out of. These are all characteristics of any chair
that they all share in common.
STEP 2: Characteristics of your topic: _____________________________________________
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Now you need to think of two or three words that can help describe each characteristic. Try to use
adjectives (words that describe a noun) that relate to your senses such as what you can see, what you
can hear, what you can feel, what you can smell and what you can taste. Some things won’t fit with
some of your senses, other things may have many things that would fit. If there are too many choices
than try picking the words that will best describe your topic.
STEP 3: Words that describe each characteristic:
Characteristic Descricriptive Words
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Now take those characteristics and descriptive words and put them together into sentences like the
example below:
Topic: Chair Characteristic: Made of Wood
Descriptive Words: solid (what I can see about it), smooth (how it feels)
Now I create the sentence: The solid chair gleamed in the light, as it’s smooth finish made it seem
almost unbreakable.
STEP 4: Create your sentences about your topic from Step 3.
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STEP 5: Now put it all together into one paragraph.
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