Writing descriptive paragraphs

Effective academic writing 1 (2nd ed.) (1)

Introduction to Academic Writing (3rd ed.) (2)
Great Writing 2 (4th ed.) (3)
 Activity 1
• Work with your group members.
• Read the following handouts and the book
regarding writing descriptive paragraphs.
• Discuss the following questions with your
group.
• Briefly answer the following questions.
 Questions for discussion
• What is a descriptive paragraph? What is its
function?
• How is a descriptive paragraph organized? How
many parts are there?
• How is a topic sentence written?
• How are the supporting ideas organized and
written?
• How is a concluding sentence written?
• What language should be used specifically?
 Describe an object

Model analysis
The long life of my grandfather’s car (1)
 Describe an object

Model analysis
The long life of my grandfather’s car (1)
Exercise 5A
1. Which of the following sentences best describes the main
idea of the paragraph?
c. The writer has strong feelings about his grandfather’s car.
2. Which of the two following types of details did the author
include in the paragraph?
a. appearance
d. feel
3. Why is the car important to the writer?
a. It connects the writer to his grandfather.
 Describe an object

Model analysis
The long life of my grandfather’s car (1)
Exercise 6 Completing an outline
Topic sentence
a Cadillac convertible car has special meaning.
Supporting sentences
Background information about the item: (2), (3)
Descriptive details about the item: (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9)
Details about the author’s feelings: (12)
Concluding sentence
Someday I will use it to travel to all the states and cities
that my grandfather visited when he was a young man.
 Describe an object

Model analysis
The long life of my grandfather’s car (1)
Descriptive details about the item: (4), (5), (6),
(7), (8), (9)
• silver trim
• white circles on the tires
• white seats
• black dashboard
• gray mats
• brown steering wheel cover
 Describe an object

Model analysis
An abacus (1)
 Describe an object

Model analysis
An abacus (1)
Topic sentence
I have an ancient abacus from my mother’s village.
Supporting sentences
Background information about the item: (2)
Descriptive details about the item: (3) – (10)
Details about how it works: (11), (12)
Concluding sentence
With an abacus, my children touch the beads and can
see why the answer is correct.
 Describe an object

Model analysis
An abacus (1)
2. Which sentence explains the order of description in the
paragraph?
b. introduces the abacus  tells what the abacus looks like 
describes what it sounds like  concludes by telling why an
abacus can help a child learn through touch and feeling.
3. Write some of the words and phrases that the writer uses to
describe the abacus.
- how the abacus looks
a wooden frame, beads, ten metal bars, …, a separate color
- how the abacus sounds
click
- other descriptive words/ phrases
the beads slide across the bar; the rows show the numbers; etc.
 Describe a place

Model analysis
The Stairway (2)
 Describe a place

Model analysis
The Stairway (2)
1. What does the writer say about the atmosphere of
the house in the first sentence?
a strange atmosphere
2. How does the writer describe the stairway?
dark, squeaking, quite narrow, a little high
3. When the writer first describes the woman, is he
looking up at her or down at her? What does he
describe about her first? What does he describe last?
He is looking up. He describes her dress first and her
eyes last.
 Describe a place

Model analysis
The Stairway (2)
Topic sentence
When I was two or three years old, I lived in a house
that had a strange atmosphere.
Descriptive details:
Spatial order is used.
- from the bottom of the stairway
- at the top of the stairway
Concluding sentence
The stairway with the strange atmosphere has an
important place in my earliest memories.
 Describe a place

Model analysis
My banana garden (2)
 Describe a place

Model analysis
My banana garden (2)
Topic sentence
Behind my childhood home, there is a large piece of land that
is surrounded by banana trees growing in wild disorder.
Descriptive details:
Spatial order: underneath the trees, in the center
Descriptive details: grow freely, green, thick, moist, dark,
wide, glossy, slick, strange
Concluding sentence
Now, whenever I hear the plop-plop-plop of raindrops on the
roof of my small, tidy apartment in the city, I remember the
beautiful, wild banana garden of my childhood.
 Model analysis
Underground events (3)
 Model analysis
Underground events (3)
1. How do you think the writer feels about the subway?
He may feel terrible about the subway.  “The subway
is an attack on your senses.”
2. Which of the five senses does the writer use to
describe this place?
smelly, broken, crying, dried, messy, arguing, hear a little
noise, see some paper trash roll by like a soccer ball
3. What verb tense is used in this paragraph? Why do
you think the writer uses that tense?
present tenses  to make the description vivid and
lively
 Model analysis
Danger from the sky (3)
 Model analysis
Danger from the sky (3)
1. What does the writer describe?
the tornado
2. What verb tense does the writer use in this
paragraph?
past tenses
3. Which of the five senses does the writer use to
describe this kind of weather?
long, slender, deadly, ripped the roof, threw the
contents, grab huge trees, toss cars, roared like a
wild animal
Descriptive paragraphs describe a person, place or thing
so that readers can almost see it in their minds.

spatial order five senses

prepositions descriptive specific

of locations adjectives language
Structure of a descriptive paragraph

Topic sentence

Supporting sentences

Concluding sentence
 How to write a descriptive paragraph
https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Descriptive-Paragra
ph
1. Make sure to choose a meaningful person, place, or
thing.
2. Introduce the person, place, or thing you are
describing.
3. Engage your reader's sense of sight. 
4. Describe smells and tastes if you can.
5. Describe how the moment or item feels.
6. Describe how your subject sounds.
7. Make unique observations.
8. Include some figurative language.
 Describing with the five senses (2, 66)

Work in groups and brainstorm the descriptive

details for the following topics using the five
senses.
1. a storm
2. a subway station (or a bus stop) at rush hour
3. a busy airport terminal
4. the emergency room of a hospital
5. a sunny day at the beach
 Using specific language (1, 39 – 41)

• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4
• Exercise 5
Using positive and negative adjectives for
more precise meanings (3, 166 – 170)
• Activity 8
• Activity 9
• Activity 10
 Using prepositions of location
(3, 170 – 175)
• Activity 12
 Topics for writing
• Describe your favorite place to visit.
• Describe your favorite possession.
• Describe a particular dam or bridge.
• Describe a famous historical figure.
• Describe a cultural tradition or celebration.