Characteristics of Descriptive Essays
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CHARACTERISTICS OF DESCRIPTIVE ESSAYSfrom Seeing the Pattern 146-150
Uses Sensory Details• Sight• Sound• Smell• Taste• Touch
Try to use a variety of senses in your writing.
Sentences Come Alive
Active Verbs
Use active verbs rather than adverbs to create “striking and lasting impressions” (148).
What is the effect of the revision on the reader’s understanding of the event?
Examples
The team captain proudly accepted the award.
The team captain marched to the podium, grasped the trophy, and gestured toward his teammates.
Dominant Impression• Overall attitude, mood, or feeling about the subject• Implied thesis of the descriptive essay• This is your point—define it clearly
Connotative Language• Words have subtle variations in meaning
• Select words that strengthen your dominant impression.
Skinny Svelte Slim Scrawny
Cellar Basement
Uses Comparison
Simile
Biting into a tabasco pepper is like aiming a flame-thrower at your parted lips
Metaphor
Eating chili peppers is a descent into a fiery hell.
Uses Comparison
Personification
The television screen stared back at me.
Methods of Organization
Spatial
Front Back Middle
Behind Between To the left
Next to Above Below
Near Far away North
South East West
Chronological
First Next Then
Before After Later
Methods of Organization
Least to Most Most to Least
Vantage Point• The vantage point is like
your perspective in the piece. Think of it as a camera for the reader. • Fixed: Stays in one place.• Moving: Moves from place
to place.
• Choose a vantage point that feels appropriate to your purpose. • What vantage point(s)
will give your reader the most useful information?
• From which vantage point(s) can you provide the most revealing or striking details?
p. 151
Brainstorm• Look at the prompt for the essay.• For each noun in the chart, brainstorm five topics.• You will use this list to help you come up with an idea for
your descriptive essay.
“Eating Chilli Peppers” pp. 144-146 Read the sample carefully.• What is the dominant impression?• What is the vantage point?• What method of organization does the author use? • What language appears to be particularly effective?