Descriptive

Paragraphs
Week 2,
NACy
 Learning
Objectives
• Definition of a Descriptive
Paragraph
• Examples of Descriptive
Paragraph - Person
• Structure of a Descriptive
Paragraph
• Qualities of a Descriptive
 What is a
Descriptive
Paragraph?
 What is a Descriptive
 Descriptive writing Paragraph?
is an essential element in many
forms of paragraphs.
 When you write a descriptive paragraph, you provide
your reader with a vivid mental picture of a specific
person, place or object. Through your use of
details, you convey a controlling idea (central
impression), which reveals your specific
attitude, opinion or feeling about your subject.
 So the purpose of a descriptive paragraph is to focus
the reader’s attention on specific details in
 What is a Descriptive
 So, your main goalParagraph?
with descriptive writing is to
select details that clearly and effectively
develop or support the controlling idea in your
topic sentence (the central impression) you wish
to convey to your reader.
 The mental picture and the central impression in your
writing are not limited to how things look. When
appropriate for your topic, you can make your
descriptive paragraphs come alive by including
sensory details associated with the five senses
Descriptive Paragraph Example - Person
 My best friend Lara, who I have known since
kindergarten, is the most inspiring person I
know. She’s a petite young woman with a pale
complexion with curly jet-black hair. Moreover,
she has a round face with big black small eyes
and the warmest smile that could light up any
room. Lara usually likes to dress up in casual
clothes like a simple jeans and t-shirts. When you
meet her for the first time, you might think that
she’s a bit of a joker with her cheerful attitude,
 Descriptive Para Example- Person
Now, as we are at university, Lara works 2 part time
jobs in order to pay for her own tuition while also
excelling at her academic performance at the same
time. Despite all the hardships in her life, she
continues to have a positive attitude towards
everything she does in life. Every day, Lara amazes
all of us with her perseverance and hard work. To
conclude, I don’t know anyone else in my life
who inspires me more than Lara and her
brave and kind spirit.
Structure of a
Descriptive
Paragraph
 Structure of a Descriptive
 The structure of a Paragraph
descriptive paragraph consists
of the same key elements that are used in all
other paragraph forms: a topic sentence with a
controlling idea, a body with supporting
details, and a concluding sentence.
 Developing the Topic Sentence
Use the following guidelines to write an effective topic
sentence with a controlling idea (a central
impression) that reveals your point of view,
opinion or attitude towards the subject of your
paragraph
1. Clearly identify a specific person, place, or
object to use as the topic of your paragraph.
2. Select a central impression (your controlling
idea), which expresses your attitude, opinion or
feeling toward the topic. If your descriptive
paragraph lacks a central impression, it will
 Developing the Topic Sentence
3. Perhaps it is a specific time of the day, week or
season of the year. For example, the description of
a forest at night will vary considerably from a
description of a forest during the day; a forest
during the fall from a forest during a
snowstorm. Your limited time frame may or may not
be stated in your topic sentence, but it should be
clear in your mind and reflected in the body of your
paragraph if it is not stated in the topic sentence.
4. Spend ample time developing your topic
 Descriptive Topic Sentence
Examples – Person
 Mrs Rahman, my childhood music
teacher, could scare any child into
learning to play the harmonium.
 A person who has influenced me
most is my loving and intelligent
grandfather.
 Developing the Body of the
Paragraph
Use the following guidelines to develop the body of
your paragraph (supporting sentences) and the
controlling idea stated in your topic sentence.
1. When writing a descriptive paragraph, stay
focused on the topic and limit the time frame.
Do not get drawn into telling a story.
Remember, you are just describing, not
narrating a story.
2. Strengthen the central impression (the
 Developing the Body of the
2. Avoid using vague,Paragraph
meaningless,
nondescriptive words.
3. Include sensory details that describe more
than what you see. Depending on your topic, your
descriptions may include sounds, tastes, smells,
and touch sensations. For example, an item such
as a couch maybe be described through a variety of
sensory details: squeaky, soft, velvety,
perfumed, coarse, sticky, etc. In another
 Developing the Body of the
4. Paragraph
Create unity by selecting descriptive details
that are consistent with the central
impression in your topic sentence. Each
sentence in the body of your paragraph needs to
support the topic sentence. Eliminate any
sentences or details that detract from your
topic sentence, weaken your central
impression, or wander beyond the scope,
time frame of your paragraph.
 Developing the Body of the
6. Paragraphin your
Include adequate development
paragraph by selecting a sufficient number
of different details to develop the central
impression clearly and vividly in your
reader’s mind. Check that most details
contributes to the development of your opinion
or feeling toward the subject.
Developing the Concluding Sentence of the
Paragraph
1. Check that your concluding sentence echoes
the topic sentence. It should echo or
emphasize the topic and the central impression
(the controlling idea) that are stated in
your topic sentence.
2. Compare your topic sentence to the concluding
sentence. If the two sentences are very
different, and thus do not echo each other,
you wandered off course from your
Descriptive Paragraph Example 2 - Person
My uncle is the strangest person in our family.
He is a tall, lanky man who stands tall like a
lamppost. He could aptly be described as a ‘stick
figure’. His frizzy hair sticks out of his head like he
has been electrocuted. Whenever he is in deep
thought, furrows appear on his forehead, and his
bushy eyebrows wiggle like caterpillars giving him a
quizzical expression. Moreover, he also has a very
pungent smell due to the strong perfume he wears
all the time which makes it suffocating to be around
Descriptive Paragraph Example 2 - Person
do not suit him. When I was young, he would often
narrate lengthy horror stories, using his hoarse
voice to add to their thrilling effect. Most people
who meet him find him a bit odd.
Descriptive Paragraph Example 3 - Person
My eight year old son, Jim, stands out in a
crowd of children because of his distinctive
appearance and gentle manner. The first thing I
notice when I look at him is his size. He stands at
shoulder height next to me; indeed, he is taller than
other children his age, and is definitely stronger as
well, as without a doubt, he weighs more than
other children his age. Also remarkable is his jet
black hair; it is thick, coarse to touch, and styled in
Descriptive Paragraph Example 3 - Person
his knees are almost always covered with fresh
scrapes and purple bruises, received while biking
every evening. Despite his strong appearance, Jim
is unexpectedly sensitive and caring; in fact, he is
more thoughtful than most 8-year-olds you will
meet. He likes to open doors for me, tend his little
brother, and help me grocery shop. He is always
thinking about other people and has a very kind
heart. From head to toe he is a contradiction,
Qualities of a
Descriptive
Paragraph
 Showing VS Telling
 Showing vs. telling - Sensory details are details
of smell, taste, texture, sound as well as
sight. If you choose "showing" words, those
that supply vivid sensory details
appropriate to your subject and purpose,
you will succeed in showing rather than
telling. "Telling" words are usually vague or
ambiguous; they can be interpreted in a
variety of ways.
 If we want to make the description more likely to
 Showing VS Telling
Literal description: “The waitress is busy”
Showing description : “The waitress was spinning
in every direction serving the requests of her
customers in the crowded restaurant”
• This is much more memorable or descriptive
and will evoke the senses in your reader. You
don’t have to fill every sentence with
figurative language, but using vivid nouns,
verbs, and adjectives, and appropriate
metaphors, similes, comparisons, and contrasts
 Five Senses
Good descriptive writing uses all five senses.
You should use specific and vivid verbs, nouns, and
adjectives in describing your subject because you
want to give a clear impression of your subject.
Of course, no two people perceive anything in
exactly the same way. But you want to get as close
as possible to that reality.
Example:
I ate a good dinner.
OR I devoured a steaming hot, cheese-filled
 Five Senses
Provide sensory details:
• Smells (sweet, pungent, disgusting, fresh, stale,
fruity)
• Sounds (honking, screeching, melodic, metallic,
harmonious)
• Sights (“The sun scattered tiny diamonds across
dew-covered grass as it peeked out from beyond
the horizon.”)
• Touch (soft, firm, rubbery, smooth, sticky, dry,
moist, hard, gooey)
Descriptive Paragraph Checklist
A description of afor Person
person may answer some of
the following questions:
• Who is the person?
• What does the person do? Profession
or education?
• What does he or she look like? What is
their physical appearance like?
• How does the person act—what is his
or her personality like?
• What are their hobbies/interests?
• How does he or she make others feel?
Descriptive Paragraph Checklist for Person
Ask yourself about description paragraphs:
• Have you used sensory detail to describe
the noun?
• Are the details offered in some logical
order?
• Does your writing enable the reader to see
in his or her mind the noun you are
describing?
Thank You