What is Descriptive Writing?

1. Descriptive Writing What is Descriptive Writing? • Descriptive writing helps readers create a clear picture in their mind of • objects • people • places • events

2. Descriptive Writing What is Descriptive Writing? Descriptive writing provides details that help the reader see, hear, taste, smell, or feel something that the writer has experienced.

3. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Traits • A clear, focused, and complete topic • Well-constructed paragraphs that are organized into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion • Paragraphs that each have a topic sentence and supporting details • Transition words that connect ideas

4. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Traits • A voice and tone that are appropriate for the purpose and audience • Precise, descriptive language that creates a picture for the reader

5. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Traits • A variety of sentences that make the writing interesting and easy to read aloud • No or few errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling

6. Descriptive Writing Descriptive writing paints a picture in the reader’s mind. To do this, the writer uses the following: • Strong Nouns and Verbs • Colorful Adjectives • and Adverbs • Sensory Details • Vivid Descriptions • Figurative Language • Prepositional Phrases • Mood • Tone

7. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Example I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Sensory Details

8. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Example I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Prepositional Phrases

9. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Example I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Strong Verbs

10. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Example I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Colorful Adjectives

11. Descriptive Writing Descriptive Writing Example I planted my left foot into the muddy ground and kicked the hard soccer ball with my right foot. Cool mud splashed across my knees. I watched the soccer ball rocket toward the goal like a bullet. Suddenly the goalie dove and flailed his arms wildly, knocking the ball away. The crowd groaned behind me. Colorful Adverbs

12. Descriptive Writing Mood is the feeling a reader gets when reading a description. The mood can be happy, scared, excited, or sorrowful, to name a few. Writers choose their words carefully to create any mood they want.

13. Descriptive Writing The mood of the description below might be a scared or eerie feeling. Silver moonlight streamed through the tree branches as Greg inched forward and peered nervously over the edge of the rocky cliff. White mist curled around the jagged rocks below. Greg took a deep breath and ordered himself to stay calm. Suddenly, a deafening howl echoed through the canyon. Greg knew he had to get to safety fast.

14. Descriptive Writing Tone is how the writing sounds. It is the attitude a writer expresses in a piece of writing. The tone can be serious, casual, friendly, or joking, to name a few. The tone should also be appropriate for the purpose and the audience.

15. Descriptive Writing The description below has an informative, serious tone. Franklin Chang-Diaz is a Hispanic astronaut. He was born in Costa Rica and came to the United States in 1969. After graduating from college, Chang-Diaz was one of nineteen people to be chosen for the United States space program. Finally, on January 12, 1986, he blasted off into space aboard the Columbia spacecraft.

16. Descriptive Writing Some common types of descriptive writing include the following: • Descriptive Paragraph • Observation Report • Character Sketch • Description of a Process • Description of a Place • Descriptive Article