Descriptive Writing:

1. Descriptive Writing: Elements and Sample Paragraphs

2. The Five Senses A description will engage the reader more successfully if more than one sense is used to describe a scene/object

3. We enjoy bountiful feasts at my house, especially on Thanksgiving Day. An immense oak table greets guests as they walk in the front door. An enormous bowl heaped full of mashed potatoes steams on the far end of the table. A clear glass dish of orange pumpkin custard sits next to the potatoes, waiting patiently to be devoured. As we scan the front of the table, we see ample amounts of applesauce, gallons of gravy, and tons of dressing. In the center of the table rests the thirty-pound turkey; its golden-browned skin awaits the carving knife. Numerous green candles surround the turkey like soldiers guarding a prisoner. Closer still lies a colossal bean casserole. Beside the casserole stands a bowl of sautéed mushrooms. A brown basket full of rolls, and many mince and apple pies cover the near end of the table. The sight of this feast would overwhelm any famished guest. • We enjoy bountiful feasts at my house, especially on Thanksgiving Day. An immense oak table greets guests as they walk in the front door. An enormous bowl heaped full of buttery mashed potatoes steams on the far end of the table. A clear glass dish of chilled, orange pumpkin custard sits next to the potatoes, waiting patiently to be devoured. As we scan the front of the table, we see ample amounts of applesauce, gallons of gravy, and tons of hot, dry dressing. The spicy aroma of the dressing overpowers the other scents. In the center of the table rests the thirty-pound turkey; its golden-browned skin awaits the carving knife. Numerous green candles surround the turkey like soldiers guarding a prisoner, leaving a waxy smell in the air. Closer still lies a colossal bean casserole topped with salty crackers. Beside the casserole stands a bowl of sautéed mushrooms, still sizzling from the stove. A rough, wicker brown basket full of hard rolls, and many mince and cinnamon apple pies cover the near end of the table. The scents and sights of this flavorful feast would overwhelm any famished guest.

4. Logical OrderDescriptions can follow any pattern of organization as long as it makes sense to the reader. Guides the reader to see the image more clearly. Choose a pattern and stick with it Example: left to right, back to front, inside to outside, most important to least important

5. Three ways to organize a description • B. Order of Importance • Most important to least important • Least important to most important Importance can be based on writer’s criteria: Color, size, meaning, symbolism, etc. C. Temporal (time) How an object or scene has changed through time • A. Spatial order • (How objects/parts are related in space) • Left right or Right to left • Foreground to Background & Background to Foreground • Top to Bottom and Bottom to top • From center to outside

6. First Sample- Jumbled order Second Sample – Logical order • In a New York synagogue lighted menorahs, Jewish candelabra, stand ready for the special religious ceremonies. On top of the candleholders are seven scented candles. Rising from the heavy bases, candleholders sit like gilded, upside-down pitchforks. Glowing flames fidget nervously in circulating air currents, filling the air with a festive aroma and displacing shadows from the congregation. Seven branches sprout from the center stem. The menorahs have smooth, wooden, two-layered bases shaped on equilateral hexagons that are decorated with inlaid floral patterns. • In a New York synagogue lighted menorahs, Jewish candelabra, stand ready for the special religious ceremonies. The menorahs have smooth, wooden, two-layered bases shaped on equilateral hexagons that are decorated with inlaid floral patterns. Rising from the heavy bases, candleholders sit like gilded, upside-down pitchforks. Seven branches sprout from the center stem. On top of the candleholders are seven scented candles. Glowing flames fidget nervously in circulating air currents, filling the air with a festive aroma and displacing shadows from the congregation.

7. Location Words, Phrases, and Clauses

8. for spatial order) On the left (or right) beyondnext to To the left (or right) besideon the side Below beneathunderneath Lower withinbehind Higher surrounding Farther away at the back at the front In the center above on top of Use connectors and transitions to show order of importance First, second, etc. Last, finally, most important, least important, Use time words, phrases, and clauses to show chronological order First, second, then, next, while, meanwhile, at 6 o’clock, 10 minutes later, later, now, after, before, etc

9. The breathtaking view of the southwestern city is worth the price of the plane ticket. Columns of skyscrapers rise like craggy boulders and wink reflections of the sun. Carefully spider-webbing their ways, filaments of streets radiate and join a highway. Commercial buildings fill the area. Uniform rows of dwellings line up like toy soldiers. A sports stadium stands adorned with countless cars. The bustling city is a motionless snapshot. • The breathtaking view of the southwestern city from midair is worth the price of the plane ticket. In the center of the city, columns of skyscrapers rise like craggy boulders and wink reflections of the sun. Carefully spiderwebbing their ways between the buildings, filaments of streets radiate outward and join a highway encompassing the skyscrapers. Commercial buildings fill the area beside the highway. Adjacent to the highway, uniform rows of dwellings line up like toy soldiers. Beneath the houses a sports stadium stands adorned with countless cars, which surround its curvature. From above, the bustling city is a motionless snapshot.