DESCRIPTIVE WRITING: WRITING SKILLS

3rd April 2020

You have already read the guidelines in the previous blog.

Your first page should have your Good Morning Dear students of Grade-9!

Good to have you for another session of online learning!

I am sure you would handwriting sample.

Our next topic is one of the writing skills

DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

 

WHAT IS DESCRIPTIVE WRITING?

The primary purpose  of descriptive writing is to describe a person, place or event in such a way that a picture is formed in the reader’s mind. This involves paying close attention to the details by using senses of smell , taste, sight, touch etc

Learning  Outcomes:

At the end of this lesson  I  be able to :

1. Identify the different parts of a descriptive paragraph such as the topic sentence, supporting details and the conclusion.
2. List out  appropriate adjectives and phrases that can be used to describe a person and create a mind map

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

• Brainstorm before you begin and get your list of details ready to use.
• Organise all your details into proper order as you want them to appear.
• Begin with a topic sentence to draw attention of the readers.
• Construct the details for the body of the paragraph.
• Use vivid details involving the sense of smell, taste, sight, touch etc to make the reader feel as if they themselves are present at the event
• Give a proper ending.
• Keep to the word limit (100 to 120 words)
• Pay close attention to as many details as possible while describing such as - physical features, mannerisms, how the person feels and acts. 
• Make use of words linked to our senses while describing a person.
• Use figurative language as far as possible (similes, metaphors and alliterations etc). 

A person's appearance can be described in many ways. It is possible to tell about the person's style of clothing, manner of walking, colour and style of hair, facial appearance, body shape, and expression or even the person's way of talking. The writer is a painter with words, so the description must be vivid but also - logically arranged - so that the reader can clearly envision(imagine) who is being described.

HOW TO DESCRIBE A PERSON???

The following word lists will help you improve your descriptive paragraphs as you can think of more concrete ways to describe a person’s appearance.

A few well-chosen details will go a long way toward bringing your characters to life.        

YOU CAN MAKE A MIND MAP TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING DECSRIPTIONS VIVIDLY:

Copy all subtopics ……you can copy as many as 4 descriptions per sub topic and create a mind map:

1.Face Shape

Eg…Square/Oval/Round/Wide/Chiselled

2.Skin and Complexion

• Wrinkled: covered with lines or loose folds of skin; often associated with age 
• Freckled: sprinkled or covered with light brown spots 
• Tanned: skin with a warm, golden-brown tint
• Rosy or fresh-faced, drooping, sunburned, peeling, rough, callused(rough), weather-beaten, dry, brown, dark

3.Eyes

TIP: Pay attention to the eyes, because they often reveal a great deal about a person.

• Shape, size, and appearance: large, small, squinty, crinkly, bulging, tear-filled
• Eye color: black, brown, hazel, green, blue, violet, gray, amber
• Eye expressions:  sympathetic, warm, sparkling, lively, dancing, sly, sleepy

4.Mouth 

 Mouth expressions: laugh, smile, beam, grin, frown, grimace, scowl, sneer, curl, pout

• Adjectives describing the mouth or mouth expressions: toothless, gap-toothed, kind, sweet, dimpled, relaxed, firm, serious

5.Hair

• Hair color: black, brunette, brown, blond, gray, silver, white, salt-and-pepper
• Texture or appearance: untamed, straight, spiky, neatly-combed, cascading, long, short, cropped, dull, shiny
• Hair styles: braids, ponytail, pigtails, bun, balding, bald,

6..Body 

• Build: small, slim, slight, thin, lean, , skinny, chubby, large, portly, plump, round, stout, broad-shouldered, burly, solid, muscular

8.Clothing

• Bottoms: jeans, skinny jeans, cargo pants, yoga pants, slacks, trousers, overalls
• Tops: sport shirt, dress shirt, polo shirt, cardigan, sweater set
• Accessories:  hat, cap, knit cap, head wrap, purse, clutch, bag, tote, sunglasses, glasses

Sentence Starters Describing Clothes 

• Smartly dressed in (name of garment), the attorney …
• Casually clothed in (name of garment), the young woman …
• Wrestling wildly, Tim and Ethan tore holes in their (name of garments) when they…
• Elderly but spry, my grandfather sported a (name of garment) and (name of garment) …
• Wearing a (name of garment), the detective …

We will continue with the sample tomorrow. Feel free to ask any doubt in the comment section