Description Essay - English Language - Lecture Slides, Essays (high school) of English Language

Download Description Essay - English Language - Lecture Slides and more Essays (high school) English Language in PDF only on Docsity! Description Essay “Little strokes fell great oaks.” Benjamin Franklin What is a Description Essay  A description essay appeals to the reader’s five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.  It paints a vivid picture with words. The writer’s purpose is to describe people, places, or objects as detailed as possible so that the readers are able to form a clear picture in their minds. Step three: Support the dominant impression with at least three major features.  Examples:  STC Pecan Campus is vibrant: one can sense the lively atmosphere by watching students busy socializing, faculty members busy conduction classes, and student activists organizing activities  My grandmother is a strong woman. Her strength lies in her intellectual power, her emotional steadiness and her good health. Step four: Use descriptive details. The following are ways to provide descriptive details.  Vague: The tuna tasted strange.  Improved: The tuna tasted bitter and spoiled.  Vague: The closet smelled funny.  Improved: The closet smelled damp.  Vague: The old man smiled.  Improved: The wrinkled, gray-haired, old man grinned a toothless smile. Use descriptive diction  2). Replace being verbs (am, be, been, is, was, were) with descriptive action  words to improve a description essay.  Vague: Leo is having a conversation with Elizabeth.  Improved: Leo whispers secrets into Elizabeth’s ear.  Vague: The music is loud throughout the apartment.  Improved: The music blares throughout the apartment.  3). Replace boring verbs with action verbs to further enrich the description  in the essay.  Vague: The salesman looked at Erika when she opened the door.  Improved: The salesman stared at Erika when she opened the door.  Vague: Paul’s hungry date ate the pastry.  Improved: Paul’s hungry date devoured the pastry.  4). Avoid vague nouns, such as thing, stuff, and item.  Vague: Honesty is a thing that I admire.  Improved: Honesty is a trait that I admire.  Vague: Henry gave the stuff to his brother.  Improved: Henry gave the bag of books to his brother.