Descriptive Writing Workshop, Lecture notes of English

Download Descriptive Writing Workshop and more Lecture notes English in PDF only on Docsity! DESCRIPTIVE WRITING WORKSHOP By Zahraa Abdullah E.L.T Supervisior : Ms. Lamia AlGhareeb Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 1 Descriptive Writing Workshop Workshop overview • Types of writing • Descriptive writing definition • Writing Skills • Descriptive Essay outline • Discussion Types of writing • Expository: to inform or explain the subject. • Persuasive: state the opinion and to influence. • Narrative: to tell a story (fact or fiction) • Descriptive: a type of expository incorporates imagery and specific detail to paint picture for the reader. What is Descriptive Writing? An attempt to give a clear or creative description of people, places, objects, or events using appropriate language and informative details. • Requires: – a broad knowledge of vocabulary, particularly adjectives. – the ability to use words imaginatively. • It helps to feel as if the reader is part of the scene being described. • Creates emotional response. • Evokes images through rich description. • Helps visualize the character, place or thing. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 4 Examples Grabber / hook Where is the hook sentence? Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 5 Writing Skills: WORD POWER Descriptive writing means using words to paint a picture for the reader, but doing so in way to surprise and make the reader interested. Good writing is about well-chosen nouns and strong verbs, not adjectives and adverbs Word power can be: o Sensory words o Simile o Metaphor o Adjectives o Adverbs o Strong Verbs Sensory words: Words that describe how we experience the world. It is how we smell, see hear, feel or taste something. Sensory description (Examples) Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 6 Exaples for sensory words; Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 9 Here are some examples of powerful adjectives. What to use instead of …… ! Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 10 Adverbs Definition: Words which describe or modify verbs Adverbs (Examples) o The jets dived steeply out of the sky, tumbling rapidly as they maneuvered gracefully past each other. Strong Verbs What is a strong verb? It replaces the verbs to be by changing the noun or adjective in the same sentence. For example; be, is, was, been, being, were, has, have, having, had. Weaker: The philanthropist is careful to give only to organizations that have low administrative costs. Stronger: The philanthropist gives only to organizations with low administrative costs. Do the sentences mean exactly the same thing? No. There is a subtle difference. The first sentence underscores the care with which the philanthropist gives. However, unless you mean to emphasize this care, the second sentence conveys the message more strongly than the first. The second sentence is also shorter by four words. Shorter is usually better. Length matters sometimes, but sometimes it doesn’t. Weaker: William was late to the meeting. Stronger: William arrived late to the meeting. These two sentences use the same number of words, six. However, note how the verb in the second sentence, arrived, sounds more vigorous, describes the act of attending the meeting more clearly, than the verb in the first, was, which merely describes a state of being. The main culprits include the verbs “to be” and “to have.” These verbs may hide in the forms listed below. Any time you use one of these verbs (Be, Is, Are, Was, Been, Being, Were, Has, Have, Having, Had) ask yourself if the sentence should be rewritten. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 11 To rewrite sentences using strong verbs: 1. Underline any use of Be, Is, Are, Was, Been, Being, Were, Has, Have, Having, Had. 2. Look for a noun or adjective that you can convert to a strong verb. 3. Rewrite the sentence using that strong verb. Rewrite to make the main verb stronger: 1. John is the manager of the produce department. 2. John is the manager of the produce department 3. John manages the produce department. There are other strong verbs which replace tired/weak verbs as Walked for example: We teach the students (What can we use instead of walk.) Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 14 Exercise 4: Grammar Worksheet: Using Strong Verbs Rewrite each sentence to make the main verb stronger: 1. Janet Smith is the supervisor of the customer service department 2. Walt Disney was the initiator of a mass movement in family entertainment 3. The whole house was stressed and angry with one another over my parents’ fighting over the bills. 4. In the distance there is a giant eruption from the water, as a 100 pound sailfish jumps out 5. Jenny Millhouse is the owner of two gas stations in Florida City. 6. The sugar cane refinery is the employer that is the driving force for employment in south central Florida. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 15 Exercise 4: Grammar Worksheet: Using Strong Verbs 7. The student who is responsible for conducting the survey and reporting the results to the school administration is James Archer. 8. If a manager is thinking about changing a policy statement, she has the responsibility of informing both her immediate supervisor and her employees. 9. The shipped product was different from the one that was advertised in the catalog. 10. The Foster family has a fruit stand near Krome Avenue. 11. After a questionable call at home plate, the manager had an argument with the umpire. 12. Last week, the class had a discussion about Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 16 Here is good method to help students revise their new vocabulary words Which will encourage them in their writing assays. Any new wow words can be added to the list at every English lesson. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 19 Students will need to know the list of words that can help them describe a person’s appearance. In addition, they will need to use other wow words given to them as we discussed such as adjectives and strong verbs, similes and metaphors. The following word lists will help students improve their descriptive paragraphs as they think of more concrete ways to describe a person’s appearance. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 20 How to describe a person | Using descriptive words In The Prince and the Pauper, Mark Twain paints a word picture of King Henry VIII using descriptive language: Before him, at a little distance, reclined a very large and very fat man, with a wide, pulpy face, and a stern expression. His large head was very grey; and his whiskers, which he wore only around his face, like a frame, were grey also. His clothing was of rich stuff, but old, and slightly frayed in places. One of his swollen legs had a pillow under it, and was wrapped in bandages. This stern-countenanced invalid was the dread Henry VIII. And in The Bronze Bow, Elizabeth George Speare describes a young Roman soldier: When he straightened again, the Roman was pulling off his helmet, revealing crisp fair hair. He wiped the back of his hand across his wet forehead where the metal had left an uncomfortable-looking crease. With a shock, Daniel saw that he was very young… The beardless cheeks and chin scarcely needed a razor. His skin was white, mottled and peeling from exposure to the sun, so that he could not have seen service long under the Galilean skies. The eyes that stared back at Daniel were a clear bright blue. He looked as though he might be about to speak. Use the following tips as teaching tools in one of two ways: 1. Discuss the many ways to describe a person before letting students loose to brainstorm; OR 2. Once the rough draft has been written and edited, give this list of ideas to stimulate creativity and to help them write a meatier revision. Either way, whether you work on better brainstorming or focus on more polished revisions, improved description will result. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 21 How to Describe a Person It’s good to let your kids struggle with the initial writing process. As they wrestle with ideas and words, it will remind them of the importance of thorough and effective brainstorming. The following word lists will help them improve their descriptive paragraphs as they think of more concrete ways to describe a person’s appearance. TIP: Students shouldn’t be expected include every descriptive element listed below. Rather, a few well-chosen details will go a long way toward bringing their subject to life. Face Shape • Square • Oval • Round • Triangular • Heart-shaped • Thin • Wide • Chiseled Skin and Complexion Complexion is the natural appearance and color of the skin, especially of the face. For example, “Mary has a soft, creamy complexion.” Skin and Complexion • Wrinkled: covered with lines or loose folds of skin; often associated with age • Freckled: sprinkled or covered with light brown spots • Ruddy: skin that has a reddish tint; may have the appearance of sunburn • Sallow: skin that has a yellowish tint; may be associated with illness • Tanned: skin with a warm, golden-brown tint • Rosy or fresh-faced: pink-cheeked, fair complexion that glows with a hint of pink Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 24 • Tops: sport shirt, dress shirt, polo shirt, button-down shirt, chambray shirt, tank top, blouse, tunic, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, sleeveless, collared, T-shirt, V-neck, scoop-neck, boat-neck, turtleneck, sweatshirt, hoodie, pullover, sweater, cardigan, sweater set • Other clothing: dress, gown, frock, pinafore, uniform, coveralls, costume, pajamas, bathrobe, robe, vest, jacket, blazer, coat, apron • Footwear: socks, stockings, shoes, slippers, sandals, flip-flops, mules, loafers, heels, pumps, boots, ankle boots, riding boots, slouch boots, athletic shoes, sneakers, tennis shoes, gym shoes, runners, trainers, Chucks • Accessories: mittens, gloves, hat, cap, head wrap, bandana, scarf, muffler, necklace, choker, bracelet, ring, earrings, cuffs, cufflinks, purse, clutch, bag, tote, sunglasses, eyeglasses, glasses • Adjectives (appearance): stylish, natty, smart, chic, classy, elegant, polished, draped, flowing, sheer, casual, relaxed, carefree, starched, crisp, sharp, dressy, lacy, shiny, shimmering, sparkling, glittery, sloppy, torn, ripped, tattered, disheveled, slovenly, tacky, unkempt, faded, scratchy, worn, frayed, nubby, rough, smooth, pliable, warm, soft, quilted, knit • Adjectives (patterns): argyle, striped, solid, plaid, checked, gingham, paisley, dotted, polka-dotted, floral, herringbone, chevron, geometric Sentence Starters Describing Clothes (Encourage your students to write more maturely by using strong sentence openings.) • 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 … • Quick as a flash, the acrobat whipped off his (name of garment) and began to … Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 25 There are so many ways to describe people! What other words would you include? Class activity (Examples): Here is an example of a descriptive paragraph describing a person’s appearance. He is chubby. He is wearing an orange shirt. His hair is brown. In addition, his white front teeth are cute. Exercise 5: Redo the previous description using: more details and wow words. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School Ivriting ses, Class activity (Examples) The chubby boy is wearing an orange shirt which is tight. His hair is brown and spiky. In_addition, his snow-white front teeth are apart and cute, but will look better when he grows up. More detail Description Opinion a Class activity riting skills (Examples) The exceedingly chubby boy is wearing a sunset-orange shirt which is quite tight on him. His tree branch-brown spiky hair flows gently with the wind. In addition, his snow-white front teeth are apart and as cute as those of a rabbit. However, as he grows up, his teeth are going to i Description A, Adverb a A\, adjective & \ _ simile = re y Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 29 Descriptive Essay outline Introduction Beginning paragraph, introduces the topic in an exciting way by: A. Grab attention / Hook B. Background C. Thesis statement • Main idea controls content of the entire essay. Introduction Body conclusion Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 30 Body Clear, interesting, well organized picture of two scenes which announce points to be made to support thesis statement: Scene1 •Topic sentence 1 Scene2 •Topic sentence 2 Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 31 Body (Notes) Choose the topic sentences and put in mind: A. You are in the description/in the scene. B. Where you were..! C. What you were doing..! D. How you felt..! Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 34 Students can review their own work by using a checklist Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 35 Grammar Worksheet: Using Strong Verbs - Suggested Answers Rewrite each sentence to make the main verb stronger: 1. Janet Smith is the supervisor of the customer service department Jane Smith supervised the customer service department. 2. Walt Disney was the initiator of a mass movement in family entertainment Walt Disney initiated a mass movement in family entertainment. 3. The whole house was stressed and angry with one another over my parents’ fighting over the bills. The whole house seethed with stress and anger over my parents’ fighting over bills. 4. In the distance there is a giant eruption from the water, as a 100 pound sailfish jumps out In the distance a 100 pound sailfish erupts from the water 5. Jenny Millhouse is the owner of two gas stations in Florida City. Jenny Millhouse owns two gas stations in Florida City. 6. The sugar cane refinery is the employer that is the driving force for employment in south central Florida. The sugar cane refinery drives employment in south central Florida. Hawalli Educational Zone Al-Jabriy High School 36 Grammar Worksheet: Using Strong Verbs 7. The student who is responsible for conducting the survey and reporting the results to the school administration is James Archer. James Archer will conduct the survey and report the results to the school administration. 8. If a manager is thinking about changing a policy statement, she has the responsibility of informing both her immediate supervisor and her employees. If a manager changes (thinks about changing) a policy statement, she must inform both her immediate supervisor and her employees. 9. The shipped product was different from the one that was advertised in the catalog. The shipped product differed from the one advertised in the catalog. 10. The Foster family has a fruit stand near Krome Avenue. The Foster family owns a fruit stand near Krome Avenue. 11. After a questionable call at home plate, the manager had an argument with the umpire. After a questionable call at home plate, the manager argued with the umpire. 12. Last week, the class had a discussion about Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening. Last week, the class discussed Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening.