Purpose of writing a descriptive paragraph

The fastest, most effective way to teach students organized multi-paragraph essay writing… Guaranteed! Transform your students into confident authors even if… Your students still struggle with paragraphs and grammar. You teach middle school students who have yet to find writing success. You teach elementary school students who are just beginning their writing career.

Purpose of writing a descriptive paragraph

Interestingly, although you will be asked to write a description, in the real world, no writer ever does. This is because description is not a purpose but a tool to help achieve a purpose.

For example, description is a key part of writing that entertains such as story-telling and poems; but it is also an important part of explanatory and persuasive writing.

Description is important because it works to stimulate its reader's imagination, causing them to feel engaged enjoyably with what they are reading. It can help its reader sense and even feel a part of a scene being described. To stimulate a reader's imagination, descriptive language needs to be focused on the senses, thus it is sometimes called sensory description.

This kind of writing is said to create imagery in the reader's mind, which means that they are brought to feel that they can sense the thing being described.

Here are some examples of sensory description. Notice the way each creates a sense of imagery - and also notice how certain words are very 'expressive' in their meaning as well as the writer's use of figurative language such as simile and metaphor. Below is a brief extract from writer Bruce Chatwin's book, In Patagonia.

Look closely at the writing - can you work out his methods? Notice how he gives his reader a sense that he is showing the woman he's describing, rather than merely telling the reader. This is a key aspect of effective descriptive writing: She was waiting for me, a white face behind a dusty window.


Her legs were a Mesopotamia of varicose veins. She still had the tatters of an extraordinary beauty. She had been making pastry and the grey dough clung to her hands.

Her blood-red nails were cracked and chipped. What might you see, touch, smell, taste and hear? Here are some ideas: It works, doesn't it? And you can make it work for you. Use sensory description - and figurative language, too, such as similes and metaphors.

Imagine yourself to be a kind of 'human video camera'! With your searching zoom lens you are going to 'record' what was in the particular scene or situation the question asks you to describe: This can be achieved in several ways, for example, by describing each of the 'stills' from your 'video' location by location: Structure provides the reader with a logical 'shape' and sense of coherence.

purpose of writing a descriptive paragraph

It's a common habit to use lots of adjectives but choosing precise 'expressive' vocabulary is a better choice. Precise vocabulary means choosing what can be called 'muscular' words - the kind of words that almost contain their own description and which can etch themselves into the mind of your reader.

Here are two examples that contain precise vocabulary. What do you think? You could easily do the same! This is the kind of description that gains high marks - for more examples, click here.


Always avoid excessive, flat or boring description, e. This will gain low marks. If you do describe all of your nouns with extra adjectives the effect is actually to weaken the description and marks will be lost.A good descriptive paragraph is like a window into another world. Through the use of careful examples or details, an author can conjure a scene that vividly describes a person, place, or thing.

Through the use of careful examples or details, an author can conjure a scene that vividly describes a person, place, or thing. A comprehensive, coeducational Catholic High school Diocese of Wollongong - Albion Park Act Justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God Micah ADVANCED WRITING.

Writing Introductions & Conclusions - TIP Sheet - Butte College

IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE A Corpus-Based Study of Processes and Products Horvath Jozsef Lingua Franca Csoport ADVANCED WRITING IN ENGLISH. Oct 01,  · A descriptive paragraph lets us know important things about a character and his background.

It tells us what a house looks like. It . The Guide to Grammar and Writing is sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation, a nonprofit c-3 organization that supports scholarships, faculty development, and curriculum ashio-midori.com you feel we have provided something of value and wish to show your appreciation, you can assist the College and its students with a tax-deductible contribution.

In the “Writing with Purpose” section of the Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay program, students learn to apply their new writing strategies to different types (or modes) of writing. The truth is — it’s quite easy to get students writing many different types of paragraphs when they have the right foundation.

Home | Turnitin