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Techniques in Descriptive Writing

STEPS
A. PLANNING
1. Read the question carefully. (eg. An Unforgettable Character)
2. Understand the question.
a. What does the phrase ‘Unforgettable Character’ mean?
He/She is a person you will always remember.
b. What is your focus?
A favourable or unfavourable impression of the character.
3. Brainstorm for ideas. Expand and elaborate the points.

Introduction
 Who is being describe - the canteen lady

Body
 Detail 1 - General Appearance
 Neat
 Height – short
 Age – 50
 The way she walked - limps
 Detail 2 - Non-physical features
 Manners of speaking – gentle, low voice
 Habit – smiled a lot
 Detail 3 - Why she is unforgettable
 Kind - art lesson
- the way she treated a bully
 Keenness to learn – the way she read newspapers even though she
was illiterate

Conclusion
 Give an opinion – not a person to sit back and let things go by

B. WRITING THE ESSAY

1. Use details – Focus on the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch). Details are very
important and when properly used, enable descriptions to come to life. Use nouns, adjectives and
verbs to evoke these senses. Nouns and adjectives help the reader see; verbs help the reader feel.
2. Use a lively tone – Show your own feelings, responses and reactions as these make your
description more vivid and lively.
3. Describe different aspects – If you are describing a person, do not limit your description to the
person’s physical appearance. Include a detailed description of the person’s character and
personality and how other people react to him. Include a detailed paragraph of an incident which
highlights one of these aspects.

Let’s look at the two extracts below on the topic “An Unforgettable Aunt”.

Sample 1

Aunt Eleanor had a sharp nose and a pair of black eyes. She was thin, and had a thin, long face, an
aquiline nose and sunken cheeks. Her hair was always tied in a knot and her clothes were only of
one colour – grey. My cousins and I were afraid of her and always found an excuse to disappear
whenever she was around.
Sample 2

Aunt Eleanor was thin and scrawny and her protruding bones almost made her look like a walking
skeleton. Her aquiline nose and sunken cheeks added to her witch-like looks and her dark eyes,
when they flashed in anger, were capable of sending tremors of fear down one’s spine. The dreary
grey tones of her clothes and her sparse dark hair, which was always tied in a knot, further
emphasised her sternness. My cousins and I cringed with fear and were reduced to silence when
she glared at us with her smouldering dark eyes. Her serious demeanour and scrooge-like
appearance did nothing to endear her to us.

 Sample 1 is a plain description of the narrator’s aunt. Although there are several verbs and adjectives,
the description is somewhat dull. Sample 2, on the other hand, is a vivid and interesting description
which brings the character to life. We can almost see her in our mind’s eye and this effect is achieved
through the description of the person’s features that are prominent and striking.
 Note the details about

- her overall physical appearance (thin, skeleton-like)

- her facial features (aquiline nose, sunken cheeks, dark eyes)

- her manner of dressing and grooming (dreary grey tones, tight bun)

- feelings stirred by her appearance (tremors of fear, reduced to silence, cringed with fear).

The description of her physical appearance supports and reinforces her character and personality, and
this makes the essay interesting and engaging.

 Some writers like to merge descriptive writing with narrative writing. There is nothing wrong with this as
the description enriches the narration.

C. CHECKING
Read your essay once through and check for the following things:
 Is the spelling accurate?
 Is the punctuation appropriate? Did you use too many commas in a sentence?
 Did you vary the sentence structure? Are your sentences too long?
 Does one thought follow the next in a logical order?
 Did you stick to the topic?
 Did you use the appropriate tense of the verb throughout? Make any corrections neatly.

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