1. Description

2. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Describing a Scene or a Person Description is a verbal picture of a person, place, or thing.

3. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Describing comes from the Latin describere, meaning “to sketch” or “to copy in writing.” Written descriptions help readers imagine what is being described. Vivid description creates an intense, distinctive image, one that seems to bring the words on the page to life.

4. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Describing a Scene or a Person descriptive More than any other type of essay, a descriptive paper needs sharpcolorful sharp, colorful details.

5. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Describing a Scene or a Person DULL: A fan was in the window.

6. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Describing a Scene or a Person Colorful: The blades of the rusty window fan clattered and whirled as they blew out a stream of warm, soggy air.

7. Journal 7 Go to a place on campus where you can sit and observe. For five minutes, list everything in the scene that you can name using nouns. (The list is not part of your journal entry. Do this on a separate sheet of paper). Remember, you can name objects you see as well as impressions such as smells or sounds you experience at the place. For your journal entry, write a detailed page that describes the scene for someone who is not there with you. You could choose to write for readers who have been to the place but have not seen what you are seeing there now, or you could write for readers who have never been to this particular place to let them know what to expect when they get there. You will be sharing this journal entry in your groups when you return.

8. Chapter 14 © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. English Skills, 10e English Skills with Readings, 8e Group Activity Get into your regular groups and read your campus descriptions to each other. Offer each other feedback on how vivid and clear the details are. Let each writer know any questions you have about the place, people, and other items they are describing.