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Writing Descriptions
Brought to you by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab at http://owl.english.purdue.edu
Because description is a mode of expository writing which is relied upon
in other expository modes, we sometimes find difficulty in imagining a
purely descriptive essay. In a narrative, for example, description can
make the setting of characters more vivid; in a process paper it can insure
that the audience understands the finished product. Regardless of how
we use description, it is easy to see that it strengthens an essay considerably.
Principles
Students often ask, "But how do I write a purely descriptive essay? What's
the point of description? What's so different about it?" There are three
characteristics of a purely descriptive essay which are worthy of remembering.
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a descriptive essay has one, clear dominant impression. If, for example
you are describing a snowfall, it is important for you to decide and
to let your reader know if it is threatening or lovely; in order to
have one dominant impression it cannot be both. The dominant impression
guides the author's selection of detail and is thereby made clear
to the reader in the thesis sentence.
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a descriptive essay can be objective or subjective, giving the author
a wide choice of tone, diction and attitude. For instance, an objective
description of one's dog would mention such facts as height, weight,
coloring and so forth. A subjective description would include the
above details, but would also stress the author's feeling toward the
dog, as well as its personality and habits.
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the purpose of a purely descriptive essay is to involve the reader
enough so he or she can actually visualize the things being described.
Therefore, it is important to use specific and concrete details.
Conventions
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The descriptive essay relies on concrete, sensory detail to communicate
its point. Remember, we have five senses, not one or two.
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The author of a descriptive essay must carefully select details to
support the dominant impression. In other words, the author has the
license to omit details which are incongruent with the dominant impression
unless the dominant impression is one which points out the discrepancies.
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Description very often relies on emotion to convey its point. Because
of this, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives convey more to the reader
than do nouns.
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Unless the description is objective, you must be sure that the dominant
impression conveys an attitude.
Strategies
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Try giving all the details first; the dominant impression then is
built from these details.
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Check your details to be sure that they are consistent with the dominant
impression. You might even want to write down the five senses on a
scratch piece of paper and check to see that you have covered them
all.
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Try moving your reader through space and time chronologically. For
instance, you might want to describe a train ride from start to destination,
or a stream from its source to the point at which it joins the river.
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Use a then-and-now approach to show decay, change, or improvement.
The house where you grew up might now be a rambling shack. The variations
on this strategy are endless.
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Select an emotion and try to describe it. It might be more difficult
to get started, but it can be worthwhile.
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