…a mode

DescriptionYou use it to tell readers about the physical

characteristics of a person, place or thing. Description relies on the five senses, so your

descriptive elements should include sensory details.

When will I use it?Everywhere!Examples: in a compare/contrast essay, you

may describe the appearance of two elements.

In an argumentative essay about preventing eating disorders, you might describe the way a starving anorexic looks.

Objective and Subjective DescriptionObjective: focuses on the object itself rather than on

your personal reactions.Uses: A biologist describing what he sees through a

microscope, a historian describing a Civil War battlefield, many newspaper reports describing events.“When James Burbage built the Theatre in 1576 he

naturally designed it along the lines of inn-yards in which he had been accustomed to play. The building had two entrances—one in front for the audience; one in the rear for actors, musicians, and the personnel of the theatre. Inside the building a rectangular platform projected far out into what was called “the yard”—we know the stage of the Fortune ran halfway across the “yard,” some twenty-seven and a half feet.” -Thomas Marc Parrot, describing Shakespeare’s theater.

Objective and Subjective, cont’d…Subjective: Conveys your personal response to

your subject, but your perspective is not often expressed explicitly.

Example: If you were given an assignment to explain a place that is special to you, you might describe your bedroom, selecting and emphasizing details that show your feelings about the place.

A subjective description should convey not just a literal record of sights and sounds, but also their significance.

Subjective Example

Using Objective and Subjective LanguageObjective:

Relies on precise, factual languageDoes not convey the author’s attitude about the

subjectRelies on denotative diction

Using Objective and Subjective LanguageSubjective:

Uses richer language that suggests the author’s attitude.

Relies on connotative dictionUses figures of speech and strategies, such as

Similes Metaphors Personification Allusions

Selecting DetailsShow, don’t tell!

Example: Weak: “He looked angry.”Strong: “His face flushed, and one corner of his

mouth twitched as he tried to control his anger.”

Planning a Descriptive EssayPresent your details in a way that supports your thesis,

purpose, dominant impression you want to convey, and is appropriate for your audience.

Examples:General to specificSpecific to generalTop to bottomBottom to topLeft to right….you get the idea. Just be sure that you have a

particular order and that you’re not just randomly presenting details.

Use Transitions to indicate the spatial arrangement of details, like above, next to, below, beyond, under, within, etc.

Structuring a Descriptive EssayBegin with an introduction that presents a

thesis or establishes a dominant impression that the rest of the essay will develop.

Each body paragraph should include details that supports the thesis or conveys the dominant impression.

The conclusion should reinforce the thesis or dominant impression, perhaps echoing an idea stated in the introduction or using a particularly effective simile or metaphor.

Watch Out for Grammar Issues!Grammar issues common to descriptive

essays:Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced: E.B. White’s son swam in the lake wearing an old bathing suit. (Was the lake wearing a bathing suit?)

Correct: Wearing an old bathing suit, E.B. White’s son swam in the lake.

Watch Out for Grammar Issues!Dangling Modifiers:

Dangling: Startled by a sound, their eyes locked. (Were their eyes startled?)

Correct: Startled by a sound, Annie Dillard locked eyes with the weasel.