Descriptive Text

Communicative Purposes:
Descriptive text is purposed to give description used in all forms of writing to create a vivid impression of a person, place, object or event such as:
Describe a special place and explain why it is special.
Describe the most important person in your life.
Describe the animal’s habit in your report.
Descriptive text is usually also used to help writer develop an aspect of their work.
create a particular mood, atmosphere
describe a place so that the reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc

Use of Descriptive Text
To engage a reader’s attention
To create characters
To set a mood or create an atmosphere
To bring writing to life

Language Functions:
Aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/ someone is like
Relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives and adverbs.
Is focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the main purpose of the description.
Sensory description-what is heard, seen, smelt, felt, tasted.
Precise use of adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind e.g. Their noses were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh.
Strong  development of the experience that “put the reader there” focuses on key details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.

Generic Structure
General Statement
Used to introduce the things, places or person to be described

Explanation
Describing the features of things, places or people being described.
Using the adjectives to describe the origin, color, size, material, shape, features, etc.
The description specifies on the things being described.

Closing
Contains the conclusion of the things, places, or people being described.

Language Features:
Simple Present Tense
Action verbs
Passive voice
Detailed noun phrase
Adverbial phrase
Technical terms
General and abstract noun
Nouns
Conjunction of time and cause-effect.
Adjectives
Relating verbs
Thinking verbs
Figurative language like: simile, metaphors.


Practices:
This task is for individual.
Think of a thing, place or an event to describe.
You have a few days to practice individually. Then you have to present it in the class.
You will have about three minutes for the presentation.