Descriptive paragrph
Purpose
For the practice assignment, students will write one descriptive paragraph using sensory details. To start, students should identify an object or place with which they are familiar, for example, a bird, a flower, a tree, a park, or one's backyard.
Instructions
After selecting an object or place, consider how it connects with the surroundings, mentally picturing the object. The description should provide sensory details and vivid descriptions that bring the object or place to life for the reader. Avoid using general, vague, and abstract words; for example, the flower (object) is yellow and green and is in a garden. From this description the reader would not be able to imagine the flower's fragrance, feel, or appearance or the emotion it evokes.
Use the following questions as a guide to imagining the object and its surroundings. Create a list of sensory details and vivid descriptions that best illustrate or express the topic. Ask the following questions while reflecting on the chosen object or place and its surroundings:
- What can one see?
- What can one hear?
- What can one smell?
- What can one taste?
- What can one feel (with hands, feet, etc.)?
- What emotions can one feel?
- Use these sensations to illustrate and bring the description to life.
The practice paragraph should demonstrate good structure through the use of a topic sentence, several coherent supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. Refer to Section W-4, Developing Paragraphs, particularly the section on descriptive paragraphs, in The Little Seagull Handbook. When the paragraph is complete, submit it here according to the instructor's directions.