Descriptive Writing

NOT: A girl sat down.

A shy, young girl sat down in the corner on a dirty, brown chair.

An exhausted teenage girl sat down heavily onto the plush recliner and closed her eyes.

Add details

The kindergartener swallowed his cookie. Snow fell from tree branches.

Add details to these sentences.

The famished kindergartener hurriedly swallowed his chocolate chip cookie.

Fluffy white snow fell lightly from tree branches as they waved in the wind.

NOT: The lady had flowers.

The gardener grew lilies.

The actress carried a bouquet of roses.

The saleswoman held up purple daisies for each customer to see.

Be Specific

In the morning, a dog walked into the building. A boy said, “I like to play games.” The girl sat in a chair.

Make these sentences more specific:

At dawn, a German Shepherd wandered into the pet shop.

A young man exclaimed, “I enjoy playing Pictionary!”

The ten-year-old plopped onto a sofa.

Overused Words

BORING!!!!

intensely, powerfully, shockingly, richly, immeasurably, unusually

very

amiable, helpful, admirable,

comforting, enjoyable, sweet, eye-catching, pleasant, soothing, radiant

good

wicked, evil, merciless, cruel, plotting, hideous, despicable,

terrifying, grotesque, horrifying, unbelievable, selfish

bad

overjoyed, pleased, content, delighted, cheerful, laughing,

upbeat, positive, elated

happy

depressed, displeased, grieved, distressed, sorrowful, weeping,

teary-eyed, heartbroken, heavyhearted, melancholy

sad

bitter, annoyed, fiery, cross, displeased, resentful, raging,

wrathful, sullen, indignant, huffy

angry

Assignment: Add 5 details or specifics to this

paragraph to improve it.

This weekend I visited my

grandmother in her town. She

baked cookies for me and took me

to a store. She bought clothes and

books for me. Then, we went to

her home and watched movies.