Descriptive Paragraph

Writing 3

In this unit, you will learn how to write a descriptive paragraph. In the descriptive paragraph, you will mainly focus on learning how to describe people and places by using your five senses and applying them to writing.Some grammatical aspects will also be presented to support improving your skill.After learning this unit you are expected to be able to:1. describe people’s character and appearances.2. write assumption about people.3. describe things and places.

Lesson Objective

Descriptive Paragraph • The aim of descriptive text is basically to give information. •The social context of descriptive text is to describe a specific thing, person, animal, or place.•The function of descriptive text is to describe a particular person, place or thing. It focuses on specific participants. The description includes parts, qualities and characteristics. 

The vocabularies often used in a descriptive text are the words, which are related to:Person: characteristics, appearances, experiences (adjectives, nouns, verb)Places : locations, destinations, the functions, the appearances and the evidences (prepositions, adjective, verb, noun)Things/animals: the physical appearances, habitats, behavior, life cycles, and the function. The language is neutral or objective. 

Vocabularies

Descriptive text often uses the form of tenses : Present, Past and have form. The present tense is often used in this kind of text, but sometimes we can also use the past tense to describe a certain thing which is extinct or not available nowadays. The have and passive form is also often used here. 

Grammar

Techniques for Descriptive Writing

An effective and straightforward way of including such detail is by concentrating on what you are describing appeals to the different senses. Ask yourself the following questions before you start to write to help you focus on these details.● What does the person or place look like? (Appearance)● What sounds do I hear? (This could refer to a person’s voiceand/or movements or to the sounds that are most apparent in the place you are writing about.)● What does it feel like? (For example, you could describe acharacter’s handshake or the feeling of damp and cold in a winter scene.)● What does it taste like?● What does it smell like?

Describing a person: charactersTitle: My dad, my hero

I love my dad. His name is Andrew. He is the breadwinner in my family. He has been a journalist since I was born. He likes reporting the news; therefore, he was chosen to be a reporter in a war scene like Palestine. He is the bravest man I have ever known. When he reported the massacre in Palestine, the soldiers were shooting the bullets one another. Even though he was exhausted due to his demanding duty, he had always wanted to accompany me doing my homework.

Describe your family member in

at least 5 sentences!

• Think about one of your family members!• What is her/his name?• What does she/he do? (civil servant, lawyer, etc)• What kind of person is she/he? (brave, stern, etc)• What does she/like doing? (reading, watching)• Tell something that happens to her/him!

Describing a person: appearance

Title: The Fasionable Hideaki

Hideaki is one of the 150 International students at the ELC of Brigham School University. He is from Japan. Despite the fact that he is a boy, he has a fair complexion. His hairdo looks messy, but it is kind of Japanese popular hair style. Every girl adores what he wears every day to campus. Hideaki likes to wear a casual but fashionable jacket. Unlike other male teenagers who are comfortable wearing sport shoes, he prefers wearing leather shoes that makes him look a real superb young professional.

Describe your best friend’s appearance in at least 5 sentences!

• Think about your best friend!• What is her/his name?• What does she/he look like? (face, hair, skin, body)• What does she/he like to wear?• What do you think about her/him? (trendy, casual)• Tell something that happens to her/him!

Describing things: My amazing guitar

My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar, the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago.  No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it.

Describe your hand phone in at least 5 sentences!

• Think about your hand phone!• What is its brand? (Samsung, Nokia, etc)• How big/slim/small is it?• What is its color?• What features does it have? (camera, games, etc)• What makes your hand phone so special?

Describing a placeTitle: The Beauty of

BorobudurBorobudur is Hindu – Budhist temple. It was built in the ninth century under Sailendra dynasty of ancient Mataram kingdom. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. Borobudur is well-known all over the world. Its construction is influenced by the Gupta architecture of India. The temple is constructed on a hill 46 m high and consist of eight step like stone terrace. The first five terraces are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Budist sculpture in bas-relief. The upper three are circular. Each of them is with a circle of bell shape-stupa. The entire edifices are crowned by a large stupa at the centre at the centre of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km of passage and stair ways. The design of Borobudur which symbolizes the structure of universe influences temples at Angkor, Cambodia. Borobudur temple which is rededicated as an Indonesian monument in 1983 is a valuable treasure for Indonesian people.

Describe the neighborhood you live now in at least

5 sentences!• Think about your neighborhood!• Where do you live? (Bandung, Cheongju, Seoul)• What does your neighborhood look like? (clean, dirty, wide, quite, noisy, etc)• What is the weather like? (cold, hot, rainy, windy)• What do the neighbors like? (friendly, ignorant, etc)• What do you like most about your neighborhood?

Grammar used in Descriptive text: Present and Past tense

1.Simple Present is used to express repeated or permanent events: present, past and future.examples: It rains almost everyday in Bogor.They live in Jakarta, but they are staying in Bali at the moment.

2. Present Progressive is used to express temporary events just now or just around now.examples:It is raining again.They are watching Popeye the Sailorman.Present progressive is also used to express something that has already arranged to do.examples:I am leaving tomorrow at 9 by train.What time is Ben arriving tomorrow?

3.Present Perfect is used to express events repeated up to now.examples:I have always thought of going abroad.This tense is also used to express past events that are still news.Do you know that Samantha has been promoted?

4. Present Perfect Progressive is used to express events repeated or continuing up to now, up to a few moments ago.examples:Where were you? I have been waiting for you for hours.We have been reading comics since we were in elementary school.Mr. Mike has been teaching Physics for years.

5. Simple Past is used to express events that happened one or more times in the past, no connection with now.examples:She gave me some money yesterday.When I was a child, I climbed trees.

6. Past Progressive is used to express events continuing around a particular time in the past.examples:When he was riding his bike, he saw a cat chased by a dog.I was watching movies while my mom was cooking the meal.The babies were crying when you played the song so loudly.

7. Past Perfect is used to express events repeated up to then (past). It is the past form of present perfect.examples:Last night, when I left the house, I had locked the door.She had never imagined that he would dump her.The costumer had sued the company when it did not serve him well.He had eaten since I arrived home.

8. Past Perfect Progressive is used to express events repeated or continuing up to then.examples:Bree was so tired since she had been travelling all day.The employees had been working late when I printed the files.My brother had been playing soccer all day, so that he missed the private lesson.

Thank youTitih Ratihtira_sari30@yahoo.com