Advanced Writing with English in Use

Makingdescriptionsinteresting • Mo du le1A

1A Makingdescriptionsinteresting

1.0 Descriptive det ail

If you'redescribinga pieceof lost property, you don't need to worryabout

whether t he reader willfind your w riting interesting.Butif you're describing

somethingw he n w ritin g a magazine article or a story , the most importa ntthingis

to catch and hold the reader's interest. Here is acheck listof ways todo this.

BORING INTERESTING

Generalizing Beingspecific

a large vegetable a th re e -quarter-pou ndswee t potato

an oldship theAlarie Celeste/theTitanic

op inions facts, observations,quotations

No'picture ' Descriptivedetails

a glassofwine a long-st e mme d glassofaro matic,

goldenMusc at e l

Dull,unobservantvocabulary PrecisewonL~

look gaze, glance , stare , glare , pe ep

ask be g, implor e , reque st, dem and, invite

Repetition Variation

car... car... car... car... car.. .Ford...ve hicle...car..

as well... a s we ll... a s we ll ... as we ll.. .also ...\ Vhat is more ,..

Beingpredictable Surprisingthereader

'T here arc five re asonswhyI like.. startingwithsome thingst riking*

stating th e obvious; ' re ceived 'opinions originalthinking and obse rvat ion

'T he fifthre asonIlike it i s.. .' savingsomethingfor the e nd"

Alwaystalki ngabautyourself Alwaysthinkingaboutyour

readers,andhowtointerestthem

*theopenings andclosingsof magazine articlesare pra ctised onpage.s 124 -127.

1 .1 The five senses

In order to includespec ific, concretedetails inyour description, you mustfir st

observein detail. Don 'tforgetthere arefive senses; you don 't haveto limit

yourselfto visual description.If, for example ,you wantedto describ e sculpt ures

in anAfricanvillage,wouldyouhave thoug ht of observing themin the dark,by

touchandsmell?

Sta ndingin the darkness ,breathing in the sme ll of woods mo ke andmeali eporridge

ande arthand unfam iliarvegetation, my hands rovedover I mlge sand incized cuts,

ju tt ing-outshapesliketrunksorhorns or be aks and roun de d onesthatmightbe

eyes ;smooth , pointedheadsandbulbous lips and nose s, fatfingers and protru din g

belly-buttonsandot he r shapesI couldn't interpret.Some weresti ckywith oilwhich

imped ed the flow of my finger s; the polished oneswere sensuo us and le t me feel

themfree ly.

Write justfouror five lines describing oneof your favouritepossessionsusingat

leastthree of the senses.

Typesof writing • 39