Descriptive Writing
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Descriptive writing gives
readers a vivid image
and enables them to
imagine a scene clearly.
Example:
Non-descriptive sentence:
There were grapes in the
bowl.
 Descriptive sentence: The
plump purple grapes in the
bowl looked tantalizing.
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Does your writing look like this example?
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Brain Pop-Show Don't Tell
This is showing!
Descriptive Writing & Adjectives
In order to show and not just tell, you need to
use plenty of adjectives.
 An adjective is a word that modifies, or
describes, a noun or a pronoun.
 A heavy rainstorm soaked the campsite.
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In this sentence, the adjective
heavy modifies (or describes)
the noun, rainstorm.
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Descriptive Writing & Adjectives
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Adjectives help you see, feel, taste, hear,
and smell all the experiences you read
about.
Notice how adjectives make the second sentence in
this pair more descriptive.
 Coyotes startled the campers.
 Noisy coyotes startled the sleepy campers.
Descriptive Writing & Adjectives
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Adjectives answer the questions what
kind, which one, how many and how
much.
 What kind?
 red
backpack, sturdy tent, spicy stew
 Which
 last
 How
 two
one or ones?
hamburger, third hike, every lantern
many or how much?
flashlights, many insects, little moonlight.
What’s an Adjective Pair?

It is common to use more than one adjective
before a noun.
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For example, we can write "He's a funny young boy," or
"She's a smart, energetic woman."
When you use more than one adjective, you
have to put them in the right order,
according to type.

It is correct to write, "I have a small red car,"
but it is not correct to write, "I have a red small
car."
What’s an Adjective Pair?
When you use two adjectives together, you
sometimes use "and" between them and
sometimes you don't.
 When you use two adjectives together
(also called paired adjectives), you sometimes
use a comma between them and sometimes
you don't.
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Types of Adjectives (OSASCOMP)
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Opinion
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Size (A size adjective tells you how big or small something is)

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Examples: Mexican, Chinese, eastern, northern, lunar, solar
Material
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Examples: blue, pink, reddish, gray
Origin
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Examples: square, round, flat, rectangular
Color
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Examples: ancient, new, young, old
Shape
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Examples: large, tiny, enormous, little
Age
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Examples: funny, beautiful, fabulous, difficult
Examples: wooden, metal, cotton, paper, stone
Purpose (These adjectives often end with "-ing“)
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Examples: sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting pan")
Adjectives v. Proper Adjectives
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Many adjectives are
formed from
common nouns.
Nouns and Adjectives:
noun- rain; adjectiverainy
 noun- scene; adjectivescenic
 noun-beauty; adjectivebeautiful

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A proper adjective is
formed from a proper
noun. Proper adjectives
are always capitalized.
Proper Nouns and
Adjectives:
p.noun- China; adj.Chinese
 p.noun- Ireland; adj.Irish
 p.noun- Mars; adj.Martian
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Practice
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Directions: Highlight the adjective(s). Underline the noun
that is being described. There will be more than one in
most of the sentences.
Drew's awesome, purple skateboard was on the porch.
Tim cannot survive in the extreme cold.
Kellan can spot wild animals easily against the cold, white
snow.
Sammie took her cute, fluffy dog to the peaceful park.
Colin has a big brown house in the quiet woods.
Peggy's Vera Bradley bag was on the blue floral couch.
Connor wore a plain black shirt to the splendid Poetry
Slam!
Practice
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Rewrite these sentences
using descriptive
language.
Add at least 3
adjectives to each
sentence.
Try to change the verb
(action word) to make it
more active and
engaging.
Practice
Jane went to the store on her bike.
____________________________________________
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Mark played in the basketball game.
____________________________________________
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Susan ran outside.
____________________________________________
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Improving Writing
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Brain Pop Video
What can you do to
improve your writing?
Adjective Pair and Active Voice Practice

Improve your sentences with adjectives!
 Circle
each common noun.
 Add 2 adjectives to each common noun.
 The
boy ran along the sidewalk.
 The tall, stocky boy ran along the hot,
rough sidewalk.

Then describe the pictures—on the
back of this sheet—using adjective
pairs and active voice.
Descriptive Paragraph Assignment
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It is a quiz grade. You are
responsible for checking your
work against the rubric.
You are NOT writing a story or
trying to persuade me to do
something. You are describing
your topic with adjectives and
action verbs.
You will have a writing
conference after you complete
the graphic organizers.
Example Paragraph
Cherished Guitar
My most valuable possession stands proudly in the
corner of my small, purple bedroom. The old, slightly
warped guitar sounds like rain drops drumming the
window and the copper strings stretch down a long, slim
neck. The strings’ hum reminds me of a raspy blues
musician, but now the pear-shaped guitar drowns in tiny
dents and accidental damage caused by years of fingers
pressing chords and picking notes. The once rich, brown
wood faded into a dull, lifeless gray. However, I still see
its timeless beauty through the lop-sided chips and
treasure its delightful music.
The Writing Process
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Finish the graphic organizers.
Sign up for a writing conference only when you are
ready
Then begin your rough draft. The next step is
revising and editing. A peer may conference with
you quietly—if he/she is also finished with his/her
rough draft.
Check your work against the rubric. Highlight all
15(A)/20(H) adjectives in one color. Highlight all 3
(A)/4(H) figurative language examples in another
color.