LANGUAGE GUIDE
Descriptive/Autobiographical Writing
SAMPLE ESSAY
My name is Lin. I was born in Vietnam. My family traveled to America by boat. We came to the United States
because my country has war.
I have dark skin and brown eyes. I have black hair with curls. I am tall and skinny. I am 12 years old. I am friendly
because I talk to people. I am kind because I help my mom. I like to swim. I like to swim because the water feels good. I like
to dance.
In my family, I have a sister, two brothers, a mom, and a dad. My dad is tall. My mom is tall and thin. She has black,
curly hair. My brothers have green eyes and black hair. My sister looks like me.
My native country has trees and rivers. It is wet because it rain a lot. It has high mountains and beautiful flowers.
The weather is hot and wet. Yes, there are seasons in my country. We have winter, spring, summer and fall. Monkeys and
birds live there. Grass and trees grow there. In my native country, I see mountains and rivers. In Vietnam, I hear the wind
and rain. I smell the flowers and wet dirt.
I miss Vietnam very much. I miss all of the things I can see, smell, and hear. I miss my family in Vietnam. I am
happy to be in the United States with my family.
Introduces the topic and
captures the reader’s
interest
My name is Lin. I was born in Vietnam. My family traveled to America by boat.
We came to the United States because my country has war
Body Paragraph #1
Describe physical
characteristics
I have dark skin and brown eyes. I have black hair with curls. I am tall and skinny.
I am 12 years old.
Describe personality traits
I am friendly because I talk to people. I am kind because I help my Mom. I like to
swim. I like to swim because the water feels good. I like to dance.
Body Para.
#2
Describe physical
characteristics of family
In my family, I have a sister, two brothers, a mom, and a dad. My dad is tall. My
mom is tall and thin. She has black, curly hair. My brothers have green eyes and
black hair. My sister looks like me.
Body Para#3
Example
Describe native country
My native country has trees and rivers. It is wet because it rain a lot. It has high
mountains and beautiful flowers. The weather is hot and wet. Yes, there are
seasons in my country. We have winter, spring, summer and fall. Monkeys and
birds live there. Grass and trees grow there. In my native country, I see mountains
and rivers. In Vietnam, I hear the wind and rain. I smell the flowers and wet dirt.
Conclusion
Introduction
Purpose/Outcome
Conclusion restates the
writer’s opinion about the
subject
I miss Vietnam very much. I miss all of the things I can see, smell, and hear. I miss
my family in Vietnam. I am happy to be in the United States with my family.
SDUSD-Office of Language Acquisition 2012
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LANGUAGE GUIDE
Descriptive/Autobiographical Writing
Grammar:
Present and past tense: to be, to have; miss; irregular came/come;
Irregular Verbs: hear/see/smell/tell
Prepositional phrases: In my family…/ In my country etc…
Subject-Verb agreement: are + plural noun (s)
Conjunctions: and/because/with
Pronouns: my/I/she/he/they
Key Ideas:

Verb tense shifts from present to past within a sentence and a paragraph.

Emotive and sensory adjectives and verbs are used throughout essay.

Maintain 1st person point of view

Use prepositional phrases throughout the essay
Introductory Paragraph
Function:
Practice:
Introduce the topic
Nouns:
name, family, country,
What is your name?
My name is __________________ .
Where were you born?
I was born in _________________ .
Why did you come to the United
States?
(I/We/My Family) came to the United
States because …
How did you travel to the United
States?
(I/We/My Family) traveled to United States
by ______________________ .
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Vocabulary:
Proper nouns:
names of people and places –
America, United States, Vietnam,
Africa, Mexico, etc.,
Nouns for types of travel:
boat, train, airplane, walk, etc
Nouns for reasons to immigrate:
better life, money, education, war,
peace, etc.
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Body Paragraph #1
Function
Describe Physical
Characteristics
Describe your physical
traits/characteristics.
How would you describe yourself?
Practice
NOUNS:
I am _______.
I am _____ and _____.
I have…
I have ___ ___ with _____.
I am ___ years old
Physical attributes:
I have ___ ____ and ___ _____.
hair, skin, eyes, curls, body,
years, etc.
Describe personality traits
Describe your personality
traits/characteristics.
What are you like?
I am ________.
ADJECTIVES :
I am _____ because…
For physical traits:
I think I am _____ because…
tall, short, skinny, fat, big, small,
etc.
Why do you think you are ___?
Body Paragraph #2
Function
Practice
I have…in my family.
Who is in your family?
What does your
(mom/dad/sister/brother/etc.) look
like?
In my family, I have…
My (mom/dad/sister/etc.) is ____ and
_____.
My (mom/dad/sister/etc.) has…
My (brothers/sisters/etc.) have…
My (sister/brother/etc.) looks like…
My (sisters/brothers/etc.) look like…
I look like…
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Shape:
square, round, etc.,
Describe physical characteristics of
family
Describe your family.
Family:
mother, mom, father, dad,
grandmother, grandfather,
sister, brother, cousin, aunt,
uncle, + plurals
What do you look like?
Tell me about yourself.
Vocabulary
Color:
color black, brown, dark, light,
etc.,
Number:
one, two, etc.,
For character traits:
nice, kind, friendly, mean, hardworking, brave, adventurous,
smart, creative, etc.
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Body Paragraph #3
Function
Practice
Describe characteristics
of native country
The name of my native country is
___.
NOUNS :
What is the name of your native
country?
My native country has… and…
Proper nouns for location:
It is ___ because…
Africa, Vietnam, Sudan, etc. village,
jungle, town, city, home
Describe your native country.
It has ___ and ___.
Tell us about your
(village/town/city/country/etc.).
The weather is ___ and ___.
What are the sights of your native
country?
There are seasons in my country.
We have …
What are the sounds of your country?
There are no seasons in my
country. The weather is the same
year-round.
What are the smells of your country?
Vocabulary
My (village/town/city/
country/etc.) has…
My (village/town/city/
country/etc.,) looks…
In my native country I see…
Singular and plural nouns for physical
attributes:
trees, flowers, cactus, land, mountains,
rivers, water, grass, sand, houses, tents,
etc.
Weather:
seasons, winter, spring, summer, fall,
Animals:
monkeys, lions, camels, markets,
buildings, etc.
In my country/name of country, I
hear…
ADJECTIVES :
In my country I smell…
Color:
green, gray, blue, red etc…
I smell …
Size:
big, small, little, high, tall
Concluding Paragraph
Conclusion restates the writer’s
opinion about the subject
I miss __. (my country/it)
Weather:
rainy, hot, cold, dry, wet,
What do you miss about your country?
I do not miss ______.
(my country/it)
Misc:
open, busy, crowded, etc.
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LANGUAGE GUIDE
Drafting an Autobiography
Elements of the
Essay
Introductory
Paragraph
Language
Draft
My name is __________________ .
I was born in _________________ .

Introduce the
topic

Hook the reader
(I/We/My Family) came to the
United States because …
(I/We/My Family) traveled to
United States by
______________________ .
Body Paragraph #1
I am _______.

I am _____ and _____.

Describe Physical
Characteristics
Describe
Personality Traits
I have…
I have ___ ____ and ___ _____.
I have ___ ___ with _____.
I am ___ years old.
I am ________.
I am _____ because…
I think I am _____ because…
Body Paragraph #2
I have…in my family.

In my family, I have…
My (mom/dad/sister/etc.) is ____
and _____.
Describe Physical
Characteristics of
Your Family
My (mom/dad/sister/etc.) has…
My (brothers/sisters/etc.) have…
My (sister/brother/etc.) looks
like…
My (sisters/brothers/etc.) look
like…
I look like…
SDUSD-Office of Language Acquisition 2012
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LANGUAGE GUIDE
Drafting an Autobiography
Elements of the
Essay
Language
Body Paragraph #3
The name of my native country is
___.

My native country has… and…
Describe
Characteristics of
Native Country
Draft
It is ___ because…
It has ___ and ___.
The weather is ___ and ___.
There are seasons in my country.
We have …
There are no seasons in my
country. The weather is the same
year-round.
___ and ___ live there.
My (village/town/city/
country/etc.) has…
My (village/town/city/
country/etc.,) looks…
In my native country I see…
In my country/name of country, I
hear…
In my country I smell…
I smell …
Conclusion
I miss __. (my country/it)

Restates the
writer’s opinion
about the subject
I do not miss ______.
(my country/it)
SDUSD-Office of Language Acquisition 2012
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