Using language techniques and precise vocabulary to write excellent descriptions | English

Starter quiz

Showing and not ______ is a great way of making your descriptions more vivid.

'telling' ✓
Which of the following is an example of a semantic field?

blue, ocean, aqua, mermaid, fin-like, shell ✓

green, emerald, yellow, cyan, purple, red

huge, big, average, small, minute

hideous, ugly, gargoyle, wretched, recoil, horror ✓
Starting with the smallest, put these words in order from smallest to largest.

1

⇔

minute

2

⇔

tiny

3

⇔

miniature

4

⇔

small

5

⇔

compact
Which of these words might you use to describe this person?

isolated ✓

enveloped

deserted ✓

surrounded

alienated ✓
Which of the following nouns is the most appropriate in describing this body of water?

spring

stream

lake ✓

pond

ocean
Which of the following images would you be least likely to use as a comparison to the lightning pictured here?

roots of a tree

rivers

arteries and veins

fingers spreading

petals on a flower ✓

Good description should be ...

vague

vivid ✓

detailed ✓

dramatic

multi-sensory ✓
Which of the following verbs has negative, sinister connotations?

protected

smothered ✓

covered

encroached ✓

embraced
Starting with the most positive, rank these words from most positive to least positive.

1

⇔

beamed

2

⇔

grinned

3

⇔

smiled

4

⇔

smirked

5

⇔

sneered
Which of the following uses figurative language?

He clenched his fists and shivered with rage.

He felt a wave of anger surge through him. ✓

His blood began to boil. ✓

His face turned bright red.

His voice rose to a roar. ✓
Which of the following words could be a synonym for 'hid' in this sentence: 'The darkness hid him from view.'

objected

accumulated

encroached

obscured ✓

enthralled
Which of the following statements would you choose to describe this sofa?

The armchair was relatively plain and dull, with no distinguishing features.

The fabric was adorned with faded depictions of various citrus fruits. ✓

The plush, velvet seat of the sofa looked inviting.

Lurid orange cotton cloaked the rounded frame of the sofa. ✓

Hues of magenta and cyan were splashed across the woollen fabric of the sofa.

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Excellent descriptions and narratives will focus on describing details, rather than trying to write too much.
Figurative language can be used to create vivid imagery.
Using semantic fields as part of your description can help characterise the setting.
Describing the features of something rather than its overall impression (showing not telling) makes description vivid.

Students often think that describing something's overall appearance makes a good description.

Description is about making your reader imagine what you are imagining. You have to give really specific details about a person or setting.

Elfin - We would describe a small and delicate person, with a slightly mischievous look about them as elfin.
Veneer - A veneer is a thin layer of more expensive material that is attached to a less expensive material to make it look more grand.
Encroach - If a person intrudes on someone else’s personal space, they are encroaching.
Accumulate - If you accumulate evidence, you have gathered lots of it together.
Obscure - If you obscure something from view, you make it difficult to see.