Return to Modes of Writing Descriptive | Narrative | Expository | Persuasive Teaching Tips: (adapted from Oregon State Department of Education publication and McDougal Littell's The Language of Literature and Writer's Craft)

The Descriptive Mode

Definition:	Descriptive writing describes an object, place, or person in a way that creates a vivid impression in the reader's mind, enabling the reader to visualize what is being described, and to feel that he/she is very much part of the writer's experience. Descriptive writing is characterized by the following: Elaborate use of sensory details (often those that others might overlook) that enrich or define the central impression; Details which go beyond the general, e.g., The house was big and nice; Details which enable the reader to picture or relive what the writer is telling, e.g., The massive brick structure sprawled across a quarter acre of ground and rose more than sixty feet into the air.
Forms:	Descriptive writing appears almost everywhere, from cookbooks to poems. A writer might use a description to introduce a character in a narrative or to create a strong closing to a persuasive essay. Whatever the form, its purpose is to describe.
Guidelines:	No matter how the description is used, the following guidelines for good descriptive writing will help. Students should include plenty of details; use figurative language, if appropriate; organize details; show, not tell; use precise language.

Vancouver School District - Spring 1999