{"id":63,"date":"2021-09-13T14:48:44","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T18:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/chapter\/description\/"},"modified":"2022-11-11T04:24:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-11T09:24:52","slug":"description","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/chapter\/description\/","title":{"raw":"4.4\u00a0Description","rendered":"4.4\u00a0Description"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Learning Objectives<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n \t<li>Determine the purpose and structure of the description essay<\/li>\n \t<li>Understand how to write a description essay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1>The Purpose of Description in Writing<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Writers use description in writing to make sure that their audience is fully immersed in the words on the page. This requires a concerted effort by the writer to describe his or her world through sensory details.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">As mentioned earlier in this chapter<b>,<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>sensory\u00a0details<\/b><\/span> are descriptions that appeal to our sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Your descriptions should try to focus on the five senses because most people rely on at least some these senses to experience the world. The use of sensory details, then, provides you the greatest possibility of relating to your audience and thus engaging them in your writing, making descriptive writing important not only during your education but also during everyday situations.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"textbox\">Tip: Avoid empty descriptors if possible. Empty descriptors are adjectives that can mean different things to different people.\u00a0Good,\u00a0beautiful,\u00a0terrific, and nice\u00a0are examples. The use of such words in descriptions can lead to misreads and confusion.\u00a0A good day, for instance, can mean many different things depending on the reader\u2019s age, personality, or tastes.<\/div>\n<h2>Writing at Work<\/h2>\nWhether you are presenting a new product or service to a client, training new employees, or brainstorming ideas with colleagues, the use of clear, evocative detail is crucial. Make an effort to use details that express your thoughts in a way that will register with others. Sharp, concise details are always impressive.\n<h1>The Structure of a Description Essay<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>Description\u00a0essays<\/b><\/span>\u00a0typically describe a person, a place, or an object using sensory details. The structure of a descriptive essay is more flexible than some of the other rhetorical modes. The introduction of a description essay should set up the tone and point of the essay. The thesis should convey the writer\u2019s overall impression of the person, place, or object described in the body sections or paragraphs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">The organization of the essay may best follow\u00a0<span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>spatial\u00a0order<\/b><\/span>, an arrangement of ideas according to physical characteristics or appearance. Depending on what the writer describes, the organization could move from top to bottom, left to right, near to far, warm to cold, frightening to inviting, and so on. For example, if the subject is a client\u2019s kitchen in the midst of renovation, you might start at one side of the room and move slowly across to the other end, describing appliances, cabinetry, and so on. Or you might choose to start with older remnants of the kitchen and progress to the new installations. Maybe start with the floor and move up toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n\n<h1>Writing a Description Essay<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Choosing a subject is the first step in writing a description essay. Once you have chosen the person, place, or object you want to describe, your challenge is to write an effective thesis statement to guide your essay. The remainder of your essay describes your subject in a way that best expresses your thesis. Remember, you should have a strong sense of how you will organize your essay. Choose a strategy and stick to it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Every part of your essay should use vivid sensory details. The more you can appeal to your readers\u2019 senses, the more they will be engaged in your essay. See <a class=\"internal\" href=\"\/\/back-matter\/appendix-1-readings-examples-of-essays\/\">Appendix 1: Readings: Examples of Essays<\/a> to read a sample description essay.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Self-Practice Exercise 4.3<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n\n[h5p id=\"49\"]\n<div class=\"pdf\">\n\n<strong>H5P:<\/strong> Documentation tool\n\n<strong>Exercise Preamble<\/strong>\n\nChoose something to describe; it can be anything you like, but if you're feeling stuck, here are some suggestions:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Train station<\/li>\n \t<li>Your office<\/li>\n \t<li>Your car<\/li>\n \t<li>A coffee shop<\/li>\n \t<li>Lobby of a movie theater<\/li>\n \t<li>Mystery option (Choose an object to describe but do not explicitly tell what it is. Describe it, but preserve the mystery.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFor this exercise, we will be thinking as far as the outline.\n<ul>\n \t<li>What sensory details will you highlight in your description, and what words will you use to evoke them? Try to touch on as many of touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound as you can.<\/li>\n \t<li>What order will you share your details in: spatial (eg. describing details as they appear clockwise in a space) or sensory (eg. describing details in the order your senses experience them)? Give a few points to illustrate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<strong>Drafting<\/strong>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Determine your thesis statement. Yes, even descriptive writing has a thesis that states a claim or perspective.<\/li>\n \t<li>Try drafting a rough outline for this descriptive piece. Pay special attention to making sure the details are specific and that the order you reveal the details in makes sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Key Takeaways<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n \t<li>Description essays should describe something vividly to the reader using strong sensory details.<\/li>\n \t<li>Sensory details appeal to the five human senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.<\/li>\n \t<li>A description essay should start with the writer\u2019s main impression of a person, a place, or an object.<\/li>\n \t<li>Use spatial order to organize your descriptive writing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Learning Objectives<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>Determine the purpose and structure of the description essay<\/li>\n<li>Understand how to write a description essay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1>The Purpose of Description in Writing<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Writers use description in writing to make sure that their audience is fully immersed in the words on the page. This requires a concerted effort by the writer to describe his or her world through sensory details.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">As mentioned earlier in this chapter<b>,<\/b><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>sensory\u00a0details<\/b><\/span> are descriptions that appeal to our sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Your descriptions should try to focus on the five senses because most people rely on at least some these senses to experience the world. The use of sensory details, then, provides you the greatest possibility of relating to your audience and thus engaging them in your writing, making descriptive writing important not only during your education but also during everyday situations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">Tip: Avoid empty descriptors if possible. Empty descriptors are adjectives that can mean different things to different people.\u00a0Good,\u00a0beautiful,\u00a0terrific, and nice\u00a0are examples. The use of such words in descriptions can lead to misreads and confusion.\u00a0A good day, for instance, can mean many different things depending on the reader\u2019s age, personality, or tastes.<\/div>\n<h2>Writing at Work<\/h2>\n<p>Whether you are presenting a new product or service to a client, training new employees, or brainstorming ideas with colleagues, the use of clear, evocative detail is crucial. Make an effort to use details that express your thoughts in a way that will register with others. Sharp, concise details are always impressive.<\/p>\n<h1>The Structure of a Description Essay<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>Description\u00a0essays<\/b><\/span>\u00a0typically describe a person, a place, or an object using sensory details. The structure of a descriptive essay is more flexible than some of the other rhetorical modes. The introduction of a description essay should set up the tone and point of the essay. The thesis should convey the writer\u2019s overall impression of the person, place, or object described in the body sections or paragraphs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">The organization of the essay may best follow\u00a0<span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt;padding: 0\"><b>spatial\u00a0order<\/b><\/span>, an arrangement of ideas according to physical characteristics or appearance. Depending on what the writer describes, the organization could move from top to bottom, left to right, near to far, warm to cold, frightening to inviting, and so on. For example, if the subject is a client\u2019s kitchen in the midst of renovation, you might start at one side of the room and move slowly across to the other end, describing appliances, cabinetry, and so on. Or you might choose to start with older remnants of the kitchen and progress to the new installations. Maybe start with the floor and move up toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n<h1>Writing a Description Essay<\/h1>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Choosing a subject is the first step in writing a description essay. Once you have chosen the person, place, or object you want to describe, your challenge is to write an effective thesis statement to guide your essay. The remainder of your essay describes your subject in a way that best expresses your thesis. Remember, you should have a strong sense of how you will organize your essay. Choose a strategy and stick to it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"background-color: #ffffff\">Every part of your essay should use vivid sensory details. The more you can appeal to your readers\u2019 senses, the more they will be engaged in your essay. See <a class=\"internal\" href=\"\/\/back-matter\/appendix-1-readings-examples-of-essays\/\">Appendix 1: Readings: Examples of Essays<\/a> to read a sample description essay.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--exercises\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Self-Practice Exercise 4.3<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<div id=\"h5p-49\">\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-49\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"49\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Self-Practice 4.3\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pdf\">\n<p><strong>H5P:<\/strong> Documentation tool<\/p>\n<p><strong>Exercise Preamble<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Choose something to describe; it can be anything you like, but if you&#8217;re feeling stuck, here are some suggestions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Train station<\/li>\n<li>Your office<\/li>\n<li>Your car<\/li>\n<li>A coffee shop<\/li>\n<li>Lobby of a movie theater<\/li>\n<li>Mystery option (Choose an object to describe but do not explicitly tell what it is. Describe it, but preserve the mystery.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For this exercise, we will be thinking as far as the outline.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What sensory details will you highlight in your description, and what words will you use to evoke them? Try to touch on as many of touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound as you can.<\/li>\n<li>What order will you share your details in: spatial (eg. describing details as they appear clockwise in a space) or sensory (eg. describing details in the order your senses experience them)? Give a few points to illustrate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Drafting<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Determine your thesis statement. Yes, even descriptive writing has a thesis that states a claim or perspective.<\/li>\n<li>Try drafting a rough outline for this descriptive piece. Pay special attention to making sure the details are specific and that the order you reveal the details in makes sense.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">Key Takeaways<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li>Description essays should describe something vividly to the reader using strong sensory details.<\/li>\n<li>Sensory details appeal to the five human senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.<\/li>\n<li>A description essay should start with the writer\u2019s main impression of a person, a place, or an object.<\/li>\n<li>Use spatial order to organize your descriptive writing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1762,"menu_order":5,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-63","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":56,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/63","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/63\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/63\/revisions\/64"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/56"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/63\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=63"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=63"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/professionalwriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=63"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}