descriptive essay

It is an essay to describe a person, a thing, or a place.. The purpose of descriptive writing is to make our readers see, feel, and hear what we have seen, felt, and heard.. Whether we a

Writing 02 - Le Phuong Thao

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

What is a descriptive essay?

It is an essay to describe a person, a thing, or a place The purpose of descriptive writing is to make our readers see, feel, and hear what we have seen, felt, and heard Whether we are describing a person, a place, or a thing, our aim is to reveal a subject through vivid and carefully selected details

Descriptive essay is mainly made up of details There are two types: personal description, which includes feelings and opinion, and impersonal description, which includes facts

• Impersonal description conveys to the readers what the writer has seen In other words, it conveys the information about the appearance and the characteristic of a place, a person, a process,

or an object

• Personal descriptive conveys to the readers what the writer has seen and how he feels

How do we arrange the details?

In this kind of essay we use the space order (from left to right or vice

verse/ from top to bottom or vice verse/ from far to near or vice verse/ from general details to specific ones or vice verse.) It means you should describe something/ someone the ways it/he looks or arrange the details according to where the objects being described are located

Language used?

We should use more adjectives to make the description vivid

Personal descriptive language material

Face shape: Square, oval, round, broad, triangular, heart – shaped, moon –

shaped, angular (góc cạnh)

Face expressions: scowl (cáu kỉnh), frown (cau mày), worried, blank

(ngây dại), vivacious (sôi nổi), delicate (thanh tú), placid (điềm tỉnh), peaceful

Complexion: freckled, rosy (ửng hồng), ruddy (hồng hào), tanned (rám

nắng), wrinkled (nhăn nheo), pale (xanh xao), spotless (láng), silky(láng trơn như lụa), smooth, creamy, baby-soft (mềm mại như da bé), glowing (mạnh khỏe, sinh động), paper-thin; rough (xù xì), callused (chai sần), dry e.g Mary has a soft, creamy complexion

Eyes: Brown-eyed (mother), bright-eyed (sister), wide-eyed (child), large,

small, almond-shaped (hình quả hạnh), round, squinty (lé), crinkly

Eye expressions: piercing (sắc), mesmerizing (quyến rũ), sad, sorrowful,

tear-filled, gentle, sympathetic, warm, compassionate, expressive (diễn cảm), twinkling, lively, laughing

Mouth/Lips: thin lips, full lips, pouting lips (trề), pursed lips (mím môi tập

trung tư tưởng), laugh, smile, beam (rạng rỡ), grin (cười toe tóet),

grimace (nhăn nhó), scowl

Hair: wavy, curly, straight, spiky, stiff, buzzed, shaved, parted,

neatly-combed, tamed, long, short, cropped

Hair Styles: braids (tóc bím), ponytail, pigtails (đuôi gà), bun (búi tóc

nhỏ), twist, bob (tóc ngắn qua vai), ringlets (món tóc quăn), bangs (món tóc ngang trán), layered (xếp tầng), feathered (túm tóc dựng ngược), gelled, spiked (như bông), slicked down (bóng mượt), thick, full, lustrous (bóng láng), bushy (rậm), thin (thưa), scraggly (lởm chởm), t, balding (become bald), bald, receding hairline (become bald), permed (uốn), dyed (nhuộm), bleached (tẩy), highlighted

Hair colors: black, brunette (tóc nâu), brown, chestnut-brown, honey-blond,

blond, golden-blond, auburn (nâu vàng), red, strawberry-blond (hung đỏ), gray, silver, white, salt-and-pepper

Facial Hair: Beard, goatee, mustache, sideburns, Five o’clock shadow,

bearded (có râu quai nón), unshaven, clean-shaven, trimmed (tỉa tót), neatly-trimmed

Sentence Starters Describing Clothes:

Smartly dressed in (name of garment), she

Casually attired (mặc) in (name of garment), Jolene…

Simply clad in (name of garment), Mark

Clothing: denim (bông chéo), wool, cotton, tweed (vải len thô),

polyester, corduroy (nhung kẻ sọc), fleece (lông cừu),

Styles

Casual (thường), scruffy (lôi thôi), shabby (xòang xĩnh), smart, tidy, messy (luộm thuộm)

Clothes

Leather jeans, cargo pants, slacks, trousers, overalls (áo khóac),

sweatpants, crop pants (quần da), skirt, culottes (quần soóc rộng), shorts, sport shirt, polo shirt, button-down shirt, blouse, long-sleeve, short-sleeve, sleeveless, collared, T-shirt, sweatshirt, pullover, sweater, cardigan, dress, uniform, costume, pajamas, bathrobe, robe, vest, jacket, blazer, coat, socks, stockings, gloves, hat, cap, shoes, boots, slippers, sandals, flip-flops (dép hở mũi), heels

Personalities: careful, hard-working, worried, cheerful, broadminded, active,

curious, secretive (giữ kẽ), dull (tối dạ), boring, imaginative (giàu tưởng tượng), ambitious, crafty (láu cá), sensitive (nhạy cảm), gentle, nạve (ngây thơ), generous (rộng rãi), loyal, self-controlled, moody (tính tình thất thường), trusting (thật thà), modest, tolerant, friendly, energetic (mạnh mẽ, nghị lực), confident, selfish, shy, stubborn (cứng đầu),

reliable, clumsy (vụng về), intelligent