研究生英语写作之Descriptivewriting.doc

研究生英语写作之descriptive writing
Descriptive writing
The descriptive essay presents a word-picture of persons, places, objects, and emotions. The writer uses a careful selection of specific and concrete details to make a clear dominant impression on the reader. A descriptive essay can be objective or subjective and the writer’s purpose is to involve the reader enough so that s/he can actually visualize what is being described. The best description appeals to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. As you work on your own descriptive essay, the main thing to remember is this rule: show, don’t tell.
I. Description of a person
Principles: Descriptions of people may focus on the various aspects of the people described — their physical appearance, style of clothing, their character and personality, their interests and behavior. What you select to describe depends on your topic and purpose.
● Describe clearly.
● Select only appropriate details.
● Make your descriptions vivid.
Sample A :Remember that you can’t write good descriptions without being specific. The following is a typical example of the descriptive essay, in which the writer Loe Dobbs uses specific details to create a portrait of his father who has affected his life greatly.
“Terrific Work”
By Loe Dobbs
I grew up in Childress, Texas, a town of nearly 8,000, where Dad had a farm-machinery business. I hauled hay, picked potatoes and did other chores, but my father always insisted that e first.
He may not have had much formal education — Dad left school in the eighth grade — but he possessed a world of knowledge. He was a voracious reader who was smarter about current affairs than anyone I knew. At the dinner table he pushed me to think and to defend my opinions. These discussions sparked in me an intense curiosity about the world and taught me the importance of attaining the best education I could.
It also helped that Dad believed praise was a more powerful motivator than criticism. W