1. Use Adjectives

2. Use two adjectives before the first noun, and two adjectives before the second noun. It was an old, creepy house with an overgrown, unkempt garden. The man wore an oversized, dirty rain jacket with a multi-colored, droopy flower in the top pocket.

3. Use Similes

4. A simile is a comparison which creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. The following sentences contain either:...like a...OR... as a... She shivered like a leaf drifting through the woods on a cool autumn evening. She was as pretty as a picture.

5. Add Where and When or How to Similes

6. It was as cold as ice. (boring) It was as cold as ice floating in the Arctic Ocean (where) on a moonlit winter night (when). The moon hung above us like a face. The moon hung above us like a patient, pale (how) face..

7. Add 3 –ed Adjectives (to Describe Emotions) With Commas

8. Frightened, terrified, and exhausted, they ran from the creature. Excited, amazed, and delighted, she accepted the gold medal.

9. Add 2 Pairs of Related Adjectives With Commas

10. Shocked and angry, dazed and bewildered, Kaitness couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her eyes. Scared and upset, exhausted and hungry, Kaitness ran as fast as she could through the forest.

11. Use a Description Sentence Followed by a Detail Sentence and Separated by a Colon

12. Hamsters are nocturnal; they sleep during the daytime. The first part of the sentence is description; the second part is detail. The vampire is a dreadful creature; it kills by sucking all the blood from its victims. I was shattered; I hadn’t slept for more than three days.