1. Phrases, Patterns, and common mistakes
In descriptive writing

2. The two most common structures:
Of course adjectives can be pre-modifiers (inside the noun phrase):
…short bristly stubble…
…a tropical fever…
…a wire brush…
…bushy black eyebrows…
Or, they can be predicative (can be found in the predicate of the sentence):
The most commons structure is [subject]+[linking verb]+[adjective]
…his face was pale…
…his eyebrows were bushy and black…
Many of the problems I see in the homework are related to these structures. Make sure you understand, practice, and notice them!

3. Phrases
There are a lot of phrases that are set/fixed (or semi-set/fixed):
“[subject] couldn’t believe how [adjective] [noun phrase] [linking verb1]”
I couldn’t believe how strange my English teacher looked.
The customers couldn’t believe how awful the soup tasted.
She couldn’t believe how wonderful the flower smelled.
1. Examples: be, look, seem, appear, become, feel, taste, smell, sound (see p. 139)
Did you notice that most of these are related to the senses?

4. More phrases: Mr. Satish Kumar had a most peculiar appearance.
The Life of Pi
I admit he’s a most interesting young man, but sadly he has no fortune.
Pride and Predjudice
…a most absurd story
collinsdictionary.com
“a most [adjective]+[noun phrase]” is an intensifier that essentially means “very”
It is not the same as “the most [adjective]”, which is the superlative form.
Both forms are acceptable of course, but be careful because “a most…” can seem very formal.

5. More phrase structures:
the [superlative adjective] [noun] I have ever seen.
the most impressive jowls I have ever seen
the best coffee she had ever tasted
the worst book my mother has ever read
the fastest car they had ever built
This very often is followed by the phrase structure: [subject] have ever [verb]
the verb is a perfect tense (either present, past, or future perfect)
we add the adverb ever to emphasize “at any time”,

6. Notice: The most excited she has ever been.
The happiest I have ever seen her.
She has never been that excited.
I have never seen her that happy.
She has ever been that excited.
I have ever seen her that happy.

7. Verbs Of course, verbs can also be descriptive!
…his forehead dripped with…
…his head was covered with…
…his dull brown eyes were surrounded by…and topped with…
…they moved in surprising ways…as if his knees could bend in any direction…
…his narrow shoulders gave way to a massive stomach…
…he ran out of the store…
…he carried his right arm across his chest…
Be careful: some of these verbs are in the passive voice.

8. Noticing Did you notice the prepositions? …his forehead dripped with…
…his head was covered with…
…his dull brown eyes were surrounded by…and topped with…
…they moved in surprising ways…as if his knees could bend in any direction…
…his narrow shoulders gave way to a massive stomach…
…he ran out of the store…
…he carried his right arm across his chest…

9. More on verbs: Be careful when you choose have or be:
He has short black hair. [have + Noun Phrase]
His hair is short and black. [be + adjective(s)]
She had a long blonde ponytail.
Her ponytail was long and blonde.
Mr. Smith is very tall.
Mr. Smith has very tall.
Mr. Smith’s tall is …
Mr. Smith’s height is … [possible, but not very common]

10. Parts of speech:
Some words can be different parts of speech, so be careful how you use them!
His thin lips seemed frozen in a tight frown. [frown = noun]
“He frowned tightly. [frowned = verb]
She wants a perm. [noun]
Her hair is permed. [participial adjective]
She permed her hair. [verb]
Others include but are by no means limited to: grimace, scowl, frown, smile, grin, smirk, snarl

11. Parts of speech: She has a nice smile. [noun phrase]
She smiled nicely. [verb phrase]
His smile seemed to take up the whole base of his head. [noun phrase]
Others include but are by no means limited to: grimace, scowl, frown, smile, grin, smirk, snarl

12. Parts of speech:
Some are always (or usually), only one part of speech:
bangs (plural noun): “a section of the front hair, cut short over the forehead”
collinsdictionary.com
She has bangs.
She bangs her hair.
Her hair is bangs.
She has a ponytail.
She ponytails her hair.
Her hair is ponytail.

13. More helpful phrase structures:
[linking verb] + like + [clause]
[linking verb] + like + [verb phrase]
[linking verb] + adjective
we’ve already seen this one; we’re looking at it again for comparison

14. More helpful phrase structures:
[linking verb] + like + [noun phrase]
…looked like the base of a mountain…
…he looked like two triangles…
She looks like a movie star.
…he looked like a volcano about to erupt…
…smells like kimchi…
…sounds like a small dog …
…feels like real fur…

15. More helpful phrase structures:
[linking verb] + like + [clause]
I felt like I was walking on air.
The sandwich smelled like it had been sitting in the sun all day.
My friend looked like she had seen a ghost.
You sound like you are very nervous.

16. More helpful phrase structures:
[linking verb] + adjective
(with no like! This is one of the basic adjective structures, remember?)
He looked young, perhaps between 20 and 25 years of age.
He looked like young …
He looked like he was young: [linking verb] + like + [clause]
You sound happy.
She appeared nervous or excited.
The pasta tasted wonderful.
He seemed nervous.

17. Common mistakes Her hair is long black hair.
‘long’ and ‘black’ are adjectives, which are optional
so, if we choose to remove them, we are left with:
Her hair is hair.
obviously, this is no good.

18. Common mistakes Awkward: the shape of his face is [shape]
the shape of her eyes is [shape]
the length of her hair is …
Better:
His/her face is round.
Her eyes are almond-shaped. [do you remember this form?]
Her hair is long / She has long hair.

19. Common mistakes His top of the head is bald.
The top of his head is bald. [look at the noun groups and common phrases]
The top/bottom/side/etc./ of [noun phrase] is a very common structure.
The bottom of my shoe …
The side of the desk …
The inside of the house …
The back of the classroom …
The behind of the building …

20. Common mistakes Verb parallelism:
My mother has long hair, a small nose, and tall.
My mother has long hair, a small nose, and is tall.
Remember earlier we saw:
[have] + [noun phrase]
[be] + [adjective(s)]
So, if you’re going to use complex sentences like this, make sure to check your verbs.