2. What is Descriptive Language?

3. Descriptive Language Descriptive language can make a person, place, or thing come to life. By presenting words that awaken the reader’s senses, descriptive language can help your readers see the world more clearly.

4. Sensory Language Definition: Language that appeals to a reader’s five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Examples: Touch: This desk has a hard, smooth surface. Smell: The light, flowery scent of my sister’s perfume invaded my nostrils. Taste: As I carefully swallowed each delicious morsel, I savored the rich and creamy chocolate bar. Sight: Brightly colored hot air balloons filled the clear sky. Sound: The campfire crackled quietly in the night.

5. Sensory Language Using the senses sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch is an excellent strategy for descriptive language!

6. 1. SOUND - Imagine that you were swimming at the beach when a storm blew in. The waves crashed in around you as you tried desperately to get back to shore. You couldn't see anything. All you could hear was the sound of the waves. Describe that sound to someone who has never been to the beach.

7. 2. SIGHT - Describe a sunset to a person who cannot see.

8. 3. SMELL - You are lying in bed on Saturday morning when you awaken to the aroma of bacon frying, hot chocolate, and pancakes. The phone rings, and you begin to tell your friend about the smells of breakfast cooking.

9. 4. TASTE - You and your sister decide to concoct a new drink. You mix all the carbonated drinks in the refrigerator into your mom's blender. Then you add strawberries, bananas, tomatoes, and last night's leftover meatloaf. Finally, you throw in a raw egg, a cup of milk, and some ice. As the blender crushes the mixture into a drink, you and your sister argue over who will have to taste it first. Describe the taste of that first swallow. You lose…

10. 5. TOUCH - Have you ever touched an animal’s fur? Describe how it feels. Compare it to your own skin. How is it different?

11. Before We Move On… Write one thing you learned about sensory language. 10

12. Descriptive Language Descriptive words do more than just describe. They paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Descriptive words are specific words 10

13. Identify the descriptive words in this paragraph. That section of the river is magnificent. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom. There’s a clean, sandy beach just beyond a willow grove, and you can wade into the warm water right from the beach. Soft, grassy banks make a comfortable place to sit, and the shade from the willows keeps it cool. What is the writer’s point of view toward the river?

14. That section of the river is magnificent. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom. There’s a clean, sandy beach just beyond a willow grove, and you can wade into the warm water right from the beach. Soft, grassy banks make a comfortable place to sit, and the shade from the willows keeps it cool. The writer loves the river and thinks it’s beautiful.

15. Now, identify the descriptive words in this paragraph in your groups. That section of the river is filthy. Although the water looks clear, it is terribly polluted by chemicals that come from the plant upriver. People are always finding dead fish on the beach near the willow grove. In fact, the last time I set foot on that beach it was covered with trash and swarming with flies! What is the writer’s point of view toward the river?

16. That section of the river is filthy. Although the water looks clear, it is terribly polluted by chemicals that come from the plant upriver. People are always finding dead fish on the beach near the willow grove. In fact, the last time I set foot on that beach it was covered with trash and swarming with flies! The writer has a strong dislike for that section of the river.

17. The ability to describe something convincingly will serve a writer well in any kind of essay situation. The most important thing to remember is that your job as a writer is to show, not tell. Let nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs do the work of description for you. As a group, carefully read the following excerpt from George Orwell's essay, "Shooting an Elephant," to see how the act of shooting the elephant delivers an immense emotional impact. As you read, keep a list of the descriptive words that trigger your emotions.

18. “Shooting an Elephant” When I pulled the trigger, I did not hear the bang or feel the kick - one never does when a shot goes home - but I heard the devilish roar of glee that went up from the crowd. In that instant, in too short a time, one would have thought, even for the bullet to get there, a mysterious, terrible change had come over the elephant. He neither stirred nor fell, but every line of his body had altered. He looked suddenly stricken, shrunken, immensely old, as though the frightful impact of the bullet had paralyzed him without knocking him down. At last, after what seemed a long time - it might have been five seconds, I dare say - he sagged flabbily to his knees. His mouth slobbered. An enormous senility seemed to have settled upon him. One could have imagined him thousands of years old.

19. “Shooting an Elephant” I fired again into the same spot. At the second shot, he did not collapse but climbed with desperate slowness to his feet and stood weakly upright, with legs sagging and head drooping. I fired a third time. That was the shot that did it for him. I could see the agony of it jolt his whole body and knock the last remnant of strength from his legs. But in falling, he seemed for a moment to rise, for as his hind legs collapsed beneath him, he seemed to tower upward like a huge rock toppling, his trunk reaching skyward like a tree. He trumpeted, for the first and only time. And then down he came, his belly towards me, with a crash that seemed to shake the ground even where I stood.

20. Before We Move On… Write one thing you learned about descriptive language.

21. 20

22. Figurative Language Definition: Language used for descriptive effect, often to imply ideas indirectly. Expressions of figurative language are not literally true but express meaning beyond the literal level.

23. Simile ·Definition: A figure of speech using like or as to compare seemingly unlike things. ·Examples: The crashing waves sounded like lions roaring. (waves, lions) Snowflakes are like diamonds falling gently to the ground. (snowflakes, diamonds) The basketball player is as tall as a skyscraper. (basketball player, skyscraper)

24. abc Simile You will have three minutes to brainstorm in your groups as many similes for each letter of the alphabet as possible. READY? SET? GO? 23

25. Metaphor ·Definition: A figure of speech that compares seemingly unlike things without using like or as. ·Examples: Brian was a wall when he bounced every tennis ball back over the net. (Brian, wall) The sun was dropping fast now, a soft red sliding egg yolk. (sun, egg yolk) My bedroom is messier than a pigsty. (bedroom, pigsty)

26. Metaphor Practice What two things are being compared? Her home was a prison How can she marry a snake like that? My father is a rock. John is a real pig when he eats. 25

27. Alliteration ·Definition: The repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words or syllables. ·Examples: Carl’s cat clawed the couch, creating chaos. Jovial John joined Judy for juice. Sandra sold soft serve ice cream to Susan.

28. Alliteration Can you think of any examples of alliteration? Think tongue twisters! 27

29. Personification ·Definition: A figure of speech in which an animal, object, or idea is given human form or qualities. ·Examples: The sheet danced in the breeze. My book is alive with words. The pain screamed through the wrestler’s entire body.

30. Personification What is being personified in the following sentence? The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow. The flowers waltzed in the gently breeze. The blizzard swallowed the town. 29

31. 30

32. Hyperbole Definition: A figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. They are not meant to be taken literally. Examples: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. She has a brain the size of a pinhead. I nearly died laughing. Additional Examples: This book weighs a ton. I already told you a thousand times. The ice cream cone was a mile high.

33. Hyperbole Can you think of any examples? Next we will read: “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out” Underline all the examples of hyperbole. Discuss the questions in your groups. 32

34. Onomatopoeia Definition: A word that imitates the sound it represents. Examples: 1. The snake hissed loudly. 2. Boom! The bomb exploded with a thunderous detonation. 3. After the heavy rainstorm, water gushed rapidly down the mountainside.

35. Onomatopoeia ·Splash ·Purr ·Squeak ·Crash ·Whirr Clang Bang Buzz Plop Pop Other common onomatopoeia words:

36. Onomatopoeia 35

37. Onomatopoeia Oh Yeah! Movie Time Yeah! 36

38. Identify examples of onomatopoeia: The rusty spigot sputters, utters a splutter, spatters a smattering of drops, gashes wider; slash, splatters, scatters, spurts, finally stops sputtering and plash! gushes rushes splashes clear water dashes. 37

39. Idiom Definition: An expression that cannot be understood simply by putting together the meanings of the individual words.

40. Idiom Examples: 1. Idiom: He was down in the dumps after his friend moved. Translation: He was depressed after his friend moved. 2. Idiom: My baseball coach regularly tells me to keep an eye on the ball. Translation: My baseball coach regularly tells me to watch the ball. 3. Idiom: On this cold November day, it’s raining cats and dogs! Translation: On this cold November day, it’s raining very hard!

41. Idiom Oh Yeah! Movie Time Yeah! 40

42. Idiom Translate the idiomatic expressions in the following sentences. 1. My mom always tells my dad not to be a back seat driver. 2. Tara hit the nail on the head when she solved the tricky problem. 3. Be sure to get plenty of rest and drink lots of orange juice to avoid catching a cold. 4. The two of us don’t always see eye to eye. 5. After eating Thanksgiving dinner, I was stuffed to the gills. 6. I can’t come to work today because I’m feeling a little under the weather. 7. We know you’re a good dancer; you don’t have to toot your own horn.

43. Idiom 1.My mom always tells my dad not give her unwanted advice about her driving. 2.Tara was absolutely correct when she solved the tricky problem. 3.Be sure to get plenty of rest and drink lots of orange juice to avoid getting sick. 4.The two of us don’t always understand each other. 5.After Thanksgiving dinner, I was extremely full. 6.I can’t come to work today because I’m not feeling very well. 7.We know you’re a good dancer; you don’t have to brag about it. 42

44. Idiom Other common idioms: not playing with a full deck kick the bucket on my back get a kick out of saved by the bell in a pickle Can you think of any idioms?

46. Figurative Language Classwork Directions: Identify the type of figurative language displayed in each sentence. 1. The curious cat crept toward the mouse hole. 2. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to die. 3. Before the movie began, the teacher told the student to hit the lights. 4. The basketball net swished when the ball went through it. 5. The football players dove on the ball like angry dogs snarling for a bone. 6. The wilting flower eagerly drank the water. 7. Jim’s dog was a boomerang, always coming back to where he started. Word Bank: simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, idiom, onomatopoeia

47. 46