What is descriptive writing?

Descriptive writing creates a clear picture in the reader's mind. It uses adjectives (describing words), specific nouns, and details about the five senses to make a reader feel like they are there.

The five senses

👀 Sight: What does it look like?
🔊 Sound: What can you hear?
🙂 Smell: What does it smell like?
👋 Touch: What does it feel like?
😋 Taste: What does it taste like?

Boring vs vivid

The flower was nice.

The bright yellow flower smelled sweet and its silky petals were cool to touch.

Adding adjectives and sensory details makes writing come alive!

Strong adjectives

Avoid weak words like "nice" or "good". Use vivid adjectives:

sparkling, enormous, ancient, fluffy, piercing, tangy, silky, thunderous, gloomy, blazing

Key Vocabulary

descriptive writing — writing that paints a detailed picture using senses and adjectives

adjective — a word that describes a noun (e.g. fluffy, enormous, sparkling)

sensory details — descriptions that appeal to sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste

vivid — very clear and strong; creating a powerful image in the mind

Senses in Action

Read this descriptive paragraph about a beach:

"The golden sand sparkled in the blazing afternoon sun. Waves crashed and hissed as they rolled onto the shore. The salty air filled my lungs with every breath. Cool, wet sand squished between my toes, and I could taste the tang of salt on my lips."

Sight
golden, sparkled, blazing

Sound
crashed, hissed

Smell
salty air

Touch
cool, wet, squished

Taste
tang of salt

Lesson Summary

✓Descriptive writing uses adjectives, sensory details, and specific words to paint a picture in the reader's mind.
✓Use the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
✓Avoid weak adjectives like "nice" and "good" — use vivid, specific words instead.
✓Great descriptive writing makes the reader feel like they are there in the scene.

Descriptive Writing