DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

NURUL AFIFAH NUR HIDAYAH SHALINI NURUL SYUHADA NURUL FARAHAIN

A Brief Guide in Writing Descriptive Essays

There are several methods writers use to describe something in an essay. They may choose vivid, fresh language, or they may use examples, or they might take something ordinary and by comparing it with something extraordinary, make it interesting, or they may use their senses.

 The first step you might take is to jot down the first words that come to you. If I say "egg," for instance, you might write down the following string of associations: "round, white, brown, fresh, scrambled, farmer, chicken, goose, overeasy."

Features
1. A well-focused subject can be ordinary or extraordinary, but you should strive to make it as interesting as possible by emphasizing what makes it interesting or new and unusual. Pick something specific, an event or a person or an animal.

2. How you treat your subject is directly related to how your reader will react to it. Give plenty of specific descriptive detail. If you're describing an event, watch people moving and hear them talking. Create a dominant impression for your readers.

3.Create a clear pattern of organization. Your introduction should work from general to specific, ending in a thesis sentence. You should have several paragraphs that develop and describe your topic, and your conclusion should restate your thesis or conclude your event.

 Here's one descriptive paragraph about fishing:

Uncle George and I would head out before it got light. The trek to the pond was always exciting. The earth smelled fresh and new, promising warmth, and as the birds awoke, they'd tentatively practice the prologues to their songs. We'd walk past the apple trees, and I could smell the sharpness of the rotten fruit that had dropped to the ground. Occasionally, I'd slip on a peel, so I learned to be careful not to run too quickly. We'd walk past the water troughs where the tadpoles were busy wiggling their way to frog hood and pick up the pond trail on the other side of the musty-smelling old barn. At this point I had to be careful not to get my pole tangled in the underbrush--which constantly grabbed for my dangling hook and bobber--while Uncle George's flashlight jumped and weaved as he made sure the small circle of light was set for my height. He would hold my hand and tell me about the fish, and I was never scared.

 Did you notice the use senses to describe the scene. All of the senses can be used in a descriptive paper--touch, smell, hearing, taste, and vision, although you may just pick one or two.

The Night Market

You will find them in every part of the

country, from big cities like Kuala Lumpur and

Penang to housing estates and villages. In my

town, the Pasar Malam or night market is held

in an open area behind the town council. The

usually deserted part of the town is turned

into a hive of activity on Fridays.

The first people to arrive at the site are the

hawkers, stall owners and wholesalers who come

in lorries and vans to unload their goods. Individuals stall owners then sort out and arrange their wares on the makeshift stalls. Within the short span of an hour or so, the whole place is

transformed into a shoppers paradise. Shoppers

who flock to the pasar malam come from far and near.

The numerous stalls are strung out in a long line and the assortments of wares will surprise anyone who happens to be making his first visit. At the end are the vegetable and fruit where masses of fresh flowers, vegetables and fruits are arranged. Then come the textiles stalls, flooded with trendy clothes in every shades and colours imaginable. Next to these, displayed in glass cases, are dazzling and semi precious stones. In the fish stalls, silvery fish shimmer on their bed of ice and are quickly snapped up by housewives after aggressive bargaining. The aroma of freshly cooked food, satay, ayam panggang, laksa and other exotic dishes, is enough to whet ones appetite.

At night, the whole area is illuminated by bright and colourful lights giving the whole place, a fiesta-like atmosphere. People, who move from stall to stall, seem oblivious of others and just push their way through the crowd. Some people, usually young couples and teenagers, take a leisurely stroll looking at the various items on display.

After ten oclock the crowd dwindles and traffic eases. The makeshift stalls are dismantled and the whole site is strewn with rubbish. The odour of rotting food pervades the air. Then the air begins to chill and the site of the pasar malam, which only hours ago was busting with life, is once again shift.