Describing a Place

•Prewriting activity: Listing Descriptive Details

•Organization: Description
Space Order
Specific Details
Planning a Space-Order Paragraph
•Grammar: Adjectives
•Sentence Structure: Preposition
Prepositional Phrases
•Writing
 What is a Description?
• Description is “words pictures” you tell ho
w something looks, feels, smells, taste and
sounds.
• When you describe something, you paint a
picture with words.
 Organization
• How to organize your description?
Characteristics of good descriptions
• There are two keys to organize your descri
ption;
1. Use space order (to organize your descript
ion)
2. Use lots of descriptive details
 Space Order
• It is kind of organization of your text
• The way to organize your writing descripti
on is called space order.
• It would be;
• Top to bottom Bottom to top
• Right to left Left to right
• Far to near near to far
• Outside to inside inside to outside
 Model Paragraph includes;
• Topic / controlling idea
• Descriptive Detail
• Concluding sentences
• The topic part of a topic sentence for a paragraph of description usu
ally names the person, place, or thing to be described.
• The controlling idea part usually gives a general impression beautifu
l, neat, messy, interesting, unusual, crowded, busy, noisy and so on.
 examples
• The old house looked ready to fall
• The cave was the dangerous place to enter.
• The club was full of young people having f
un.
• My nephew is extremely tall young boy.
• My roommate’s half of our refrigerator is v
ery neat.
 Concluding Sentences
• Repeat the idea stated in the topic sentenc
e.
• Opinion and feeling of writer about the top
ic.
 Examples
• In short, I doubt the old house will survive
one more winter.
• My friend and I were very happy when we
got out of the cave.
• To sum up, flashing lights make the club ex
citing and fun.
• He stands as straight as redwood tree. He i
s strong and confident man.
 Specific Details
• You need to paint a picture with words.
• Your goal is to make your reader “see”
• How?
• Use a lot of specific details
• Exact and precise NOT too general
• The more specific you can be the better your read
er can see what you are describing.
 Examples
General Specific
a lot of money $ 500,000
a large house a six bed room, four bathroom house
a nice car a Lexus
Jogs a lot three miles in the park everyday
a pretty face warm brown eyes, shining black hair,
and sparkling white teeth
Big size shoes size fifteen shoes
a beautiful lawn fragrance of red roses and jasmine
allover in the lawn
• Write a paragraph on The Limousine
• Rewrite the paragraph to make the details more specific
• Add at least ten lines
 Words list
• Name originated from Limousine region of Franc
e
• Extended body
• Partition between driver and passenger
• Different sizes, styles, models and colours
• Entertainment corner
• Expensive audio player, television, refrigerator a
nd intercom facilities
• Security features (bullet proof glass or body)
• Used by celebrities, politicians, executives guests
 Adjectives
• It makes the description vivid and interesti
ng
• It describes nouns and pronouns
• It tells
What kind? (the old car )
Which one? (the fourth chapter of the book)
How many? (twelve students, a few students)
 Adjectives before noun
• twelve talented young players
• sweet fragrant odor of the flowers
• some comfortable inexpensive shoes
Adjectives follow linking verbs
be • The children are happy.
seem • You seem sad.
look • Brides always look beautiful.
smell • The cookies smell delicious.
taste • Candy tastes sweet.
feel
• Silk feels smooth.
 Compound Adjectives
• It is two or more words that function toget
her as one word.
• It often has hyphen (-) between its parts
examples:
Ten-week semester
Part-time job
Two-year-old child
 Adjectives are always singular
• A six-foot wall A six-feet wall
• A five-dollar bill A five-dollars bill
• A two-year-old child A two-years-old child

They can be plural when follows linking verb;

• The wall is six feet high.
• The book costs five dollars.
• the child is two years old.
 Nouns as Adjectives
• The English Book
• A shoe store
• Some Tennis balls
• The Japanese students
 Proper Adjectives
• Referring to nationalities, language, geogra
phic places are capitalized
• Egyptian custom
• Cuban government
• Spanish class
• Asian languages
 -ing and ed words can be adjectives

• Swimming pool
• Cooking classes
• Sleeping baby
• Boring class
• Bored students
• Used car
• Stolen money
1. Circle the adjectives
2. What is the space order?
 ANOSSACNMP
• ANOSSACOMP (article, number, opini
on, size, shape, age, color, natio
nalities, material, purpose)
 Ordering Adjectives
Cumulative
Two or more adjectives
not more than three (ideal)
Always go before a noun
Require specific order
Can’t reverse the order
No comma / and
Rules
Coordinate
Two or more adjectives
Can go before a noun or after a linking
verb
Can reverse and don’t need a specific
order
Require comma / and
Rules
Before a noun:
You may put /and/ before the last one.
After a linking verb:
You must put /and/ after a linking verb.
 Prepositional phrases
• With noun or noun phrase
• In the house
• At six o’clock
 Preposition of place
• Answer the question where
• Useful in space order paragraph to show th
e location of objects in a description.
• On the desk
• Opposite the door
• Under the bed
• In front of the gate
 Preposition of Time
• Answer the question when
• Useful in “how to” paragraphs to give the
order of the steps
• At last upon arrival
• After that after class
• On new year diary
• Before the test
• In the morning
 At

1. At a specific time:
• … at five o’clock
• … at half past three
2. At a period of time:
• … at noon
• … at night
• … at midnight
• … at the weekend
3. At a festival:
• … at Christmas / Mid-Autumn Festival / Easter
 In

1. In a specific month:
• … in January
• … in March
2. In a season:
• … in spring
• … in summer
3. In a period of time:
• … in the morning
• … in the afternoon
• … in the evening
 On

1. On a specific day
• … on Sunday
• … on Sunday morning
• … on Christmas Eve
• … on New Year’s Day

2. On a date:
• … on 2nd May
• … on the twentieth of June
 Tips:

• To refer to a date, use the preposition

“on” before a day.
• Eg. My birthday is on 1st January.
• To refer to a month, use the prepositi
on “in” before a month.
• Eg. Mary’s birthday is in December.
 Exercise 1

Sam went to China ______ November

and came back _______ Christmas. He arrived
in China ______ the thirtieth of November
______ the afternoon. He stayed with Uncle
Joe ______ the twenty-third of December ____
_ night.
 Exercise 1 : Answers

Sam went to China __in__ November

and came back ___at____ Christmas. He
arrived in China __on____ the thirtieth of
November __in____ the afternoon. He stayed
with Uncle Joe __on____ the twenty-third of
December __at___ night.
 Exercise 2

Cindy usually swims with her family ___

Sundays. They go swimming ____ eight o’clock
______ the morning. Every year she has a long
holiday ______ summer. She likes swimming
with her brother _____ the afternoon in the
summer holiday. It is fun.
 Exercise 2: Answers

Cindy usually swims with her family _on__

Sundays. They go swimming _at_ eight o’clock
__in___ the morning. Every year she has a long
holiday ___in___ summer. She likes swimming
with her brother __in___ the afternoon in the
summer holiday. It is fun.
 Preposition that shows possession
• (the father) of the bride
• (the colors) of the rainbow
• (the name) of my boss
• (the president) of the company
Prepositional phrases that identify someone /something

• (the woman) with red hair

• (the man) in the blue shirt
• (the student) of the university
• (the car) with the flat tire