DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

A descriptive text is a text which describes a place, a thing, or a person, It focuses on describing a single
place, object, event, or person, A descriptive essay simply describes something or someone by appealing
to the reader's senses. It is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.
It helps you illustrate something in a way a that your readers can see, feel, or hear whatever it is you're
talking about, All descriptive essays present one, clear picture in the reader's mind, They can be objective
or subjective.

1. Social Function of Descriptive Texts

The purpose of descriptive writing is to recreate the writer's thoughts and visual images in the mind
of the reader, All descriptive texts present one clear picture in the reader's mind. Writers create this picture
by describing the subject's main features with clear details, The main purpose of descriptive texts is to
help the reader visualize the things that are being described, Other purposes are to inform the readers on
a particular place, thing, or person; to introduce a particular place, thing, or person.

2. General Structure of Descriptive Texts

A text structure is the framework of a text's beginning. middle, and end, The general structure of
descriptive texts is identification and descriptions,

a. Identification
It identifies the piaee, person, or thing to be described, jt is usually in the first paragraph, It Should
have sentences that introduce the topic you are describing to your readers.

b. Description
This part is called the body of the text. It contains a description Of something by describing its features,
fonns, pans, or anything to What the writer describes It contains some paragraphs which contain your
descriptions using one or more of your five senses.

c. Conclusion (Optional)
It is the last paragraph, It is the conclusion. You can restate the thesis sentence of your first
paragraph in it.

To make your writing more effective, you should know the parts of paragraph. A paragraph consists of
topic sentence and supporting sentences. Topic sentence tells what the paragraph js about. Supporting
sentence is a sentence with information that supports the topic sentence. Sometimes, people are difficult
to differentiate topic sentence and thesis statement. Thesis statement tells what the whole text is about. It
is usually in the first paragraph of a text. Each paragraph has a main idea. It tells what the core of the
paragraph is about.

3. Language Features of Descriptive Texts

a. Focus on specific participant.

When you write a descriptive text, you describe a certain object. In other words, you should focus
on a particular topic.

b. Use of linking verbs.

Linking verb connects the subject of a sentence with a word that gives information about the
subject, such as a condition or relationship. The linking verbs are be (is, are, am, were, was, has
been, are being, etc.), become, seem, look, etc.

c. Use of adjectives.
To describe something, you need adjectives. An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a
pronoun. You can use single adjectives, adjective phrases, or adjective clauses,
d. Use of simple present tense, but sometimes you may see passive Voice and simple past tense.
Simple present tense is used to express general truths, habits, repeated actions, or unchanging
situations, The form is S + V1/V1s/es
Examples:
1) Jatiluhur reservoir provides80 percent of the water supply for the capital.
2) Clean water improves the quality of drinking water and improves crop yields.

In descriptive texts, there are sometimes passive voices whether in present or pasts the pattern of
the verb: be + Verb 3
Examples:
1) No wonder the fish are largely gone in the third-biggest river in Java
2) Toxic chemicals are dumped info the river by some industries

To describe something in the past, you should use past tenses.

Example:
The Indonesian government began to clean up the Citarum in 2018 by clamping down on
factories.

e. Use of pronouns

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun for subject, object, or possessive cases, other
words, a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

f. Use of descriptive words.

descriptive word is a word used to give details and more information. Descriptive words help
visualize, describe, define, or explain information about places, people, things, or actions. They
can be adjectives (describing nouns) or adverbs (describing actions). Descriptive words should
carry clear meaning because their purpose is to help readers or listeners to have a better picture of
something. They take all of our five senses into account - sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound.

In describing a place, a writer tries to help the readers imagine that they are present at the place by
conveying a total impression of what it looks like using sensory details. Writers often use the five
senses as guides, describing events, places, and people.

Descriptive texts have one purpose which is to help the reader visualize the things that pre being
described. Therefore, it is necessary for all descriptive texts to contain a number of descriptive
words.
Using Expressions and Phrases to Describe a Place

A place is a location. When we describe a place, we explain What the place looks like. Describing a
place includes descriptions of a site's features and environmental conditions.
To describe a place, we need some descriptive words.
A descriptive word is a word used to give details and more information. Descriptive words can be
adjectives or adverbs„ To describe a place, we can use the following ways.

1. Using Sensory Words (Five Senses)

Sensory words are descriptive words applying to the senses such as sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch.
Any time you are describing something, you can use sensory words to make your description more vivid
for the reader or listener. The following are expressions of describing a place with the perceptions of five
senses.
a. The water is blue and clear. (sight)
b. The water is too cold to swim in January. (touch)
c. The beach water is murky and gray '(sight)
d. The water is musty and earthy (smell)
e. The sea is buzzing with its dormant strength. (sound)

2. Using adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun. Here are examples of adjectives to describe
perceptions of five senses.

Sight Sound Touch Smell Taste

Dark Loud Cold Fragrant Sweet
Bright Noisy Slimy Pungent Bitter

There are two kinds of adjective.

a. Fact adjectives
Fact adjectives give us factual information about size, age, color,material, etc.
Example: The sky is blue

b. Opinion adjectives
Opinion adjectives tell us what somebody thinks of something or somebody.
Example : The beach is beautiful

3. Using Adjective Phrases

We can also use adjective phrases to describe a place. An adjective phrase is a phrase that acts as an
adjective by describing a noun. In other words, an adjective phrase is a group of words that, together,
function as an adjective. Adjective phrases usually contain an adjective, adverb, and/ or preposition.

Adjective phrases may come both before and after the noun. Look at the following examples!
a. The lake has very stinky water.
b. The building opposite the beach is a restaurant.

The lake has very stinky water.

Adverb Adjective

Adjective phrase
When more than one adjective come before noun, the adjectives are normally in a particUlar order. The
general order of adjectives before a noun is in the following,

Physical
Opinion Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose/Participle
condition

pretty dirty big old round blue Indonesian wooden Cleaning/carved

From the order, we can see that opinion adjectives usually go before fact adjectives. Look at the
following noun phrase.

A beautiful clean beach

Determiner Opinion Condition Noun

4. Using Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun. It functions as an adjective
even though it consists ofa group of words. It is also called a relative clause.

Adjective clauses begin with a relative pronoun which comes right next to the noun it modifies. A relative
pronoun connects the clauses to the word they describe. The relative pronouns include that, who, whom,
which, whose. Adjective clauses can also start with a relative adverb, such as when, where, and why. To
describe a place, we usuallyuse that and where.
Look at the following examples!

a. The beach which we visited last week is closed.

Adjective clause

The beach which we visited last week

Noun Relative pronoun Subject + verb

b. The city where I was born has some beaches.

Adlective clause

The city where I was born

Noun Relative adverb Subject + verb

An adjective clause can be shortened into an adjective phrase, It is usually used to reduce sentences when
we have the same subject in the main Glause and the adjective clause, Then, the reduced adjective clause
becomes an adjective phrase, which does not have a subject. A reduced adjective clause begins with either
a present participle or past participle.

Examples:

a. The beach that is located near the town is full of visitors.

Reduced: The beach located near the town is full of visitore

b. The building that is near the beach is dirty and messy.

Reduced: The building near the beach is dirty and messy.