DESCRIPTIVE
TEXTS (http://iesplayadearinaga.wikispaces.com)
Descriptions mainly refer to the
description of a person, a place or even a process. In a descriptive text, things
are described the way they are perceived at a specific moment either in the
present or in the past, and there's always an intention when describing: - to
clarify/ - to create a better understanding.
MAIN
FEATURES OF DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS:
1.- Nature of
verbs:
- Stative verbs: To
be, seem, look like…
- Verbs related to
senses: feel, touch, smell, sound, hear ,taste, look
2.- Existential
patterns: There + Be (is/are/was/were/will be/ has been/
would be)
3.- Descriptions
answer to the question: What + to be + noun phrase + like?, for instance:
-What is the
weather like?; -What are your friends like? -What will life be like in two hundred
years' time?
4.- Adjectival
groups or adjectival structures are going to prevail.
5.- Prepositons and
adverbs indicating position, location and place.
6.- Vocabulary: It needs to be
precise, and avoid general words like "something, a thing".
STRUCTURES WE NEED TO KNOW TO DESCRIBE THINGS, OBJECTS
OR PEOPLE:
1.- EXISTENTIAL
PATTERNS “ There is a beautiful view from the top of the
tower”
2.- ADJECTIVES: -
Position – Formation – Comparatives & Superlatives (regular/ irregular).
Before the noun.- I like
romantic songs.
1.- Noun + ed : My father
is blue-eyed.
2.- Noun + less (lack of).- This film
is endless
3.- Noun + ful .- beauty>beautiful;
harm> harmful
4.- Noun + y/ly: noise>noisy;
trick>tricky;sun>sunny love>lovely; friend> friendly.
5.- Noun + ish: child>
childish; snob> snobbish
6.-Verb + able/ible: changeable;
reliable; unforgetable
7.- Verb + (s)ive : impressive;
attractive; permissive
8.- Ed/ing: bored/boring;
excited/exciting; tired/tiring
Madrid is as beautiful as Paris
Madrid is cheaper than Paris;
Maths is more difficult than Physics
Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world
Mark is the worst singer of the
century
3.- RELATIVE
CLAUSES - Sue is the woman who bought that car.
- Sue, who
bought that car, is very rich
4.- PLACE
PREPOSITIONS & ADVERBS - There was a house on top of the mountain, far away from
the
crowd and next to a beautiful lake.
5.- VOCABULARY
Physical appearance, mood, character, size, weight,
material, shape,
age, colour, etc.
A.
DESCRIBING A PERSON
A text o essay
describing someone should include:
a) Introduction: a short paragraph
which gives general information about the person, saying the name, when, where
or how you first met.
“ I first
met Mario ten years ago. It was on my first day at school when he sat down next
to me and introduced himself. We’ve worked and played together ever since. No
doubt, he has become my closest friend and I feel very lucky about that”
b) Main body: This is the part
of the essay where it is relevant to describe:
- physical
appearance ( they way he or she is like and dresses, age,….)
- personal
qualities ( personality, abilities, hobbies, interests, habits)
- Your relationship
with him/her or experiences you have shared.
“Marco is now in his early twenties. He’s tall , slim
and dark-haired. He likes wearing casual clothes such as jeans , trainers and
t-shirts. I guess the way he dresses shows much of his personality and his
lifestyle.
He’s outgoing, creative and self-confident as well .
Besides, he’s always willing to help others. As a result, people like him a lot
and everyone in our group looks up to him. He’s very good at interpersonal
relationships and he gets on very well with most of the people. However, he is
bossy and rude at times , which makes me feel a bit angry. But, anyway, nobody
is perfect.
As for his hobbies and interest, he’s very keen on
extreme sports and this is why he always takes some days off at Christmas and
in the summer to go climbing , bungee-jumping and sky-diving, as he finds these
sports very exciting” I have shared with him all kind of moments and we have
helped each other every time we went through a bad time. This is probably why I
consider him the best of my friends.
c) Conclusion: Here you write
your comments, opinion and feelings for that person:
“All in
all, It’s a pleasure when he is around and I really enjoy his company and the
way he is. I hope that our friendship will last forever”
TIPS FOR
WRITING DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE:
- When describing a
person the following information should be included: appearance, personality,
hobbies, interests, abilities, relationship with you and others. (try to keep
it balanced, so there’s not much of physical description and just a couple of
words describing their personality, for instance)
- Make sure you use
a good variety of adjectives instead of those easy ones (good, bad, nice, big,
important,). This way your essay will be more interesting (hard-working,
cheerful, ambitious, outgoing, selfish, amusing, sensitive, sensible, open-minded
, conceited, humble, thoughtful, polite).
- Introduce
different word formation strategies: (long-legged; narrow-minded, restless, comparative
forms, amazed/ amazing, etc).
- Use descriptive
verbs: To look / To seem / To look like/ To wear/ To have / To be / To lack
- Use verbs/
phrases related to hobbies : He likes / enjoys/ loves/ ………
He’s very
keen on ……..
He’s very
fond of ……….
He’s very
enthusiastic about …………
- To feel
like + Ving ( apetecer, tener ganas de..)
- Use phrases like:
“ He/ she
reminds me of my cousin/ my neighbour/ school friend, etc”
“ Marta
is very easy to live with / to play with , to work with , to have fun with..”
“ He/She
is the kind of person that …………………………………………”
“ I
love/like/ hate the way he/she ……………………………………………”
“ One of
the things that impress me most about …… is …………………”
“ He
has/had the reputation for ……. (V+ing)……………………………..”
“ I find
him/her/ his behaviour/attitude/appearance very ………………….”
“ I/He/She can’t help V+ing every time ( no puedo/e
evitar…. cada
vez que”
B. DESCRIBING
A PLACE
The most frequent
layout for a text which describes a place is:
a) Introduction: Here you
introduce the name of the place or building you have chosen and its location
and the reason of your choice.
“If I were
ever asked about a good place to spend some holidays in summer, I would definitely
recommend ARINAGA. Arinaga is a small village in Aguimes, on the south east
coast of Gran Canaria. It’s located only 30
kms away from the capital city. It’s a wonderful and charming seaside fishing
town and the perfect destination for a peaceful summer holiday. ”
b) Main body: You’re expected
to describe the main aspects of the place you have chosen (sights to see, most
famous attractions, things to do, entertainment, nightlife, facilities,
climate, etc)
“ Besides the 19 kms of coastiline, and the 26 different
beaches with very clear water, where you can either lie in the sun and spend
hours getting a tan or walk barefoot on the seashore, Arinaga offers several
tourist attractions which are worth visiting. Among these are “Playa de
Cabrón”, which is a Natural Reserve or La Vará del Pescao celebration which is very famous
for the Canarians.. As far as leisure time is concerned, Arinaga has a great
variety of facilities and resources; for instance, in the old part of town
there are lots of the typical souvenir shops, open-air markets, bars and
cafeterias with lively atmosphere and so on. On the suburbs there’s also a
large modern shopping centre where you can find anything at reasonable prices. Nightlife in Arinaga is
exciting. Young people usually go out partying no sooner than 11PM and they get
back home after breakfast. It’s amazing how they have fun and how the nights
out are part of their lives”
c) Conclusion
or final paragraph: Comments or recommendation are the normal ways to
conclude this kind of essay.
- “It
doesn’t matter how old you are or where you are from, Arinaga offers such a
whole range of activities and natural and historical resources that it makes it
hard to turn it down”
-
“Arinaga is the ideal choice to escape from the city and enjoy the sights, the
relaxing atmosphere and the fresh air”
TIPS FOR
WRITING DESCRIPTIONS OF PLACES:
- The most relevant
points to be included a in a descriptive essay when describing a place are:
name, location, main sights, nightlife, climate, population, entertainment,
cultural offer, leisure activities, historical facts and buildings, tourist
attractions and services. Phrases to describe location:
- It’s
located……. (in the) South/East/North/West; north-east south-west
- In the
middle, in the centre, in the heart of……..
- It’s ……
kms away from…………
- Useful phrases
and words: - magnificent views; breathtaking sights; local festivities welcoming
local people; inhabitants; fascinating historical sites;
- Other phrases and
vocabulary: “ For anyone visiting the town , the …….. ( Roman
bridge, for instance) is a must.
“ If
you’re planning to go there, you can’t miss the Gothic church”
“ The
town centre has………………………………..”
“ The
most fascinating part of the city is ………………………”
“ The
city is well-known for its local festivities.”
“ The
nightlife in the town is incredible/lively/ exciting”
“ What
impressed me most about ……… was/were ………………………..
“ It’s the perfect place to run away from crowds,
noisy life and stress”
+ Noun