1. What is description?
Description is text that contains detailed information about the characteristics of something or someone. Thus, it makes it possible for the person who reads or listens to it to easily imagine what is being described - objects, places, events or people, for example.
The description may contemplate what we see - which are the physical characteristics - and what is just felt or perceived - which are the psychological characteristics.
The better the description the more easily we can create the image of the object described in our head.
2. The description has 5 essential features
The description is characterized by the use of the following prominent elements:
- simple language;
- connecting verbs (to be, to be, to appear);
- verbs in the past perfect tense and in the present tense;
- adjectives;
- metaphors and comparisons.
3. There are two types of description: objective and subjective
There are two ways to describe and, in general terms, what distinguishes both is affectivity.
The objective description is one in which the sensations of the writer are not added, while the subjective description contemplates the sensations of its author, being transformed by his feelings and emotions.
Depending on the author's objective, he will choose an objective or subjective description, remembering that there is descriptions that have characteristics of both types, but even in this case there will be one that is predominant.
4. In the subjective description the important thing is the form
The subjective description is also called poetic or connotative description, because in it the most important thing is the way the description is made, with the objective of influencing readers or listeners.
The subjective description is characterized by containing comments and opinions of its author, which is done through the constant use of adjectives.
See the example of a subjective description of a person:
In chapter II of the work Iracema, the author José de Alencar makes a subjective description of the protagonist. Note that the text is marked by the use of poetic language:
Iracema, the virgin with the honey lips, whose hair was blacker than the wing of the raven, and longer than her carved palm.
The jati's honeycomb was not as sweet as her smile; nor did vanilla reek in the woods like her fragrant breath.
Faster than the wild deer, the virgin brunette ran through the hinterland and the forests of the Ipu, where her warrior tribe, of the great Tabajara nation, reigned. Her graceful, bare foot, barely grazing, only smoothed the plush green that covered the earth with the first waters."
5. The objective description conveys information
The objective description is also called referential or denotative description, because it is intended to convey information.
Thus, it is characterized by being impartial, that is, free from comments and opinions. The author delegates his/her interpretation to the reader, so that he/she can assign the value judgment that he/she understands best.
See an objective description of a person:
Here, the text based on the original work of José de Alencar is reduced to conveying who Iracema is, in an impartial way, that is, in a referential language:
Iracema is an Indian and, as such, has long, black hair. Virgo, she is young, and has the agility inherent to her people, who walk barefoot through the forests of the Ipu. "
6. To do good descriptive writing, follow a script
To make a description follow a script of questions, which should be adapted to what you intend to describe, for example, an object or an event.
When describing an object, ask yourself: name, what is he like? (shape, dimension, weight, color), what is it used for? how it works?
To describe a place, ask yourself: name, what is he like? (physical aspects - closed environment: color, type of furniture / open environment: type of vegetation, climate), where is it located? what do people do in this place?
If you are going to describe a person, indicate, for example: name, gender, age, physical characteristics - eye, hair and skin color, height, how do you dress? psychological characteristics - temperament and way of speaking.
For the description of an event, ask: what? When? Where? who was present?
If describing a scene, indicate: place, people and/or objects present, as people and/or objects are, behavior of people.
By completing the above task, you have highlighted the characteristics of the object of your description, so you already have material to do your descriptive essay. Enough organize it as follows:
- At introduction, inform what will be described: a machine, an event?
- At the development, describe your details.
- At conclusion, make an overview of what you described, highlighting the most striking feature.
To understand this textual genre even better, read descriptive text.
