5 sences

1. Creating a Mental Picture
of a Person, Place or Thing

2.  shows readers the physicalphysical
characteristicscharacteristics of a person, place or
thing
 uses concrete, specific detailsconcrete, specific details
 relies on the five sensesfive senses: sight, sound,
smell, taste and touch
 creates imageryimagery: verbal pictures of
physical entities.

3. When we use the rhetorical style of
description, our purpose is to create a
DOMINANT IMPRESSION in the
reader’s mind.
Dominant impression: an overriding
image or main idea about a person, place
or thing.

4. Our dominant impression may be used
either to give information to the reader or
convince the reader of something.
After reading a description, the reader
may think:
I didn’t know the Grand Canyon was so beautiful.
(inform)
Her uncle Mike is a giant. (inform)
OR I should buy a red Mercedes-Benz S-class. (persuade)

5. Objective description: Also called
literal description, objective
description attempts to recreate the
person, place or thing so that the
reader can picture it precisely in
his/her mind.
Objective description uses precise,
concrete language to create a
“rhetorical photograph” that allows the
reader to “see” the subject as if the
reader were viewing it.

6. To describe something objectively, a writer
uses what is called denotative language.
Denotative language provides the direct
meaning of things without any opinion,
judgment, or personal interpretation.
The purpose of objective description is to
inform.

7. The man was 6’, 5” tall, about 230
pounds, with sandy blond hair that came
to his shoulders. He was wearing a green
denim jacket over a blue-and-white plaid
shirt, a pair of jeans with a hole in the left
knee, and tan leather work boots with
brown leather laces.
Notice that this description just gives us the facts about the
man’s appearance. Our dominant impression is informative: he is a
large man who is dressed in common work clothes.

8. The second type of description is called
subjective description.
Also called figurative description,
subjective description attempts to
describe a person, place, or thing as the
writer perceives it.
Subjective description uses suggestive,
poetic language to make the reader view
the object with the same emotion or
judgment as the writer does.

9. To describe something subjectively, the
writer uses what is called connotative
language.
Connotative language conveys an
attitude,emotion,or judgment.
The purpose of subjective description is to
persuade.

10. Figures of speech are imaginative
comparisons that create images in a
reader’s mind. Because the purpose of
subjective description is to persuade, it
often uses these devices to pull readers
in and get them emotionally involved in
the image.

11. Metaphor: an imaginative comparison of dissimilar
things. Ex.: He was a snake in the grass.She was a
sorceress,bewitching me.
Simile: a metaphor that uses “like” or “as.” Ex.: She was
as big as a hippopotamus.
Personification: a comparison of an object or animal to
a human being. Ex.:The car coughed and died.The wind
whispered.
Allusion: a brief reference to an event or idea the reader
will recognize. Ex.: He was a modern-day Abe Lincoln.I
felt just as I did on 9-11.
Sound Allusion: the use of a word that evokes a sound.
Ex.: I heard a loud crash! When the shuttle arrived, it
made a sonic boom.

12. He was a mountain of a man, with stringy
blond hair that skimmed the collar of his
dusty, 1970s-era denim jacket. He wore a
tacky plaid work shirt over his ripped-up
jeans, and his battered work books
showed he didn’t care much about his
appearance.
Notice that this description gives the writer’s opinion about the
man. Our dominant impression is persuasive: he is unkempt, dirty,
and rather unappealing.

13. Whether objective or subjective,
description relies on precise, specific
language.
WRONG: The guy was gross.
(What guy? What was gross about him?)
RIGHT: The man in the back of the bus
reeked of body odor and onions.

14. Whether objective or subjective,
description shows a picture to the reader.
It does NOT tell the reader a story.
WRONG: Carol was happy.
(What did that look like?)
RIGHT: Carol’s eyes lit up and her
mouth curled into a beaming smile.

15. Objective description:
* denotative language
* photographic image
* informative
Subjective description:
* connotative language
* writer’s personal opinion
* persuasive

16. The man in the black raincoat slowly
opened his umbrella and walked quickly
down Jenkins Street.
The homely woman in the battered jacket
shook her umbrella violently and then
tossed it carelessly into the street.

17. tall humongous seven-foot
yellow banana-colored skinny
87-pound gorgeous checkered
red, white and blue sloppy

18. Write an objective description of this photo, using only denotative
language. Remember: your purpose is to make a reader who
hasn’t seen the picture see it in his/her mind exactly as it appears.

19. Now write a subjective description of this photo, using connotative
language. Remember: your purpose is to make a reader who hasn’t
seen the picture feel the same way about it as you do.