Descriptive Text Structure Examples (Video) - Mometrix

Hi, and welcome to this video on descriptive texts!

Descriptive Text Structure

When writing, authors will use descriptive text to bring their writing to life by forming a vivid image in the reader’s mind. There are a few ways to go about this. The first is by using adjectives.

Adjectives are words that describe a person, place, or thing. Using them can help the reader better understand how something looks, feels, sounds, and more.

The fluffy white dog ran to its owner.

The sentence above uses adjectives to give the reader a clear image of what the dog looks like.

Adverbs work similarly to adjectives, but instead of modifying nouns, they modify verbs and adjectives. This means that they describe how, when, where, why, and to what extent something takes place.

Descriptive Text Examples

Let’s look at this sentence:

She walked through the forest.

This sentence describes what the person is doing—walking through the forest—but doesn’t tell us anything else about what is happening in the scene. Let’s take this same sentence and use adjectives and adverbs to make the text more descriptive:

She walked slowly through the lush green forest.

Here, the adverb slowly tells us how she walked, and the adjectives lush and green tell us what the forest looks like. This sentence is much more descriptive than the first sentence and paints a clear picture of what the writer wants to convey.

Descriptive text can also be used in more abstract ways. By showing what you want to convey instead of telling it bluntly, you can express what is happening vividly with your words. Here is an example that is not very descriptive:

The elf was sad.

Here, we know what the elf was feeling, but we don’t know why or how the elf expressed its sadness. Let’s add some descriptive text to illustrate the same scene.

The elf’s tears poured down its cheeks when it saw its flower garden flooded from the storm.

Here, we not only know the elf was crying, but we also get a clear picture of the elf’s face with the phrase poured down its cheeks. This is much more descriptive than simply saying the elf was crying. We also know why the elf was crying and what that scene around it looks like. This is a great example of a descriptive sentence that gives a reader a clear image of what is happening rather than just telling them. The more details you share about what is happening, the more descriptive your text will be.

Review

Before we’re done, here’s a quick review question for you:

Which one of the following is an adjective?

1. Clearly
2. Fast
3. Slowly
4. Walked

Show Answer

The correct answer is fast.

Thanks for watching, and happy studying!

• “List of Adverbs.” n.d.