Descriptive Paragraph

Descriptive Writing: Describe a Person
Structure a Descriptive Paragraph:
Topic Sentence
Introduce the person you are talking about.
Supporting Sentences
 Talk about their physical appearance
 Talk about their personality
 Try to add something special about the person
Concluding Sentence
Write a concluding sentence to end the paragraph. Sum up the topic in your first line.
For example:
"My best friend has (long, brown, blonde) hair, she is (short, tall) and has (blue, brown, green)
eyes. She is wearing a (blue, green, pink) dress and a (straw, felt, top) hat. She has always
been my best friend."
You could also assign projects in class where children have to write about a person they
admire. Students could use someone they’re learning about at school or their favourite family
member. They should describe the person physically and remember to describe their
personality in an emotive way. Encourage older children to think outside the box using complex
adjectives and strong metaphors.
For example:
Frida Kahlo was like a hurricane in a dress. She had dark brown hair and a single eyebrow that
made her look permanently fierce. She thought in colours that didn’t exist, and her sadness
could give birth to new worlds.
Andy Warhol wore his face like people wear a hat. His hair was almost as white as the snow but
he had eyes of deep black. He thought in all the colours of the rainbow. Painting bright reds and
blues on paper, walls, and people.
Stephen Hawking could own a room like a cat in a classroom. His glasses mirrored his cheery
disposition and his wheelchair flattened the toes of his enemies. He thought in all the ways of
the universe. Particles, protons, and parallel universes.
Use Descriptive Writing Tools

1. Brainstorm Your Ideas
Brainstorming is crucial to any writing process. It’s the process in which you think of ideas for
what you’d like to write about. In this case, you’re writing a descriptive paragraph about a
person. It’s important to use adjectives to describe the features or characteristics you want to
focus on.
One way to come up with ideas for a descriptive paragraph about a person is to go through the
five senses. Use the questions below to get some ideas for what you want to highlight about
your person.
Appeal to your reader’s senses – smell, taste, sound, sight, and touch
Smell: How does the person smell? Do they wear perfume? Are they doing an activity that
would make them have a certain smell?
Taste: Do you associate a certain food with this person? Does it make you think of a specific
taste? Can you taste something due to a certain smell they have?
Sound: Do they have a unique voice or laugh? Are they doing an activity that has distinctive
sounds?
Sight: What prominent features do they have? For example, think about their dressing style,
their smile, or their surroundings. What do you see them doing in your mind when you see a
photo of them? What memories do you have of this person? Does this person remind you of
something or someone?
Touch: What textures do you see? For example, imagine their skin or clothing. How does it feel
if you hug them?
Pro Tip: While you can think of as many details or adjectives as you want
during this part, try to focus on 3–5 details (this will depend on how long
your paragraph should be). This way, you’ll avoid using too many
adjectives in your writing.
2. Begin With a Short and Snappy Sentence
Like with any type of writing, you want to hook your reader so that they want to continue
reading. In this case, you can use a topic sentence, if appropriate, to introduce your reader to
the person. For example:
The person I admire most is my mother. She is…

Or, if you want to be more creative, you can reel them in with a short and snappy sentence
about this person. This is called a writing hook. This sentence should focus on a stand-out detail
or characteristic about the person you’re describing. For example:
Christine’s hair is the biggest thing about her.
To get to know John, all you had to do was look at his hands. They never
stopped moving.
She was the tallest woman I’d ever seen.
3. Describe the Person

Now, this is the hard part. But, if you’ve brainstormed plenty of ideas and know which ones you
want to focus on, it will be easier. Let’s look at some examples to get a better idea of how to
write a descriptive paragraph about a person using the prompt “describe a person you admire.”
Example 1:
The person I admire most is my mother. She is of average height and has a
pretty face. She has chin-length dark brown hair. Her eyes are like the color
of honey in the sunlight. She often wears pretty floral dresses in the
summer. Her smile shines like the sun, and her laughter fills the room.
Comments: This paragraph is pretty typical of most students. It gives lots of visual details of the
person and uses a simile or two (“Her eyes are like the color of honey” and “Her smile shines
like the sun”). While this strategy gets the job done, it’s not very exciting to read. In fact, it can
be quite boring!
Let’s look at how we can rewrite this to make it more exciting.
Pro Tip: Authors have a saying, “Don’t tell me, show me.” This means that
instead of saying “my mother is a beautiful and hardworking person,” you
show the reader these qualities through your words. For example, “My
mother has been up since 5:30 a.m., but there isn’t a hair out of place.
That’s a typical morning. It’s my favorite part of the day. I love watching her
put on her lipstick, wishing I could do the same, before she hurries out the
door to leave for work. She throws me a bright smile and waves as I watch
out the window.”
Example 2:
She’s one of those people with a crazy laugh. You know the kind. When
you’re sitting in public, and suddenly you think a fire truck is going by, but
it’s really someone laughing their face off. That’s my mother. Except her
laugh is more like a broken foghorn. At a certain point though, everyone in
the room is laughing with her because of the absolute joy she radiates.
Example 3:
She was the kind of woman that spent most of her time in the kitchen when
hosting a party, asking everyone that passed through if they had enough to
eat. She would keep to herself while everyone was talking and dancing, but
as soon as someone would say, “Delores, what’s the recipe for this
German chocolate cake? It’s the best I’ve ever eaten,” her face would light
up with joy and pride. She would never tell her secret recipe, as it was her
prized possession.
4. Edit and Revise

After you write your descriptive paragraph, be sure to read it over. Read it out loud. Read it in a
funny voice. Doing this will help you to hear the words and identify which parts do not work or
sound awkward.
5. General Tips for Descriptive Writing

● Avoid using too many descriptive words.
● Remember to show the reader, not tell.
● Appeal to the reader’s five senses – smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound.
● Focus on a striking or defining characteristic.
● Use contrasting details from other people or surroundings for emphasis.
● Use literary devices (metaphors, similes etc.) sparingly and with intention.
● Use a hook to reel your reader in.
● Use a variety of short and long sentences.
● Practice creative writing exercises to improve your descriptive writing skills.
● Always edit and revise your writing.

Descriptive Paragraph

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Descriptive Paragraph

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Descriptive Paragraph

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Descriptive Writing: Describe a Person

Structure a Descriptive Paragraph:

Introduce the person you are talking about.

 Talk about their physical appearance

 Talk about their personality

 Try to add something special about the person

Use Descriptive Writing Tools

The person I admire most is my mother. She is…

She was the tallest woman I’d ever seen.

3. Describe the Person

Let’s look at how we can rewrite this to make it more exciting.

4. Edit and Revise

5. General Tips for Descriptive Writing

● Remember to show the reader, not tell.

● Focus on a striking or defining characteristic.

● Use contrasting details from other people or surroundings for emphasis.

● Use a hook to reel your reader in.

● Use a variety of short and long sentences.

● Practice creative writing exercises to improve your descriptive writing skills.

● Always edit and revise your writing.

You might also like