We are working on descriptive writing and right now I have to do a whole description on a Old House.
Sounds: Screams
Howls
Whispers
Touch: slimy doorknob
sticky path
dusty windows
Sights: broken steps
Spider webs on door
damaged rooftop
Colours: Brown door
grey pathway
Blue sky
Comparisons: The damaged rooftop looks like an exploded volcano?
Could you please add a few more to each list; I really need help with the comparisons. Also, is there more to descriptive writing other than these senses, and comparisons.
You have an excellent start, Sara.
Sounds:
Squeaks
Groans
Touch:
Velvet drapes
Splintered wood
Sights:
Cracked window
Faded wallpaper
Colours:
Pink stove
Black mold
Smells:
Mold
Stale air
Stale tobacco
Comparisons:
Once proud as a courtesan; now dejected as a prostitute
Laughter of children now replaced by the sighs of their ghosts
My grandmother's pride; my mother's home; my albatross
This site may give you more ideas about descriptive writing.
http://grammar.about.com/od/developingparagraphs/a/samdescpars.htm
Thank you Ms. Sue, you are very supportive :-)
You're very welcome, Sara.
Sure! Here are a few more examples for each category in your description of an old house:
Sounds:
- Creaking floorboards
- Distant whispers echoing through the halls
- Rustling of leaves outside the windows
- Squeaking of mice in the walls
- Dripping water from a leaky roof
Touch:
- Cracked plaster on the walls
- Rough, splintered wooden banister
- Tattered curtains with frayed edges
- Moss-covered stones in the garden
- Cobwebs brushing against your face
Sights:
- Crumbling brickwork along the exterior walls
- Faded paint peeling off the window frames
- Rusted hinges on the front gate
- Overgrown ivy crawling up the sides of the house
- Flickering candlelight in a distant room
Colours:
- Weathered green shutters
- Muddy brown stains on the ceiling
- Sunlight filtering through stained glass windows, casting colorful shadows
- Aged, yellowed wallpaper revealing hints of pastel patterns
- Dark, shadowy corners where the light fails to reach
Comparisons:
- The broken steps resemble a jagged staircase in a decrepit castle.
- The spider webs on the door hang like delicate lace curtains, dancing in the breeze.
- The dusty windows, covered in a film of neglect, resemble the foggy glass of forgotten time.
- The roof, with its missing shingles and sagging structure, looks as if a great beast had taken a bite out of it.
- The cracked pathway stretches out like a riverbed of forgotten memories.
In addition to these senses (sounds, touch, sights, colors) and comparisons, there are other techniques and elements you can use in descriptive writing to enhance your description even further. Here are a few more:
1. Smell: Consider incorporating scents and odors into your description. For example, a musty, stale smell in the air or the aroma of decaying wood.
2. Emotions: Capture the mood or atmosphere of the old house. Is it eerie, mysterious, or melancholic? Describe how the setting evokes certain feelings.
3. Movement: Describe any movement, such as vines swaying in the wind or dust particles dancing in a sunbeam.
4. Details: Include specific and concrete details to make the description more vivid and captivating. For example, the peeling wallpaper revealing floral patterns or the flickering candlelight revealing intricate shadows on the walls.
Remember to engage the reader's senses and use descriptive language to paint a vivid picture in their minds. Show rather than tell, and evoke emotions through your descriptions.