descriptive composition by eguriase s. m. okaka

Descriptive Composition

By Eguriase S. M. Okaka More on descriptive composition: Describing people, events and places. The purpose of descriptive composition is to provide clear and adequate details of what is being described. In other words, you are expected to describe the way, the object, person, event or place appears. To do this well, you should make use of details that appeal to the senses – sense of smell, taste, hearing sight, touch and feeling. Sensory details help the reader to understand what is being described. Describing people: • Firstly, visualize the person to be described. Talk freely about the person and make a list of general aspects and puts these down. • Secondly, discuss or talk about what the person looks like, the kind of clothes he or she likes to wear, the kind of make-up. • Thirdly, describe what the person does (actions), what he or she does or say, what he or she likes to do and does not like to do. Write points down. Describing Events: Examples – my birthday party, A traditional marriage ceremony, An inter-house sports competition, etc. • Create a mental picture of the event – think of the day, time, place and year it happened. Think first of the general aspect and then move on to the specific aspects. • Make a list of facts you think are important. Add details to them. Examples – the main things that happened at the occasion, the purpose of the event, etc. write down your points. • Make a list of the minor details – who played what role, the kind of services rendered and who render them, the visitors or guests and their actions/roles. Describe the people, the food served, music, the venue, etc. • Think of whether the event was a success or a failure and what made it so. Then write your overall impression about the event. Describing a Place: • You need to know the place very well, then visualize or create a mental picture of the place – a market, a church, a school, a library, etc. write down points that come to your mind. • If the place has a history you should include a short history in your introduction. If it is a long history, this should be written in another paragraph. • Think about the physical structure – how tall or big, usefulness of the people that make use of it and why etc. • Organize your details in order of importance. Let us consider this example of a Descriptive Composition. My Best Teacher My best teacher is Mrs. Johnson. She is my English Studies teacher and she teaches her subject with zeal and passion. She is tall, slim, and of average height. She is fair in complexion and has an oval-shaped face with big, round and sparkling eyes. Her hair is dark and long and she usually ties it with ribbons or hair accessories that are usually a perfect match for her clothes. She wears light make-up that brightens her beautiful face. Mrs. Johnson is happily married with children. My admirable teacher teaches us very well. She made all in the class develop a strong love for English Studies. Everyone in class understands English Studies because of the way she teaches it. Even the most technical aspect like grammar and test of orals are now interesting to me and many others in the class. Her literature class is very interesting as well. She encourages us to dramatize some of the things she teaches us in literature. Mrs. Johnson is a highly dedicated and disciplined teacher. She does not miss her lessons except when she is sick or on official assignments. She always tells us to work hard for a good grade. In fact, her usual saying is ‘It pays to work hard’ and she usually tells us stories of great people who achieved greatness through hard work.

she encourages us to always keep our class and our surroundings, clean and orderly. She also encourages us to dress properly and keep our clothes neat all the time and to always speak good English. Like any other human being, Mrs. Johnson has her likes and dislikes. She does not like laziness. Children who are lazy and do not do their homework know that with her, they have nowhere to hide. They must work. Also, she does not like noise makers and believes that children who make noise do not concentrate on their studies. However, she likes children who are intelligent and hardworking, but she encourages the weak ones by giving them more attention during her spare time. Mrs. Johnson is my best teacher because she is caring, dedicated and fashionable. She is the only teacher that has made a great impact on my life. By Eguriase S. M. Okaka