A descriptive text It is one that characterizes certain aspects of an element, which can be a fact, a person, a situation, an object, an animal, a place, among other things. For example: notice of sale of a housewhere its characteristics are detailed.
To describe is to represent with words the appearance or characteristics of something. Descriptive texts, then, usually address a topic or theme with the aim of detailing its features or attributes, whether external or of any other nature. Thus, it is sought that the reader or listener can form their own mental representations of what is described, even without having seen it.
Descriptive texts are present in various fields, including literature, historical discourse, science and law. It is also very common to find descriptions in everyday life. For example: when we describe to someone a place where we have traveled.
Characteristics of the descriptive text
Descriptive texts usually have the following characteristics:
- Declarative and attributive sentences predominate, that is, those that present a linking verb and an attribute.
- In general, they use the present and the imperfect tense of the indicative mood.
- The use of nouns and adjectives predominates, since they allow naming and characterizing what is described.
- Adverbs and spatial connectors are used (above, below, to the left).
- Circumstantial complements of time, manner and place are used to contextualize what is described.
- Depending on the type of description, various rhetorical figures may appear, including: metaphors, comparisons or similes, and enumerations.
Types of descriptions
Descriptive texts are classified according to different criteria:
according to the point of view
According to the intention of the text
- Technical description. It is used in formal and scientific texts. Objectivity is sought, since the intention is to describe something precisely and rigorously. In addition to the resources of the objective descriptions, it usually presents technical terms and vocabulary specific to each field. The referential function of language predominates. For example: the description of the components of a washing machine in an instruction manual.
- literary description. It is used in literary texts. It seeks to describe something from the author’s perspective. In addition to the elements of the subjective descriptions, rhetorical figures, exclamatory sentences and other expressive resources usually appear. The aesthetic function of language predominates. For example: the description of the loved person in a poem.
To keep in mind: In narrative literary genres, such as short stories or novels, you can find many descriptive rhetorical devices, including:
- prosopography. It describes the outward appearance of a person or character.
- Etopoeia. Moral, psychological and customs aspects of a person or character are described.
- Portrait. A person or character is described from the physical, mental and moral point of view.
- self portrait. Portrait made by an author of himself.
- Cartoon. A person is described exaggerating and distorting her features with satirical intent.
- Topography. It describes a place, a landscape or an environment.
According to the nature of the referent
- static description. It refers to objects, places or situations that remain fixed and stable. Verbs like to be either to be.
- dynamic description. It refers to a process or a changing reality. Verbs of movement predominate, such as getting closer, move, walk awayamong others.
Examples of descriptive texts
- Descriptive text of a person: my neighbor
My neighbor is an exceptional person. He is a tall and robust man, and he is always willing to help everyone who lives in the building. His hair is brown, but the first gray hairs are beginning to appear. His almond-shaped eyes always reveal his joy, and there is no occasion when he does not see him smiling.
At first, I thought he was a very shy person, but as the days went by we started talking and I discovered that it wasn’t shyness that he was showing, but rather a natural willingness to observe his surroundings and listen to others carefully. He is the best neighbor we could have touched.
- Descriptive text of an animal: Gimena’s cat
Gimena has a cat called Pompon. She named him that way because he is completely white. Its size is medium and its fur is rather long. That gives it a fluffy cotton look.
Pompom sleeps during the day and walks at night. Gimena leaves a window open for him, because the cat likes to go out and explore the roofs of the block. Approximately in the middle of the night, after wandering the streets for a while, Pompon usually returns home and lies next to his owner until the next morning.
- Descriptive text of a plant: herbaceous
Herbaceous plants, more commonly called herbs, are plants with a great capacity for growth and germination. In addition, they have a high adaptability and resistance to different climates, which is why it is the most widespread plant class in the world. Their stems are very thin and flexible, which differentiates them from trees and shrubs, which have woody stems.
Some herbaceous plants are edible, which is why they have various uses in gastronomy (for example: thyme, sage). There are also herbs with medicinal properties, which are often used in infusions or essential oils (for example: kava, St. John’s wort). In addition, there are some herbaceous species that are used in gardens for the aesthetic value of their flowers, and others that have cosmetic uses.
- Descriptive text of an object: a pencil
A pencil is an element that is used to write or draw, and is usually made up of a wooden cylinder or prism that contains a graphite rod inside.
In addition, pencils can have different hardnesses: they are classified from 9H (the hardest) to 9B (the softest). Based on this, some pencils are more suitable for artistic drawing and others for technical drawing.
The pencils can be of different colors and sizes, and are purchased in bookstores and paper mills.
- Technical description of a metal: titanium
Titanium is a chemical element, with atomic number 22 and symbol Ti. It is a dark gray metal, which has great hardness and low density. It is highly resistant to corrosion and has physical properties similar to those of steel.
Titanium is an element that abounds in the earth’s crust and has various uses, including in the aeronautical and aerospace fields.
- Literary description of characters: the crazy sevenby Roberto Arlt
When opening the management door, glazed with Japanese glass, Erdosain wanted to go back; he understood that he was lost, but it was already too late.
The director was waiting for him, a short man, mushy, with the head of a wild boar, gray hair cut “Lo Umberto I”, and an implacable look filtering through his gray pupils like those of a fish: Gualdi, the accountant, small, skinny, honeyed, with scrutinizing eyes, and the assistant manager, son of the man with the boar’s head, a handsome thirty-year-old lad, with completely white hair, cynical in appearance, with a harsh voice and hard eyes like his father’s. These three characters, the director bent over some forms, the assistant manager leaning back in an easy chair with his leg dangling over the back, and Mr. Gualdi standing respectfully next to the desk, did not respond to Erdosain’s greeting.
beginning of the novel the crazy sevenby Roberto Arlt.
How to write a descriptive text?
Before writing a descriptive text, it is important:
- Observe carefully and in detail what we are going to describe to identify its characteristics or qualities.
- Choose which features are most important to us to highlight or more representative of what we are describing.
- Define what kind of description we want to make: objective or subjective, technical or literary, static or dynamic.
To write a descriptive text, we must:
- Organize information to present it in an orderly and accurate manner.
- Write the text itself, taking into account cohesion and coherence.
- Review and correct the text to reach its final version.
Interactive test to practice
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