AP Language & Composition/Auman

Descriptive Paragraphs

Part of improving the quality of your writing is improving the level of description and detail that you provide to illustrate your ideas. Description is not just reserved for fiction and poetry, but is a common element of all good writing. This means choosing strong verbs, appropriate descriptors, and figures of speech. The following assignment will challenge you to describe ordinary, everyday objects in new ways, and push forward with your writing development.

Assignment

Part 1: Choose an object that is stationary, no larger than a suitcase, and describe it in detail in a single paragraph. Here’s the key: you need to avoid using “to be” verbs (i.e. am, is, was, were, be, being, been); I want you to expand your “verbology” and choose strong, active verbs that really capture what you are trying to illustrate. Spend some time observing the object – what does it look like? Feel like? Taste like? Smell like? Etc. Also, seek out descriptors that are accurate and really capture the object that you are describing – is it feisty? malevolent? pungent? comical? or something else?

Part 2: Now choose a new object, this time an object in motion, and repeat the previous writing task – describe in detail, in a single paragraph, avoid “to be” verbs.

Points: 20 points

Due date: Friday, August 31^st; remember to submit to SafeAssignment and bring a hard copy to class to turn in to me.