Good for Grade 5

1. DESCRIPTIVE
PARAGRAPH
- putting down descriptions and sensory details in a
group of sentences
- using descriptions, exact and vivid words to make
the readers see, hear, taste, smell, or feel what we
ourselves experience

2. 3 main parts:
• Topic Sentence- introduces the
subject
• Supporting Sentences- supply
details that bring the subject to life
• Concluding Sentence- summarizes
the overall impression of the subject

3. Example:
• The study room was a catastrophe. On the floor was a
layer of partially-typed pages and near the desk chair
were books and magazines opened flat. On the seat of the
chair was an empty glass, resting in a bowl which looked
as if it had held tomato soup. The desk lamp was on and
lit. On top of the desk were countless pages of the
writer’s work and assorted writing and erasing tools. The
shelves above the desk held books positioned at every
imaginable angle. Crowning the mess was a stack of
newspapers on top of the bookcase. The scene lacked
only the writer, who clearly had gone out for air.

4. Guidelines in Writing a Descriptive Paragraph
Choose a subject.
Form an overall impression of your subject.
Use specific details and sensory words to make
the descriptions clearer, more exact, and more
interesting.
Write a concluding sentence that summarizes
your overall impression of the subject.

5. Instructions: Improve the paragraph that follows.
Rewrite the paragraph by adding appropriate adjectives
to describe the highlighted nouns.
• I can easily recognize my mother by her facial
features. Her hair gracefully frames her face. From
beneath her lashes flash a pair of eyes. Her nose is
usually wrinkled with laughter. The whiteness of her
skin is enhanced by a glow on her cheeks. This
glow is repeated in her lips which can show
firmness, but are usually gentle and kind. Her
expression always radiates happiness. I never tire
of looking at the sweet smiling countenance of God’s
gift to me.

6. Write a good descriptive paragraph on one of the
topics below. Be sure to observe the guidelines in
writing. Provide your own title. Do this on a sheet of
paper.
• the person you admire most
• a favorite TV or movie personality
• an interesting place or scenic spot
• a religious occasion
• an interesting gadget