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2.2 The Notion of Descriptive 2.2.1 Kinds of Descriptive
Descriptive paragraph describe how something looks a place, a thing, or a person. Based on the opinion above, Wishon and Burks 1980 : 379 stated that
description reproduces the way things look, smell, taste, feel, or sound; it may also evoke moods, such as happiness, loneliness, or fear. It is used create a visual
image of people, places, even of units of time-days, times of day, or seasons. Description is also a powerful strategy, one that allows the writer to
exercise a great deal of control over the reader‟s perceptions. In addition, it is a strategy we use in our daily interaction. In our daily interaction, we may describe
different kind of things, place, and person. In the line, Wishon and Burks 1980 : 379 stated that there are description of people, place and units of times.
1. Description of People It is usually people who are interesting to readers. Their appearance is
interesting, especially as it reflects personality. When description is mentioned, one tends to think mainly about adjectives and perhaps adverbs. Writer can tell
about the person‟s style of clothing, manner of walking, color and style of hair, facial appearance, body shape, and expression.
2. Description of place In describing place, it is not necessary to begin with one area and then
proceeds to another area. The description must be organized so that the reader can vividly imagine the scene being described. The arrangement of the details in a
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descriptive paragraph depends on the subject and the writer‟s purpose. To make the paragraph more interesting, it can be added by a controlling idea that states an
attitude or impression about the place being described. How places look, smell, and sound is important.
3. Description units of time Descriptions of units of time are often used to established mood. Literature
is full of descriptions of seasons, day and times of day. Notice how the description of a unit of time sets a certain mood, or emotional tone, in each of the following
selections.
2.2.2 Purposes of Descriptive
Before we know exactly what the purpose of descriptive is, it is necessary to know the purpose of teaching writing based on the current School-Based
Curriculum. In details, according to Competency Standard-Standar Kompetensi SK, the purposes of teaching writing at the second year of junior high school is
enable students to express meaningful ideas in term of functional text and simple short essay in the form of descriptive and recount to interact with people in their
nearest environment. It is supported by Basic Competency- Kompetensi Dasar KD that students are able to express the meaning and the rhetoric step in simple
short essay used fluent and accurate written language to interact with people in their nearest environment in the form of descriptive and recount. Therefore, the
purpose of teaching descriptive is enable students to express the meaning and the
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rhetoric steps in simple short descriptive essay used fluent and accurate written language.
Wishon and Burks 1968 : 322 said that description gives sense impression, the feel, sound, taste, smell, and look of things. Emotions may be
described, too feelings such as happiness, fear, loneliness, gloom, joy. They also add that description helps the reader, through his imagination, to visualize a
scence or a person or to understand a sensation or an emotion. Therefore, the aim of description is to enable the reader what something looks like. It attempts to
paint a picture with words. In this sense, the description also attempts to put the reader directly in touch with the physical world within the readers‟ senses.
Description also helps the readers visualize a scene or a person and understand the related sensation or an emotion.
2.2.3 Linguistic Features and Generic Structure of Descriptive
Descriptive paragraph usually include the following linguistic features and generic structure. Descriptive often uses be and have. Tense which is often
used is simple present tense. However, sometimes it uses Past tense if the thing to be described doesnt exist anymore Mursyid, 2011 : 4. In line, Hammond 1992
cited in Mursyid, 2011 : 4-5 described significant grammatical features as bellow:
Focus on specific participants My English teacher, Andinis cat, My favourite place
Use of Simple Present Tense Use of Simple Past Tense if Extinct.
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Verbs of being and having Relational Processes. My mum is really cool, She has long black hair
Use of descriptive adjectives strong legs, white fangs Use of detailed Noun Phrase to give information about the subject. a very
beautiful scenery, a sweet young lady, very thick fur Use of action verbs Material Processes It eats grass, It runs fast
Use of adverbials to give additional information about behaviour fast, at tree house
Use of Figurative language John is as white as chalk. Meanwhile, the generic structure of descriptive text consists of
identification and description. Identification: Identifies phenomenon to be described. Description: describes parts, qualities, characteristics, etc Hammond
1992 cited in Mursyid 2011 : 4. In conclusion, the linguistic features and generic structure play
significant role to sustain in producing a good description. For instance, through specific participant, it tells the readers exactly participant. Next, the use of
adjective, it is relatively necessary to describe the characteristic and the phenomenon in order to get a vivid image. Hence, all of the linguistic features and
generic structure are conveyed to construct vividly description.
2.2.4 Good Descriptive Writing
According to Sorenson 1996 : 174, good description relies on the five senses. The reader should see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. Meanwhile, Simon
1988 : 21 said that the description should contain well-chosen details. In a
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description, the details recreate a particular experience for example: knowing a person, visiting a place, seeing an object. In line with that, Wishon and Burks
1968 : 323 said that good descriptions usually have three important qualities. They have well-defined dominant impresson, a clearly recognizable mood, and
logical development. 1. Dominant Impression
The first sentence or even the first few words of a description may establish the dominant impression of the whole description. Succeeding sentences
will then enforce and expand it by supplying further information and filling in details. In other words, the sentence which establishes the dominant impression
usually serves as the topic sentence of the paragraph. 2. Mood
Often the dominant impression is a mood, a feeling, that goes beyond measurable physical appearances. Moods are feelings and emotions such as joy,
happiness, fear, or anxiety. 3. Logical Development
A good piece of descriptive writing has some of a person, place, or thing: but, unlike the photographer or the painter who has chemicals and pigments to
work with, the writer has only words to use. Therefore, to be effective, written descriptions should have an efficient, sensible, carefully thought-out, logical plan.
The writer must have a point of view from which he views the things described. The writer follows that point of view step by step.
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2.2.5 Strategy in Descriptive Writing
To make writing descriptive text easier, the student and the teacher should have good strategy. That strategy can help the student and the teacher in writing
descriptive text. According to Brown 2000:113, strategies are specific methods of approaching a problem or task, modes of operation for achieving a particular
end, planned designs for controlling and manipulating certain information. Simon 1988 : 24 described the strategy for writing a description as
bellow: 1. Observe your subject carefully. What is important about it? What do you notice
first? Why? What details are most striking to you? 2. Take notes on these details. It may help to keep a dual-
entry list: “objective” detail
s on one side, “subjective” responses on the other. 3. Organize details into related areas so that your description can proceed
logically. 4. Write a first draft.
5. Revise for precision, paying attention both to the details that you choose and the language that you use to describe them. Reading your description aloud, or
having a friend read it, may help you to identify words that do not convey exactly the meaning that you intended.
The other, according to Wishon and Burks 1968 : 324 there are some steps that may be followed in writing descriptions:
1. Establish the point of view. Make it clear to the reader from whose point of view the thing is being described.
2. Give the general overall view or impression.
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3. Give the details of description in logical sequence.
2.3 The Notion of Mind Mapping 2.3.1 Definition of Mind Mapping
