sense of the subject being described. Details used are usually sensory and selected to describe what the writer sees, hears, smells, touches, and tastes.
2. Generic Structure of Descriptive Text
Descriptive text has structure as stated by James that it is used in school to guide the students in learning English:
a. Identification: identifying the phenomenon to be described. The writer introduces people whose daily activities are going to describe.
b. Description: the purpose is to try and help someone feel that they are actually experiencing the thing described. The writer gives detailed information. Since the
text tells daily activities, the writer describes or mentions hisher daily activities in sequence. Information about the time and place of the activities can be used to
describe more about the daily activities.
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3. Language Features of Descriptive Text
a. Using attributive and identifying process. b. Using adjective and classifiers in nominal group.
c. Using simple present tense.
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28
Peter James, Real English 1 for Senior High School Grade X, Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga, 2013, p.84
29
http:freeenglishcourse.infowhat-is-descriptive-text
4. Basic Steps to Write an Effective Descriptive Text
A descriptive text simply describes something or someone by appealing to the reader’s sense: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. Here are the basic steps to write
an effective descriptive text:
1 Select a Subject
Observation is the key to write a good description. For example, in order to write about a place, visit the place and take notes on the sight, sounds, situation there. A
descriptive text paints a picture for the reader, using descriptive devices and the senses. Create a thesis statement that informs the reader who or what you are
describing. Examples:
a. The wooden roller coaster in Coney Island is a work of art. b. My bedroom is an ocean sanctuary.
2 Select Dominant Details
Select only the details that support the dominant impression thesis statement.
3 Organize Details
The paragraphs in a descriptive text can be structured spatially from top to bottom or from near to far or chronologically time order or from general to specific.
Descriptive text can also use other patterns of organization such as narrative or exemplification.
4 Use Descriptive Words
Do not use vague words or generalities be specific and use sensory, descriptive words adjectives. There some examples of the sensory words, in the descriptive text can’t
use vague words because word which will be used must be clear especially in adjective words. The words must give clear information.
a Smells that are in the air the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. b Sounds traffic, honking horns.
c Sights “The sun scattered tiny diamonds across dew-covered grass as it peeked
out from beyond the horizon.”. d
Touch “The texture of the adobe hut’s walls resembled coarse sandpaper.” e
Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tart “Giant goose bumps formed on my tongue when I accident
ly bit into a sliver of lemon.”
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The following texts below are the examples of descriptive text: 1. Describing placething
My Favorite Café My favorite cafe to relax is a small café down the street from where I live. This café
is on a small side street and as soon as you see it, you feel like going in. There are three windows on either side of the door, and each window has a small
table all around the room. Even though it is not a big place, it is size make it cozy and comfortable. I always like to sit at a small table in the corner near the front windows.
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http:www.upra.edutitulovcdclipdfDescriptive_Essay.pdf
From here, I can look at the artwork on the walls and at the pretty green plants hanging from the ceiling. With a strong cup of coffee and a good book, I feel very
happy and relaxed in my favorite café. Source: Dorothy E Zemach, Lisa A Rumisek, Academic Writing from Paragraph to
Essay.
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2. Describing person
My Grandmother When I was young, I admired my grandmother for her strength and kindness. She was
not very big. In fact, she was tiny and very thin she was strong, though. She lived by herself and still did a lot of the chores around her house. When I was child, I saw her
almost every day, and she and I would talk about everything. She was happy person and was always smiling and joking, and she often make me laugh. My grandmother
was also very patient, and she would listen to all my problems. She gave me very good advice w
henever I needed it. I didn’t need to be afraid to tell her anything, because she never got annoyed with me. She just listened and tried to help. I also
liked to spend time with her because she had interesting stories to tell me about her own childhood and life experiences. When I was young my grandmother was my best
friend. Source: Dorothy E Zemach, Lisa A Rumisek, Academic Writing from Paragraph to
Essay.
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31
Dorothy E Zemach, Lisa A Rumisek, Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, Oxford: Macmillan Publisher, 2005,p.26
32
Ibid, p.28
Based on explanation above, it can be concluded that the basic steps to write descriptive text are select a subject, select dominant details, organization, and use
descriptive words. Descriptive text has two generic structure, they are identification and description. The identification structure is introducing people what are going to
describe. Then, the description structure is giving detailed information.
5. Concept of Descriptive Text Writing Ability
Based on explanation, we know that the term of ability is defined as skill or power. Descriptive writing appeals to the senses, so it tells how something looks, feels,
smells, tastes, andor sounds.
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Concisely, writing ability is the skill to express ideas, thoughts, and feeling to other people in written symbols to make other people or
readers understand the ideas conveyed.
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It means that it is a way of sharing personal meanings and it emphasizes the power of the personality to construct someone’s view
based on a certain topic. Then, descriptive text is kind of the text which is aimed to describe a particular person or thing.
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A descriptive text has a functional objective to describe a particular person, place, things. To make a good descriptive paragraph the
writer must be creative. The writer also has to understand about points that must be there in descriptive text writing.
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Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, Op.Cit, p.50
34
Christopher Tribble, Loc.Cit
35
Linda Gerot and Peter Wignell, Making Sense of a Functional Grammar Sydney: Antipodean Education Enterprises AEE,1994,P.208
In writing a descriptive text, the writer expresses the idea or topic, than keep attention about generic structure of descriptive text. The writer also has to keep attention about
five aspects of writing content, organization, vocabulary, language, and mechanics because they are the assessment of writing.
Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that descriptive text writing
ability is the ability to produce a text which describes briefly a certain kind of object such as a person, a place, a thing, or an animal which fulfills the criteria of a good
writing including content, organization, vocabulary, language, and mechanics.
I. Concept of Adjective
Adjective is a part of grammar, it includes in part of speech which functioned to know the condition of a language. Frank states that adjective is a modifier that has the
grammatical property of comparison. It is often identified by special derivational endings or by special adverbial modifiers that precede it. Its most usual position is
before the noun it modifies, but it fills other position as well. For example: the small boy, the boy is small.
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It means that the adjective is important used describing word to make it clear and easy to understand. Adjective is a word used to describe a noun
or a pronoun. It can be used describing about thing, person or place.
36
Marcella Frank, Modern English a Practical Reference Guide, New York: University Prentice Hall, 1972, p. 109
According to Bhardwaj, adjective is a word that adds something to the meaning of a noun or a pronoun.
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It is used before the noun or pronoun or come after it in the
predicate. For example: a clever boy does his work well. This boy is clever.
According to Lewis, adjective is a word that describes a noun.
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This noun provides more information about person, place, or thing. For instance, John is a tall and skinny
man. Both tall and skinny are adjectives as they are used to describe John.
Besides that Seaton says that adjective is a describing word. It tells more about noun. An adjective usually appears before the noun it describes.
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It means adjective is word that used to describe noun by giving some information about thing, people, or
place. Moreover, adjectives are words describe nouns or pronouns. They may come before the word they describe that is a cute puppy. or they may follow the word they
describe that puppy is cute..
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37
A.p Bhardwaj, Essential English for Competitions, New Delhi: S.Chand,2010, p. 23
38
William Greatheed Lewis, A Grammar of the English Language, London: T.Dolby, 1979, p. 55
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Anne Seaton, Y.H Mew, Basic English Grammar for English Language Learner, Irvine: Saddleback, 2007, p.52
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Jane Straus, The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy to Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real World Example, and Reproducible Quizzes 10
th
edition, San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2008, p.10
Based on the statement above, it can be concluded that adjective is often used to describe word, especially noun or pronoun word that substitute for noun. Without
an adjective we cannot describe a thing, or a person in the sentences.
J. Types of Adjective
Adjective is the word which is used to modify noun or pronoun. There five kinds of adjectives as follow
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:
1. Possessive Adjective
Possessive adjective is the adjective which is used to point out the noun that belongs to someone. Such as: my, your, our, their, his, her, and its. Example:
- This is my book. - Your car is outside.
- His girl friend is waiting.
2. Descriptive Adjective
Descriptive adjective is the adjective that is used to tell sorts of noun or quality. Example:
- He is tall man. - They are good students.
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http:advancegrammar.blogspot.co.id200907types-of-adjective.html
- She is beautiful girl.
3. Numeral Adjective
Numeral adjective is the adjective which is used to show the number of a noun. There are three types of numeral adjective, such as:
a Definite Numeral Adjective Definite numeral adjective is the adjective that is used to denote an extract number of
a noun as: first, second, third or one, two, three,…..
Example: - Ankor Wat is the seventh wonders of the world.
- Ankor temple has got five towers. b Indefinite Numeral Adjective
Indefinite Numeral Adjective is the adjective which is to denote an inexact number of nouns
as: some, any, much, many, little, a few, …. Example:
- I have some friend here. - She has a few picture,
- He has got much money. c Distributive Numerical Adjective
Distributive numeral adjective is the adjective that is used to cache one noun. They are: every,
each, another, other,…
Example: - Each student is very friendly.
- They speak to another person.
4. Demonstrative Adjective
Demonstrative adjective is the adjective which is used to point out the noun. They are: this, these, that, those.
Example: - That man is very handsome.
- These girls are good looking.
5. Interrogative Adjective
Interrogative adjective is the adjective that is used to ask the question. They are where, what, which,…
Example: - Which animal do you like?
- Where doctor is he? - What food do you prefer?
