Descriptive: People and Place
Writing Practice
Complete your revision by reading this together with our 2022 Issue 4/5 print issue or as a standalone guide.
THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE PLACE
It is useful when describing a scene to think about the people who would be present and how the place would look and feel. This can help you brainstorm and plan for your essay.
Place
Some helpful questions to ask:
- What is the place you’re writing about? (sometimes the question specifies this)
- What does this place look like?
- What are some of its unique features? What is it known for?
- How old is this place?
- What are the things you can do here?
People
Some helpful questions to ask:
- What is their demographic?
- What are they doing there?
- What is their relationship to the place? Are they frequent visitors?
- Who are the ones you want to highlight?
Example:
Describe your favourite room in the house.
Without Descriptions of a Scene
- The balcony that has been converted to my study area.
- It is hot being so near the window and so I keep the fan blasting in my face.
- I also have a little nook to rest, with a beanbag and a cardboard box turned upside down to serve as a makeshift coffee table.
- My grandmother’s old rocking chair is in the corner.
With Descriptions of a Scene
- I share this spot with my grandma.
- Most of the time, she sits in her rocking chair and watches shows on her iPad.
- At noon, my mother pops her head in to call us for lunch. My grandmother breaks into a happy grin: she is all ready to catch me up on the latest episode she has been watching.
