2.15 A Description
Social purpose: To describe the characteristics of particular people, places, animals or things, either factually or imaginatively.
The whales we saw in Sydney Harbour
| Text structure | Language features | |
| Paragraph l
Introduction - identification of topic |
We were so lucky the other day, because when we were on an excursion to Darling Harbour, we saw 1two Southern Right whales - 1a mother and her baby. | 1. Use of particular nouns |
| Paragraph 2
Description of characteristics and behaviour |
We knew they were Southern Rights because the 1mother 2had no dorsal fin and her mouth 2was very 4arched. She 2was 4black and 4huge! When she 3jumped out of the water we could see her very clearly and she looked about 15 metres 4long. The 1baby 2was much 4smaller and so 4cute. He 3frolicked 5around and seemed to be spouting water 5just for fun. | 2. Use of relating verbs to describe characteristics
3. Use of action verbs to describe behaviour |
| Paragraph 3
Conclusion and Coda giving writer's comment. (See note below for explanation) |
The 1two whales stayed in the Harbour 5for about an hour, and then 3swam 5away towards the Heads. I wish their visit could have been longer, but it was wonderful to see them. | 4. Use of adjectivals to build description
5. Use of adverbials to give extra detail about how, why, when, where, who with, etc. |
| NOTE: Factual descriptions do not often occur on their own and are usually embedded in other text types. The text above is an example of where a description of the whales occurs in what is essentially a recount of the writer's experience of seeing the Southern Rights near Darling Harbour. The last paragraph is typical of a Recount, where the story is completed and there is a Coda which expresses the writer's feelings. | ||