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COMM 1311: Written Communication

Assignment 2

Description Essay (Chapter 8, pp. 120-136, Arlov)


Purpose of Assignment

• The purpose of this assignment is to help the students to acquire an extended set of vocabularies and a higher level of writing ability.

Objectives

• The student will be able to identify the basic structure of an essay and learn how to use it.
• The student will understand the diversity of words that can be used.
• The student will understand the creativity of the writing process.
• The student will be able to craft a compelling essay.

Instructions

The descriptive essay simply describes something or someone by appealing to the reader’s senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
It is the task of the student to write an essay that makes the selected object, picture or person come alive on his essay paper.

1. Select a subject
Observation is the key to writing a good description. For example, if you are writing about a place, go there and take notes on the sights, sounds, and smells. A descriptive essay 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: “The wooden roller coaster in Coney Island is a work of art.” “My bedroom is an ocean sanctuary.”

2. Select dominant details
Select only the details that support the dominant impression (your thesis statement).



3. Organize details
The paragraphs in a descriptive essay can be structured spatially (from top to bottom or from near to far) or chronologically (time order) or from general to specific. Descriptive essays can also use other patterns of organization such as narrative or exemplification.

4. Use descriptive words
Do not use vague words or generalities (such as good, nice, bad, or beautiful). Be specific and use sensory, descriptive words (adjectives). For example:
“I ate a good dinner” but much better is “I devoured a steaming hot, cheese-filled beef pizza for dinner.”
Provide sensory details:
Smells that are in the air like the aroma of freshly brewed coffee)
Sounds: (traffic, honking horns)
Sights: “The sun scattered tiny diamonds across dew-covered grass as it peeked out from beyond the horizon”.
Touch: “The texture of the adobe hut’s walls resembled coarse sandpaper.”)
Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, tart (“Giant goose bumps formed on my tongue when I accidently bit into a sliver of lemon.”)

5. Draw a logical conclusion
The conclusion may also use descriptive words; however, make certain the conclusion is logical and relevant.

Requirements

The essay must:
• Have a complete cover page
• have at least 400 words
• use full sentences (and no bullet points)
• must have page numbers
• submit a full page sized picture of the place, object or person that is described at the end of your essay

- Each student has to attach the Assessment Criteria Form to the hard copy.

Submission Criteria

Date Due:​Tuesday, October 6, 2015. The time is always NOON (12:00 pm, midday) of that date. Late assignments will receive an automatic ZERO grade.
Where to deliver hard copies:​In class
Assessment Criteria

Criteria
Assessment Rubric Definition Essay
SCORES
Introduction
Introduces the issue and its importance, says what your essay will cover
2
Organization
The sound structure of the essay
1
Expression
Sentences, phrases, metaphors, verbs etc. The strength of the language used
4
Conclusion
Restate the issue, summarizes the strength of the arguments in the essays, gives your opinion about which essay is the strongest with supporting reasons
1
Mechanics
Followed guidelines, professional format, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization are correct, use of headings, no bullet points
2
TOTAL

10%

Plagiarism, copying from the internet or any other sources without citation will result in an automatic ZERO grade and a procedure of Academic Misconduct will filed against you. The complete essay has to be created and written by you alone. Prior assignments CAN NOT be used.

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