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Descriptive Writing Prompts

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Descriptive Writing Prompts

Use sensory details, similes and metaphors to make your descriptions vivid. For the open writing tasks, there is no single correct response; check that your writing meets each instruction.

Sensory Words and Figurative Language

1.Imagine a coding club has set up a beach-themed virtual world on a warm afternoon. Write one vivid word or phrase for each sense that could help a reader picture being there.

2.Choose every sentence that contains a simile.

The surf boomed against the rocks.
The sand felt as warm as a heated blanket.
Aisha hurried towards the water.
Nikau’s laugh rolled like distant thunder.

3.Which sentence uses a metaphor to describe the moon?

The moon looked like a bright button.
The moon was a bright button pinned to the night.
The moon shone brightly above the rooftops.

Picture Prompts

For each scene, write two or three descriptive sentences. Include at least one simile or metaphor in each response, and use details from more than one sense.

4.Describe a volcanic eruption after dark. Include details that help the reader imagine the glowing sky, the sounds, or the heat.

5.Describe a forest just before sunrise, when mist hangs between the trees and tiny drops of dew catch the first light. What might a visitor notice or feel?

6.Describe a busy New Zealand city street during a rain shower. Include details such as umbrellas, shining puddles, or sounds from the street.

Extended Writing Challenge

7.Choose one of the three scenes above and write a descriptive paragraph of at least six sentences. Include at least two similes, one metaphor, details from at least three senses, and precise adjectives and verbs. Name the scene you chose.

8.Review your paragraph. For each item, write yes or not yet: I included a simile; I included a metaphor; I described at least one sensory detail; I chose precise vocabulary; my description helps a reader imagine the scene.