Some describing words tell how something looks. Good writers use all five senses: how things look, sound, smell, taste and feel.
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| see (eyes) | shiny, striped, purple, sparkly |
| hear (ears) | loud, squeaky, buzzing, quiet |
| smell (nose) | stinky, smoky, fresh |
| taste (tongue) | sweet, sour, salty, juicy |
| touch (skin) | soft, fuzzy, sticky, prickly, bumpy |
Key idea
Sense words tell how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels.
Why it works
When you remember a day at the beach, you remember more than the sight: the crashing waves, the salty air, the hot sand. Sense words let a reader feel they were there too.
Worked example: Add a sense
Make this better with a sense word for taste: “The lemon was yellow.”
- Yellow tells how it looks.
- How does a lemon taste? Sour.
- Add it: “The yellow lemon was sour.”
Answer: “The yellow lemon was sour.”
Common mistake
Describing only how things look. Before you write, close your eyes and ask: What do I hear? What do I smell? What does it feel like?
For the grown-up. At snack time, ask one question for each sense: How does it look? Sound when you bite it? Smell? Taste? Feel? Write down the best words together.