Descriptive Text

Social Function: To describe a particular person, place or thing. (Please, compare to report text so that you can easily understand them both)

Generic Structure:
1. Identification (identify phenomenon to be described)
2. Description (describe parts, qualities, characteristics)
 

Language features:
Focus on specific participants
Use of attributive and identifying processes
Frequent use classifiers in nominal groups.
Use of the Simple Present Tense

Example 

My Favourite Teacher

         

       Everyone has a favourite teacher, someone who we feel a special connection with. In primary school, my favourite teacher was Ms. Nuraini. I was not such a good pupil, but just looking at Ms. Nuraini made me feel that I was going to learn.

        Ms. Nuraini was 45 years old and rather short about 1.50 meters. Since I’m short too, I always feel a bit nervous with tall teacher who tower menacingly over me. It was reassuring to be around Ms. Nuraini. Also, I always enjoy the fragrance of the herbs that she grew in our classroom.

        On the top of her round head, Ms. Nuraini always wore a colorful headscarf with an intriguing design. This, plus her warm smile, brightened the lessons in her classroom. However, the best part of her face was her kind eyes that said to her students, ”I care deeply about you.”

        Ms. Nuraini usually wore bright long sleeve blouse that went well with her coffee-color skin. She did not wear much jewelry, just a simple Casio watch on her left hand and a ruby red ring on the ring finger of her right hand. The other ‘decoration’ on her hand came from types of ink from whiteboard markers and other sources.

        On most days, Ms. Nuraini wore loose-fitting pants. Finally, on her feet, she often had brown closed-toe shoes with just a slightly raised heel that made a peculiar ‘clip-clop’ sound as she walked. These low-heeled shoes made it easy for Ms. Nuraini to walk briskly around the classroom to help us when we were doing group activities.

         I can still feel her friendly touch on my shoulder as she stood listening carefully to our group or explaining something that none of us could figure out.