Show Don’t Tell
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not
TELLING in our descriptive writing
S TA R T E R . R E A D T H E E X T R A C T B E L O W. W H AT I S
E F F E C T I V E A B O U T I T ? W H AT K I N D O F R O O M I S B E I N G
DESCRIBED? WRITE THE ANSWER IN YOUR BOOK.
‘ T H E R E WA S A R I C H WA R M T H A B O U T T H E R O O M . T H E
ELEGANT SIMPLICITY OF THE FURNISHINGS DID
N O T H I N G T O D I S G U I S E T H E E X PA N S E A N D C A R E
WHICH HAD GONE INTO THEIR MAKING. I MOVED
S I L E N T LY A C R O S S T H E R I C H LY C A R P E T E D F L O O R T O
THE PIANO, AND BEGAN TO SEARCH THROUGH THE
PA P E R S F O R T H E D O C U M E N T I WA N T E D . ’
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not TELLING in our
descriptive writing
All – will understand the difference
between showing and telling
Most – will be able to show rather than
tell
Some – will write effectively
What do each of these sentences show the reader?
Showing Sentence What does it show the reader?
‘Last year’s calendar hung
on the wall’
‘His palms felt clammy’
‘Shrieking owls’
‘The garden grew wild,
the grass up to my knees.’
‘ Fear hung in the air’
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not TELLING in our descriptive writing
Over to you. Write your showing sentences in a descriptive
way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5CHztrfawM
Telling Sentence Showing Sentence
It had been raining heavily. As the cloudless sky turned to a murky dull sky, a thin drizzle was falling. The sound of the fast pace of
shoes roamed on the pavement which made me realize it was going to pour soon. Soon the drizzle
changed to heavy droplets of water, first touching the strands of my dark-brown hair and they landed
harshly on my face and soon pricked beneath my skin.
It was a very dark night. The dark night sky greeted me. It was dark enough to make me feel lonely. The absence of light
sent a creepy feeling. Black was all I saw with the sight of nothing before me. It seems that the
sky was so unwelcoming and unpleasant. All the emptiness and weakness were overwhelmed in
the dark sky.
There was a strong wind. A strong breeze slapped through my face. It sent a feeling of relief. The strands of my hair were
blown and somehow it pushed me backword. My body began to shiver as the cold breeze
surrounded me. The whistles of wind buzzed through my ear sending a signal that something
unfavourable was about to due.
She was nervous.
He was shy.
She was very happy.
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not TELLING in our descriptive writing
Opening Sentences
Start with a verb (“-ing”)
Smashing against the bottom of the rocks, the waves sent white foam
shooting into the air.
Start with “as” or “while” (prepositions – you can also use prepositions like
under, behind, before etc …)
As the skies darkened, raindrops began to pour down.
While the gulls screamed overhead, a lonely dog raced along the wet sand.
Start with an adjective (a describing word)
Grotesque images danced before my eyes.
Start with an adverb (a word that describes the verb)
Silently, he crept towards the exit
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not TELLING in our descriptive writing
Your turn…
You are to write a description of this view, showing rather
than telling the reader. You are to write at least half a page.
LO - To be able to use SHOWING not TELLING in our descriptive writing
Peer Assess
Swap books with the Has your partner used
person next to you. SHOWING not TELLING?
Has your partner used a
Read their description.
variety of sentences?
Using the red pen, answer (SIMPLE, COMPOUND
each of these questions and COMPLEX)
about their writing, in full Has your partner used a
sentences in their book. range of sentence
openings? (VERB,
PREPOSITION,
ADJECTIVE and
ADVERB)
