Exploring Sensory Language in Writing

1. Sensory Language

2. What are the 5 senses? • Sight • Sound • Taste • Touch • Smell

3. Writers use language … • to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. • One way a writer can do this is by writing about things using his or her senses.

4. Using Your Senses! • Writers write about things they might see, hear, feel, smell or taste to help make the story seem more real.

5. Sensory language • language that uses words from the 5 senses.

6. Sight • Words that make your reader see what you see • Write about colors, movement, shapes, and appearance • Examples: • Aqua, red, teal • Rushing, fast, slow • Bouncy, pointy, straight • Square, round • Pretty, dull, ugly

7. Sound • Words that make your reader hear what you hear • Talk about loudness, softness, and speech • Examples: • booming, blaring, noisy, screeching, • crying, crackling, sizzling • whispering

8. Touch • Words that make your reader touch what you touch • Tactile feeling and emotional feeling are closely connected • Examples: • Bumpy, cold, cool, crisp, damp • Dry, dull, elastic, fleshy, fragile • Furry, fuzzy, gritty, hairy, icy

9. Taste • Words that make your reader taste what you taste • Examples: • Bitter, bittersweet, bland, sour • Burnt, buttery, cheesy • Crispy, fishy, fruity

10. Smell • Words that make your reader smell what you smell • Smell in particularly is powerful and can easily trigger early memories • Examples: • Earthy, fishy, fragrant, • Fresh, rotten, savory • Scented, sharp, sickly • Sour, spicy

11. If this was the setting of your story… what might you say using your senses?

12. What would you write using your senses if this was a character in your story?

13. What would you write using your senses if this was in your story?