DESCRIPTIVE TEXT

Definition, Purposes, Generic Structures, Language Features of Descriptive Text. 

Pengertian Descriptive Text / Definition of Descriptive Text

What is descriptive text?
Descriptive Text is a text which tells us what a person or a thing is like. Like, describes the character of a
person, animal, place, or thing.
( Descriptive text adalah sebuah teks yang menjelaskan kepada kita tentang suatu benda. Misalnya,
mendeskripsikan karakteristik orang, hewan, tempat binatang atau suatu benda.)

The Purpose of Descriptive Text

Its purpose is to describe and reveal a particular person, place, or thing.
( Descriptive text bertujuan mendeskripsikan dan mengungkap orang, tempat dan benda tertentu.)

Struktur Descriptive Text / Generic Structures Descriptive Text

Identification 
In this part identification contains about the general introduction of a person, place, animal or object will
be described. (Bagian identification ini berisi pendahuluan umum tentang orang, tempat, hewan, atau suatu
object yang akan di deskripsikan.)

The function of identification is to introduce something we describe, in order, the reader and listener are
not miss-understanding.  ( Identification berfungsi sebagai pengenalan dari apa yang kita sedang jelaskan.
supaya para pembaca atau pendengar tidak salah mengerti.)

Description
It contains a description of something such as animal, things, place, or person by describing its features,
forms, colors, or anything related to what the writer describes.
( Pada bagian description berisi ciri-ciri khusus atau sifat-sifat yang terdapat dalam benda, orang, atau
binatang yang penulis jelaskan.)

Ciri Kebahasaan Descriptive Text / Language Features of Descriptive Text

1. Noun : Menggunakan kata benda yang spesifik, seperti misalnya my cat, my boyfriend, National
Monument, Selain itu, sering juga menggunakan adjective (kata sifat) untuk memperjelas
penggunaan noun atau kata benda, seperti a big house, a smart student, an independence woman.

2. Simple present tense : menggunakan kata kerja dasar atau bentuk pertama (verb 1) serta
menggunakan kata kerja yang dapat menunjukkan kepemilikan atau keadaan sebuah objek.
Descriptive text menggunakan simple present tense karena descriptive text menceritakan sebuah
fakta dari objek yang dideskripsikan. Misalnya My office has 22 floors, Queen is pretty, dan lain-
lain.

3. Action verbs : Menggunakan kata kerja yang menunjukkan sebuah kegiatan atau sebuah aktifitas
yang bisa dilihat. Misalnya, sleep, walk, sing, dance, dll.

4. Figurative language : Menggunakan bahasa yang figurative atau menggambarkan sesuatu, Biasanya
menggunakan sebuah metafora untuk memberikan ilustrasi kepada pembaca. Misalnya:
- My love for you is as big as the ocean. – Cintaku padamu seluas lautan.
 - Her skin is as white as the snow – Kulitnya seputih salju.

5. Using attribute verb, such as ( am, is, are)

  Verb yang digunakan yaitu attribute verb, seperti be (am, is, are)

6. Focused on one subject / Thing

  Hanya fokus pada satu objek tersebut

The Examples of Descriptive Text

1. It describes Place ( Tempat)

Lake Toba

Lake Toba is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Indonesia. Lake Toba is located in North Sumatra,
this lake is also the largest lake in Indonesia. Because this lake has a length of 100 KM or 62 miles with a
width of 30 KM or 9 miles and the depth of this lake is 505 meters.

Around Lake Toba has a very amazing view, because around it are a lot of shady trees. So that makes us feel
calm and comfortable while on vacation in this place.
 SINGAPORE
Singapore is a South-east Asian country located between Malaysia and Indonesia. Despite its small size,
Singapore is known for its transition as a third-world country to a first-world country. Singapore also was
known as the Asian Tiger economy, based on external trade and its workforce. Singapore size is not as big
as Indonesia, but the city ranks highly in numerous international rankings for its education, entertainment,
finance, healthcare, human capital, innovation, logistics, manufacturing, technology, tourism, trade, and
transport.

My room is my favorite place in my house (identification).

My room is in second floor, next to my big sister’s room. My room is painted light grey. There is big bed
inside my room where I sleep every day. I put some pictures on my desk. There are my family picture, my
picture with my friends, and my pictures with my pet, Luna, a persian cat. I also have drawers where I put
all my clothes inside. My room is not big, but it is the best place in my house for me (description).

2. It describe animal (Binatang)

 ROSS
My father bought me a present I’ve wanted for years. It’s a dog. A puppy to be exact. I called him Ross.
( Identification) .Ross is a small puppy. His size is as big as the palm of my hand. Ross is so fragile.
Sometimes I afraid I will hurt him if I want to take him up. Dad said he found Ross near our house, crying
looking for his mom. But Dad can’t see her, so Dad decides to bring him home and give him some comfort.
Ross is a good eater. He always finished everything we gave him. Now, it’s been a year since Ross come to
our family. His small body has grown up into the size of a football ball. Ross is a good dog, and we love him
so much. ( Description)

Cat

I have a cat named Belo. Belo is a male cat that I bought in a pet shop around my house. Belo is a Persian
cat. The fur is gray and white, she looks very cute and adorable.

Belo weighs around 5 kg, his body is fat and his fur is also very thick. Belo was very fond of sleeping and
when he woke up he would immediately look for food in the food place that had been provided before.

3. It describes thing ( Benda )

Handphone

I have a favorite phone and it’s black. I bought it last year at an official shop in my city. This is very
sophisticated and reliable because it has 3 GB RAM and 32 GB Internal Memory. This phone also has a
strong battery. The size is not too big, I can hold it using one hand. It has two cameras located on the back
side and on the front side
.

The Doll

I have a panda doll. This is my favorite one. That was my birthday present last year. This is a large panda
doll with white and black. Has a cute and very soft face.

This panda doll is unique because the inside of the stomach is not foam but grains so it is fun when holding
it, and I hope this doll is not broken quickly and is always with me.

I always wash it in a good laundry because I’m afraid if something is broken. I set aside pocket money for
my doll needs, from here I learned to save.

I hope that every birthday, the doll grows bigger to fit my size. I really thank you for giving a panda doll that
finally became something very important. I like to put it on the bed. Every day I play with it. Even I always
hug him when I sleep.
It describes People

Johnny Depp is an actor, musician and also a producer (introduction).

He was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S. He started his career on movie in 1984. His
first movie is A Nightmare on Elm Street. Before he became a famous actor, Depp was a musician. The first
genre he played was rock music. He is good in playing guitar and writing songs. A long his life, he wrote so
many songs for bands, solo vocalist and for Sweeney Todd movie (description).

My Friend

I have a very good friend. His name is Ayun. She’s my classmate. He is a beautiful and kind friend. I know
him for about two years. We have met since the first time we met at the College, IAIN Tulungagung which
at that time was the announcement day for class distribution for new students.

Ayun is my confidant. He was very excited to be invited to chat. I feel suitable to be friends with him. My
friend Ayun has an ideal body. It’s about 152 cm tall and weighs around 50 kg. She’s sweet black. The teeth
are neat and sparkling white. He looks very charming when smiling.

In addition to her beautiful face, Ayun is very kind and friendly to everyone. He is very sociable. Cheerful
swinging children. He likes to have fun. He loves traveling. He has a fantastic sense of humor and he always
makes me laugh. He can’t see his friend sad. When his friend is sad, he will cheer up with all his strength
until his friend smiles again. But he has a great ambition when doing something. What is desired must be
achieved.

Ayun also likes to listen to music, and sometimes he spends money on shopping. He often invited me to take
a walk. We also often buy meals together. Everywhere we are always together. So often together, some of
our friends said, there I am sure to be Ayun. It’s a pleasure for me to be with him and know him. Hopefully
we will remain close friends forever.

My mom

My name is Uliyatun Sholikah. I have a mother who I really admire. My mother is named Sulaspi. She was
born in Pati on September 22, 1976. She is a housewife. She has two daughters and my younger sister,
Novinda rahmadani. She is a mother who has a hardworking character and is not easy to give up in facing
every challenge in battle.

Mother is the person who has the most merit in this life. She contains 9 months and produces us through
enormous sacrifices. My mother is a person who is very dear and I love this life.
She has a beautiful face, wavy black hair, round eyes, and a beautiful smile. She has qualities that can make
me amazed and proud to be his and make me want to be. My mother is a tough, unyielding, and patient
woman. Get from a mediocre family.

She always relented about everything with her younger siblings. Even though she just graduated from
elementary school, for me she graduated with a degree. The way to think, act, and act really amazes me. It is
said as education because of limitations in its economy. Starting from childhood, she had been diligently
working to help her parents and this inspired me in helping everything in front of me. My mother is a
woman who is good at cooking.

The cuisine is always delicious and makes me always addicted. Especially if my mother cooks me carrot
soup mixed with cabbage, it tastes very good. Besides being good at cooking, she is also good at crafting. 

Contoh Soal
Read the following text to answer questions!
When I just hang out in a mall one day, I saw a very beautiful bag. I love this bag at first sight.
This was the first time I've spent much money on a bag and I don't regret it.

The bag is wonderful. It is made of thin but strong leather. The weight is light and the size keeps it from
getting stuffed with junk. It has a long shoulder strap that I like because it keeps the bag hands-free. Its
neutral color is fun and sporty. The design is simple and well-made.

The bag is very functional. It is the perfect size to carry a cell phone, a pocket-sized wallet, a small book, a
pack of gum, and pens. It also fits well into my laptop backpack for bike commuting to school. This bag also
has more pockets inside so my small items don't all fall to the bottom. In overall I really satisfy with the bag.

1. Where does the writer usually put her small items?

A. In her pockets.
B. In her laptop backpack.
C. In her pocket size wallet.
D. In the pockets of her leather bag.

2. What makes the small items of the writer not falling down in the bag?
A. The satisfying bag
B. Her laptop backpack
C. A pocket-sized wallet
D. The pockets inside the bag

3. “I've spent much money on a bag and I don't regret it”. The underlined word refers to …the bag.
A. having
B. seeing
C. buying
D. loving

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. The writer has a new bag.
B. The bag is very functional.
C. The bag has many pockets.
D. The writer is satisfied with the bag

5. What is the purpose of the text?

A. To retell the past event
B. To entertain the readers
C. To describe the writer‟s new bag
D. To give instruction how to buy a bag