Organization in Description

For more on spatial order and order of importance, see pages “Spatial Order” and “Order of Importance” in Chapter 3.

Description may use any of the orders of organization, depending on the purpose of the description. If you are describing what someone or something looks like, you might use spatial order, the most common way to organize description. If you are describing something you want to sell, you might use order of importance, ending with the feature that would be most appealing to potential buyers.

Use transitions to help readers move smoothly from detail to detail.

Common Transitions in Description

TRANSITIONS TO SHOW SPATIAL ORDER TRANSITIONS TO SHOW ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
above/underneath even more
beyond more
in front of/behind the most
to the left/right the most intense
the strongest

DESCRIPTION AT A GLANCE

Introduction with thesis statement

Gives a main impression

First major sensory detail

Supporting details

Second major sensory detail

Supporting details

Most important sensory detail

Supporting details

Conclusion

Reminds readers of the main impression
Makes an observation