Descriptive Text

Descriptive text is a text which says what a person or a thing is like. Its purpose is to describe and reveal a particular person, place, or thing.

Generally descriptive text contains: 
(1) identification; identifying the phenomenon to be described, 
(2) description; describing the phenomenon in parts, qualities, or/and characteristics.

Descriptive text literally contains more than 2 paragraphs. Each paragraph must be contained main idea and supporting details. The main idea is the most important idea in a paragraph. It tells you what the story is about. It also contains the key word or control word that will be explained in the supporting detail sentences. Supporting details help you to better understand the main idea. Supporting Details are details that tell you more about the main idea. It can be concluded that Supporting details make main idea stronger.

We can find main ideas and supporting details in descriptive text by focusing on the sentence that is the most important sentence in one paragraph. So, we can categorize that sentence into the main idea. The, we have to focus on the details or the next sentences that talk about the main idea. Finally, we can conclude those sentences which are supporting or elaborating the main idea are the supporting details.

Example of finding main idea and supporting details in descriptive text:

Niagara Falls

(1)        Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America. It is on the Niagara River about halfway between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.  Niagara Falls is on the American and Canadian border.  The American Falls is 167 feet high.  On the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161 feet high.

(2)        The Niagara River drops into a steep gorge or canyon, at the falls. Most of the water flows over the Horseshoe Falls. They are not as high as the American Falls, but they are 2,600 feet (792 meters) wide–about 0.5 mile (0.8 kilometers). The American Falls are about 1,000 feet (305 meters) wide. Beyond the falls are the Whirlpool Rapids. There, the powerful swirling water has carved a bowl out of the rock. 

(1)   The main idea of first paragraph is:

“Niagara Falls is one of the most beautiful sights in North America.”

The supporting first paragraph are:

“It is on the Niagara River about halfway between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, Niagara Falls is on the American and Canadian border, The American Falls is 167 feet high, On the Canadian side, the Horseshoe Falls is 161 feet high.”

(2)   The main idea of second paragraph is:

” The Niagara River drops into a steep gorge or canyon, at the falls.”

The supporting first paragraph are:

“Most of the water flows over the Horseshoe Falls, They are not as high as the American Falls, but they are 2,600 feet (792 meters) wide–about 0.5 mile (0.8 kilometers), The American Falls are about 1,000 feet (305 meters) wide, Beyond the falls are the Whirlpool Rapids and There, the powerful swirling water has carved a bowl out of the rock.

. . .