DESCRIBING

PLACES AND
BUILDINGS
EXPLANATION OF LAYOUT
A writing describing a place or building
should consist of:

1. An introduction giving brief

information about the name and
location of the place/ building and
stating the reason for choosing to write
about it (e.g. What it is famous for, what
makes it so special, etc.)
2. A main body giving both general and specific details
about the place/building usually moving from the general
features to specific ones.
a. When you describe a place, you should give the overall
impression by referring to landscape, buildings,
landmarks, etc, and particular details (sights to see, places
to go, things to do)
b. When you describe a building, you should write about
its surroundings (e.g. situated in Oxford Street...), then
give a detailed description of its exterior and interior; and,
3. A conclusion in which you express your feelings or
opinion concerning the subject or give a recommendation.
• INTRODUCTION
• Paragraph 1 LAYOUT SUMMARY
• name/location/population of the place, reason for
choosing the place

• MAIN BODY
• Paragraphs 2 - 3
• general features and par­ticular details:
• place: surroundings, sights, facilities, free-time activities.

• building: surroundings, detailed description of exterior/interior.

• Paragraphs 4 - 5
• explanation and example/justification

• CONCLUSION
• Final Paragraph
• You may also include why a
particular place is important to you,
popular, etc. Note that the number
and length of paragraphs varies
depending on the topic.
Descriptions of places/buildings may include:
• Factual information such as age, size, Each aspect of
colour, materials, etc (e.g. The temple, with
10-metre ta// marble columns, was built in the description
800 BC.).
should be
• Details related to the senses (sight, presented in a
hearing, smell, touch, taste) to suggest
mood and atmosphere (e.g. Visitors' separate
footsteps on the worn stone floors echo
through the cool, dark corridors, paragraph
disturbing the tranquil silence.) beginning with a
• Opinions/impressions of the place or clear topic
building (e.g. Tourists are fascinated by its
air of mystery.) sentence.
EXPRESSING IMPRESSIONS
You can express positive impressions of a place by:
a. using a variety of adjectives such as:
awe-inspiring, breathtaking, delightful, elaborate,
eyecatching, exquisite, majestic, outstanding,
overwhelming, picturesque, quaint, spellbinding,superb,
tranquil, etc.

e.g. The castle, standing at the top of the mountain

overlooking the city, is awe-inspiring.
EXPRESSING IMPRESSIONS
You can express positive impressions of a place by:

b. using a variety of present or past participles from such verbs as:

amaze, astonish, astound, impress, inspire, overwhelm, refresh, stimulate, etc.

e.g. / was/felt astounded at how beautiful Florida is in winter.

... the astonishing Image of the mosaics.

c. using a variety of nouns in expressions such as:

to my amazement/astonishment/delight/surprise/etc
e.g. To my delight, the place had kept its character.
You can express negative impressions using the same techniques
mentioned before:
a. using a variety of adjectives such as:
barren, bleak, derelict, disreputable, inhospitable, neglected, squalid, etc.
e.g. The building was in a neglected state.

b. using a variety of present or past participles from such verbs as:

depress, disappoint, dismay, terrify, shock, etc.
e.g.... the disappointing view of the unsightly housing.

c. using a variety of nouns in expressions such as:

to my disappointment/surprise/etc.
e.g. To my disappointment, the once-tranquil village had turned ínto a
crowded tourist resort.
Useful Language: Explaining
Impressions
• Paris makes an immediate/enduring/lasting
impression on all who visit it, since it is such a
glamorous city.

• What strikes/impresses/delights visitors about

the resort most is its unique surroundings.

• The most noticeable/outstanding feature of

the palace is its golden dome.

• A huge statue of a lion is the first thing one

Useful Language: Explaining
Impressions
• One cannot help but be impressed/moved/struck
by the natural beauty of the region.

• Without doubt, the most impressive thing about

San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge.

• The thing which makes the strongest/most

enduring impression is the hospitality of the locals.

• I was immediately struck by the staggering

number of huge skyscrapers.
• One particularly marvels/wonders at the
variety of attractions offered.

• The reason why the area is so depressing is

that there are so many derelict buildings.

• The filthy, congested streets confirmed my

initial impression that it was an unpleasant
city.

• Undoubtedly, the thing/feature that will

Practice:
Exercise 1. Rewrite the sentences using the
words in bold without changing the meaning.

1. When visiting Paris, one particulary marvels at the incredible

architecture of the Pompidou Centre. (help)

2. What impressed me most about the entire building was the

lavishly-decorated reception hall. (strongest)

3. The first thing that one notices about the city is that there are so

many well-preserved medieval buildings.

( noticeable)

4. Undoubtedly, the thing that will impress you most about Sydney is the

amazing Opera House. (doubt)

5. What strikes visitors to Mykonos most is the perfect combination of

glamour and tradition. (immediate)

Keys exercise 1
• 1. When visiting Paris, one cannot help but
marvel at the incredible…
• 2. The thing about the entire building which
made the strongest impression on me was
the lavishly-decorated reception hall.
• 3. The most noticeable thing about the city
is its many well-preserved medieval buildings.
• 4. Without a doubt, the most impressive
thing about Sydney is the amazing Opera
House.
• 5. What makes an immediate impression
on visitors to Mykonos is the perfect
combination of glamour and tradition.
VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR
• The use of descriptive vocabulary (e.g.
exquisite, exclusive, towering, etc)
• a variety of linking words and structures as well
as narrative techniques will make your writing
more interesting.
• Present tenses are normally used when
describing a place for a tourist brochure or a
magazine article.
• Past tenses are normally used when describing
a trip to a place/building.
• First and second conditionals (will/would) can be
used when you describe your ideal city/house,
LOCATION VERBS AND
PREPOSITIONS
• There are a number of verbs used to describe the
location and/or surroundings of a place. These may
explain position (e.g. the old house is situated
next to/is surrounded by..); they may also give
some suggestion of movement (e.g. the road leads
up to/winds past...) and/or action (e.g. the statue
towers above/stands at the top of...).
• These verbs are naturally used with prepositions
and prepositional/adverbial phrases (e.g. leads
up to, winds past, stands at the top of, etc).
Participles & Relative Clauses
Short sentences with the same subject may be
joined with participles (~ing ~ed) or relative
pronouns (who/which/whose).
• The cottage stands at the top of a cliff. It faces out to
sea.
• The cottage, which stands at the top of a
cliff, faces out to sea.
• The cottage, standing at the top of a cliff,
faces out to sea.
• The farmhouse was built in 1850. It is
surrounded by fields.
• The farmhouse, [which was] built in 1850f is
surrounded by fields.

• The participial clause is often put at the beginning of

RECURRING MISTAKE:
• Note how the meaning of the sentence changes
when two sentences with different subjects are
joined with a participle.
• 1. Tourists walk through the streets.
• 2. Noises and smells greet them.

• Walking through the streets, noises and smells greet

the tourists.

• This means that the noises and smells are

walking! Instead, you must keep the same
subject for both clauses, or use time words such
as "while":
• Walking through the streets, tourists are
PRACTICE: exercise 2
• Link the sentences below starting each
sentence with the correct form of the
words in yellow.
1. The castle dominates the skyline. It is built of local stone.
2. The museum was opened in 1939. It is visited by thousands of
people every day.
3. The temple is surrounded by trees. It is difficult to see from a
distance.
4. Greater London covers 610 square miles. It is the largest city
in Britain.
Keys exercise 2
1. Dominating the skyline, the castle is built
of local stone.
2. Opened in 1939, the museum is visited by
thou-sands of people every day.
3. Surrounded by trees, the temple is
difficult to see
from a distance.
4. Covering 610 square miles, London is the
largest
city in Britain.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FORMAL
AND INFORMAL STYLES
• Descriptions of places can be written in a formal or
informal style depending on whom they are addressed to
and how the writer wants to present the description. For
example, a description of a place you visited in a letter to a
friend of yours would be informal, whereas a description of
a place issued by the Tourist Authority in order to promote
the place would be written in a formal style.

• Formal style is characterised by an impersonal non-

emotional way of expressing your ideas, frequent use of
the passive, non-colloquial English and complex sentences.
Short forms are acceptable only in quotes. Informal style is
characterised by a personal, emotional and chatty way of
expressing your ideas and use of colloquial English
(idiomatic expressions), ¡dioms and short forms.
Compare the examples:
• — The cottage, once inhabited by a famous
poet, was built atop a steep, rocky hillside
overlooking an idyllic landscape of lush fields
divided by ancient dry stone walls. (formal)

• My dad's cottage is out of this world as it's right

on the top of a hill and looks down on gorgeous
green fields which are split up by old dry stone
walls. (informal)
EXERCISE 3:
Fill in the gaps with words from the list below: Use the words only
once.
stretch out, is set in, winds through, nestles at, is
perched on, curves around, sprawl out, is located in,
slopes down to
1.The small house, which ................................................. the
centre of town,
2.is packed with antiques.
3.The narrow country lane ................................................ the
wooded valley.
4.The steep
hillside ..................................................................... the
seashore.
5.The hotel .................................................... the towering
Welsh mountains.
6.The river .............................................................. the base of
the mountain.
Keys exercise 3
• 1. is located in
• 2. winds through
• 3. slopes down to
• 4. is set in
• 5. curves around
• 6. stretch out
• 7.is perched ... on
• 8. sprawl out
• 9. nestles at
• Now that you have the tools to make complex
descriptions, you can describe the setting of a film.
• Choose one film next Tuesday and provide a complex
description of the setting. ( 250 words maximum).