1.

In order to
Usage: In order to can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument.
Example: In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.

2. In other words
Usage: Use in other words when you want to express something in a different way (more
simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point.
Example: Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying in other words, and can be used in particularly
complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader
achieve a better understanding of its significance.
Example: Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.

4. That is to say
Usage: That is and that is to say can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to
be more precise.
Example: Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.

5. To that end
Usage: Use to that end or to this end in a similar way to in order to or so.
Example: Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each
other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible
meanings.

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of and each time they want to add further
information in support of a point theyre making, or to build an argument. Here are some
cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover
Usage: Employ moreover at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a
point youre making.
Example: Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in
support of

7. Furthermore
Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information.
Example: Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that
8. Whats more
Usage: This is used in the same way as moreover and furthermore.
Example: Whats more, this isnt the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.

9. Likewise
Usage: Use likewise when you want to talk about something that agrees with what youve just
mentioned.
Example: Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this
point of view.

10. Similarly
Usage: Use similarly in the same way as likewise.
Example: Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethovens new work, because it was
very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to
the unfamiliar.

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase another key point to remember or another key fact to remember to
introduce additional facts without using the word also.
Example: As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and
nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial
Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.

12. As well as
Usage: Use as well as instead of also or and.
Example: Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.

13. Not only but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something thats in some
way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information.
Example: Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit
of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time.
Example: Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other.
Example: There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y and thirdly, Z.
16. Not to mention/to say nothing of
Usage: Not to mention and to say nothing of can be used to add extra information with a bit
of emphasis.
Example: The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its
impact on the countrys economy.

WORDS AND PHRASES FOR DEMONSTRATING CONTRAST

When youre developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing
opinions or evidence it could show this, but it could also show this, or X says this, but Y
disagrees. This section covers words you can use instead of the but in these examples, to
make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However
Usage: Use however to introduce a point that disagrees with what youve just said.
Example: Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of
evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion.
Example: The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand,
the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened
that day.

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to on the other hand or but.
Example: The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this
version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different
story.

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use by contrast or in comparison when youre comparing and contrasting pieces of
evidence.
Example: Scholar As opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar Bs
opinion seems more plausible.

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion.
Example: Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, its possible
that he was being paid to say this.
22. That said
Usage: This is used in the same way as then again.
Example: The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the
evidence is unreliable at best.

23. Yet
Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea.
Example: Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this
is the most important aspect of the situation.

ADDING A PROVISO OR ACKNOWLEDGING RESERVATIONS

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso.
Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use despite this or in spite of this when you want to outline a point that stands
regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence.
Example: The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something
else.
Example: Weve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to
the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw
definite conclusions. With this in mind, lets look at a more recent study to see how the results
compare.

26. Provided that

Usage: This means on condition that. You can also say providing that or just providing to
mean the same thing.
Example: We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind
the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else.
Example: In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of

28. Nonetheless
Usage: This is similar to despite this.
Example: The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.
29. Nevertheless
Usage: This is the same as nonetheless.
Example: The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.

30. Notwithstanding
Usage: This is another way of saying nonetheless.
Example: Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study
in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.
Giving examples
Good essays always back up points with examples, but its going to get boring if you use the
expression for example every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave
the UK in early winter and fly south

32. To give an illustration

Example: To give an illustration of what I mean, lets look at the case of

Signifying importance
When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of
highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly
Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately
apparent.
Example: Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius
accounts of the same period.

34. Notably
Usage: This can be used to mean significantly (as above), and it can also be used
interchangeably with in particular (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of
using it).
Example: Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar As analysis.

35. Importantly
Usage: Use importantly interchangeably with significantly.
Example: Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was
presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps
might otherwise have done.
SUMMARISING
Youve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isnt over yet. You need to end by
wrapping up everything youve talked about, showing that youve considered the arguments on
both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion
Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay,
summarising what youve discussed in a broad overview.
Example: In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway
from the essay.
Example: Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that

38. Persuasive
Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most
convincing.
Example: Scholar As point that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain seems
to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozarts death.

39. Compelling
Usage: Use in the same way as persuasive above.
Example: The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.

40. All things considered

Usage: This means taking everything into account.
Example: All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that
How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your
favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below!
 In descriptive writing, the author does not tell the reader what was seen, felt, tested,
smelled, or heard. Rather, he describes something that he experienced and, through his
choice of words, makes it seem real. In other words, descriptive writing is vivid, colorful, and
detailed.

Bringing Words to Life

Descriptive writing creates an impression in the readers mind of an event, a place, a
person, or thing. The writing will be such that it will set a mood or describe something in
such detail that if the reader saw it, they would recognize it. Descriptive writing will bring
words to life and makes the text interesting.

Some examples of descriptive text include:

The sunset filled the entire sky with the deep color of rubies, setting the clouds
ablaze.
The waves crashed and danced along the shore, moving up and down in a graceful
and gentle rhythm like they were dancing.
The painting was a field of flowers, with deep and rich blues and yellows atop vibrant
green stems that seemed to beckon you to reach right in and pick them.
The old man was stooped and bent, his back making the shape of a C and his head
bent so far forward that his beard would nearly have touched his knobby knees had he been
just a bit taller.
His deep and soulful blue eyes were like the color of the ocean on the clearest day
you can ever imagine.
The soft fur of the dog felt like silk against my skin and her black coloring glistened
as it absorbed the sunlight, reflecting it back as a perfect, deep, dark mirror.

Descriptive Text in Literature

Because descriptive text is so powerful, many examples of it can be found in famous
literature and poetry. In this excerpt from Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, notice the
writers choice of adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.

It was a cold grey day in late November. The weather had changed overnight, when a backing
wind brought a granite sky and a mizzling rain with it, and although it was now only a little after
 two o'clock in the afternoon the pallor of a winter evening seemed to have closed upon the hills,
cloaking them in mist.

You can see that the writer had to carefully choose his words so that the reader could
almost see and feel the weather that was occurring.

Descriptive Text in Songs

Descriptive text examples can also be found in many songs, since songs are meant to
capture your emotions and to invoke a feeling.

Notice the vivid description of smoke in this excerpt from Rebecca Harding Davis's "Life in
the Iron Mills":

"The idiosyncrasy of this town is smoke. It rolls sullenly in slow folds from the great chimneys of
the iron-foundries, and settles down in black, slimy pools on the muddy streets. Smoke on the
wharves, smoke on the dingy boats, on the yellow river--clinging in a coating of greasy soot to
the house-front, the two faded poplars, the faces of the passers-by.

So, now you have many different examples of descriptive text and you can try your own
hand at writing a sentence or paragraph that helps to paint a picture and evoke emotions.

The grey smoke filled the once fresh skies into darkness;putrid smells of
smoke filled peoples nostrils what has the sky done to us. A young girl with rosy
red cheeks stood out from the crowd, her dreamy eyes were fixed onto the
smoke that was wandering the sky helplessly, without looking back she paced
towards the entrance of the grand doors of the dark palace fear her not she
stepped in, It was cold, it was dark and she took a breath in then breathed out
leaving what it seem liked a trail of dragons smoke. For now she was terrified as
the dark queen stood two steps away from her cold face. She grabbed onto her
collar and gulped hard, she wish she never stepped through the doors of THE
DARK QUEEN.
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Kieran Conlin 2 years ago

"The young woman rose from her seat, the plastic bars slowly creaking as she
lifted her heavy body towards the aisle. The flight had been quiet for most of the
evening, the luscious amber skies of the Atlantic during the summertime,
piercing the window's gray shutters"

-Quoted from "Summer in Schiphol" By Kieran Conlin.

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Kylee a year ago

Like dust is the sky like days of are life's
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Gru Bodkin Kylee a year ago

it is our life's not are life's!!!!


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bob Gru Bodkin 7 months ago

its actually our lives


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Inaara a year ago

 I looked up to the clear sky and the frenzied pulses sent out by my heart
pounded so hard at my chest. It felt like as if a drill were slowly poking a hole
across a sheet of delicate plywood. The adrenalin rush sent an electric impulse
swirling down my spine giving my the shivers which you get when you listen to
good music. I was breathing in a haphazard manner and the mesmerizing view
completely took over my body. It was like a drug that got me addicted and
brought me the instantaneous inner peace like as if my soul had been pulled out
of its cage. It felt like witch craft. My senses were blocked and I couldn't move a
muscle nor hear anything. Time froze and only my eyes were cooperated to take
a mental picture of this jet black spot dangling on the great canvas of Nature.
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matthew 5 months ago

The grey smoke filled the once fresh air with putrid smells of coal. I followed the
beckoning trail of the fog, wondering where it was leading. There it was, my
sister lay in a pool of seemingly dry blood painted on her fresh skin. I broke
down in sorrow, struggling to believe this was true. I pinched myself; attempting
strongly to escape this brutal nightmare, but nothing changed. How could this
be? What did she do to deserve this?The brooding sky refused to notice my
innocence; looming over me menacingly. Threats of the cynical cold air,
promised me death and torture. What did i do wrong?
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Dana Paola Villanueva Barrera Du Islam 7 months ago

I like yours


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Darlene McLare 10 months ago

At the bottom of the river, smooth-edged
stones glowed amber with a magical shine and witchery uncommon to this
modern world.
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Karan Mavji a year ago

consciousness returned to siris like an eagle spreading its wings. His mind
flooded with sensation. the cold ground.his face resting in a pool of nearly dried
blood, sticky against his skin. the stale sent of the prison.

He took a deep breath and threw himself to his feet, turning to swing. He
opened his eyes to a world of blurry world of shadows and filtered light. Those
shadows caught him, tripped him, then slammed him against the ground. Snap.
All went black. Siris registered this as a vague sensation, tangible in only the
most fleeting of ways. Like the memory of a taste. A sense of uncontrolled
soaring,a panicked flight.

Quoted from Infinity Blade: Redemption

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J.K. Rowling Karan Mavji 10 months ago

These Sentences really need some work. I am J.K. Rowling and they only
describe settings and textures.


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Bubblyjellybeanz J.K. Rowling 2 months ago

i know that you aren't J.K Rowling. if you're going to lie, try and
make it more convincing. Yet maybe if you are J.K Rowling, just not
the publisher of the Harry Potter series, then I do apologize.
Though it wouldn't really matter if your name actually is J.K
Rowling because you're not well-known for a talent of outstanding
English Literature

List of Descriptive Words

Writing a comprehensive list of descriptive words would probably take an
extremely lengthy amount of time. Just look at how many descriptive
words were used in that first sentence: writing, comprehensive, descriptive,
probably, extremely, lengthy, and so forth. When people hear the
phrase "descriptive words" they tend to think of adjectives. While
all adjectives are descriptive words, not all descriptive words are adjectives.
Furthermore, many different types of adjectives exist.

List of Descriptive Words

In order to take away the potential of such a list to become extreme
overwhelming, let's break them down into several shorter components of the list
of descriptive words.

General Adjectives
 hairy
dusty
melancholy
abrupt
tall
angry
grotesque
monstrous
miniscule

General Adverbs
quickly
hastily
angrily
faintly
begrudgingly
meagerly

Gerunds
walking
talking
laughing
playing
running
drinking
eating
making
taking
buying
hating
loving
driving
painting
writing
baking
cooking
mixing
biking
hiking
swimming
 laughing
joking
crying
diving
tying
betting
getting
hammering
nailing
jumping
preparing

*There may be some confusion as to why gerunds belong with descriptive

words. The answer is simple: they are often used to describe the actions of an
individual. Therefore, they are descriptive words.

Words Describing People

short
large
fat
thin
thick
blue-eyed
brown-eyed
green-eyed
brunette
blond
smart
intelligent
dumb
stupid
hungry
thirsty
mean
nice
kind
friendly
honest
truthful
comical
hilarious
 funny
tall
gorgeous
ugly
beautiful
cute
adorable
dependable
reliable
dishonest
liar
religious
secular
political
Democrat
Republican
Catholic
Christian
Lutheran
Baptist
Jewish
Islamic
pagan
Hindu
Buddhist
atheist
agnostic
student
teacher
police officer
firefighter
doctor
nurse
lawyer
dependent
certificated financial planner
stay at home mom
manager
employee
homemaker
Words Describing Other Things (some could be used for
people)
broken
bent
icey
steamy
warm
cold
hot
cool
chilly
breezy
chocolatey
spicey
salty
bittery
sweet
sour
crunchy
delightful
moist
dangerous
exciting
fun
milky
abomination
welcoming
open
closed

Colors
blue
green
yellow
red
purple
pink
magenta
orange
 turquoise
Tiffany blue
baby blue
brown
black
caramel
coffee
white
gray
hot pink
lime green
strawberry red
lilac
seafoam
cyan

Shapes
oval
circle
square
triangle
pentagon
hexagon
septagon
decagon
sextagon
nonatagon
rectangle
prism
rectaungular prism
sphere
globe

Weather

pouring
snowing
sunny
cloudy
warm
cool
 freezing
humid
breezy
windy
light rain
thunderstorm
thunder
lightning
downpour
tornado
flood
hurricane
tsunami
earthquake
blizzard
torrential rains

Sentences and Phrases for Descriptive and Narrative Essays(To express FEAR)

1.Nervous and jittery

2.Blood ran cold

3.His heart,his lungs and all his youthful muscles were(are) fighting,struggling to keep him alert

4.Adrenaline gushed out from his throat

5.His emotion was greatly disturbed by consternation,concern and deep fear

6.Butterflies seemed to be flying randomly all around in my stomach

7.With a fast-beating heart and heavy footsteps

8.My mind was entirely engulfed by deep fear as........

9.Their screams added to the confusion

10.I jumped out of my skin as....(I saw something)

11.My heart was thumping faster as though it was trying to breakthrough my ribs.

BEST DESCRIPTIVE SENTENCES

This post is a collection of some of the best sentences from 10 of my blog posts.
They can also be found in my new book Writing with Stardust. To see the book and
its accompanying workbook, just click the title:
I hope you enjoy the post and I will upload another selection soon. With luck the
sentences will inspire ideas for your writing. Take care for now. Liam.

A STREAM:

1. It was womb quiet by the stream and even the moth-flutter had died down.

2. Pebbles whisked about in the underwash like little pieces of glitter.

3. A galaxy of dragonflies fizzed through the beams of light, wings a-glirr in the
magical space between river and air.

A RIVER:

1. The river was a fragile, universe-blue colour, like the subtle sweep of a painters
brush.

2. The trout arced into the air, his body glistening, performing the ballet of the river.
With a plunking sound, he darted back to the shadowed depths, his catch already
safe in his spotted belly.

3. The mist faded, allowing the Technicolor of nature to be turned up like a light
switch.

THUNDER AND LIGHTNING:

1. The autumn sky was as bright as Zeus eyes. Nary a cloud blemished its bliss-
blue complexion and the sun was like a glowing medallion pinned to a sheet of
white paper.

2. Branched lightning lit up the Stygian sky. It was like liquid, golden ore streaks
were being forged into forks above my head.

3. Wriggling and writhing with the pain of its existence, it flashed once, glossy and
polished, like the cold, gold prongs of the Apocalypse.

DESCRIBING CHRISTMAS:

1. The fires lambent light stole away the velvet-black shadows dancing on the wall.

2. Thyme-filled turkeys sizzled on the oven foil.

3. An angel was perched on top of the tree, glittering with its flash-silver lustre.

LOST AT SEA:

1. The emptiness in my soul matches the spiritless sky and the featureless
waterscape around me.

2. I am floundering in a sea of divine-blue quicklime and theres no escape.

3. The moon casts down splinters of Solomon-gold, making the sea-crests sparkle
like elf light.

DESCRIBING AUTUMN:

1. Fog-tinted fairy trees stand alone in fields, noosed by coils of dragon breath.

2. Owl light replaces daylight as autumn comes to a close. The seething energy of
the forest becomes vow silent as promises to nature are kept.

3. A weak pitter-patter is heard, but is not the sound of childrens feet. It is the
centuries-old, hissing drip of raindrops in caves.

THE BEACH AT DAWN:

1. The horizon seemed to be stitched with a line of silver.

2. The seagulls wheeled and arced, their raucous cries ringing off the cliff. There
was a strange glamour to their timeless call as they soared between the wands of
God-goldened light.

3. A single yacht bobbed and lolled in the incoming tide, like a toy in a bath. Its
lights winked saucily as the wave-crests rose gently.

DESCRIBING A LAKE:

1. A broad span of Tuscany-blue sky was slashed above the lake, making it appear
like natures amphitheatre.

2. Tolkein-esque ferns swayed beside a brook that spiralled down from a turf moor.

3. At the bottom, smooth-edged stones glowed amber with a witchery uncommon to

the modern world.

DESCRIBING SPRING:

1. Spring is glee. Its a fizzy tonic, like a slowly overflowing bottle of bubbling joy.

2. Thumb-plump bumblebees, wings a-thrum, loot from honeypots of mustard-

yellow flowers.

3. Overhead, an exodus of banished birds appears as if out of a Celtic fairytale.

DESCRIBING SUMMER:

1. A sol-fa of song erupts as the stars fade away, the ancient alchemy of the dawn
chorus.

2. The perpetual skies of summer are buckled with clouds and they flare up in a
luminous, neon-blue when the mood takes them.
3. A goulash of scents twirls above the satin soft petals and the pear sweet taste in
the air is a blessed joy.

Now here are 10 of my favourite words to use in an essay on nature. Some words
just do it for you. Having said that, they have a pleasing sound also. This is called a
phonoaesthetic quality. I had to put in wood sorrel. For some reason, its always
fascinated me. Maybe it is because its an edible plant. Anyway, here are the words.
You can also look up my hundred favourite words to use in an essay by clicking
here:

1. languorous-

2. thaumaturgy

3. incarnadine

4. magnetism

5. sorbet

6. opaline

7. arcipluvian

8. phosphorescence

9. cosmic

10. wood sorrel

(and my favourite word of all time is frazil-silver. Frazil is the old word for the ice
crystals tumbling down a mountain stream.) Its difficult to beat that.