Objective and subjective description Some examples of objective

Objective and subjective description*

Some examples of objective description: describing crime scenes, for construction projects—describing traffic problems, how new project would alleviate this, describing research methods, business reports, newspaper accounts •

• • • purpose: to present readers with information required to make an evaluation or decision • focuses on facts and observable detail

Subjective description creates impressions through sensory details and imagery to communicate an individual sense of the subject. It paints scenes, creates moods, or generates emotional responses. Accurate information is less important than communicating an atmosphere

Examples: short stories, novels, essays, poetry, opinion pieces

Impact depends on diction: choice of words, which should be: § Accurate § Effective § Appropriate

Easily confused words: § Continuously or continually? § Adapt or adopt? § Allusion or illusion? § Infer or imply? § Conscience or conscious? § Principle or principal? § Affect or effect?

To effectively use words we should: § Use specific words § Eliminate unnecessary words § Avoid diluted verbs § Avoid clichés and inflated phrases

To use words appropriately we should consider the roles of denotation and connotation. § Words (such as home, residence and domicile) may have the same denotation or basic meaning but evoke different associations § Connotations are implied or suggested meanings, which can be positive or negative

Strategies for Reading Description. Ask yourself: • What is the author’s goal? • Who is the intended audience? • What details does the writer select? • Does the description seek to establish a dominant impression? • What level of language is employed? • What connotations does the language evoke?

The Bomb Ø What dominant impression does Lamont make? Ø How did the scientists feel about the bomb they created? Ø What impact does the final quotation have? Ø How does Lamont blend objective details and subjective impressions? Ø What role does animal imagery play in the description?

* Connelly, Mark The Sundance Reader, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, 2012