Descriptive Text (Update)

Teks descriptive adalah teks yang bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan suatu benda, tempat, atau orang tertentu.

Struktur teks descriptive:

1. Identification (identifikasi): pendahuluan tentang apa dan siapa yang akan dideskripsi­kan.

2. Description (deskripsi): berisi ciri-ciri khusus yang dimiliki benda, tempat, atau orang yang dideskripsikan.

Ciri-ciri teks descriptive:

·  menggunakan the simple present tense

·  menggunakan attribute verb, seperti be (am, is, are)

Contoh:

My house is on Jalan Kartini. It is big and nice.

It has two floors. It has a living room, a small kitchen and a bathroom on the first floor. On the second floor there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. My parents' bedroom is big. My brother's room is next to my room. My room is small but I like it.

It has light green wall. There is a desk with a computer on it. I do homework there. There is also a nice garden in front of my house and I often play in the garden. We love our house.

Source: Scaffolding English for Junior High School Students Grade VII

Contoh Soal

Read the text and answer questions I and 2.

"The Earth's greatest gorge", the Grand Canyon is located in northwestern Arizona. Its vastness is 217 miles long, and its widest spans over 17 miles across. It is not surprising that it has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The walls of the canyon are made of limestone, sandstone, lava and other rocks. As the day passes, the rocks reflect different colors. Many tourists come to the canyon just to watch the rocks change color.

Cottonwood and willow trees grow at the bottom of the canyon. Many varieties of cacti grow here as well. The canyon is also home to many animals, such as bobcats, coyotes, kangaroo rats and deer.

Today about 4 million visitors come, to Grand Canyon each year. Seeing the Grand Canyon is always a breathtaking and unforgettable experience.

1. What makes the visitors feel interested watching the rocks?

A. They have different sizes.

B. They reflect human's life.

C. They can change into different colour.

D. They can change its form.

(Ujian Nasional 2008/2009)

2. ". . . Grand Canyon is always a breathtaking and unforgettable experience." (Last paragraph) The underlined word has the same meaning as ...

A. strong emotional

B. available

C. amazing

D. unbelievable

(Ujian Nasional 2008/2009)

Read the text below and answer questions 3 and 4.

The Eka Karya Botanical Garden is a unique place to visit in Bali. There, visitors can stroll through cool and tranquil gardens, visit temples and traditional Balinese buildings, and learn about Balinese botany and traditional. The gardens combine scientific and conservation goals in a cool, mountainous setting; with adjacent forests and lakes, wildlife such as birds and monkeys, and the attractive landscaping all joined in harmony. With a rich collection of 1,187 species, the Eka Karya Botanical Garden is not only a forerunner in conserving Indonesia's flora, but also one of the most beautiful gardens of its kind in the world.

The primary task of the Botanical Garden is to conduct research, inventory and protect Indonesian plant species, native to moist upland areas, particularly from eastern Indonesia, also to provide useful scientific services and to increase public appreciation for conservation.

3. What is the Eka Karya Botanical Garden like?

A. Kind.

B. Useful.

C. Unique.

D. Harmony.

(Ujian Nasional 2008/2009)

4. "There, visitors can stroll through cool. (Paragraph 1) What does the underlined word mean?

A. Walk slowly.

B. Examine carefully.

C. Observe seriously.

D. Stay temporarily.

(Ujian Nasional 2008/2009)

Read the text and answer questions 5 to 8.

Vanessa Mae Vanakorn Nicholson is a musician.

She is only nineteen years old, but she is a world-famous violinist. When she plays classical violin concerts on her electric violin, the world listens.

Vanessa Mae is Thai-Chinese. Her mother is Chinese and her father is Thai. She is from Singapore, but she now lives in London with her mother and her English stepfather. She's got cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents in Thailand, Singapore, China and England.

Adapted from: Snapshot, Starter

5. What is the text about?

A. A violinist.

B. A musician.

C. A pianist.

D. An artist.

(Ujian Nasional 2007/2008)

6. Vanessa plays violin : . . .

A. badly

B. carefully

C. classically

D. wonderfully

(Ujian Nasional 2007/2008)

7. From the text we know that people ....

A. in the world are interested in all violinists

B. like to listen to Vanessa playing violin

C. are eager to play the violin with Vanessa

D. play the violin very well in a concert

(Ujian Nasional 2007/2008)

8. ". .., but she now lives in London with her mother and her English stepfather." (Paragraph 3) The word "stepfather" means a male who's married to ....

A. one's aunt

B. one's sister

C. one's mother

D. one's daughter

(Ujian Nasional 2007/2008)

Tips :

Kunci keberhasilan memahami sebuah teks adalah memahami makna kata atau kalimat dalam teks.

Dalam teks ini disebutkan dua macam profesi/ pekerjaan, yaitu musician (pemain musik) dan violinist (pemain biola).

Dalam bahasa Inggris, kata-kata yang mengacu pada nama suatu pekerjaan dapat dibentuk dari :

1. verb + -or

Contoh:

- constructor (perancang bangunan)

- sailor (pelaut)

- advisor (penasihat)

- editor (pemeriksa naskah)

2. verb + -er

Contoh:

- writer (penulis)

- teacher (guru/pengajar)

- speaker (juru bicara)

- announcer (orang yang membacakan pengumuman)

3. noun + -ist

Contoh:

- pianist (pemain piano)

- guitarist (pemain gitar)

- novelist (penulis novel)

.

4. man/-woman

Contoh:

- businessman / woman (pengusaha)

- policeman / woman (police officer = polisi)

Soal di atas merupakan contoh soal tentang, gambaran umum. Gambaran umum bacaan bisa merupakan topik utama atau ide pokok. Soal-soal yang menanyakan gambaran umum biasanya menggunakan kalimat "What is the text about?" atau "What does the text tell you about?".

Untuk mengefahui gambaran umum teks descriptive kalian dapat melakukan kegiatan sebagai berikut.

1. Perhatikan subjek kalimat pertama dalam paragaf satu. Biasanya subjek kalimat pertama merupakan hal utama yang akan dideskripsikan. Sebagai contoh subjek kalimat pertama paragraf satu adalah Vanesa Mae. Jadi, isi teks tersebut adalah Vanessa Mae.

2. Perhatikan kata ganti orang atau benda (pronouns) yang sering muncul. Saat mendeskripsikan tentang ciri-ciri sesuatu atau seseorang, penulis pasti mengulang-ulang subjek yang dideskripsikan dengan pronouns. Sebagai contoh, saat mendeskripsikan Vanesa Mae, penulis menggunakan pronouns 'she ataupun possessive pronoun 'her'.

3. Perhatikan bagian identification teks descriptive yang biasanya terdapat dalam paragraf satu. Dalam identification dijelaskan tentang apa dan bagaimana sebuah subjek secara umum. Hal ini setidaknya membantu kalian mengetahui hal yang akan dideskripsikan. Namun, kalian juga perlu memahami bagian teks selanjutnya, yaitu bagian description karena penjelasan tentang subjeknya biasanya lebih rinci.

4. Catat gagasan utama setiap paragraf dan simpulkan gambaran umum teks tersebut.

Salah satu hal yang perlu kalian kuasai saat memahami teks adalah mengetahui makna kata. Dalam teks ini disebutkan salah satu jenis alat musik, yaitu violin (biola). Berikut ini merupakan nama-nama alat musik dalam bahasa Inggris.

- guitar (gitar)

- piano (piano)

- drum (drum)

- violin (biola)

- flute (seruling)

- saxophone (saksofon)

- trumpet (terompet)

- keyboard (keyboard)

Cane Toad

The Cane Toad ( Bufo marinus ), also known as the Giant Neotropical Toad or Marine Toad , is a large, terrestrial true toad native to Central and South America. It is a member of the sub genus Chaunus of the genus Bufo, which includes many different true toad species throughout Central and South America. The Cane Toad is a prolific breeder; females lay single-clump spawns with large numbers of eggs. Its reproductive success is partly because of opportunistic feeding: it has a diet, unusual among Anurans, of both dead and living matter. Adults average 10 to 15 centimeters (4–6 in) in length; the largest recorded specimen weighed 2.65 kg (5.8 lb) with a length of 38 cm (15 in) from snout to vent.
The Cane Toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested. Because of its voracious appetite, the Cane Toad has been introduced to many regions of the Pacific and the Caribbean islands as a method of agricultural pest control, notably failing in the case of Australia in 1935, and derives its common name from its use against the gray back cane beetle pests. The Cane Toad is now considered a pest in many of its introduced regions, because its toxic skin kills many native predators when ingested. It has many negative effects on farmers because of pets and animals eating the creatures.

American Roach. Periplaneta Americana (Linn.)

This is one of the largest of the common roaches found in the U.S. It often obtains a length of 1 1/2 inches.
The American roach is a strong flier and both sexes have fully developed wings. Food storage and preparation areas, such as restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and houses, are often infested.
The female roach can produce 6-14 egg capsules in one mating season. These capsules contain from 10 to 16 eggs each. Incubation for the eggs varies from 38 to 49 days, after which the young nymphs hatch.

A Game Of Football

A game of football has two teams with eleven players in each team. Each team has it own captain whom the players must obey. The rules in football are very important. You are allowed to kick the ball, but you are not allowed to touch it with your hands. Only one person is allowed to touch the ball with his hands. That person is a keeper.
Beside the players, there is another person in the field. He is a referee. Although he doesn’t play, he is very important. He has to see that the rules are obeyed.

1. Based on the text above, who leads the game of football?
a. The players
b. The referee
c. The captain
d. The spectators
2. How many players does each team have? It has …
a. eleven players
b. seven players
c. twenty – two players
d. two team
3. you are not allowed to touch it with your hands. The word "it" refers to …
a. the captain
b. the ball
c. the lines
d. the players
4. What does paragraph one tells us?
a. The captain of the team
b. The keeper of football
c. The rules of football
d. The game of football

My Cat Richard

Richard is my beautiful gray Persian cat. He walks with pride and grace, performing a dance of disdain as he slowly lifts and lowers each paw with the delicacy of a ballet dancer. His pride, however, does not extend to his appearance, for he spends most of his time indoors watching television and growing fat.
He enjoys TV commercials, especially those for Meow Mix and 9 Lives. His familiarity with cat food commercials has led him to reject generic brands of cat food in favor of only the most expensive brands.

Richard is as finicky about visitors as he is about what he eats, befriending some and repelling others. He may snuggle up against your ankle, begging to be petted, or he may imitate a skunk and stain your favorite trousers. Richard does not do this to establish his territory, as many cat experts think, but to humiliate me because he is jealous of my friends.

After my guests have fled, I look at the old fleabag snoozing and smiling to himself in front of the television set, and I have to forgive him for his obnoxious, but endearing, habits.

Cleopatra

One of the most famous women in world history was Cleopatra VII. She was the brilliant and beautiful last Pharaoh of Egypt. Historically, she became queen of Egypt in 51 B.C. at the age of eighteen. She was a Ptolemy, descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals. When she was twenty-one, Julius Caesar became her lover. Seven years later she met Antony. The romantic tragic relationship continued until they died by suicide in 30 B.C.

Cleopatra was legendary. She was famous not only for her breathtaking beauty but also for her great intellect. She had brown eyes and they were shaped like cat eyes. Her skin was in fact an olive shade, darker than Hollywood actress Liz Taylor who potrayed her in the film 'Cleopatra' in 1963. She had medium dark brown hair, about to the middle of her shoulder blades. She had a reputation as an extraordinarily sensuous woman.

Cleopatra was a woman of remarkable poise and unusual intelligence. She was highly educated. She spoke proficiently in nine languages and also skilled in mathematics. She is often considered to be a stunning seductress though she was studying to be a nun. Cleopatra was a very intelligent queen and a politician with a great charisma.

Singapore

Have you ever visited Singapore? Well, if you haven’t, let me tell you about Singapore. Singapore is an island city. Its population is about three millions people. Most Singaporeans live in high-rise apartments.

Uhm…Singapore is a beautiful city with lots of parks and open spaces. It is also a very clean city. You know, the business district is very modern, with lots of tall and new buildings.

Now, let me tell you about the old section of the city. In Chinatown, there are rows of old shop houses. The government buildings in Singapore are also very unique and antique. They date from the British colonial days.

Shopping! Wow, this is the part that I like very much! Singapore is famous for its many good shopping centers. Most of the goods are duty free. It’s a heaven for shoppers!

What about food? Uhmm ..yummy..yummy. It’s delicious. Singapore’s restaurants provide Chinese, Indian, Malay, and European food, and the prices are quite reasonable. I bet you’ll like it.

Well, since Singapore lies near the equatorial line, of course, it has a tropical climate, with a nice weather in both dry and rainy season.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a famous area of waterfalls. It is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of North America. It is on the Niagara River, about halfway between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Niagara River forms part of the border between Canada and the United States. At Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada is on one side of the river, and the U.S. state of New York is on the other side.

Niagara Falls really has two waterfalls. The Horseshoe Falls are in Canada, and the American Falls are in the United States.

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 kilometer). 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.

At night, colored lights shine on the thundering falls. About 10 million people visit Niagara Falls each year.

Easter Island

Easter Island is in the South Pacific, 3,700 kilometres from the coast of Chile. On the island, there are 600 large statues. We don’t know who built them but they were probably constructed between 1150 and 1500. We don’t really know why they are there. The Easter Island.

Norwegian explorer, Thor Heyerdahl, believed that they were built by people from South America. To prove this, he made a simple raft and sailed there, all the way from Peru.

Archaeologists think that the statues represent dead tribal leaders. We don’t know why the statues left alone on the island. Perhaps they were killed by disease or war. Perhaps the builders used all the natural resources on the island. There are many unanswered questions about Easter Island.

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur is Hindu – Budhist temple. It was build in the ninth century under Sailendra dynasty of ancient Mataram kingdom. Borobudur is located in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia.
Borobudur is well-known all over the world. Its construction is influenced by the Gupta architecture of India. The temple is constructed on a hill 46 m high and consist of eight step like stone terrace. The first five terrace are square and surrounded by walls adorned with Budist sculpture in bas-relief. The upper three are circular. Each of them is with a circle of bell shape-stupa. The entire edifice is crowned by a large stupa at the center at the center of the top circle. The way to the summit extends through some 4.8 km of passage and stairways. The design of Borobudur which symbolizes the structure of universe influences temples at Angkor, Cambodia.
Borobudur temple which is rededicated as an Indonesian monument in 1983 is a valuable treasure for Indonesian people.

My Family

Dear listeners,

My name is Anton. I am 12 years old. I am from Magelang. I am a student and now I go to Islamic Junior High School at Prembun. I want to be an engineer.
My mother is a nurse. She works I a small hospital in a small village. My father works in New Armada. It is a car assembling factory.

I have two sisters: Ratna and Rini. Ratna is 10 years old and Rini is 6. They are students in an elementary school in my village. Ratna wants to be a doctor and Rini wants to be a teacher.

Please write and tell me about your family.

Anton Hermawan

My Grandma

My grandma is a tidy old woman. She is now 80 years old. Her hair is long and tidy. She combs it everyday. She always puts things on the right place. Her clothes are always clean and neat.

She lives alone, so she she makes up her own bed. She cleans up the house. She also cooks her own meal everyday.

My Friend, Miranda

Hi friends! This is my friend Miranda. She comes from Sulawesi. She was born in Makasar on June 12, 1980. Her hobbies are singing and swimming. She also likes planting flowers very much. She lives at 12 Jalan Jaya. She lives together with her parents and two sisters. They are Mr. and Mrs Yudhatama, Sherina and Tiara.
Miranda studies at SMP 7. Her older sister is in the first year
of SMA, and Tiara is still in SD. They all love one another.

Mr. Budi’s House

This is Mr. Budi’s house. It has a living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a garage. There are six chairs and dining table in the dining room. The dining room is between the living room and the kitchen.

There are four armchairs, a table, a sofa and a TV set in the living room. In each bedroom, you can find wardrobe and a bed. There is a bucket in the bathroom. There are many kitchen utensils in the kitchen.

My Home Bali

Bali is one of the beautiful islands in Indonesian country. Many tourists visit Bali to see the beautiful scenery and interesting festivals. They like to swim in the warm seas, look at the beautiful mountains and valleys, and shop for inexpensive and beautiful clothes, paintings, and wood crafts.
Bali is situated in the south of the equator of Indonesian archipelago. It is 120 kilometers wide from east to west and 80 kilometers from north to south. Bali is shaped like a diamond. Mount Agung, a volcano, is 153,142 meters high and visible from far away. Most people are Hindus. There are many temples and many religious festivals there.

1. What for do the tourist visit Bali?
A.To know that Bali is shaped like a diamond.
B.To see that there are many Hindus people in Bali.
C.To see the beautiful scenery and interesting festivals.
D.To know that mount Agung is 153,142 meters high.

2. Bali is situated in the south of equator …. (Paragraph 2) The underlined word
means ….
A. inhabited
B. located
C. visited
D. shaped

Descriptive Text

What is Desriptive text ?

Teks descriptive adalah teks yang dipakai untuk mendeskripsikan (menjelaskan secara rinci) sesuatu benda, orang, tempat atau binatang.

Teks descriptive menggunakan kata kerja bentuk simple present tense. Biasanya banyak menggunakan TO BE, have / has dan kata kerja bentuk present lainnya.

Teks descriptive terdiri dari dua bagian :

a. Identification :  Mengetengahkan hal yang akan dijelaskan / dideskripsikan.

b. Description   :  Menjelaskan secara detail hal yang yang disebutkan dalam identification.

Example of Descriptive Text 1:

Our school is on Jalan Sudirman. It has eighteen classroom, two laboratories, one library, one headmaster’s room, one teacher’s room, one staff’s room, one music room, one computer’s room and one canteen. We always hold a flag ceremony in our school yard. Our school yard is not so big, that’s why if we have Physical Education lesson, we practice at the field beside our school.

Example of Descriptive Text 2 :

Taj mahal

Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. It was built by a Muslim Emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his dear wife at Agra.
Taj Mahal is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it.
The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and a symmetry of architectural elements.
Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.
Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

Source: www.islamicity.com/culture/Taj/default.htm

Download Another Examples of Descriptive Text :

• Apollo Flight
• Amat
• Aryan
• ATM
• Arif
• Applying For A Job
• Anton
• American Roach
• A Tidal Wave
• A Game Of Football
• Cleopatra
• Jatim Park
• The Amazing Tajmahal In India
• My Friends New Shoes
• The Atlantic bottle nose dolphins
• Jakarta
• My Cat Gregory
• Borobudur Temple
• The Moon
• The Sea Eagle
• Borobudur Temple
• My Friends New Shoes
• Susie Susanti
• Farming Tools
• Badminton
• Erni
• Erna
• Egypt Pyramids
• What am I?
• Doing Experiments
• Dessy
• Climate
• Easter Island
• Computer
• Communication
• Do you like Indonesia Dancing?
• Egypts Capital
• Deserts
• Ciboboh Beach
• Bunaken National Park
• Camping
• Budi
• Borobudur-2
• Cane Toad
• Bambang
• Borobudur-1
• Bunaken National Marine Park 
• Bogor Botanical Garden 
• Cat