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AAA.1 Identify and use sense words

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What are sense words?

Sense words describe how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. They connect writing to our five senses and help readers imagine details clearly.

Examples:
  • Look: “The bright stars twinkled.”
  • Sound: “The loud drum echoed.”
  • Smell: “The fresh cookies baked in the oven.”
  • Taste: “The sweet watermelon was juicy.”
  • Feel: “The rough rock scratched my hand.”
Helpful hint

Ask yourself: “What does it look like, sound like, smell like, taste like, or feel like?” Use adjectives to describe it.

Why do writers use sense word adjectives?

Writers use sense words to make their sentences more vivid and engaging. Without them, writing can feel plain. With them, readers experience the text through their senses.

Example Sentences:
  • Without sense words: “The pie was on the table.”
  • With sense words: “The warm, sweet-smelling pie sat on the table.”
Helpful hint

Always check: Does my sentence help the reader imagine with their senses? If not, add a sense word adjective.

Examples of common sense words

Here are some useful sense words you can use in your writing:

Adjectives List:
  • Look: bright, dark, colorful, shiny
  • Sound: loud, quiet, musical, noisy
  • Smell: sweet, fresh, stinky, smoky
  • Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter
  • Feel: soft, rough, smooth, bumpy
Helpful hint

Choose adjectives that match the sense you want the reader to notice most.

Putting it all together

When you use sense word adjectives, your writing comes alive. Readers can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel your descriptions as if they were there.

Examples:
  • “The soft blanket smelled fresh and felt warm.”
  • “The bright fireworks made a loud boom in the sky.”
  • “The crispy fries tasted salty and hot.”
Helpful hint

Remember: The best descriptions use more than one sense word to paint a full picture for the reader.