Sensory details are descriptive words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell) to add depth and richness to writing. They help create a reading experience that comes alive for the reader and transport them into the scene. Sensory details can be used to emphasize the most important moments and scenes in a story, not for every detail or description. To write sensory details effectively, the writer must take the time to observe and experience the world around them, and then use rich, descriptive language that appeals to the readers senses. Some examples of sensory details include:
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Sight: Colors, shapes, and appearances. For instance: gloomy, dazzling, bright, foggy, gigantic.
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Touch: Textures that can describe feelings and abstract concepts, too. For example: gritty, creepy, slimy, fluff, sticky.
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Sound: Descriptions of sounds, such as muffled crinkling of a package.
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Taste: Descriptions of flavors, such as salty crunch of fried chicken.
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Smell: Descriptions of scents, such as the smell of freshly baked bread.
To practice thinking of sensory words for description, one can try to rewrite sentences without using the actual nouns provided.
