Picture sentences use descriptive language to invoke the five senses, adding an extra layer to writing. Metaphors and similes are other types of pictures. The best writers use many types of picture sentences to draw the reader into the story and provide a complete picture that includes all senses.
With a little practice, recognizing picture sentences can become easier; chances are you have read a lot of sentences that contain pictures and you didn’t even realize it. It’s one of the most common writing devices used in many different styles of writing, in both fiction and non-fiction, because it really helps add an extra layer to the piece. The key to recognizing picture phrases is to look for descriptive language that invokes one of the five senses. Visual images are the most common and describe what something looks like, but other types of images might describe how something smells, tastes or sounds, for example.
Some types of picture sentences that may be more difficult to recognize are sentences that make use of metaphors or similes, which are other types of pictures. A metaphor is something that says one thing is actually another; for example, “The sky is a painting.” A simile makes a similar comparison, but uses the words “like” or “like” to make the comparison. In this example, the sentence might read “The sky is like a painting.” Metaphor and simile are two literary devices that take practice to use and recognize, but they add a lot of imagery to writing and often make it more enjoyable to read and easier to imagine.
Other types of images are more direct and easier to recognize. Visual images are the most common and are simply used to describe something using visual language. Instead of saying, “The coffee cup is sitting on the table,” a writer might say, “The blue coffee cup filled with steaming coffee was sitting on the distressed wood table.” The sentences say essentially the same thing, but the second one allows the reader to imagine the scene much more fully, which helps to involve the reader more in the story.
The best writers will use many different types of picture sentences and not just limit themselves to visual imagery. Describing how something smells, how a certain sound affects a character, or the perfect way food tastes all serve the same purpose, to draw the reader into the story. Picture sentences allow the reader to get lost in the story, without needing to fill in the gaps on their own. The best writers won’t keep the reader guessing, but they will provide enough imagery to give a complete picture that includes all the senses. While recognizing the images will take some conscious effort, chances are once you get the hang of it, it will become very easy to see.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
