Nature Words: Building Vivid Vocabulary Outdoors
Instead of saying a leaf is just 'green,' what if you said it was 'emerald,' 'mossy,' or 'lime-bright'? Stepping outside and really looking at the world -- crunchy leaves, drifting clouds, buzzing bees -- gives you a treasure chest of exact, colorful words that make your writing come alive.
What You'll Learn
In this lesson you will: - Learn what a describing word (adjective) does in a sentence - Collect exact nature words for colors, sounds, and textures - Practice using your senses to find better words than 'nice' or 'good' - Write your own short nature description
What Is a Describing Word?
A describing word, or adjective, tells us more about a noun -- what something looks like, sounds like, feels like, or smells like. 'The dog barked' is plain. 'The fluffy dog barked loudly' paints a picture in your mind. Outside, you are surrounded by things waiting for exact describing words: is the wind gentle or fierce? Is the bark of a tree rough or smooth?
Using Your Five Senses Outside
Nature gives you words for every sense. For sight: sparkling water, golden sunlight, speckled bird feathers. For sound: rustling leaves, chirping crickets, whooshing wind. For touch: prickly pinecones, squishy mud, silky flower petals. For smell: earthy dirt after rain, sweet honeysuckle, fresh-cut grass. Instead of saying 'the yard smelled good,' a nature writer might say 'the yard smelled like fresh-cut grass and sweet honeysuckle.'
Trading Boring Words for Exact Words
'Nice,' 'good,' and 'pretty' are words that do not tell us much because they could describe almost anything. Nature writing pushes you to trade those boring words for exact ones. Instead of 'The flower was pretty,' try 'The flower's petals were bright orange with tiny black speckles.' Instead of 'The bug was gross,' try 'The beetle had a shiny, hard, blue-black shell.' The more exact your word, the clearer the picture in your reader's mind.
Next time you are stuck describing something, ask yourself: what does it look like, sound like, feel like, smell like, and (if safe) taste like? Even using just two of your senses makes your writing much more exact.
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Which sentence uses the most exact, vivid describing words?
Which word describes a SOUND you might hear outside, not a sight or a smell?
Write a Five-Senses Nature Postcard
Go outside (or look out a window) for five minutes. Write down one exact describing word for something you see, one for something you hear, and one for something you feel or smell. Then combine your three words into two or three sentences describing the scene, like a postcard to a friend. Read your postcard out loud to someone at home.
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