Page 303 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

present it in terms of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Example of Telling versus Showing

Telling

As I drove down the highway in the snow, I saw a terrible accident.

A small black pickup truck passed me, and just a few moments later, I

saw that same truck roll off the highway and come to rest in a
ravine. I pulled off to the side of the road to call 911, wondering

if the young man driving the truck was alive. Other cars pulled off,

too, and their drivers got out to help. Soon, someone told me that

the young man was still breathing. I drove off feeling very

relieved.

Showing

A light snow fell silently as I drove down the highway, making me

feel at peace. Suddenly, a small black pickup truck shot past me at a
dangerous speed. I could see that the driver was very young. “Idiot,”

I thought. Seconds later, I watched in horror as the speeding truck

fishtailed across the snowy highway. In what seemed to me like slow

motion, the truck rolled end over end across the highway and into a

deep ravine. As I pulled to the side of the road to dial 911, several
other cars pulled over, and three men scrambled down the ravine.

After a few worried minutes, I saw one of the men running toward me.

“He’s still alive,” the man said. “Have you called 911?” I said that

I had, and, feeling that I could be of no more help, decided to be on