A New Years’ Party: The 5 Senses

2021 is here! It’s time to say farewell to 2020 and usher in the new year by celebrating with our loved ones. What can you see? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you taste? What can you feel?

One of the best ways to describe our surroundings is through the five senses: sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch. This is collectively known as sensory imagery. Through involving the use of descriptive language to create mental images, the writer is able to engage the reader, making the scene come alive in the mind’s eye. Can you identify the specific sensory word(s) in the phrases below?

Sight:

  • Tungsten lamps painted the room with an orange glow
  • Fairy lights sparkled in hues of blue and red
  • Fireworks shattered into a thousand sparkles against the velvety black sky

Sound:

  • Sudden pop of party poppers
  • Swiftly followed by squeals of excitement and delight
  • The countdown ended with loud tooting and hooting
  • Hot hissing of sparklers
  • Whistling sounds turned into loud spatters of fireworks

Smell:

  • Sweet scent of pork ribs and burning charcoal
  • Aroma of mother’s freshly baked chicken pie

Taste:

  • Saccharine-sweet taste of strawberry custard
  • Freshly baked buttery crust left a sweet yet salty taste in my mouth

Touch:

  • Lush velvety texture of my dress
  • Fizzy soda tickled my tongue
  • "Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" we cheered with delight as my mother pulled me into a warm embrace

Test Yourself
Exercise 1: Here are some celebratory idioms. Can you explain what they mean?

  • Life and soul of the party
  • Pour cold water on
  • Burning up the dance floor
  • Paint the town red
  • Let your hair down

Exercise 2: Using the party-related sensory imagery and idioms shared above, describe your own New Years’ party!

  • Someone who is very lively and the centre of attention of a party or social gathering
  • Someone who turns an atmosphere cold ; usually puts a dampener on ideas
  • To dance with fervour and enthusiasm
  • To enjoy yourself with flamboyance
  • To relax and behave more freely
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