Describing

Describing Objects

Saying more than the name: group, parts, function, looks, size and place.

Mastered by: Naming one or two features from about 3
Practice items: 14
Sections: 2

What this skill is

Semantic feature analysis is the practice of describing a thing by its features rather than reaching for its name. A child who can only produce the name has one route to the word, so when the name will not come there is nothing to fall back on; a child who can say "it is an animal, it has four legs, it gives milk" can get the idea across without the word, and the word itself is easier to retrieve next time because it is attached to more. That is why this is worth doing with children who know the vocabulary perfectly well.

What to expect

A child who is not ready answers "it’s a cow" and stops, or repeats the name louder. That is not a vocabulary problem - they do not yet know what counts as an answer. Naming the slot is what unlocks it: not "tell me about the cow" but "what group is a cow in?" Expect one feature at a time at first, and expect color and size long before group and function.

Try this at home

Do it in the car and in the kitchen, not at a table. Hold something up and take turns: you say a feature, they say a feature, and neither of you may say the name. Then swap to the guessing game, where you describe something in the room and they work out what it is.

When to refer

Cannot give any feature beyond the name by 4;0, or still relies on "thing" and "stuff" with no describing words by 5;6 while otherwise talking in full sentences.

Print it

Describing Objects worksheet14 items across 2 sections, with answer key · PDF

Put it into practice

Tap any item below to open it full screen, one at a time, so a child can answer without reading the answer first.

These activities are a starting point, not the practice itself. A structured task is a good way to introduce a form and to find out whether a child has it yet. What actually moves it into everyday speech is using it in the real world and in ordinary play — which means the four things below matter more than finishing the list.

Recast
Say their sentence back correctly, without asking them to repeat it. Child: “he goed.” You: “he went! Where did he go?”
Expand
Add one or two words to what they said and hand it back. Child: “big truck.” You: “a big red truck!”
Simplify what you ask
Cut a long instruction into single steps and say them in the order they happen, rather than repeating the long one louder.
Follow their lead
Use whatever they are already playing with. A form practised on something they chose is the one that shows up again tomorrow.

Take it into a game →ASHA Practice Portal

Describing Without the Name

8 items

Cover the name and describe the thing using the six boxes. The child does not have to use all six - two good features is a win at first. Tap any item to open it full screen.

Which Feature Is Missing?

6 items

Read the description. The child says which of the six boxes has not been filled in yet - group, parts, what you do with it, looks, size or where. Tap any item to open it full screen.

Describe it

152 objects

Pick a thing and fill in the six boxes round it. Tap a box for the kind of answer that belongs in it. Then hide the picture and describe it while the child guesses.