Meaning & use
concrete physical detail
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Meaning
phrasecountable
A specific, observable fact about the physical world, such as a sound, texture, or object, used to make writing or an account vivid.
Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase: a concrete physical detail, several concrete physical details.
Patterns
- include concrete physical detail
- a concrete physical detail
- concrete physical details of something
The best travel writing is full of concrete physical detail, like the smell of wet wool and the sound of gravel under tires.
Instead of saying the room was unpleasant, she gave concrete physical detail: the peeling paint and the buzzing fluorescent light.
Police reports rely on concrete physical detail rather than the witness's feelings.
Word forms
| plural | concrete physical details |
|---|
Common combinations
- full of concrete physical detail
- Her memoir is full of concrete physical detail that makes every scene real.
- give concrete physical detail
- The witness gave concrete physical detail about the car and the driver.
- concrete physical detail about
- The report includes concrete physical detail about the damage to the bridge.
- lack concrete physical detail
- His description lacked concrete physical detail, so it was hard to picture the place.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sensory detail
- Sensory detail focuses on what the five senses perceive; concrete physical detail is broader and can include any observable physical fact.
- specifics
- Specifics means exact details in general, not necessarily physical ones, and is more informal.
Opposites
Commonly confused: concrete physical detail or concrete detail?
concrete physical detail vs concrete detail
Concrete detail can refer to any precise fact, while concrete physical detail specifically refers to things you can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste.
Practice
A good description uses concrete physical detail, such as ___.
Choose one answer.
Only the first option gives specific, observable physical details (sound and smell). The others are abstract ideas, which is exactly what concrete physical detail avoids.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “concrete physical detail”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.