Ministry of higher education, science and innovations termiz state university

3. Olfactory Imagery

Olfactory imagery is described as the ability to experience the sensation of a smell when the appropriate stimulus is absent (Lin, Cross, Laczniak, & Childers, 2017). When a smell is described so clearly, it rings the bells, thus awakening a sensory cue that triggers vivid memories and emotions.
Olfactory imagery includes:

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  Fragrances
  
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  Scent
  
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  Odors
  

For example, “The aroma of brewed coffee whiffed through the room, causing Virgil to stop what he was doing and sniff the air.” The reader can smell the scent of coffee coming off the pages. It follows, then, that memories and emotions that are associated with this smell are stirred almost instantly³.

4. Gustatory Imagery

Gustatory imagery draws the attention of the sense of taste. Basically, it deals with the use of specific words that trigger the taste buds, sending the reader down a sensory highway associated with food craving. Actually, beyond visual and olfactory imageries, gustatory imagery is also introduced as a key component of food cravings (Shahriari, Torres, Zuniga, & Alfayez, 2018).
Gustatory imagery includes:

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  Spiciness
  
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  Sweetness
  
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  Sourness
  
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  Savoriness
  
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  Saltiness
  

For example, “the familiar tang of his grandmother’s cranberry sauce reminded him of his youth.” The word “tang” awakens the taste buds, and the reader can already imagine the strong flavors of the cranberry sauce stuffed right into the mouth.

5. Tactile Imagery

Tactile imagery is used to describe something by focusing on aspects that can be felt or touched. As such, it appeals to the sense of touch, and like other imagery devices, it is hugely significant in descriptive writing.
Tactile imagery includes:

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  Feelings of touch
  
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  Temperatures
  
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  Feeling of movement
  
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  Texture
  

For example, “while resting in the hammock strapped between two trees, John was enjoying the warmth of the soft, fuzzy blanket on a cold night….” Here, the mention of “cold night” most probably triggers goosebumps on the reader’s skin, but then, the “soft, fuzzy blanket” brings a mental simulation of the warmth enjoyed by the character.
The types of imagery mentioned above deal with the five senses. Beyond that, there are two forms of imagery that are not related to human senses but are also used in descriptive writing.