characteristics descriptive essay

Characteristics of a Descriptive Essay

Devon willis.

A descriptive essay provides a good platform for a writer to express his or her feelings on a subject. As the name suggests, the essay is a description of an object, person, location, or experience. The essay generally includes an introduction, body and conclusion centered on a chosen theme. The writing style is expressive and may include descriptions, opinions, comparisons, personal perceptions and sensory perceptions. The main objective of a descriptive essay is to relate the unique qualities of the person, object, etc. vividly and comprehensively.

Explore this article

• Capture Readers' Interest
• Visualization
• Sensory Experience
• Objective vs. Subjective Viewpoint

1 Capture Readers' Interest

A descriptive essay should make for interesting reading. To make the essay appealing, the writer needs to consider audience preferences, and use words and descriptions that pique readers' interest. For example, a descriptive essay about a car, written for potential customers, would describe technical and design specifications but would place greater emphasis on aspects that are more likely to concern or interest customers, such as gas mileage, speed, comfort, special features like a sun roof or add-on features like LCD screens.

2 Visualization

Descriptive essays are based more on "show" than "tell" -- giving readers a visual idea of the subject. For example, a "tell" sentence would be, "The sun disappeared into the water." The same sentence in "show" mode might read, "The setting sun disappeared in a blaze of red and gold glory, swallowed up, it would seem, by the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean." Through vivid depictions, the writer conveys to readers individual impressions based on emotions or perceptions.

3 Sensory Experience

Descriptive essays make use of the five senses. The writer effectively conveys personal perceptions on the subject through the use of sensory details and figurative details. Sensory details are those that appeal to the five senses while figurative details involve the use of similes and metaphors to describe the subject. The use of sensory details makes the essay more vibrant and appealing to the readers' imagination. For example, graphic descriptions of odors -- pleasant or unpleasant -- allows readers to "experience" smells.

4 Objective vs. Subjective Viewpoint

A descriptive essay can be either objective (concrete, factual) or subjective (personal). The type of essay that a writer creates will be determined by the kind of emotion that the writer wants to elicit from readers. Presenting a purely objective can be difficult. Conversely, a writer can reduce subjectivity in an essay by including more objective factors, like size, color, shape and distance, exhausting them before injecting personal opinions or feelings.

• 1 Best Essays: Descriptive Essay Writing Guide
• 2 Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writing Activities - Descriptive

About the Author

Devon Willis started writing in 2002. He has worked for publication houses like Edward Elgar Publishing and Nelson Thornes in Gloucestershire, England. He has a B.A. in journalism and a M.A. in mass communication from the University of Gloucestershire and London Metropolitan University, respectively.

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4 Characteristics Of A Good Descriptive Essay

Table of Contents

Search for a good descriptive essay.

Writing a descriptive essay is easy, but writing a good descriptive essay is hard. It would not be an overstatement to say that the whole act of writing one is about bringing in and balancing multiple elements. These elements do vary much in character, but in intensity and frequency with which they appear throughout the text.

Throughout high school, college admissions, and then college, students are often asked to write detailed descriptive essays to pass classes. That’s why it is imperative for them to not only understand the mechanics of a good descriptive essay but also train their eyes to separate a great one from a mediocre one. This resource is all about explaining the characteristics of a good descriptive essay.

Descriptive Essay Writing – A Recap

Before we move on to the characteristics of one, let’s recap what a descriptive essay is. In a nutshell, a descriptive essay is a personal account describing a person, a place, a thing, an event, or an experience using literary devices such as figurative language, sensory details, and so on. The rationale behind indulging in this exercise is to connect the subject with the readers through relevant details. Based on the approach and content of a descriptive essay, it can be classified into one of two types:

• Objective descriptive essay
• Impressionistic/ subjective descriptive essay

Where the former merely describes the features and traits of a subject in all its earnestness, the latter bears a strong mark of the writer’s biases, subjectivity, and experience.

Even though there is no set structure for a descriptive essay, it is best to spill out the details in an organized fashion so that it becomes easier for the writer to check all the boxes. In turn, the readers will be more satisfied because they will find the text easier to follow and understand.

Characteristics To Look For In A Good Descriptive Essay

There are benchmarks for certain things that can help us distinguish a good one from the mediocre one. A smartphone with the best features can tower over a mid-ranger with a middling performance. In the art department, a singer who can hit all the notes with a clear dynamic range is likely able to engage listeners in the best way.

All of this is true for descriptive essay writing. It has its mechanics as well as bells and whistles under the hood, but the manifestation helps the readers connect with the subject in the best manner.

In this section, we will take a look at these characteristics through examples and analogies.

Capturing Readers’ Imagination

The purpose of  writing a descriptive essay is to entertain readers by providing a quality account of the subject under consideration. The essay that cannot do that fails to fulfill its primary duty. Experts even go to the length that a descriptive essay cannot do that is not a descriptive essay at. The first thing that the writer needs to do to capture readers’ imagination describes the person, the event, or the thing that is the topic of the essay. Many students err on the side of quantity instead of quality, resulting in poor grip and bridging between the sections. That’s why while writing, editing, and before submitting your descriptive essay, you need to take a look at it through the eyes of a reader and see how much of it is working.

Visualization of the Subject

In a descriptive essay, the subject range is wide and large. It can be a person with certain characters, a place that holds a special spot in the mind of the writer, an object with certain qualities, and so on. While writing the description, the writer’s job should be to help readers see or feel the subject. It can go to a length where readers can swear that they have experienced the subject under consideration with no barrier at all. For instance, if you are writing an essay on a person that you envied, there are three aspects to that.

You need to show who you are, who that person is, and what are the unique things that that person possesses that you envy him about. Without visualizing these details, readers will have a hard time understanding anything at all.

Sensory Experience To Bridge The Gap

Human beings rely on the five senses to distinguish between different things, even the individual character of one thing from the other in the same family. For instance, an apple smells different than a lemon, and a rotten apple smells different from a fresh apple. While writing a descriptive essay, writers need to make things come alive using sensory details. By providing copious information on what the subject looks like, how it smells, what the quality of its sound is, and more bridge the gap for the readers. This is one of the hallmarks of descriptive writing and one that is devoid of this aspect cannot be called rightly so. Students in schools and colleges should be well aware of the fact and infuse life and character in the subjects through the sensory experience.

The Viewpoint of the Writer

Whether you are writing an objective description of a subject or an impressionistic one, it is necessary to have the character and personal experience of the writer in the viewpoint. Just like narrative writing, the narrator or writer himself is part of the essay. His biases, likes, and dislikes, as well as opinions on certain things, provide a character to the writing. For example, if a writer finds the fall romantic and a prelude to life, he will show the power of regeneration in yellowed leaves.

On the other side, if a writer feels overwhelmed with gloom in the autumn season, it is hard to escape his take during description. No matter what the take the writer is, it should be clear and ubiquitous throughout the length and breadth of the essay.

Writing A Winning Descriptive Essay

After we have identified the major distinguishing characteristics of a descriptive essay , let us go through the process of writing one. The process is similar to writing a narrative essay, especially in the approach to getting started and covering the basics. It has a thesis statement, a theme to focus on and incorporate into the content, and a setting where all the elements get to play out and balance one another.

As mentioned in the opening lines, writing is easy but writing a good piece is hard. So no matter how many tips and hacks we share with novice writers, personal discretion and interest will also play a role in improving their writing.

Using Figurative Language

Figurative language has been a hallmark of descriptive writing. Depending on the subject, reach, and scope of an essay, it is used to connect the dots for the readers. Figurative language comes in different forms, but it must be refined and on-point to be effective. Imagery is one of the most important aspects of figurative language. Its power and capability can be understood through the fictional worlds and universes that writers have created in their stories and sagas. Where a standard essay may not be long enough to create whole new worlds, you can make the subject come alive through the masterful use of figurative language.

Making The Subject Come Alive

The primary motive behind writing a descriptive essay is to entertain the readers and make them “see” or “feel” the subject through the sheer power of description. This is not possible without using literary devices and other clever use of language. Many writers appeal to the sensory and perceptive powers of the readers by leaving a trail of sensory breadcrumbs. This is but one way of doing that. Literary devices such as similes, metaphors, analogies, and more can do the job as they can help the readers bridge gaps between what is being described and what they know already. Remember, the rationale is to make it come alive on paper.

Evolving Essay Structure

A descriptive essay does not have a rigid structure and construction lines to follow, unlike its other counterparts. Still, writers with little to no experience can benefit from creating a working outline and structure before moving forward. This will keep their heading true and help them reach the destination they set out to reach in the first place. Many writers claim that creating an outline can hinder the creative process. This is not true because the outline is not something immutable and can be altered according to the needs, whenever they arise. So, having a flexible structure from the beginning can help the students stay on course.

What are the basic elements of a descriptive essay?

These four are considered to be the basic elements of a descriptive essay:

• Vivid details
• Use of figurative language
• Sensory experience
• Evolving structure

A writer’s job while writing a descriptive essay is to balance them in such a way that the potency of each one is amplified for the benefit of the reader.

How can I identify a good descriptive essay from a poor one?

A good descriptive essay has the following characteristics:

• It has a hinting topic that interests potential readers
• The structure is not rigid but the necessary information is organized and accessible
• It has all major sections doing their job
• The subject is well-defined and observed in the essay

Are there any rules for descriptive writing in college?

The rules for descriptive writing can be different from one college to another, depending on their focus and curriculum. Here are some universal merits that writers should keep in mind:

• No obvious descriptions
• Bland language with no character
• Figurative language to provide vivid details
• Steer clear of over-description

How many paragraphs are in a descriptive essay?

In a standard school or college descriptive essay, there are usually five paragraphs. Here is a breakdown of them according to their place and content.

• Opening/ introduction (1 paragraph): it starts with a hook and sets the stage for the context and setting and closes with a thesis statement.
• The main body (3 paragraphs): this is where all the major elements of the essay come into play and balance one another.  
• Closing/ conclusion (1 paragraph): it summarizes the main points of the essay and ties all the loose ends for the readers.

What is the best way to start a descriptive essay?

The best way to start a descriptive essay is with a hook. A hook is a literary device that can be a quotation from a writer or a literary work, a question directly asked by a reader, or a statistic that connects the opening with the general content of the essay. A hook makes the readers invested in the essay and urges them to complete it.

How do you conclude a descriptive essay?

Many students overlook the importance of concluding an essay resulting in a poor reader’s response. Essentially, a conclusion provides the place for the writer to reiterate the important points and make them memorable since this is the last section that readers will read. A descriptive essay should be concluded by summarizing important points and signing off with catchy one-liners.

Summing It Up

Writing a descriptive essay has its highs and lows. The process seems arduous and taxing to many, especially deciding on a topic and then conducting due research to outline the whole essay. But the results come out satisfactory and bring good scores for students in schools and colleges.

We have shed ample light on the characteristics that distinguish a good descriptive essay from a poor one. These include capturing readers’ imagination, helping them visualize the subject, sensory details to bridge the gap of space and time, and the clear position of the writer. In addition to this, we have chalked out a simple guide to writing a descriptive essay.

We hope that students will find it helpful and put the knowledge into practice while composing a descriptive essay!

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Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay - A Complete Guide

10 min read

Published on: Aug 18, 2018

Last updated on: Feb 28, 2023

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Are you eager to write compelling descriptive essays but don't know how to start? 

A descriptive essay describes something - a person, an event, a place, or a personal experience in detail. The purpose of this essay is to provide enough detail about the topic to enable the reader to picture it.

If you want to learn how to write an excellent descriptive essay, this blog is for you!

Here’s a complete guide to help you write good descriptive essays. Along with a step-by-step guide, you’ll also get impressive example essays to learn from.

So let’s get into it!

What Is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay gives a detailed description of the topic and paints a picture with words in the reader’s mind. It could be about an object, place, person, emotion, situation, or anything. 

It is used to sharpen the analytical abilities of the students, which is helpful in further education and professional life. Therefore, it is often given to students in high school and college.

According to the descriptive essay definition,

“It is a type of essay that is used to describe an event, a place, a person, or anything in detail.”

This essay encourages the student’s ability to create an image by appealing to the senses of the reader. 

Purpose of a Descriptive Essay

The purpose of writing a descriptive essay is to describe something such as a person, object, place, or situation.

Descriptive speech or essays give readers a clear picture of the essay subject. The writer should make use of vivid language to help the reader understand what the essay is all about.

It does not involve convincing readers or showing factual information to prove something like an  argumentative essay  does. Instead, it aims to show all the important details about the chosen subject to make the reader understand the subject easily.

Here’s a short video that explains descriptive writing:

Types of Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essays can come in two types: formal and personal. 

Personal Descriptive Essay

The personal descriptive essay is a subjective descriptive essay. It aims to describe the writers' own feelings and perceptions of the topic. 

It is often written in a first-person point-of-view, allowing readers to understand the writer's personal experiences.

Here are a few examples of personal essay topics:

• The moment that changed my life forever.
• My experience overcoming a fear or phobia.
• A significant challenge I faced and how I overcame it.
• My cultural or family background and how it has influenced me.
• A time I failed and what I learned from the experience.

Formal Descriptive Essay

The formal descriptive essay is an objective descriptive essay. It relies on facts and evidence to describe the object or event – without using any emotion or opinion from the writer. 

These essays are valuable in the sciences or other fields of study where finding accurate information is crucial. They are often used to write academic papers, such as research reports.

Some possible topics for formal descriptions could be:

• The architecture of a historical building
• The process of making a traditional dish
• The unique characteristics of a rare gemstone
• The layout and features of a city park
• The cultural significance of a religious monument

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Elements of a Descriptive Essay

There are five basic features of a descriptive essay: 

A descriptive essay involves arousing the emotions of the readers and creating an association with them. Sensory details paint a picture of the subject for the reader and engage their senses like sight, touch, smell, and taste.

Using figurative language is one of the main elements of a descriptive essay. The use of metaphors, similes, adjectives, adverbs, etc. creates the character sketch of the subject. This sketch helps the readers feel what the writer felt about the subject and helps him visualize the subject.

The central theme shapes and directs the essay’s content and helps organize the details. It should be well defined and focused on a single point.

The effect of your essay depends on the type of language that you have used in it. The language should emphasize the main theme and aim of the essay. Therefore, avoid using vague and ambiguous words.

An organized structure is an essential element of this essay. Also, the chronology, spatial location, and order play an important role.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay?

Writing an effective descriptive essay involves topic selection, creating an outline of parts of the descriptive essay, organizing ideas, and adding relevant information to the essay.

The following is the process of descriptive writing.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay 

1. choose a topic.

Choosing a good topic for your essay is important. The essay topic should be attractive so that it compels the reader to stay with you throughout the essay.

2. Create an Outline

Draft a  descriptive essay outline  to organize your information in a proper sequence. It will help you structure your essay and remind you to include all the sensory details.

3. Write a Descriptive Essay Introduction

The essay begins with an introduction. It introduces the main topic and includes a strong opinion that creates the first impression of the essay. The introduction gives a brief overview of what the essay is going to be about.

4. Craft an Informative Thesis Statement

A descriptive essay thesis statement defines the scope and purpose of the essay. It is a narrow subject line, which should be clear and precise. Write the statement in a creative way and choose descriptive words for it.

Creating mystery in your thesis statement attracts the reader to the body of your essay.

Writing the Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs support the introduction and follow the direction as defined in the thesis statement. Here’s how you write a body paragraph:

• Use topic sentences as the first sentence of each paragraph. A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph.
• Connect the topic sentence to the thesis.
• Present evidence and explain how it supports your argument in that paragraph.
• Organize your paragraphs properly in an orderly form, in case of experience and memories.
• Summarize the key points in each body paragraph.

Finally, make sure that body paragraphs are connected to each other through transition words or phrases.

Ending with a Strong Descriptive Essay Conclusion

The conclusion is the last part of the essay according to the descriptive essay format. This is your last chance to impress the reader.

It summarizes and provides a way forward from the essay. The following steps will help you write an excellent conclusion.

• Use the appropriate transition words such as “to finish with”, “in conclusion” and ‘lastly’ suggesting an end to the essay. 
• Summarize the main points of your essay in a clear and concise manner
• Discuss how the details from the body of your essay support the initial thesis statement.
• Offer final thoughts on the subject matter that will leave an impression on the reader. It could be food for thought or a call to action.

The last sentence of the essay should finalize the writer’s aim of writing the essay and provide an everlasting effect.

Descriptive Essay Topics

Whether you are writing about a person or a place, your topic should have good supporting points that explain the topic.

Choosing an engaging topic will develop curiosity and hook the reader to the last bit of the essay. Here we have prepared a list of amazing descriptive essay topics for you.

Descriptive Essay About a Place

• Depict the Lincoln Castle in your own words.
• What does the house of your dreams look like?
• Make a description of the Safari Park you visited last week.
• Describe a conference room situation for your colleagues.
• Describe how you imagine Niagara falls.

Descriptive Essay About a Memory

• Describe one of the earliest memories of your childhood.
• What is the happiest memory in your mind?
• How you have celebrated your best friend's birthday
• When I saw the apple plant seed
• The first time I went abroad

Descriptive Essay About a Person

• Portray Nelson Mandela as a role model.
• Explain how you imagine aliens to be like.
• Write a character sketch of a character from the play Hamlet.
• Describe one of your family members.
• A stranger I met in the lobby.

Descriptive Essay About an Object

• My lucky watch
• My favorite badminton racket
• The flask I broke
• The silk road
• The thing that you passionately wanted to buy

Descriptive Essay About an Emotion

• The feeling of love
• The sense of peace
• The thrill of fear
• The power of anger
• The beauty of joy

Descriptive Essay Topics for University Students

• Describe the feeling of attending your first college class.
• Illustrate the effects of living and studying on a college campus.
• Describe a meaningful experience you had with a professor in college.
• Illustrate the importance of participating in extracurricular activities during university years. 
• Describe the impact of financial aid and scholarships on college education.

Want more topics? We’ve got a list of hundreds of descriptive essay topics for you, so be sure to check them out. 

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Descriptive Essay Examples

You should read some good essay examples before writing your own essay. An essay example would help you demonstrate, compile, and organize your essay in a structured form.

Below we have provided some amazing examples to help you know the process.

A School Lunch Hall Descriptive Essay Example

The Weekend Market Descriptive Essay Sample

Descriptive Essay on Historical Place

Descriptive Essay on a Teacher that I Remember

Descriptive Essay on my Village

My Favorite Place Descriptive Essay

5 Paragraph Essay - Descriptive Essay PDF

The ultimate aim of this practice is to identify and learn different techniques for writing an impressive descriptive essay. Find more descriptive essay examples to read and learn from.

Tips for Writing a Descriptive Essay 

Here are some tips for writing a descriptive essay:

• Choose a specific topic: Your essay should focus on a specific person, place, object, or event that you can vividly describe.
• Use sensory details: Sensory details are descriptive words and phrases that help your reader experience the subject of your essay through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
• Organize your essay: Your essay should have a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Consider using a chronological or spatial organization to help your reader understand the sequence of events or the layout of the subject.
• Show, don't tell: Instead of simply telling your reader what you are describing, show them through specific examples and sensory details.
• Use figurative language: Similes, metaphors, and other forms of figurative language can help you convey the emotions and feelings associated with your subject.

Summing it up,

Descriptive essay writing is a skill that requires thorough practice. It involves the ability to craft an engaging story with vivid descriptions, sounding as realistic as possible.

The above-mentioned steps and examples are a great way for students to learn writing a descriptive essay.

However, if you still need expert help to write a flawless essay, we’ve got your back.

You can hire a custom descriptive essay writer from MyPerfectWords.com . They will make your essay writing process simple and smooth. 

MyPerfectWords.com  provides legitimate essay writing services to help you with your essays. 

Our  descriptive essay writing service  provides non-plagiarized essays and high-quality papers for you. 

Hire our essay writing service  now and get essay help from us at affordable prices.

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Caleb S. has been providing writing services for over five years and has a Masters degree from Oxford University. He is an expert in his craft and takes great pride in helping students achieve their academic goals. Caleb is a dedicated professional who always puts his clients first.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Descriptive Essays

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

The Modes of Discourse—Exposition, Description, Narration, Argumentation (EDNA)—are common paper assignments you may encounter in your writing classes. Although these genres have been criticized by some composition scholars, the Purdue OWL recognizes the wide spread use of these approaches and students’ need to understand and produce them.

What is a descriptive essay?

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader).

One might benefit from keeping in mind this simple maxim: If the reader is unable to clearly form an impression of the thing that you are describing, try, try again!

Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay.

• Take time to brainstorm

If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one.

• Use clear and concise language.

This means that words are chosen carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation to that which you are intending to describe.

• Choose vivid language.

Why use horse when you can choose stallion ? Why not use tempestuous instead of violent ? Or why not miserly in place of cheap ? Such choices form a firmer image in the mind of the reader and often times offer nuanced meanings that serve better one’s purpose.

• Use your senses!

Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Explain how the thing smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or looked. Embellish the moment with senses.

• What were you thinking?!

If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level. Many have felt crushing loss in their lives, or ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap into this emotional reservoir in order to achieve your full descriptive potential.

• Leave the reader with a clear impression.

One of your goals is to evoke a strong sense of familiarity and appreciation in the reader. If your reader can walk away from the essay craving the very pizza you just described, you are on your way to writing effective descriptive essays.

• Be organized!

It is easy to fall into an incoherent rambling of emotions and senses when writing a descriptive essay. However, you must strive to present an organized and logical description if the reader is to come away from the essay with a cogent sense of what it is you are attempting to describe.

Descriptive Essay

Definition of descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay , as the name implies, is a form of essay that describes something. In this genre , students are assigned the task of describing objects, things, places, experiences, persons, and situations. The students use sensory information to enable readers to use their five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight to understand the topic of the essay.

Qualities of a Descriptive Essay

• Clear and Concise
• Use of Images
• Use of Five Senses

As far as clear and concise language is concerned, it is necessary to describe things precisely. Imagery is used to make things seem real and remarkable. The use of the five senses creates the imagery, or a mental picture, for each reader.

Difference Between a Description and a Descriptive Essay

A description could be just a paragraph, or it could be longer, as needed to fully describe the thing. However, a descriptive essay has five paragraphs. It is written in a coherent way with a good thesis statement at the end of the introduction , three body paragraphs , and a conclusion .

Examples of Descriptive Essays in Literature

Example #1:  the corner store (by eudora welty).

“Our Little Store rose right up from the sidewalk; standing in a street of family houses, it alone hadn’t any yard in front, any tree or flower bed. It was a plain frame building covered over with brick. Above the door, a little railed porch ran across on an upstairs level and four windows with shades were looking out. But I didn’t catch on to those. Running in out of the sun, you met what seemed total obscurity inside. There were almost tangible smells — licorice recently sucked in a child’s cheek, dill pickle brine1 that had leaked through a paper sack in a fresh trail across the wooden floor, ammonia-loaded ice that had been hoisted from wet croker sacks and slammed into the icebox with its sweet butter at the door, and perhaps the smell of still untrapped mice.”

This description of the “Little Store” is not only clear and concise, but also has images and sensory information about the store building.

Example #2: And the Orchestra Played On (by Joanne Lipman)

“The hinges creaked when I opened the decrepit case. I was greeted by a cascade of loose horsehair — my bow a victim of mites, the repairman later explained. It was pure agony to twist my fingers into position. But to my astonishment and that of my teenage children — who had never heard me play — I could still manage a sound. “It turned out, a few days later, that there were 100 people just like me. When I showed up at a local school for rehearsal, there they were: five decades worth of former students. There were doctors and accountants, engineers and college professors. There were people who hadn’t played in decades, sitting alongside professionals like Mr. K.’s daughter Melanie, now a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There were generations of music teachers.”

In the first paragraph of this descriptive excerpt, the author clearly describes the decrepit nature of the violin case, as well as the damage time has done to the bow. The second paragraph is a description of the characters , and their similarities.  Both use sensory information for effective descriptions.

Example #3: Yarn (by Koyoko Mori)

“The yellow mittens I made in seventh-grade home economics proved that I dreamed in color. For the unit on knitting, we were 1 supposed to turn in a pair of mittens. The two hands had to be precisely the same size so that when we held them together, palm to palm, no extra stitches would stick out from the thumb, the tip of the fingers, or the cuff. Somewhere between making the fourth and the fifth mitten to fulfill this requirement, I dreamed that the ball of yellow yarn in my bag had turned green. Chartreuse, leaf, Granny Smith, lime, neon, acid green. The brightness was electric. I woke up knowing that I was, once again, doomed for a D in home ec.”

See the use of colors in this paragraph by Koyoko Mori. This is called “pure description,” in that the description appeals to the senses. The use of word “brightness” in the last line is striking one.

Example #4: The Taj Mahal (by Salman Rushdie)

“And this, finally, is why the Taj Mahal must be seen: to remind us that the world is real, that the sound is truer than the echo, the original more forceful than its image in a mirror. The beauty of beautiful things is still able, in these image-saturated times, to transcend imitations. And the Taj Mahal is, beyond the power of words to say it, a lovely thing, perhaps the loveliest of things.”

Check this short description of the Taj Mahal by Salman Rushdie. This description presents a different picture of the Taj Mahal.

Function of Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay presents a person, place, or thing, in a way that readers feel as if it is in front of their eyes, or that they are tasting it, or that they can hear it, or that they can smell it. Writers use sensory information to describe object . The object of the writer is to present a picture of something as honestly as he can.

Related posts:

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• Argumentative Essay
• Cause and Effect Essay
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• Process Essay
• Explicatory Essay
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• Comparison and Contrast Essay

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Writing A Descriptive Essay

TIP Sheet WRITING A DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

The aim of description is to make sensory details vividly present to the reader. Although it may be only in school that you are asked to write a specifically descriptive essay, description is an important element in many kinds of writing. Description embedded in an argument paper, for example, may be intended to make a position more persuasive. However, in this TIP Sheet we will discuss the descriptive essay as it is commonly assigned by instructors as an exercise in organizing sensory information and choosing vivid details.

Showing vs. telling Sensory details are details of smell, taste, texture, and sound as well as sight. If you choose "showing" words, those that supply vivid sensory details appropriate to your subject and purpose, you will succeed in showing rather than telling . "Telling" words are usually vague or ambiguous; they can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The following first example mostly makes statements about what is lacking in the room, whereas the second example describes the sights, textures, smells, and sounds of the empty room:

Telling: The empty room smelled stale and was devoid of furniture or floor covering; the single window lacked curtains or blinds of any kind.

Showing: The apartment smelled of old cooking odors, cabbage, and mildew; our sneakers squeaked sharply against the scuffed wood floors, which reflected a haze of dusty sunlight from the one cobwebbed, gritty window.

"Showing" uses very specific details: cabbage and mildew, scuffed and dusty floors, unwashed windows. Though the writer of the second example does not actually use the word "empty," she nevertheless suggests emptiness and disuse. The suggestion of emptiness in the second example is more vivid than the statement of emptiness in the first. If you don't think the first example is vague, look at another possible interpretation of that empty room:

Showing: The sharp odor of fresh paint cut through the smell of newsprint. Four stacked cartons of inkjet printer paper sat squarely in the middle of a concrete floor, illuminated by a shaft of morning light from a sparkling chrome-framed window on the opposite wall.

Do not mistake explanation for description. Explanation is a kind of telling that interjects background material that does not contain sensory details or contribute to the overall effect–a character's motives or history, for example:

Explanation: The tenants had moved out a week earlier because the house was being sold to a developer. No one had bothered to dust or clean because they assumed the apartment was going to be knocked down and replaced with single-family homes like those built just a block away.

When description devolves into explanation (telling rather than showing), it becomes boring.

Observing details Once you are ready to abandon the attempt to explain or to tell about , evaluate your subject in terms of visual, auditory, and other sensory details. Think in concrete terms. The more you are interested in and connected to the subject, the easier it will be to interest your reader, so if you describe a person, choose a person whose characteristics stand out to you. If you describe a place or a thing, choose one that is meaningful to you.

You are painting a picture that must be as clear and real as possible, so observe carefully and, preferably, in person. Note what sets this subject apart from others like it. If the subject is a person, include physical characteristics and mannerisms. Describe abstractions such as personality traits only insofar as you can observe them. For example, do not tell the reader your biology instructor is a neat, meticulous person; show your reader the instructor's "dust-free computer monitor and stacks of papers with corners precisely aligned, each stack sitting exactly three thumb-widths from the edge of the desk." How a subject interacts with others is fair game for description if you can observe the interaction. On the other hand, a subject's life history and world perspective may not be, unless you can infer them, for example, from the photos on his walls or the books on his bookshelf.

Similarly, if the subject of your description is an object or a place, you may include not only its physical appearance but also its geographic, historical, or emotional relevance-as long as you show or suggest it using sensory details, and avoid explaining.

Deciding on a purpose Even description for description's sake should have a purpose. Is there an important overall impression you wish to convey? A central theme or general point? This is your thesis; organize your essay around it. For example, you might describe your car as your home away from home, full of snack foods, changes of clothing, old issues of the Chico News & Review , textbooks, and your favorite music. Or, you might describe your car as an immaculate, beautiful, pampered woman on whom you lavish attention and money. Just don't describe your car in cold, clinical detail, front to back (or bottom to top, or inside to outside) without having in mind the purpose, the overall impression you want to create. To achieve this impression, you should not necessarily include all details; use only those that suit your purpose.

Avoid telling a story unless it is of central importance to the description or an understanding of it. Keep background information to an absolute minimum or avoid it altogether.

Organizing Extended description that lacks organization has a confusing, surreal quality and easily loses readers' interest, so choose an organizational plan. Use whatever progression seems logical–left to right, inside to outside, top to bottom-and stick to it. For example, it does not make sense to describe a person's facial features and hair, then his sonorous voice and impressive vocabulary, and then return to details about his eyebrows and glasses.

A quote from your subject or a brief anecdote about him or her may provide an interesting introduction (or conclusion); dialogue can be a great way to add interest to a descriptive essay. In your introduction, you might be permitted to make general, abstract statements (tell about) your subject or supply background information, as long as you demonstrate these points concretely later in the body of your essay.

Use vivid nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and appropriate metaphors, similes, comparisons, and contrasts. Avoid clichés.

Like the introduction, the conclusion is another place you can get away with reflecting about your subject: Why did you write this description? What is its significance to you? To your reader? If you have achieved your purpose, your conclusion should only confirm in the reader's mind what you have already shown him by your use of selected sensory details.

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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How to write a descriptive essay

Last updated on April 23rd, 2018 at 05:19 am

What are descriptive essays?

Descriptions are actually the vivid explanations we offer, to communicate to the reader about how we look at the subject. A descriptive essay should do the same: convey to the reader the information about the subject in a striking but simple manner. A descriptive essay is the opposite of the analytical essay or argumentative essay. There are no stances taken in descriptive essays. You should just write about the subject as you see it.

Descriptive essays are meant to test the power of observation of the writer. Writing the essays requires extremely meticulous attention on the part of the writer and primary focus on details. In very simple words, when you are asked to write a description of someone or something through an essay, you need to create a full sensual experience for the reader.

You need to describe that person or object using all five of your senses – sense of sight, touch, speaking, ears and taste. Your description should be such that it should bring the event or place or object right in front of you, as if you are witnessing it for yourself. In short, your reader’s attention should be so drawn, that he or she gets completely submerged in the sensory experience: It should be a kind of sound and light show using words.

Characteristics

Successful descriptive essays should be rich with imagery and deals with written account of an object, event, description, thought, emotion- anything which comes under the ability to be described. By practicing descriptive essays, students will develop their powers of observation, memory, recall, creation and imagination; thus, it develops and enhances the students’ ability to visualize and imagine what he created.

To develop one’s skills at descriptive essay writing, the best way is to keep practicing and working at it, until it shapes up into a desirable form. However, there are some guidelines, which if used appropriately, can help you to come up with very imaginative, descriptive essays. Check them out below.

Prewriting-Choice of an idea

Choose an idea or a situation, a person or an object which fascinates you, which has some influence over you and you ascribe a lot of meaning to it. When you are passionate about the idea and have a fascination with it, your writing will definitely stand out and display more clarity. You can brainstorm and thresh out lots of ideas and select the ones which seem to be the most compelling and interesting, in your view.

Observation

Since it is a descriptive essay, it needs to be as detailed and as minute as possible. For this you may need to take detailed observations of the place or object, the person you want to write about. You have to be very meticulous in your observations. If it is a place you want to write about, talk about its sights, sounds, smells, sights, visuals, feelings created, weather, environment, context, unusual or usual things, the description of the roads, houses etc and give it a personal feeling, as if you are physically there. Use all your senses and capture as many details, as is possible. Understand the reason for writing the essay and incorporate that into your writing so that your description has a powerful feeling about it. This would raise it to a higher level in terms of impact factor as that particular feeling would be resonating throughout its form.

The descriptive essay could also be about a topic in any subject. For instance, describing a specific era in history or a particular policy in economics or even a certain case in law. The descriptive essay in such instances should only depict the topic through words. You don’t have to say whether you like it or not or even whether you agree with the projected image.

Some research into the topic is very necessary to get a comprehensive view from what others have said about it. Search for information from books, articles, periodicals, or the ubiquitous internet sources. Make use of appropriate keywords to search. Then, make notes from these sources and plan an outline. Determine where you will write what. This will provide you with a good framework in which you can underpin your essay.

Get into the action right from the beginning. Try to avoid round-about paragraphs. Come straight to what you want to talk about but elaborate on it. Let the reader visualize and grasp it. That is the success of quality descriptive writing.

The descriptive essay also follows the usual format of introduction, body and conclusion. In this case, the introduction mentions the topic of the essay and gives a brief background about it. The background should be relevant but short, so as to bring the object of study succinctlyinto the view of the reader.

The body of the essay is divided into paragraphs or sections, depending on the length of the essay. Each of these should take one aspect of the topic of study and expound on it. A variety of sentence structures and a more imaginative vocabulary would serve to bring more vividness and completeness to the description.So, stock up on some good words and structures. But that’s not all. You have tomake use of them in the appropriate places to bring more punch to your essay. The only way to do this is to practice writing different sentences in different ways and then select the more suitable one. As they say, practice makes perfect and you will soon be able to breeze off sentences and whole paragraphs that can earn you great grades.

Link words or transition words and sentences are important to keep up the smooth flow of thought match the essay. The way to do this is to use a word/phrase or sentence that leads logically to the next thought or paragraph. Words like additionally, also, so, hence, however, nonetheless, in spite of, thus etc. can be used judicially to link sentences and take them to the next level. Transition sentence also provide a preview into what is coming next.

Write a conclusion that matches and fits the essay and is what the description should lead to.The conclusion should be a brief summation of what has already been said in the essay and end it with the inference of the thesis statement. Nothing new is added in the conclusion.

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How to Write a Descriptive Essay: Full Guide With Tips

In this article, we examine the descriptive essay and present a step-by-step writing guide. Stick around for helpful writing tips near the end! Also, check out custom writers at EssayPro — political science essay service, if you need private tutoring or essay editing.

What is a Descriptive Essay?

The definition of a descriptive essay is a type of composition or paper which describes an object, person, process, or event. The writer’s goal is to create a vivid reading experience, or to show instead of tell (metaphorically).

Descriptive writing usually appeals to the five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. (Ex: Jack’s coffee mug exploded into tiny shards of glass, catching the attention of everyone at the office.) Always appealing to the senses is key to writing a good descriptive essay.

When writing a descriptive essay, your goal will be to paint a comprehensive picture for the reader by appealing to the five senses. Last but not least, your work should have a purpose. It could be anything from a lesson you learned from an experience, to a story of how an object impacted your life. It’s all about making your bright ideas come to life.

Difference Between a Description and a Descriptive Essay

When writing this type of paper, you should know the difference between a description and a descriptive essay. A description can be just a simple paragraph, or several ones with no specific structure, meanwhile, a descriptive essay has five or more paragraphs and a clear and complete structure. A descriptive essay is usually written coherently, has a good thesis statement at the end of the introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. A description however, does not necessarily have a structure. Its main purpose is to just describe an object, or something else, without having any extra academic layers.

The Issues that Could be Described in Your Paper

• A person. In this paper, you can talk about a person. It can range from simply writing about their appearance to more complex descriptions like actions, behaviours, mood, and qualities of your chosen individual.
• A place. The main thing you should do when describing a place in your work is to describe it interestingly and originally. Your reader(s) should feel, for example, the beauty of your chosen cities—perhaps New York or Rome.
• An event. Here you need to describe the story of what happened. It can be your last vacation, concert, wedding, anniversary, summer music festival, graduation day, or so on.
• An animal. In this type, you need to describe the animal. It may be its appearance, behaviour, or biology.
• An occupation. Here you need to write about a job or occupation.
• A behaviour. This is the type of descriptive writing you should go for if you would like to write about someone’s behaviour. Perhaps you want to describe the strange behaviour of your friend, or highlight how certain people act under different conditions.

Two Classic Approaches to the Descriptive Essay

1. Personal Essay

Here you need to describe an experience using your feelings and responses. This work can awake empathy in readers. It can also be vague and disorganized. If you want to write a good personal essay, you should try to focus only on those aspects that most fully express your experience. Do not shy away from vivid, evocative language in this type of assignment.

A few examples of personal essay topics might be:

• Describing the experience of swimming in the azure sea in summer
• Explaining your favourite movie and its impact on you
• Reflecting on your birthday and all the things that have shaped you in the past

2. Formal Description

This type of descriptive writing resembles an argumentative essay. Your main goal should be communicating a set of key points or describing something in detail—according to a clear structure. Rather than focusing on your own experience, you need to use specific categories of information to provide the fullest possible portrait of what you are describing. This approach can also be engaging, especially when the reader is more curious about the subject of the paper than the writer's response to it. Still, try not to make it dull with too formal language.

Topics for formal descriptions can include:

• A descriptive essay about climate change, politics, or historical events.
• A news story that provides a summary of an event or information about the place where it occurred.

Descriptive Essay Topics & Ideas

Finding descriptive essay topics isn’t hard. You can describe pretty much anything—from your favourite car to today’s weather. We’ve gathered some ideas to help you get started. Hopefully, you’ll find good descriptive essay topics to spark your imagination.

Describe a Person

Pick a person who you know well—doing so gives you a lot to write about. Choose from family members, friends, teachers, etc. You can even write about a celebrity who exposes most of their private life to the media: The Kardashians, Kanye West, or Taylor Swift for instance. A famous superhero like Spider-Man is also interesting. Such fictional figures have undergone many character studies from both academic and non-academic perspectives.

Examples: Why my father is my favourite person. How Kim Kardashian changed my life.

Describe an Object or a Place

You may also describe an object or a place with which you have a special connection. This could be your high school, a playground, or a toy which used to scare you as a kid. Fictional places also count!

Examples: My native city – Paris My trip to London

Describe an Emotion

Remember the most sincere emotion you’ve experienced and turn it into a descriptive essay writing. You may choose a strong feeling like anger, happiness, loss, desire, or rage. It doesn’t have to be a personal emotion, it could be an observed one.

Examples: How love changed me Hatred and love – how they are similar

You can also write a descriptive essay about anything you can describe according to human senses: touch, sight, taste, smell, or hearing.

Creating a Descriptive Essay Outline

When thinking about descriptive essay writing, remember that a structured paper outline is your golden ticket. Not only does it help you organize thoughts, but it will also help your essays flow better.

A descriptive essay outline is composed of the following:

• An introduction
• Hook sentence
• Context/Background information
• Thesis statement
• Body paragraphs
• Topic sentence
• Sensory details
• Actual details
• A conclusion
• Summary of all main points
• Clincher Statement

It is important to spend enough time considering the victim of description because all of your illustrations will be based around it.

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Introduction

The introduction serves to introduce your subject to the reader and give them enough context to fully understand your work—but keep it brief and interesting for the reader(s). When learning how to write a descriptive essay introduction, remember – the first paragraph of your paper is the part that can make your descriptive essay stand out from the others.

As with any college paper, a descriptive essay introduction must contain the following points:

• Hook Sentence: Although the entire paper should be full of exciting and vivid descriptions, grabbing the reader's attention from the very beginning is ideal.
• Context/Background Information: Tell the reader what you’re about to describe and explain why it is crucial to you. Give them a brief context for your paper.
• Thesis Statement: The descriptive essay thesis should be a short yet concise summary of the work. It must include the subject of your description, and your purpose for describing it.

For further information on how to write a thesis for a descriptive essay, check out the examples below.

Place. If you were to write about Buckingham Palace: “Even though the monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace serves to remind us of the aesthetic beauty which that era had built.” Person. For describing Spider-Man: “The defining characteristics of Spider-Man are his youthfulness, New York City, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.” Emotion. A piece about a personal experience of fear: “For many reasons, the dark forest is my greatest fear, though not a fear which I would necessarily like to venture into.”

Body Paragraph(s)

There are usually three body paragraphs in a paper. They cover three different points or arguments. How many body paragraphs to include in your descriptive essay is entirely up to you—or your professor. Sometimes it only takes a paragraph to tell a story, while other times it takes books.

How to write a body paragraph:

• Start with a topic sentence. ex. The orange looks familiar; it is a round citrus fruit whose colour matches its name.
• Add sensory details. When describing the orange, appeal to relatable senses.
• Include actual details. Always include descriptive information within your body paragraphs. Finish a body paragraph by introducing the next. Transition sentences are essential because they create immersion within your writing. Your writing will become better and it won’t appear as if you are reading a list of facts.

The descriptive essay is one type of 5 paragraph essay , which is the most common type of essay a student may encounter.

According to the descriptive essay format, your conclusion should be a summary of all of the main points in the body text. It is a good idea to write a final sentence that relates to the main point of your paper. Once this is done, the paper is now complete. We advise that you proofread your descriptive essay to correct any grammatical errors.

Try to incorporate the following into your conclusion:

• The first thing to do at the end is to reflect on the initial purpose of the work. Spill the beans on why you decided to write about this subject, and how this subject has affected your life. An article about reflection paper may also be helpful to you.
• Signify the Importance of the Details: Go over some key moments of the paper. Give a summary of what you have covered, and prepare the audience for the clincher statement.
• Clincher Statement: The clincher is the final sentence that reinforces your paper’s overall purpose or leaves your audience with an intriguing thought, question, or quote. You’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking of a hook to pull the audience in. Do not allow the paper to escape your audience’s thoughts right after they have finish reading it.

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Writing and Reviewing Your Descriptive Paper Writing

Writing the paper consists of the following stages:

• Pre-writing stage. Here you need to examine all of the sources you have and define if they all offer important information on the topic of your choice.
• Writing the beginning. You should start your paper with a powerful, engaging hook that will grab the readers' attention. It may include an unusual metaphor or an interesting literary quote.
• Creating the first draft of your descriptive essay. Here is where you just need to write down all of the words that come to your mind; you'll have a chance to narrow down your ideas later.
• Adding details to your paper with the help of enriched English vocabulary and online dictionaries. Use your English vocabulary to add missing feelings, like hearing, to help make the descriptive essay leave a lasting impression.
• Revising and editing the paper with the help of different free online grammar checking tools.

Let’s talk in detail about the final step here: reviewing your paper. After you finish writing, take a break. It’s always best to clear your mind before editing your paper.

When you come back to your descriptive essay, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Have you provided enough context in the introduction?
• Is the paper easy to read?
• Does the thesis relate to the content of the paper?
• Does the paper feature vivid, descriptive language?
• Will the clincher statement leave a lasting impact?
• Are there enough details to make it possible for your readers to obtain a full and vivid perception of your description?
• Does each section of your work focus on one aspect of your description?
• Does your paper possess any unnecessary details in your description that can be thrown away or replaced by more meaningful information?
• Overall, if you were the reader, does this paper make sense to you?
• Are there any problems with grammar and punctuation?

Sometimes web applications like Grammarly or the Hemingway app can help you sort your grammar. However, it’s always best to master the rules of grammar yourself and become the best writer you can be. Once you’re convinced you have the final draft, read it out loud or give it to a friend to read. Sometimes you need some constructive criticism to tie up loose ends in your writing. You can also trust the professionals and buy cheap essay on EssayPro service.

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‍ Descriptive Essay Good Examples

This is a commonly assigned and most opted-for form of an essay. Why not have a look at our written descriptive essay examples. In this section, you can find some of the top examples and quotes followed by some critique.

The writer of this descriptive essay example explains how there was a lot of life before humans existed. The world was full of Blue Jays and North Cardinal birds that most probably ate pansy seeds as a stable diet. In this example, it is clear that the writer has put himself/herself in the perspective of someone in the far future. He/she describes how we were in the 21st century, and how we used the poles as communication portals.

In the eyes of the untrained, a rugby game is just a bunch of huge individuals senselessly fighting one another, struggling to move an oval ball inch by inch down a field full of mud towards the goal line of the opposing team. Players don’t put on pads or get a timeout in the event of injuries. Yet rugby is a different thing, a gentleman’s sport—to those who understand it. While rugby appears rough, its players maintain good respect toward both teammates and opponents.

It may be possible that you are not the expressive word artist in the world. If you are looking for someone to help with dissertation , we have numerous writers that have vivid word lingo flowing through their blood.

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Descriptive Writing

The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in the reader’s mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses. Teaching students to write more descriptively will improve their writing by making it more interesting and engaging to read.

Key Information

Appropriate group size, what is descriptive writing.

Descriptive writing helps the reader visualize the person, place, thing, or situation being described. When a text conjures a vivid, sensory impression in the reader’s mind, not only does it make the writing more interesting to read; it helps the reader understand the text better and recognize the author’s intention more clearly.

Why teach descriptive writing?

• It helps students make their writing more interesting and engaging to read.
• It creates opportunities for students to practice using new words in meaningful contexts, a key strategy for building vocabulary.
• Descriptive writing tends to include figurative language, such as simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia. Noticing figurative language in mentor texts and incorporating it into their own writing help students build critical verbal reasoning skills. To find out more about verbal reasoning and other components of language comprehension, see the “In Depth” section from the Comprehension module of our Reading 101 Course.
• It encourages students to learn from—and be metacognitive about—the techniques other authors use to write vivid descriptions.  
• It can help students clarify their understanding of new subject matter material and remember more of what they learn.

How to teach descriptive writing

If only descriptive writing were as simple as “show, don’t tell”! Descriptive writing is a skill — and a craft — that takes instruction, practice, and time to learn. The good news is that it can be explicitly taught. An understanding of the characteristics of effective descriptive writing, combined with a toolkit of structures and strategies to scaffold learning and practice, can enhance students’ development as authors of vivid, evocative writing.

What effective descriptive writing looks like

Authors of descriptive writing use a variety of styles and techniques to connect with readers, but effective descriptive writing often shares these characteristics:

• Vivid details. Specific details paint a picture in the reader’s mind and appeal to the reader’s senses. Descriptive writing may also go beyond creating a strong sensory impression to give the reader a “picture” of the feelings the description evokes in the writer.
• Figurative language. Tools of the writer’s craft such as analogy, simile, and metaphor  add depth to authors’ descriptions.
• Precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive verbs are used sparingly. Instead, specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs give life to the picture being painted in the reader’s mind.
• Thoughtful organization. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: chronological (time), spatial (location), and order of importance. Descriptive writing about a person might begin with a physical description, followed by how the person thinks, feels and acts.

What effective instruction in descriptive writing looks like

There isn’t one right approach to teaching descriptive writing, but effective instruction often includes:

• Mentor texts. Reading aloud and analyzing high-quality mentor texts to help students understand how authors use descriptive writing to connect with readers.
• Focus on the five senses. Helping students make the connection between sensory input (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) and descriptive writing.
• Teacher modeling. Modeling different ways to generate descriptive writing.
• Guided practice. Repeated, structured practice scaffolded to meet students’ needs.
• Feedback and revision. Cycles of constructive teacher and peer feedback followed by thoughtful revision. 

Watch a demonstration: show NOT tell using your 5 senses

In this virtual lesson, the teacher models generating written descriptions of a hot day using the five senses as a framework.

Watch a classroom lesson: five senses graphic organizer

Students use their five senses and a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for writing a report on a recent school event and to help them think about interesting words to include in their report. See the lesson plan (opens in a new window) .

Watch a classroom discussion: writer’s workshop

Writer’s Workshop connects great children’s literature with children’s own writing experiences. In this video clip from our Launching Young Readers PBS series , Lynn Reichle’s second graders practice their use of descriptive writing.

Collect resources

Here are some routines and structures for teaching descriptive writing:

The RAFT strategy encourages descriptive writing and supports writing in general by encouraging students to think through the writer’s Role, the Audience, the Format, and the Topic. ReadWriteThink offers this RAFT Writing Template .

This Sense Chart (opens in a new window)  — organized into sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch categories — helps students capture sensory details related to a topic. The Describing Wheel (opens in a new window) offers a more open-ended format for capturing and organizing descriptive language.

The Show-Me Sentences (opens in a new window) lesson plan from ReadWriteThink was created for students in grades 6-12. However, elementary teachers can modify the Show-Me sentences to make them interesting for younger students.

This lesson plan from Utah Education Network (opens in a new window) guides students through the process of writing about a favorite place using descriptive language. 

This lesson plan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (opens in a new window) has students work collaboratively to generate descriptive writing about works of art. It is intended for upper elementary and middle grades but can be adapted for lower grades.

Teacher Laura Torres created a lesson plan that uses images to jumpstart vivid writing: Three Descriptive Writing Picture Prompts .

Differentiated instruction

For second language learners, students of varying reading skill, and younger learners.

• Use dictation as a way to help capture students thoughts and ideas.
• Provide sentence frames for writing descriptive sentences or paragraphs.
• Use pictures and other sensory prompts.
• Provide budding writers with real-life or virtual experiences that give them something to write about. Trips to a relative’s house, playground or grocery store provide real-life experiences that can be recorded by a new writer.
• Encourage students to work with a buddy or in a small group to develop first drafts .
• Work with students to brainstorm a word bank of interesting and descriptive words students can incorporate into their writing.

Extend the learning

This resource from Greenville County Schools in South Carolina provides several ideas for writing in math class . Writing and mathematics are similar in that they both require gathering, organizing, and clarifying thoughts. Writing can support math instruction by helping students make sense of important concepts and procedures.

Descriptive writing in science can help students capture observations and scientific phenomena with greater precision, and can help them comprehend new material by explaining it in their own words. Fazio and Gallagher propose two instructional strategies to assist teachers and student when writing in science: a mnemonic acronym (POWER) and an editing checklist.

Social Studies

In social studies, descriptive writing can help students describe an important historical figure or event more clearly. Writing rich in detail will create vivid depictions of people and places and help make history come alive.

Related strategies

• RAFT helps students understand their roles as writers, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they’ll be writing about.
• Revision teaches students about the characteristics of good writing, which will carry over into their future writing. Revision skills complement reading skills; revision requires that writers distance themselves from the writing and critically evaluate a text.
• Writing Conferences give students a chance to share their writing and and receive feedback from peers or the teacher.
• Think-alouds can be used for writing as well as reading instruction

Learn more about building writing skills in our self-paced module Reading 101: Writing .

See the research that supports this strategy

Akerson, V. L., & Young, T.A. (2005). Science the ‘write’ way. Science and Children , 43(3), 38-41.

MacArthur, C., Graham, S., & Fitzgerald, J. (2016). Handbook of research on writing (2nd Edition). NY: Guilford.

Miller, R.G., & Calfee, R.C. (2004). Making thinking visible: A method to encourage science writing in upper elementary grades. Science and Children , (42)3, 20-25.

Mitchell, D. (1996). Writing to learn across the curriculum and the English teacher. English Journal , 85, 93-97.

Children’s books to use with this strategy

This boy’s curse begins when his teacher suggests that the “poetry of science” can be heard everywhere. From Moore to Frost, familiar poems are parodied and turned into science verse. Again art and illustration are inseparable as are the laughs in this offbeat look at science.

Science Verse

When Louis’ uncle sends a tadpole from a certain lake in Scotland, the small tadpole grows to enormous proportions. With the help of a resourceful librarian, Louis figures out a way to feed his large and ever-hungry Alphonse as well as determine a permanent solution. Humor abounds in this contemporary classic.

The Mysterious Tadpole

Martin Luther King Jr. grew up fascinated by big words. He would later go on to use these words to inspire a nation and call people to action. In this award-winning book, powerful portraits of King show how he used words, not weapons, to fight injustice.

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

At One Hoppin’ Place, the countdown to bedtime is about to begin when a family of hamsters — a mother and father with nine kids and a baby all wearing numbered striped jerseys — arrives at the front door.

10 Minutes Till Bedtime

Every day children around the world awake to begin their days having breakfast, going to school, coming home to families. A poetic text combines with photographs from myriad countries to visually highlight the richness of the world and its people.

One World, One Day

If all of the 300 million people were simply one village of 100 people, its diversity is easier to understand. That’s just what the author has done to make the complex make-up of the U.S. residents (in terms of languages spoken, ages, and more). Colorful illustrations accompany the understandable text. Additional resources complete the book. If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World’s People (opens in a new window) , also by Smith, looks at the inhabitants of the world as a village to allow its diversity to become more understandable for adults and children.

If America Were a Village: A Book About the People of the United States

Relive the journey of the Apollo 11 where the first people stepped on the Moon’s surface and saw Earth from a very different perspective. Eloquent language and illustrations combine to present this historical event in a unique, unforgettable way.

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

Two machines captivated young Philo Farnsworth: a telephone and a phonograph. Both had cranks and both connected people with others (one in real time, the other through music). These and other inspirations motivated young Philo to invent what was to become known as the television. His early story is fascinatingly told and well illustrated.

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth

Ted Williams never flinched at hard work or a challenge. In his last season with the Boston Red Sox, Williams had to decide if he wanted to take the chance and lose his rare .400 average or go to bat. Williams’ decision creates a riveting read in this handsome and thoughtful look at one man’s ethics and the times in which he lived.

No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season

A mother and her child get the ingredients for soup on a snowy day and then add everything to the pot. The pair plays snug and warm while the soup simmers until Dad comes home when they enjoy soup together. Crisp collage and a simple text make for a cozy read.

The traditional tale of a boy who planted magic beans is reimagined as a city story of a spell broken. Illustrations are photographs that have been manipulated for good effect.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Benny’s Pennies

Children are encouraged to observe as experiment as they learn about wind and air as well as practice science writing by describing their findings.

I Face the Wind

26 Letters and 99 Cents

Arresting photographs of water in various states not only introduces water but also weather, solids and liquids, and more. The sophisticated text further encourages experimentation and observation, although is not necessary to use the entire book with younger children.

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder

Each Orange Had 8 Slices: A Counting Book

Cinderella stories are found around the world; here, they have been fused into one tale with special characteristics in text and illustrations that reflect the different origins. Expand parts of the story to echo the traditions of the culture and its history from which it comes. It may be possible to develop a map of tales (e.g., ancient vs. modern countries, or as a visual as to where it is/was told).

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella

Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme 

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) 

Scieszka and Smith set sights on creating fresh fables — short traditional tales intended to teach a moral lesson. With humorous twists and take-offs, new, different and wacky fables are presented for readers’ edification and amusement.

Squids Will Be Squids

Liked it share it, topics this strategy is especially helpful for.

Descriptive Essays: General Overview

Table of Contents

Descriptive Essay: Definition and Purpose

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What Are the Elements of a Descriptive Essay?

How to write a descriptive essay: step-by-step guide, common descriptive essay topics, how to order a descriptive essay, what makes good descriptive writing, learn more about figurative language, expert tips for writing a descriptive essay, make writing a descriptive essay easier – order it online, customer feedback on the delivered essays.

Students at colleges and universities have to know what EDNA means – Exposition, Description, Narration, and Argumentation, which are commonly known as the modes of discourse. Students have to comprehend the basic differences and requirements of the abovementioned modes of discourse if they want to succeed in academic writing. To develop one’s descriptive essay writing skills, he/she has to work on the task and keep practicing all the time. However, there are some prompts, which if used properly, can help you write very imaginative, effective descriptive essays. At Fresh-Essay.com, we will provide an extensive descriptive essay definition and explain how students have to approach such writing tasks.

As the name suggests, the main goal of writing a descriptive essay is to describe something in a thorough manner from someone’s personal or impressionistic perspective. Descriptive essays have some characteristics that are similar narrative essays’ ones, but the end goals of descriptive and narrative essays are different.

A descriptive essay is a form of essay that asks a student to describe something; for instance, a place, person, incident, even or even an emotion. Providing a detailed description of something, in this type of essay the author is painting a picture in words. A descriptive essay allows the writer to explain his/her point of view in his/her own way. The writer should provide a vivid description of every aspect of the topic, giving the readers an opportunity to feel as if they have personally experienced that.

Descriptive essays are written with the aim of describing someone’s experience, emotions, attitudes, beliefs, places, objects, people, customers, cultures, etc. It is just a small list of what this type of writing can entail. Professors usually assign writing descriptive papers when they want to make students apply their creativity and imagination to the writing task. The key feature of descriptive papers is to reflect your artistic freedom and make reader visualize the subject of description. You are welcome to look at our descriptive essay examples produced by the writers at Fresh-Essay.com, which will help you understand better how to organize your ideas in descriptive pieces of writing.

Usually professors do not restrain students from the selection of their own descriptive essay topics. Therefore, you should choose the one that interests you the most. However, you have to understand that describing an object, event, etc. you know little about will not bring good results. Therefore, do not think that the choice of a difficult topic will surprise your professor, who is interested not in the topic itself, but the way you explore it. While working on any descriptive paper, it is preferable to have someone who can read it. It can be your friend or classmate who could tate if it was easy to visualize what you described and whether the language is vivid/dull to create any impressions.

When students get such an assignment for the first time, they often ask “ what are critical elements of descriptive essays ?” There are some major and critical elements of an essay that are to be followed, a few of them are mentioned below:

• Expressions or sensory details

It is like adding the details that can arise emotions in the readers so that they can connect to whatever they are reading. A writer has to add all the details that can add to the underlying meaning of the content. The sensory details are a must in the essay such as helping readers engage their senses such as sight, smell, touch, and taste.

• Use of figurative language

It is central to make use of figurative language because it is another major element of the descriptive essay. One should make use of metaphors, adjectives, similes, adverbs, and symbols that can make a reading worth a time. The use of figurative language can also help the readers understand the subject and visualize the meaning of the work.

• Major idea and the theme

Although the essay is based on the expressions, it is important to infer that there is a central theme that should be followed. The choice of the theme helps to create the underlying essence of the essay and it is important to keep the essay to the point and focused.

• To the point language

The language of the essay should be to the point because it will help to keep the readers stay connected with the content and the subject. The language should also be compatible with the theme that the writer is following in the essay

• Ideas organization

An essay should have organized ideas taking into account the chronology, the orders plat, and the spatial location.

USEFUL TIP: A narrative essay investigates a topic using narrative techniques, while the aim of a descriptive essay is to illustrate a place, concept, or an object in detail.

When you are working on this type of paper, it is important to know the descriptive essay format. If you wonder “what is a descriptive writing procedure?”, we are going to give you some useful tips. To create this type of paper, follow the steps provided below:

• Choose a Topic

Choosing a good topic for your essay is important. The essay topic should be attractive so that it compels the reader to stay with you throughout the essay.

• Create an Outline

Draft a descriptive essay outline to organize your information in a proper sequence. It will help you structure your essay and remind you to include all the sensory details.

• Write a Descriptive Essay Introduction

The essay begins with an introduction. It introduces the main topic and includes a strong opinion that creates the first impression of the essay. The introduction gives a brief overview of what the essay is going to be about.

• Craft an Informative Thesis Statement

A descriptive essay thesis statement defines the scope and purpose of the essay. It is a narrow subject line, which should be clear and precise. Write the statement in a creative way and choose descriptive words for it. Creating mystery in your thesis statement attracts the reader to the body of your essay.

• Compose Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs support the introduction, the purpose, and follow the direction as defined in the thesis statement. Use topic sentences as the first sentence of each paragraph and back it with supporting evidence. The next step is to link your paragraphs with transition words. In this essay, most of the transition words used are conjunctions. Make appropriate use of conjunctions that suit your essay. Organize your paragraphs properly in an orderly form, in case of experience and memories.

The greatest thing in working on descriptive essays is the variety of topics and the wide range of aspects that can be discussed. One can write the essay about a person, a place, an object or a memory. Here are a few examples of descriptive essay topics:

Essay about a person:

• Describe someone you love
• Describe your best friend
• Describe one of your family members
• How might Othello look like in real life
• Princess Diana as a role model
• A stranger that I would like to meet

Essay about a place:

• Explain the detailing of the Lincoln Castle
• The description of the dream house
• The description of Safari Park
• A detailed insight into the Niagara Falls

Essay about an object:

• The description of my best watch
• How my favorite PlayStation looks like
• What are the things that I want to purchase patiently?
• The description of the vase that I got from my mother

Essay about a memory:

• Describe any memory of the childhood
• What is the worst memory of life
• How I celebrated my birthday
• How I felt when I went abroad for the first time

The answer to ‘what makes good descriptive writing?’ isn’t always a clear one. Everyone writes differently and has their own unique style. However, there are ways that children can learn and improve their descriptive writing as they grow. One of the most effective ways to make good descriptive writing is to make use of the five senses: sound, sight, smell, touch and taste. By exploring the senses, we can create a vivid picture that the reader can visualize. Think about it: when you go to the park or even when you sit at home, you don’t just see things. You hear, feel, touch (and sometimes taste) them too. Using this helps to make the description more real, authentic and effective for the reader. As well as this, here are some other pointers to help an author understand what makes good descriptive writing:

• Use unexpected words – Sometimes it’s possible to convey a certain mood by using words or phrases that aren’t usually associated with the thing being described.
• Think about the person who is describing – Like the above, certain characters might have different views about what’s being talked about. Try to match the words you use with how the character might think.
• The use of figurative language – Metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, similes, idioms and hyperbole can all elevate the standard of descriptive writing.
• Do not over-describe – Sometimes, there are certain things that don’t need to be described, but it all depends on what the story is about and what’s important to it. While a window might not be important for one story, it might be the centre-piece for another. Think about what’s important and don’t over-describe what’s not.

To create vivid and effective descriptive writing and develop writing techniques, it is necessary to learn everything about descriptive language. Writing techniques are specific language devices used by many writers in order to uplift their writing and make it fascinating and more attractive to the readers. Let us explore those techniques in writing in more detail.

While it’s important to use these techniques in writing and it can make the writing much more engaging for the reader, it’s a good idea to use them in moderation. When writing is packed full of metaphors, hyperbole, alliteration and more, the original meaning can be lost and it can be hard for the reader to follow. That’s why writing techniques should be carefully thought out and chosen. What does the technique add to the story and the reader’s experience? Is the reader going to be overwhelmed with foreshadowing and similes? One powerful metaphor will be much more effective than 10 weak ones. Remember that techniques in writing are an incredible tool – when used correctly!

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If you have read our descriptive essay examples and still do not know how to begin writing your paper, please have a look at our writing guidelines that the writers at Fresh-Essay.com follow while working on such tasks:

• Use some brainstorming techniques.

If you want to describe your perfect day off, you have to know beforehand what your essay will include. In this way, brainstorming is just what you need. Take a sheet of paper and write down everything you would like to do. Your list can look in this way: eat pizza, go to sleep, have a date with Mike/Mia, read a book, etc. This list will help you organize ideas in your paper and include all the necessary details.

• Your language must be formal and concise.

If you want to write a descriptive essay about a place, event, object, etc., please make sure that your language is formal or neutral. Academic writing is all about formality and the choice of “high vocabulary.” Moreover, it is highly advisable to use vivid language that will stir readers’ imagination. You have to resort to the verbs that will provoke visualization of the discussed subject.

• Resort to the sense verbs.

It is of primary importance to appeal to the senses of your future readers. You have to use the sense verbs that represent the look, taste, sound, smell, and feelings. Your reader should experience the situation as if they are present there or are doers of the action.

• Your reader has to be impressed with your discussion.

Examples of descriptive essays should make you wish to complete the same action according to the author’s description. If you have just described how to cook pasta, your reader should wish to do the same after reading your essay. Descriptive essay must be compelling and interesting for readers to experience the same emotions in the nearest future.

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Writing a descriptive essay is both interesting and entertaining, but it takes time and requires lots of creativity. Follow the simple steps we outlined and consider our useful tips for making your writing easier and more appealing. Mind though, even when you are short of time, you can still have papers that will bring you As.

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Characteristics of Descriptive Essays

Follow the main characteristics of writing descriptive essays:

When writing a descriptive essay you must use sensory details relative to the subject matter (increase the reader’s experience as they read your essay). Then, sight - paint word pictures; help the reader to create a mental picture. Sound - allow the reader to hear what you describe. Smell - evoke odours both appealing and non-appealing. Taste - allow the reader to share the tastes of things good or bad. Touch - descriptions of textures, temperatures and weights. Use active verbs and varied sentences. Moreover, it is necessary to create a dominant impression overall attitude, mood, or feeling about the subject. Use connotative language effectively - feelings and attitudes associated with a word. Don't forget about comparisons - with similes, metaphors, and personification. Assumes a vantage point - the point or position from which you are writing a descriptive essay . Fixed vantage point - is describing what you see from a particular position. Moving vantage point - describing your subject from a number of different positions.

Method of Organization

Spatial order - Chronological order -Least-to-most/most-to-least order.

Clear Essay Structure

An effective introduction that will:  spark reader’s interest, present your subject/setting, include any background information readers may need, create a dominant impression or stated or suggested in the thesis, introduce the kind of organization the writer will use.

Body paragraphs with topic sentences and other sentences that contain sufficient evidence, sensory details, and comparisons to support the dominant impression/thesis. A strong conclusion that reinforces/references the dominant impression/thesis. Need professional custom writing help ? Our reliable company EssayWritingServices.org offers various types of essays, research papers, book reports, dissertations, presentations and more academic writings. We are always striving for customer's success. 

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Descriptive Essay Examples, Definition, Characteristics, and Functions

Descriptive Essay Examples: Do you need some good descriptive essay examples to understand how it works? If yes, then note. This article is for you. Thus, continue reading to learn the basics of writing a descriptive essay. Also, this will come with some great descriptive essay examples. However, let’s begin by defining a descriptive essay.

What is Descriptive Essay?

Before introducing some descriptive essay examples , please note. A descriptive essay is an essay that describes a person, place, event, or a thing. And it does this in an in-depth and detailed manner.

Also, the aim of writing such an essay is to make the reader feel and see a certain thing, place, or person from your perspective. Furthermore, this type of descriptions are often found in literature . Also, they’re found in novels and dramas.

Characteristics of a Descriptive Essay

Before introducing some descriptive essay examples , please note. Below are some of the features of a descriptive essay:

• It is clear and concise.
• Also, it makes use of images.
• Additionally, it makes use of five senses.

Also, please note. As far as clear and concise language is concerned, it is necessary to describe things precisely.

Furthermore, imagery is used to make things seem real and remarkable. While the use of the five senses creates the imagery, or a mental picture, for each reader.

What Your Description Essay Could Be About

Before introducing some descriptive essay examples , please note. Here’s a list of what your descriptive essay could be about:

• It could be about people.
• Also, it be about places.
• Furthermore, it could about memories.
• Additionally, it could be about your experiences.
• More so, it could be about objects.

Some Functions of Descriptive Essay

Before introducing to some descriptive essay examples , please note. A descriptive essay presents a picture of a person, place, or thing. And it does this in a way that readers feel as if it is in front of their eyes.

Also, it presents things in a way that readers feel they are tasting it. Or that they can hear it, or that they can smell it.

Some Few Descriptive Essay Examples

Below are some Descriptive Essay examples in Literature:

The Corner Store  (by Eudora Welty) “Our Little Store rose right up from the sidewalk; standing in a street of family houses, it alone hadn’t any yard in front, any tree or flower bed. It was a plain frame building covered over with brick. Above the door, a little railed porch ran across on an upstairs level and four windows with shades were looking out. But I didn’t catch on to those. Running in out of the sun, you met what seemed total obscurity inside. There were almost tangible smells. Licorice recently sucked in a child’s cheek, dill pickle brine1. That had leaked through a paper sack in a fresh trail across the wooden floor. Ammonia-loaded ice that had been hoisted from wet croker sacks and slammed into the icebox with its sweet butter at the door. And perhaps the smell of still untrapped mice.” This description of the “Little Store” is not only clear and concise, but also has images and sensory information about the store building.

And the Orchestra Played On  (by Joanne Lipman) “The hinges creaked when I opened the decrepit case. I was greeted by a cascade of loose horsehair — my bow a victim of mites, the repairman later explained. It was pure agony to twist my fingers into position. But to my astonishment and that of my teenage children — who had never heard me play — I could still manage a sound. It turned out, a few days later, that there were 100 people just like me. When I showed up at a local school for rehearsal, there they were: five decades worth of former students. There were doctors and accountants, engineers and college professors. There were people who hadn’t played in decades, sitting alongside professionals like Mr. K.’s daughter Melanie, now a violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There were generations of music teachers.” In the first paragraph of this descriptive excerpt, the author clearly describes the decrepit nature of the violin case, as well as the damage time has done to the bow. The second paragraph is a description of the characters, and their similarities.  Both use sensory information for effective descriptions.

Yarn  (by Koyoko Mori) “The yellow mittens I made in seventh-grade home economics proved that I dreamed in color. For the unit on knitting, we were 1 supposed to turn in a pair of mittens. The two hands had to be precisely the same size so that when we held them together, palm to palm, no extra stitches would stick out from the thumb, the tip of the fingers, or the cuff. Somewhere between making the fourth and the fifth mitten to fulfill this requirement, I dreamed that the ball of yellow yarn in my bag had turned green. Chartreuse, leaf, Granny Smith, lime, neon, acid green. The brightness was electric. I woke up knowing that I was, once again, doomed for a D in home ec.” See the use of colors in this paragraph by Koyoko Mori. This is called “pure description,” in that the description appeals to the senses. The use of word “brightness” in the last line is striking one.

The Taj Mahal  (by Salman Rushdie) “And this, finally, is why the Taj Mahal must be seen: to remind us that the world is real, that the sound is truer than the echo, the original more forceful than its image in a mirror. The beauty of beautiful things is still able, in these image-saturated times, to transcend imitations. And the Taj Mahal is, beyond the power of words to say it, a lovely thing, perhaps the loveliest of things.” Check this short description of the Taj Mahal by Salman Rushdie. This description presents a different picture of the Taj Mahal.

The above are some of the basic information you need to know about descriptive essay. However, as you practice writing this essay, note. You can learn from the descriptive essay examples shown above.

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Descriptive Writing- Definition, Types, and Techniques

Table of Contents

Have your teacher asked you to submit a descriptive essay? If yes, then you must have a basic knowledge of descriptive writing to describe your essay topic in a way that is engaging and meaningful to your readers. What is descriptive writing? To know more about the definition of descriptive writing, types of descriptive writing, and characteristics of descriptive writing, continue reading this blog post. Also, from here, learn how to write an outstanding descriptive essay.

Definition of Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay is a kind of essay that summarizes or describes a topic using suitable details. The description can be about a person, event, thing, or place. The ultimate aim of a descriptive essay is to create a picture in the reader’s mind through a detailed description.

Mostly, in order to enhance the writing skills of students, teachers often ask students to submit a descriptive essay assignment. Moreover, writing descriptive essays regularly will help the students present their thoughts in a manner that is engaging and interesting for the readers.

What is Descriptive Writing?

So, what is descriptive writing? Descriptive writing is a type of writing technique that allows the authors to describe a specific topic in a more detailed, informative, and interesting way. Also, this writing strategy helps the authors to learn new words and improve their vocabulary. Basically, descriptive writing has an appealing structure and exceptional power. It invokes smells, sounds, tastes, and textures.

If you wish to strengthen the reading experience, then while composing your write-up, you can use descriptive writing. Your readers can easily relate to the writing and connect the content by using hearing, tasting, and touching.

Especially, by using descriptive writing, you can become a better writer and also write the essay in a way that is more appealing to your readers. This will help your readers to get a clear understanding of the thing you are describing. Most importantly, when describing, use the correct choice of words and describe the topic from your perspective by including your personal experience.

Characteristics of Descriptive Writing

Listed below are the characteristics of descriptive writing.

• Good descriptive writing makes use of sensory details to showcase a picture that is appealing to the readers. 
• It uses figurative language like metaphors and analogies to make the picture clear to readers.
• This uses specific adjectives, and nouns to render life to the picture to set up in the reader’s mind. 
• It should be organized using the physical description, feelings, actions, and thoughts of the person. 
•  This should be concrete, evocative, and plausible. 

Types of Descriptive Writing

The following are the different types of descriptive writing.

• Writing about self : This involves writing about My favorite holiday destination, My school, etc. The writer describes himself by writing a story on how things affect him. 
• Writing about others : This includes articles like My Father, My favorite teacher, etc. The writer should be successful in creating a picture of the person in the audience’s mind. 
• Any memory or experience : This involves recalling any memory or any visit to your favorite place. He has to describe any past event. 

Various Descriptive Writing Techniques

Listed below are some effective descriptive writing techniques that you can follow.

• Brainstorming ideas : Think about some brainstorming ideas before writing the essay. If you are writing about bread, start by writing a few words like double bread, brown bread, and white bread. Compile a list for each.
• Use precise and succinct language : Make the right choice of words that are relevant to your topic. 
• Choose expressive language : Choose the language that serves the user’s purpose. Use ‘reminiscence’ in place of ‘memory’, and ‘leisurely’ in place of slow. Such words make a firm vision in the reader’s mind. While describing, make the thing captivating. 
• Make a clear impression : Make a clear impact and an intense sense of appreciation and familiarity in the reader.
• Be cognizant : Don’t fall into a trap of emotions. Have logical support for any argument to convince the readers.

Related post: A Look at the Benefits of Creative Writing Exercises

Learn How to Write a Descriptive Essay Effectively

The key to writing a descriptive essay is to form a picture in the reader’s mind by involving all five senses- smell, taste, sound, touch, and sight. As a writer, you will have to accomplish all these things to come up with a successful descriptive essay.

If you are asked to write a descriptive essay, make sure to execute the steps that are presented below.

Choose a Topic

This essay focuses on an event, person, place, or thing. While writing, the author has to make sure that he conveys the concept of the topic by describing the things in detail that make an impact on the reader’s mind. Demonstrate the things by showing the picture in the reader’s view carefully. Your essay has to make sense by describing the events in paragraphs in chronological order. The introductory paragraph should build a tone to set all the ideas you may cover later.

Read more topic: Thought-Provoking Argumentative Essay Topics for You to Explore

Identify the Thesis Statement

Find out a thesis statement to establish the purpose of the essay. This will regulate the flow of the essay through which the message is conveyed to the readers. This idea will set the essay structure while writing. 

List the senses

Create columns for describing the five senses. These designed columns will help you to analyze your thoughts as you describe the topic. Mention any feeling or sensation that you came across while writing. The author should provide all the sensory details to support the thesis statement. You can make use of tools like personification, similes, and metaphors. After preparing the columns, you have to store the information that supports your thesis. You will note these details to put into the paragraph. 

Sketch an Outline

Draft a well-structured essay outline by including the essential components such as the introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Develop the Essay

Next, with the support of the prepared outline, create an excellent descriptive essay as per the university guidelines. The essay should explain the thesis statement with valid arguments and supporting evidence. Particularly, in the conclusion section, summarize the entire essay and reconfirm your thesis. Note that, the conclusion should be written in an attractive manner so that your readers will remember the discussed points for a long time.

After writing the essay, take a short break to clear your mind. It is time to look back into the essay after a fresh and read it in the way, the audience will perceive it. Read the entire essay keeping the reader in mind. Think,  if the paper makes sense to you. Does any paragraph need to be rephrased or corrected? The choice of words will determine the author’s view and personality. The details you mention should give the readers adequate information to establish a whole picture. Proofread the entire essay again and again. Allow your friends and colleague to read it and be ready for any criticism and feedback.

Check for any spelling mistakes, grammar, and punctuation. Rectify your mistakes. Rewrite the things that do not make any sense. Make sure that the final product is ready to publish. Analyze the things that need to be reworked. 

Wrapping Up

We hope you have now gained a better understanding of descriptive writing. If you want to write a brilliant descriptive essay, then follow the tips shared above. In case, you are still confused about how to write a descriptive essay, quickly reach out to us. At greatassignmenthelp.com, we have plenty of experienced essay helpers to offer you cheap and best essay writing help online. According to the requirements you share with us, our experts will come up with an amazing descriptive essay. Besides that, from our experts, you can also get assistance for writing all types of essays. We offer 24/7 assignment writing help services in diverse academic disciplines as well.

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Characteristics of descriptive writing

1. Good descriptive writing includes many vivid sensory details that paint a picture and appeals to all of the reader's senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste when appropriate. Descriptive writing may also paint pictures of the feelings the person, place or thing invokes in the writer. In the video section below, watch a teacher use a Five Senses Graphic Organizer as a planning strategy for descriptive writing. 2. Good descriptive writing often makes use of figurative language such as analogies, similes and metaphors to help paint the picture in the reader's mind. 3. Good descriptive writing uses precise language. General adjectives, nouns, and passive verbs do not have a place in good descriptive writing. Use specific adjectives and nouns and strong action verbs to give life to the picture you are painting in the reader's mind. 4. Good descriptive writing is organized. Some ways to organize descriptive writing include: chronological (time), spatial (location), and order of importance. When describing a person, you might begin with a physical description, followed by how that person thinks, feels and acts. Authors of successful narratives are well-versed in the following skills: • organization-they understand the shape that a narrative story takes as well as the salient characteristics of this kind of writing • crafting entertaining beginnings-authors must understand the function of a story beginning-to grab the reader's attention and introduce the reader to the story world. They also need to recognize the specific strategies and techniques authors use to accomplish this. • elaborative detail-involves so much more than assigning adjectives to nouns!-the author needs to know why to elaborate (to allow the reader to experience story critical characters, settings, and objects through the five senses of the main character.), where elaboration is appropriate, and how to create it. • suspense-story tension is what keeps the reader reading. Young authors must understand the need for suspense/tension and some specific techniques for building this into their plots. • fully elaborated main events-every short story has a single significant main event-what the story is really all about. This main event needs to be told through a mix of action, description, dialogue, thoughts and feelings. It needs to be stretched out to reflect its relative importance to the story. • satisfying extended story endings-after the main event concludes the author needs to allow the main character to reflect on memories, feelings, hopes, wishes, and decisions brought about by the main event.

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