Purdue Online Writing Lab 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 This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.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.
Have a language expert improve your writing
Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.
- Knowledge Base
- How to write a descriptive essay | Example & tips
How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips
Published on July 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on November 28, 2022.
A descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something—generally a place or object, but possibly something more abstract like an emotion. This type of essay , like the narrative essay , is more creative than most academic writing .
Table of contents
Descriptive essay topics, tips for writing descriptively, descriptive essay example, frequently asked questions about descriptive essays.
When you are assigned a descriptive essay, you’ll normally be given a specific prompt or choice of prompts. They will often ask you to describe something from your own experience.
- Describe a place you love to spend time in.
- Describe an object that has sentimental value for you.
You might also be asked to describe something outside your own experience, in which case you’ll have to use your imagination.
- Describe the experience of a soldier in the trenches of World War I.
- Describe what it might be like to live on another planet.
Sometimes you’ll be asked to describe something more abstract, like an emotion.
If you’re not given a specific prompt, try to think of something you feel confident describing in detail. Think of objects and places you know well, that provoke specific feelings or sensations, and that you can describe in an interesting way.
The key to writing an effective descriptive essay is to find ways of bringing your subject to life for the reader. You’re not limited to providing a literal description as you would be in more formal essay types.
Make use of figurative language, sensory details, and strong word choices to create a memorable description.
Use figurative language
Figurative language consists of devices like metaphor and simile that use words in non-literal ways to create a memorable effect. This is essential in a descriptive essay; it’s what gives your writing its creative edge and makes your description unique.
Take the following description of a park.
This tells us something about the place, but it’s a bit too literal and not likely to be memorable.
If we want to make the description more likely to stick in the reader’s mind, we can use some figurative language.
Here we have used a simile to compare the park to a face and the trees to facial hair. This is memorable because it’s not what the reader expects; it makes them look at the park from a different angle.
You don’t have to fill every sentence with figurative language, but using these devices in an original way at various points throughout your essay will keep the reader engaged and convey your unique perspective on your subject.
Use your senses
Another key aspect of descriptive writing is the use of sensory details. This means referring not only to what something looks like, but also to smell, sound, touch, and taste.
Obviously not all senses will apply to every subject, but it’s always a good idea to explore what’s interesting about your subject beyond just what it looks like.
Even when your subject is more abstract, you might find a way to incorporate the senses more metaphorically, as in this descriptive essay about fear.
Choose the right words
Writing descriptively involves choosing your words carefully. The use of effective adjectives is important, but so is your choice of adverbs , verbs , and even nouns.
It’s easy to end up using clichéd phrases—“cold as ice,” “free as a bird”—but try to reflect further and make more precise, original word choices. Clichés provide conventional ways of describing things, but they don’t tell the reader anything about your unique perspective on what you’re describing.
Try looking over your sentences to find places where a different word would convey your impression more precisely or vividly. Using a thesaurus can help you find alternative word choices.
- My cat runs across the garden quickly and jumps onto the fence to watch it from above.
- My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above.
However, exercise care in your choices; don’t just look for the most impressive-looking synonym you can find for every word. Overuse of a thesaurus can result in ridiculous sentences like this one:
- My feline perambulates the allotment proficiently and capers atop the palisade to regard it from aloft.
Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services
Discover proofreading & editing
An example of a short descriptive essay, written in response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” is shown below.
Hover over different parts of the text to see how a descriptive essay works.
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.
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.
If you’re not given a specific prompt for your descriptive essay , think about places and objects you know well, that you can think of interesting ways to describe, or that have strong personal significance for you.
The best kind of object for a descriptive essay is one specific enough that you can describe its particular features in detail—don’t choose something too vague or general.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2022, November 28). How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/descriptive-essay/
Is this article helpful?
Jack Caulfield
Other students also liked, how to write a narrative essay | example & tips, how to write a literary analysis essay | a step-by-step guide, how to write an expository essay, what is your plagiarism score.
- Words with Friends Cheat
- Wordle Solver
- Word Unscrambler
- Scrabble Dictionary
- Anagram Solver
- Wordscapes Answers
Make Our Dictionary Yours
Sign up for our weekly newsletters and get:
- Grammar and writing tips
- Fun language articles
- #WordOfTheDay and quizzes
By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .
We'll see you in your inbox soon.
What Is a Descriptive Essay? Examples and Guide
- DESCRIPTION student with orange sweater using laptop computer taking notes with descriptive essay definition
- SOURCE Mirel Kipioro/ iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty created by YourDictionary
- PERMISSION Used under Getty Images license
Have you ever had a really delicious cookie? Just the most perfectly balanced sweetness with chunks of melty chocolate and a little salt to bring it all together? And have you described it to a friend, family member, or curious stranger? If you’re nodding your head, you have already partaken in the writing tradition known as the descriptive essay (at least a little bit). With some polishing and tightening up, you can turn that description of a baked good into an award-winning piece of writing.
What Is a Descriptive Essay?
A descriptive essay is sort of what it says on the tin. It’s a type of essay that involves describing a person or object, though it can really extend to any sort of noun , like a place, event, experience, or emotion. If you think that seems pretty broad, you’re right. You’re technically describing something in every essay.
What makes the descriptive essay notable is that focus on description — the details, colors, feelings, sights, and sounds. Some descriptive essays might have a slight argument in their theses, but it’s not really a requirement. Your thesis statement could be as simple as “I had a cookie that changed my entire life.”
You can think of “descriptive essay” as more of an umbrella category. It can encompass other essay types , particularly analytical essays , expository essays , and personal narrative essays .
Ideas for Descriptive Essay Topics
Truly, the hardest part of descriptive essays is coming up with a topic. You really do have your entire world to potentially write about, which is understandably daunting for anyone.
Just remember that you can quite literally describe anything as long as you yourself find it interesting enough to write about. That might include:
- A long nature hike through beautiful surroundings
- Your favorite sport or a specific game/match that was memorable
- Your most recent birthday and all the things that have shaped you in the past
- A country or city, broken down into geography, climate, politics, religion, and culture
- A historical event, including its causes, ramifications, and consequences
- A news story that includes context about the people involved, information about where it occurred, and insight into other events it links to
General Format and Structure of a Descriptive Essay
There isn’t a set format for descriptive essays. A lot of it really comes down to the subject that you’re describing and your own approach to how you experience things, and it turns out that we all experience and see things differently.
A good outline structure that you can start with might look like this.
- Write a hook that helps your reader relate to the senses you’re tapping into.
- Provide some general background about the thing you’re describing.
- Form a thesis statement that makes a claim (but may not necessarily include an argument or opinion).
- Provide a topic sentence introducing the subject.
- Give an in-depth physical description of the subject.
- Describe your subject within its given context, like its physical surroundings or temporal environment.
- Describe how the subject emotionally or mentally affected those who interacted or experienced it.
- Restate your thesis about the subject’s description.
- Consider the subject (and its description) outside of what you’ve already mentioned in the essay. How might it apply to other people or society at large?
Obviously, if you have a different angle, go with that. For example, if you’re going more for a personal essay, the structure might have more of a narrative (beginning, middle, end) format.
Descriptive Essay Examples
With a better understanding of how to approach a descriptive essay, you’re ready to prosper and write an essay of your own. We can’t write your essay for you because we don’t know your subject, but you will absolutely have more interesting and insightful descriptions than us. However, if you need some tips for writing descriptive essays , we can give you a descriptive essay example to guide your way.
- DESCRIPTION descriptive essay full example with labels
- SOURCE Created by Karina Goto for YourDictionary
- PERMISSION Owned by YourDictionary, Copyright YourDictionary
Example of a Descriptive Essay Introduction
Your introduction exists to provide a little background context for your essay. What’s difficult with a descriptive essay is that you want your introduction to intrigue without giving away too much of your description (that’s what the body of your essay is for).
Home is where the heart is, but not everyone has the same heart. For some, a home is four walls, some furniture, and a fireplace. For others, home is a cactus, sand dunes, and a nearby oasis. Comfort is subjective, and the only comfort I have known is from the mud and gunk of my humble swamp.
Sample Body Paragraph for a Descriptive Essay
Unlike with other essay forms, you do not have to worry about providing evidence. You obviously can if you think it’ll help you with your description, but it’s largely about you and your experience of the subject. Outside evidence is purely secondary at that point.
A swamp, a bog, a quagmire, whatever you might call it, my swamp is the only place I would ever consider home. The climate ranges with the season, and the mud pits offer a surprising level of insulation from the weather, never too hot or too cold. Nights are filled with the sounds of crickets, toads, and the wayward donkey, the soft sounds of the angry village in the distance.
Descriptive Essay Conclusion Example
The crux of your descriptive essay will feel mostly concrete as it focuses on the subject at hand and your experience of it through the five senses. The conclusion is where you can go outside of that, and expand outward to include larger ideas and themes. In fact, if you really wanted, you could use the conclusion to essentially create an opinion or argument that could become the thesis for an entirely different essay.
To many, the swamp might seem like a scary and unwelcoming space, but for me, that is part of its charm. It is a place of warmth and love if you look close enough, and much like an onion, it is a place of layers. The humble bog may be the most ideal environment to live, and yet part of its appeal is that it is not for everyone. That is the ideal home; a place that perfectly fits you.
- EXPLORE Coupons Tech Help Pro Random Article About Us Quizzes Contribute Train Your Brain Game Improve Your English Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
- HELP US Support wikiHow Community Dashboard Write an Article Request a New Article More Ideas...
- EDIT Edit this Article
- PRO Courses New Tech Help Pro New Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Coupons Quizzes Upgrade Sign In
- Browse Articles
- Quizzes New
- Train Your Brain New
- Improve Your English New
- Support wikiHow
- About wikiHow
- Easy Ways to Help
- Approve Questions
- Fix Spelling
- More Things to Try...
- H&M Coupons
- Hotwire Promo Codes
- StubHub Discount Codes
- Ashley Furniture Coupons
- Blue Nile Promo Codes
- NordVPN Coupons
- Samsung Promo Codes
- Chewy Promo Codes
- Ulta Coupons
- Vistaprint Promo Codes
- Shutterfly Promo Codes
- DoorDash Promo Codes
- Office Depot Coupons
- adidas Promo Codes
- Home Depot Coupons
- DSW Coupons
- Bed Bath and Beyond Coupons
- Lowe's Coupons
- Surfshark Coupons
- Nordstrom Coupons
- Walmart Promo Codes
- Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
- Fanatics Coupons
- Edible Arrangements Coupons
- eBay Coupons
- Log in / Sign up
- Education and Communications
- College University and Postgraduate
- Academic Writing
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Last Updated: February 8, 2023 References Approved
This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 30 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,450,000 times.
A good descriptive essay creates a vivid picture of the topic in the reader’s mind. You may need to write a descriptive essay as a class assignment or you may decide to write one as a fun writing challenge. Start by brainstorming ideas for the essay. Then, outline and write the essay using vivid sensory details and strong descriptions. Always polish your essay and proofread it so it is at its best.
Brainstorming Ideas for the Essay
- You could also choose a fictional person to write about, such as a character in a book, a story, or a play. You could write about a character on your favorite TV show or video game.
- Another take on this option is to write about a made-up place or object, such as the fantastical school in your favorite book or the magic wand from your favorite TV show.
- You could also choose a more specific emotion, such as brotherly love or self-hatred. These emotions can make for powerful descriptive essays.
- For example, if you were writing about a person like your mother, you may write down under “sound” : “soft voice at night, clack of her shoes on the floor tiles, bang of the spoon when she cooks.”
Writing the Essay
- If you are writing the essay for a class, your instructor should specify if they want a five paragraph essay or if you have the freedom to use sections instead.
- For example, if you were writing a descriptive essay about your mother, you may have a thesis statement like: “In many ways, my mother is the reigning queen of our house, full of contradictions that we are too afraid to question.”
- For example, if you were writing the essay about your mom, you may start with: “My mother is not like other mothers. She is a fierce protector and a mysterious woman to my sisters and I.”
- If you were writing an essay about an object, you may start with: "Try as I might, I had a hard time keeping my pet rock alive."
- You can also use adjectives that connect to the senses, such “rotting,” “bright,” “hefty,” “rough,” and “pungent.”
- For example, you may describe your mother as "bright," "tough," and "scented with jasmine."
- You can also use similes, where you use “like” or “as” to compare one thing to another. For example, you may write, “My mother is like a fierce warrior in battle, if the battlefield were PTA meetings and the checkout line at the grocery store.”
- For example, you may write about your complicated feelings about your mother. You may note that you feel sadness about your mother’s sacrifices for the family and joy for the privileges you have in your life because of her.
- For example, you may end a descriptive essay about your mother by noting, “In all that she has sacrificed for us, I see her strength, courage, and fierce love for her family, traits I hope to emulate in my own life.”
Polishing the Essay
- You can also read the essay aloud to others to get their feedback. Ask them to let you know if there are any unclear or vague sentences in the essay.
- Be open to constructive criticism and feedback from others. This will only make your essay stronger.
- If you have a word count requirement for the essay, make sure you meet it. Add more detail to the paper or take unnecessary content out to reach the word count.
Outline for a Descriptive Essay
Expert Q&A
You Might Also Like
- ↑ http://www.writeexpress.com/descriptive-essay.html
- ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
- ↑ https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/organization-and-structure/descriptive-writing.html
- ↑ https://spcollege.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=10168248
- ↑ http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/style_purpose_strategy/descriptive_essay.html
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/descriptive_essays.html
- ↑ https://vln.school.nz/groupcms/view/845349/descriptive-writing
About This Article
To write a descriptive essay, start by choosing a topic, like a person, place, or specific emotion. Next, write down a list of sensory details about the topic, like how it sounds, smells, and feels. After this brainstorming session, outline the essay, dividing it into an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Open with a vivid introduction that uses sensory details, then introduce your thesis statement, which the rest of your essay should support. Strengthen your essay further by using metaphors and similes to describe your topic, and the emotions it evokes. To learn how to put the finishing touches on your essay, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No
- Send fan mail to authors
Reader Success Stories
Joshua Aigbe
Mar 25, 2021
Did this article help you?
Nguyen Manifest
Subaa Subaavarshini
Jul 13, 2020
Daniel Karibi
May 13, 2021
Aug 21, 2019
Featured Articles
Trending Articles
Watch Articles
- Terms of Use
- Privacy Policy
- Do Not Sell or Share My Info
- Not Selling Info
wikiHow Tech Help Pro:
Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
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.
Need To Describe Something But Don't Know How?
Let one of our essay writers do it for you, all you have to do is send us your paper requirements and wait for your original paper to be written.
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.
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.
If you need help, leave us a notice ' do my homework ' and get it asap.
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.
Descriptive Essay: Video Guide
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.
Need Some Help?
Okay, 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. You will get your written masterpiece delivered to you on time, with a smile on your face!
Related Articles
Descriptive Essays
There are different types of essays, from descriptive essays and expository essays to compare/contrast essays and persuasive essays . You can choose the type of essay you want to write depending on the subject and the purpose of the essay. Regardless of the type of essay, description as a writing technique can be used in all types of essays including narrative writing in order to create a powerful impression. A narrative descriptive essay, for example, would combine the writing elements of a narrative and descriptive writing.
Descriptive Essay Examples
► descriptive essay: amusement parks.
Amusement parks are by far one of the most thrilling places on earth. As you wait in a long line to get in park, you can hear numerous kids, adults, and tourist shouting off the top of their lungs due to a tremendous jaw-dropping drop on their beloved roller coasters.
► Descriptive Essay: Descriptive Writing
A descriptive essay, in essence, attempts to create more involved and clear encounter so that the reader can understand it better. It enables you to paint a clear picture for your readers with words. A good descriptive essay accomplishes this impact by using a more detailed observation and description.
► Descriptive Essay: My Camping Trip
I awoke to the sun piercing through the screen of my tent while stretching my arms out wide to nudge my friend Alicia to wake up. “Finally!” I said to Alicia, the countdown is over. As I unzip the screen door and we climb out of our tent, I’m embraced with the aroma of campfire burritos.
► Descriptive Essay: Beach Hacks
When you visit Daytona, regardless of the reason, it is almost criminal not to at least stand in the sand before heading back home. Everyone in Daytona knows the way of life here is golden sands and cool ocean breezes. Rather they are a local or tourist, they know to make the most of the beach whenever they can.
► Descriptive Essay: My Racing Heart
I was so tired, even attempting to keep my eyes open was a struggle. My whole body was drunk with fatigue after a hard day’s work, constantly staring at a computer screen and typing away as if in a solemn trance.
► Descriptive Essay About Climate Change
My parents grew up in small town in Mexico. There was a little river that went through part of the town when they were growing up. Every weekend or so they would go out and would go swimming with their families, it almost became a tradition to go swimming there until they noticed that the river ‘s water level was becoming smaller.
► Descriptive Essay: Central Park
Central Park When you think about New York, you think about Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, or The Empire State Building, however most people are blind to other attractions going on all the time. Since I am from the wonderful state of New York, I can fill you in on other attractions.
► Descriptive Essay on Basketball Gym
The gym where I practice to win, the YMCA, is a place where I know who I am. It is a place I can go to escape my problems for awhile and release some stress. It is not the actual physical building, but rather the events that have occurred over the years.
► Descriptive Essay: ‘The Darkness Of The Night’
The purple hue surrounding my eye extenuates the fairness of my skin and makes me stand out more than an elephant in a room. I examine my bloodied, bruised face in the cracked mirror and begin to wash away at my stained skin, watching the rogue substance gurgle down the drain.
► Descriptive Essay: ‘Candy’
Meta: Candy is the theme of the moment within the world of slots, with Mobilots jumping on the trend with its latest release. Promising to deliver a taste worth savouring, is this game as sugary sweet as it proclaims? Sugar and Ice Review. Everyone loves candy.
What is a Descriptive Essay?
A descriptive essay is an essay in which you describe a single event or subject using sensory details such as sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Descriptive writing is often seen in travel writing, poetry, and in the short story and novel form, but it is not restricted to them. The rule of thumb in descriptive writing is “show, don’t tell.” You can see the power of description in these lines from Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita : “Her skin glistening in the neon light coming from the paved court through the slits in the blind, her soot-black lashes matted, her grave gray eyes more vacant than ever.” While this example is taken from a novel in which the narrator describes a character, a descriptive essay is a good format to consider if you want to write an essay about a person. When writing a descriptive essay about a person, you can describe what the person looks like and what he/she is wearing as well as the other sensory details such as smell, touch, and sound.
A successful descriptive essay is one that recreates the experience such that readers too experience it. It often describes a single event or subject and pushes forth a dominant impression. Therefore, choosing a dominant impression is the first step to writing a descriptive essay. Ask yourself: What was the impression that a place or person left you with? Was the atmosphere bleak? Was there a sense of anxiety? A bleak atmosphere can be recreated by describing the shabbiness, musty smell, the light, or the lack of it – such as the summer sun hesitating to enter the room, dead colors, a draft too tired to rustle up goosebumps, or the low buzz of a flickering light bulb. On the other hand, anxiety can be created by describing the shallow breathing, the restless foot-tapping, clenched jaws, fingers worrying a loose shirt button, and darting eyes.
Sensory language is used to evoke an experience or illustrate an object in vivid detail. While there is a general preference for visual language, by employing all the senses, you will create a better picture. You can describe what you saw, what you heard, what you smelled, tastes and flavors, and the tactile sensations. Consider this: a mewing black cat with soft fur and stale breath, and the disgusting memory of a sour salmon meal .
Certain techniques too are used to make descriptive essays powerful, such as naming, comparing, and detailing. Naming involves identifying what is seen. When you walk into a study, you may see a fireplace, a table, a bookshelf, a chair, a cat, and curtains. Detailing makes the named objects more specific. For example, an antique table of redwood, mint-green curtains with sunflowers that had not seen the sun in a long time, or a mewing cat. Comparison creates a stronger impression and employs the use of literary devices such as metaphors or similes. For example, the study looked like a forgotten forest from another age. Besides language, senses, and techniques, the type of description is important. Descriptive essays can be either objective or subjective. Objective descriptions are used in writing that does not involve emotions such as an essay by a marine biologist about the condition of coral reefs. Subjective descriptions are more personal – such as your personal experience going scuba diving for the first time. It is essentially your point of view. The approach – subjective or objective – determines the tone of your essay. An objective description may sound more academic while a subjective description may sound more personal. An objective description may describe the coral reefs as, “The corals, without the algae that lend them their color and nutrition, are now white,” whereas a subjective description may say, “I was caught in the midst of a rush of colorful reef fish and the deafening sounds underwater.”
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Once you are clear about the thesis statement and the purpose, you can start prewriting to determine what details you would like to share with your reader and the sensory details that elaborate on the dominant impression that you want to recreate in your essay. After you determine the points that you would like to cover, you can then begin organizing it. The body paragraphs can be organized in a spatial (how everything relates to each other or physical positions), emphatic (the most important information appears first), or chronological order (follows the order of events). You can also organize the essay according to the sensory perception with each body paragraph dedicated to a single sense. Similar to all academic essays, each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence followed by evidence and a concluding sentence that ties up the focus of the paragraph. Transition words need to be incorporated to ensure that the essay is cohesive and flows smoothly.
Once the structure and the essay outline are in place, you need to pay attention to the language and the sentence structure. In a descriptive essay, language has to be rich in sensory detail. Metaphors and similes can make the essay sound more vivid but you have to take care not to use common and overused comparisons. Adverbs weaken writing and need to be avoided. On the other hand, verbs, sentence diversity in terms of length and structure, and the use of active voice are effective. Lastly, with the help of a review checklist which includes grammar checking, you can polish your essay and make it readable. If you are in doubt about how to start writing the essay, going through essay samples and personal descriptive essay samples can help. You may benefit from reading a descriptive essay for college students or descriptive essay examples for high school. On 123HelpME, you can see many descriptive essay example pdfs. Once you are familiar with how a descriptive essay is written, you can start writing your own essay. The time spent reading these essays may give you a few descriptive essay ideas. If you are still unsure about what to write about, you can go through the good descriptive essay topics below or look for grade-specific essays such as descriptive essay topics for grade 10.
Descriptive Essay Outline Template
You can use the following descriptive essay outline to help you compose a descriptive essay. A normal five-paragraph essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
I. Introduction
a. Hook: It should grab the attention of the reader and entice them to read on. It could begin with a question, an interesting fact or statistic, or a quote. The hook should match the intention of the essay. A good hook is also one that is unique.
b. Background/context: It tells the reader what the essay is about and sets the tone of the essay. But it needs to be broad. That is, it provides the outline of the essay without giving away everything too soon. It is also an opportunity to familiarize the reader because they may not be aware of the context.
c. Thesis statement: It focuses on the dominant impression and the main purpose of your essay. It clearly communicates what the essay is going to be about. An effective thesis statement consists of a central point and support, which clearly lay out the focus, emphasis, and range of the essay.
II. Body Paragraph 1
a. Topic sentence: It is the key point of the paragraph related to the supporting points of the thesis statement. It is required to introduce a new idea or a new point. Topic sentences can be considered as signposts of your essay. It helps you organize your paragraphs and lend structure to your essay.
b. Evidence: It includes supporting details which hold up the claims made. In case of descriptive essays, it includes sensory details. Each sentence should stay in line with the main point of the paragraph which is identified in the topic sentence.
c. Conclusion: It is the last line of the body paragraph. It ties back to the topic sentence and transitions to the next idea to ensure that the essay flows smoothly from one body paragraph to the next one.
III. Body Paragraph 2
b. Evidence: It includes supporting details that hold up the claims made. In the case of descriptive essays, it includes sensory details. Each sentence should stay in line with the main point of the paragraph which is identified in the topic sentence.
c. Conclusion: It is the last line of the body paragraph. It ties back to the topic sentence and transitions to the next idea to ensure that the essay flows smoothly from one body paragraph to the next one.
IV. Body Paragraph 3
b. Evidence: It includes supporting details that hold up the claims made. In case of descriptive essays, it includes sensory details. Each sentence should stay in line with the main point of the paragraph which is identified in the topic sentence.
V. Conclusion
a. Reflect: It considers what the essay has so far revealed to you and any insights gained. These could be revelations or provocative insights that are the culmination of what you have described so far in the essay. However, no new ideas should be introduced at this point.
b. Reinforce: It revisits the main points discussed and restates the thesis statement. It is more effective to synthesize rather than summarize the points, which is to say that you need to show how the points made fit together instead of repeating the same points.
c. Closing statement: It is the last sentence of the entire essay and the concluding paragraph, and it needs to be an impactful one. It should leave the reader with a strong impression, a question to consider, or ideas to explore further depending on the purpose of your essay.
Popular Descriptive Essay Topics
If you are looking for good descriptive essay topics and descriptive essay ideas, these are a few popular ones you could consider.
- Your favorite place or holiday
- Your best friend or favorite person
- A concert you attended
- The house where you grew up
- Describe yourself
- An object that is special to you
- Your favorite food
- Your happiest memory
Additional Descriptive Essay Samples
► descriptive essay – the baseball diamond.
Many people don’t understand the point in playing baseball. Why would someone swing a stick, hit a ball, and try to get back to where they started before the ball returns? What pleasure is there in that?
► Descriptive Essays – The Horse Farm
I am jarred out of a relaxing sleep by a voice yelling my name in a loud whisper, and a light burning through my eyelids. Groggily, I open my eyes to see my father standing in the doorway to my messy room.
► Descriptive Essay – The City Dock
The perfect place in the city is one that is incredibly versatile – it may be bustling with activity one minute and nearly deserted the next. The city dock has been a mainstay of the city for as long as anyone can remember
► Descriptive Essay – The Evangelic Church
It may seem a little bit strange, but my favorite place in town in none other than this beautiful Evangelic Church. However, it wasn’t always so. When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played.
► Descriptive Essay – A Mountain Resort
For those who like winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, we have just the perfect place- the remote yet very popular mountain resort called Balea Lake. It is situated at an altitude of 2,034m, being the highest mountain resort of Romania.
► Descriptive Essay – The Pier
Naples, not the most exciting place on the planet. No, people have seemed to conclude that Naples, FL is the place to go for a nice, relaxing retirement. And I have to agree, they are right.
► Descriptive Essay – Fifth Avenue
Naples is a very unique city that attracts people from all over the world to its beautiful surroundings. Amongst the pristine beaches and championship golf courses, a teenager can find many entertaining locations.
► Descriptive Essay – The Dump
My mom and I were cleaning up our attic this weekend, and in the process, I found all sorts of old junk that I had forgotten about. Of course, I wanted to keep everything I saw; otherwise, I would not have stashed it there in the first place.
► Descriptive Essay – The Woods in Autumn
It is not true that the close of a life which ends in a natural fashion—life which is permitted to put on the display of death and to go out in glory–inclines the mind to rest. It is not true of a day ending nor the passing of the year, nor of the fall of leaves.
► Descriptive Essay – The Meadow
On a crisp autumn afternoon, I sat idly under an enormous oak tree watching as a whirlwind whisked across the rolling hills of the meadow. As it passed by me, the whirlwind scooped up a dormant pile of leaves lying next to the oak tree.
► Descriptive Essay – The Football Practice Field
Imagine a small town with green trees and windy roads slowly fading into the “dobes” of the desert that surrounds its southern border. Along with the desert is a vast mountain range that snuggles against its northern and eastern borders.
► Descriptive Essay – The Old Root Cellar
Our summer trips to Colorado seemed to take forever. I was an eager four-year-old child who couldn’t wait to get to my secret place. Every child has a special place
► Descriptive Essay – Our Mountain Cabin
The ruckus from the bottom of the truck is unbearable, because of the noise and excessive shaking. As we slowly climbed the mountain road to reach our lovely cabin, it seemed almost impossible to reach the top, but every time we reached it safely.
► Descriptive Essay – College Dorm Room
As I lifted my head, I was greeted by at least fifty naked models, all in various X-rated positions, each eyeing me with an expression that suggested nothing but lust and desire.
► Descriptive Essay Example: The Football Field
The wheels on the bus went round and round, all the way to Paonia. The ten-mile trip seemed to last forever. Whoosh, Whoosh was the only sound could be heard as the wheels ran through the new rain puddles that were created earlier that day.
► Descriptive Essay – The Wrestling Room
As I sit here with my eyes closed, I imagine a tropical breeze. The warm wet air slides over my face. The humidity seems almost heavy enough to crush me. As I take a deep breath, the realization that this is no tropical air comes crashing in.
► Descriptive Essay: A Beautiful Place
I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy a lot of times, years ago. But sometimes I think that I am the only person who likes this place and I’m asking myself if this place will be as beautiful as I thought when I will go back to visit it again.
► Descriptive Essay: A Healing Place
In my hometown, there is not much to do on any night of the week, so many nights I found myself walking around town with my friends. After walking an hour of so we would often become tired and need a rest.
► Descriptive Essay Example: The Photo
This picture, probably the only one in existence of all my friends together, has more meaning than it seems. At first, it appears to be nothing more than a happy congregation of teenagers, all from the ages of fifteen to sixteen.
► Descriptive Essay: A Beautiful Paradise
The other night I was sitting by the blazing fire eating a juicy orange, and the sweet smell reminded me of my vacations to Florida over winter break. I will never forget the fresh smell of the air when we stepped off the airplane.
► Descriptive Essay – New York City in the Morning
A violin song pulls us out of sleep, dreams of trains and pineapples, like a silk rope. He notices the morning light come to the wall. In the city we left only a few days ago, we learned about waking up before dawn, not to the light, but to the stirring that moves the blood in our thighs and hands.
► Descriptive Essay – The Interesting Bus Ride Home
When most people think about an eventful or memorable place, they almost certainly would not picture a bus. As we all know, buses are not exactly attractive. The design scheme is the same in almost every bus
► Descriptive Essay: Lou’s Place
It is years later and I can still remember my first visit to Lou’s Cafe. Stopping in to see if anyone could tell us where to locate the turn we had missed, my dad and I received a large dose of culture shock. It seemed as if we had opened the door to a place where time stood still.
► Descriptive Essay: The Courthouse
When we are young, most of us are somewhat naive. We are inherently taught that good will always triumph over evil. A courthouse is the forum where evil should be dealt with. But, in reality, this is seldom the case.
► Descriptive Essay: The Arena
Standing here, in this arena that’s larger than five of my houses, I feel like a needle in a haystack. So many people surround me it’s like I’m a little grain of sand in a huge ocean. The people in the round gymnasium all form a crimson, white, and blue rainbow.
► Descriptive Essay: Grandpa’s Place
I know to take one last breath of fresh, clean air before I open the front screen door and then the faded, chipped white wood door. I walk in, and the blend of the aroma of apples and old people suffocates me.
► Descriptive Essay about Sunset Beach
Ever since Sunset Beach has been officially opened to the public, there has been a drastic increase of tourists present. Television programs concluded that at least a thousand people visit the beach everyday.
► Descriptive Representation Of The American Democracy Essay
Citizens of the United States rely heavily on their representatives to ensure that their concerns are heard, as well as that their needs are met. Descriptive and agency representation are two types of representation.
► Descriptive Essays – The Good Old Truck
My dad bought his red Dodge Dakota truck in 1995. When he got the truck it had already hit a deer and two cows. Since he has owned it, its value has gone down considerably, even though he has spent more money fixing it than he paid for it.
► Descriptive Essay – The Local Golf Course
Our town is notable for having several interesting golf courses. For those residents whose interests lie in other pursuits, those courses are a waste of large quantities of otherwise useful space that could be better used to construct another mall or store. These results are sorted by most relevant first (ranked search). You may also sort these by color rating or essay length.
We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy
- A Research Guide
- Writing Guide
- Essay Writing
How to Write a Descriptive Essay Sample
Understanding what is a descriptive essay – definition.
A descriptive essay is an essay that you may be asked to write about a place, for example about a beach or a forest, about a person, a situation or adventure. You may be asked to describe anything; the main objective of descriptive essays is to test the ability of a writer to express themselves and explain their experiences. For you to be a pro in this kind of writing, you also have to be a good narrator because description goes hand in hand with narration.
You should be able to describe every aspect surrounding your topic without discrimination. A good description should be able to bring the reader of your essay to the real happening of events. The reader should not question themselves or be left in suspense in a way; you should ensure that you exhaust your descriptions. Every point has to come out clearly in your writing. To come up with a good essay, you have to learn how to create a picture of what you are talking about in the reader’s mind. To achieve attracting the reader to your writing you have to understand how to apply the five senses to your writing. When you learn how to apply them well, then you are sure to satisfy your reader.
For you to come up with a good descriptive essay, you should learn to encrypt a good thesis statement. Writing a thesis is important while starting a sample descriptive essay because it reflects what the essay is going to cover in the summary. Brainstorming is also important as it gives you the points for your body paragraphs.
How to design a good descriptive essay outline
Like all other essays, a descriptive essay will need you to come up with a specific format to ensure quality content. The outline of a descriptive essay contains the segments that should be included in your essay writing. It is the structure of the essay that will guide you on how you should format your essay to meet the requirements. A descriptive essay can be divided into three parts, the introduction, the body and the conclusion.
- Introduction
Tips on how to come up with a good introduction:
It is the introduction of your essay that sets footing for the reader in your work. Before heading to the body, the reader will first come across your introduction. It is the introduction that makes the first impression of your work, so should it be attractive. From reading the introduction, the reader will either get bored with the rest of your work or gain the zeal to proceed. It is through the introduction that you can be able to make the reader understand what is to be shared in the essay. The following tips will guide you in writing a good introduction to your descriptive essay:
- Start the introduction with suspense – you have to choose the right words in the introduction to capture the eye of the reader. To achieve this, you should apply phrases or even questions so that the reader can find the answers later in your essay.
- Go straight to the points – the introduction should not constitute a lot of description; you should give a brief overview of what you intend to talk about in the body paragraph. At the same time, you should not reveal the objective of the essay in the introduction, because it would make the reader disinterested with the rest of your work. When the reader gets a hint of what you intend to achieve in the first paragraph, they will see no need to head to the body.
Write a thesis statement at the end of the introduction – a thesis statement is a single sentence that mentions the objective of the essay in summary. The thesis should act as a guide for the reader on what to expect in the body; it is like a table of contents for a particular book. When you read through the table of contents for a particular book, you will be able to know what the book is all about and when you proceed in reading it, you get to understand it better. A good thesis should:
- Define the scope of the essay – the thesis should be narrow for clarity purposes. Do not include an explanation of your thesis as it will mislead the reader on the major points, be short and clear in your points.
- Avoid common words (clichés) – you should be creative in the choice of words so that your thesis does not look common. Most writers would start their thesis with statements such as ‘This essay will talk about….’ Try to be unique in your thesis if you want to score highly.
- Create suspense in your thesis – you should make your thesis attract the reader to the body of your essay.
After the introduction and the thesis, what comes next is the body. The body is the main part that constitutes your essay. All the points should be covered there. The body should support your thesis statement. To achieve great body paragraphs, you should:
- Use topic sentences at the start of every paragraph. The idea should come out clearly at the beginning before you proceed to give descriptions. After the topic sentence, proceed with your description to back up your idea.
- Link your paragraphs using good transition words for descriptive essays. Most of the transition words are usually conjunctions, so you should be able to select appropriate conjunctions to suit your explanations. If you are connecting contradicting sentences, you should use contradicting conjunctions such as ‘however’ if you are adding, use addition conjunctions such as ‘in addition to.’
- Organize your paragraphs appropriately – the organization of your work is fundamental for the merit in essay writing. You have to place each idea into its paragraph. The length of the paragraphs should also be standard, do not make your paragraphs too short or too long. A body paragraph should constitute at most six sentences.
The last part of your descriptive essay is the conclusion. A conclusion is the last chance that you have as a writer to impress the reader of your work. The last part that the reader can contain in their mind about your essay is the conclusion, and so it is also the determiner of the grading level that you will be categorized, so you have to pay all attention to this section. Make sure that the reader knows they are approaching the end of your paper, by use of words that suggest ending, such as ‘to finish with.’
Restate the thesis statement – this is just to remind the reader of what the essay was obliged to cover. After reminding them of the thesis support it with a summary of the points in the body paragraphs. You should state the main points briefly without much description as a support for the thesis. Your last parting shot with the reader should be intriguing so that they can leave thinking about your essay. After writing the conclusion, make a review of your essay by proofreading. The importance of reading through your paper is that it enables you to identify the mistakes and maintain a good tone throughout your work.
Read also: What is a reflective essay and how to structure it?
Here is the list of the best descriptive essay writing services we have found online:
How to come up with descriptive essay ideas – hints
A descriptive essay will require a creative mind because it tests one’s ability to express what they can see in writing. Before starting a descriptive essay, you should be able to know how you will make your essay meet this need. Some of the hints on how to come up with great ideas for your description include:
- Take time to brainstorm about the topic before starting. Brainstorming involves thinking about the topic and coming up with rough ideas to support your title. You should not think as you write the essay because points may not come out clearly. Just take your time and think as you jot down, in summary, the points in the topic on a piece of paper. The best way is creating a list of points before you proceed to the actual paper.
- Use your senses extensively – the only way that you can link with the reader is by use of senses. There are five common senses that you should use in your descriptions to bring the reader the real picture of the scene or person you are describing. You should be able to engage the reader in your work by the use of senses. You should give a testimony about the scene, how you felt about the situation and what you think about the happenings, too. A rhetorical question can also be a good way of making the reader engaged in your work.
- Choose right words for your descriptions – you should choose words that imply the situation or person described to avoid misleading. You have to equip yourself with an extensive vocabulary to explain different feelings lest you have loose essay imagery.
- Satisfactory descriptions – you should be able to describe the events clearly, so that the readers of your work do not find themselves asking questions on your essay.
- Good organization of your work – you should be able to plan your work, to avoid the mix up of emotions. The reader might be confused when you do not attach appropriate emotions to the description you are giving.
Read also: Review of essay writing services you can trust.
Some of the descriptive essay topics you can come across
There are many descriptive essay topics that you may be examined on as a writer. You should be ready to handle any of them. It is good to get exposed to different topics as it gives you the experience and prowess in writing. Most of the requests to “ write an essay for me ” are usually about events and ceremonies. You may be asked to write about an event that was held somewhere at a particular time of the year. In this case, you should explain the events as one of the attendees for the situation. Choosing a good topic for your essay is important. It should be attractive to those intending to read your text.
Your topic should be manageable and have ample points to cater for the length of the essay. The title for your essay is dependent on the given topic. The difference between a topic and a title is that the topic is a theme that you are to write about whereas the title is the description that you use as a heading to your essay. A good example of a descriptive essay is an essay about ‘my best teacher.’
In such as essay, in the introduction you should share a memory about the teacher that makes you adore him/her. From that, the reader would be able to ask themselves more about the described person, and they would anticipate for the body. In the body, you can give the attributes of the teacher and support your claims with relevant illustrations. In conclusion, summarize the main attributes and give a reason that makes that teacher the best.
Making an outline before jumping into writing a research paper helps you to structure your thoughts and ideas. See our helpful guide on how to make an outline .
Read also: Cheap paper writing service – high quality for affordable prices.
Significance of descriptive essay examples
It is good to go through various examples of descriptive essays to advance in writing techniques. As a writer, you should read many samples so that you can get exposed to good ideas and style of other authors. Going through various samples can enable you to note the mistakes of other authors and correct the same when you get to your own.
Due to the advancement of technology, you can easily get access to these examples from different resources online. Some of the common resources that may contain descriptive essay examples are articles, journals, and magazines. Most of the stories in the magazines constitute a lot of description, and by going through them, you will be able to acquire the right words to use for your description.
By clicking "Log In", you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We'll occasionally send you account related and promo emails.
Sign Up for your FREE account
Diana from A Research Guide Don't know how to start your paper? Worry no more! Get professional writing assistance from our partner. Click to learn more
Descriptive Essay Writing
Descriptive Essay Examples
Amazing Descriptive Essay Examples for Your Help
Published on: Jun 5, 2020
Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023
On This Page On This Page
Descriptive essays are very commonly assigned essays. This type of essay tends to enhance their writing skills and allow them to think critically.
A descriptive essay is often referred to as the parent essay type. Other essays like argumentative essays, narrative essays, and expository essays fall into descriptive essays. Also, this essay helps the student enhance their ability to imagine the whole scene in mind by appealing senses.
It is assigned to students of high school and all other students at different academic levels. Students make use of the human senses like touch, smell, etc., to make the descriptive essay more engaging for the readers.
Examples make an understanding of things better. But before moving on to the examples, let us have a quick look at how to write a good descriptive essay.
Examples make it easy for readers to understand things in a better way. Also, in a descriptive essay, different types of descriptions can be discussed.
Here are some amazing examples of a descriptive essay to make the concept easier for you.
Your first order with us is FREE!
Descriptive Essay Example 5 Paragraph
Descriptive Essay Example 5 Paragraph 5 paragraphs essay writing format is the most common method of composing an essay.
- Introduction
- Body Paragraph 1
- Body Paragraph 2
- Body Paragraph 3
5 Paragraph Descriptive Essay (PDF)
Descriptive Essay Example About A Person
Descriptive essays are the best option when it comes to describing and writing about a person. A descriptive essay is written using the five human senses. It helps in creating a vivid image in the reader’s mind and understanding what the writer is trying to convey.
Descriptive Essay Example About A Place
If you have visited a good holiday spot or any other place and want to let your friends know about it. A descriptive essay can help you explain every detail and moment you had at that place.
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 6
Descriptive essays are frequently assigned to students of the school. This type of essay helps the students enhance their writing skills and helps them see things in a more analytical way.
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 7
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 8
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 10
Essay writing is an inevitable part of the academic life of a student. No matter what grade you are in, you will get to write some sort of essay at least once.
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 12
If you are a senior student and looking for some great descriptive essay examples for grade 12, you are exactly where you should be.
Descriptive Essay Example for University
Descriptive essays are assigned to students at all academic levels. University students are also assigned descriptive essay writing assignments. As they are students of higher educational levels, they are often given a bit of difficult and more descriptive topics.
Look at the below given example and see how a descriptive essay at the university level looks like.
Short Descriptive Essay Example
It is not necessary that every time a descriptive essay isn't written in detail. It totally depends on the topic of how long the essay will be.
Subjective Descriptive Essay Example
It is a common concept that a descriptive essay revolves around one subject. Be it a place, person, event, or any other object you can think of.
Following is one of the subjective descriptive easy examples. Use it as a guide to writing an effective descriptive essay yourself.
Writing a descriptive essay is a time-consuming yet tricky task. It needs some very strong writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Also, this is a type of essay that a student can not avoid and bypass.
But if you think wisely, work smart, and stay calm, you can get over it easily. Learn how to write a descriptive essay from a short guide given below.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
A writer writes a descriptive essay from their knowledge and imaginative mind. In this essay, the writer describes what he has seen or experienced, or ever heard from someone. For a descriptive essay, it is important to stay focused on one point. Also, the writer should use figurative language so that the reader can imagine the situation in mind.
The following are some very basic yet important steps that can help you write an amazing descriptive essay easily.
For a descriptive essay, you must choose a vast topic to allow you to express yourself freely. Also, make sure that the topic you choose is not overdone. An overdone will not grab the attention of your intended audience.
A thesis statement is the essence of any academic writing. When you have selected the descriptive essay topic, then you create a strong thesis statement for your essay.
A thesis statement is a sentence or two that explains the whole idea of your essay to the reader. It is stated in the introductory paragraph of the essay. The word choice for creating the thesis statement must be very expressive, composed, and meaningful. Also, use vivid language for the thesis statement.
Once you have created the thesis statement and you are done writing the introduction for your essay, it's time to move towards the body paragraphs.
Collect all necessary information related to your topic. You would be adding this information to your essay to support your thesis statement. Make sure that you collect information from authentic sources.
To enhance your essay, make use of some adjectives and adverbs. To make your descriptive essay more vivid, try to incorporate sensory details like touch, taste, sight, and smell.
An outline is yet another necessary element of your college essay . By reading the outline, the reader feels a sense of logic and a guide for the essay.
In the outline, you need to write an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs and end up with a formal conclusion.
Proofreading is a simple procedure in which the writer revises the written essay. This is done in order to rectify the document for any kind of spelling or grammatical mistakes. Thus, proofreading makes content high quality and gives a professional touch to it.
You might be uncertain about writing a good enough descriptive essay and impress your teacher.However, it is very common so you do not need to stress out.
Hit us up at CollegeEssay.org and get a descriptive essay written by our professional writers . We aim to facilitate the students in every way possible and to ease their stress. Get in touch with our customer support team, and they will take care of all your queries related to your writing.
Place your order now and let all your stress go away in a blink!
Cathy A. (Literature, Marketing)
For more than five years now, Cathy has been one of our most hardworking authors on the platform. With a Masters degree in mass communication, she knows the ins and outs of professional writing. Clients often leave her glowing reviews for being an amazing writer who takes her work very seriously.
People also read
Descriptive Essay: Definition, Tips & Examples
Best Descriptive Essay Topics to Choose From for Your Essay
Writing a Descriptive Essay Outline - Tips & Examples
Share this article
Keep reading
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc.
A descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something—generally a place or object, but possibly something more abstract like
A descriptive essay is sort of what it says on the tin. It's a type of essay that involves describing a person or object, though it can really extend to any
A descriptive essay offers a vivid description of a particular subject. Good descriptive writing can take the form of newspaper articles, book
To write a descriptive essay, start by choosing a topic, like a person, place, or specific emotion. Next, write down a list of sensory details about the topic
Good descriptive writing includes three techniques; sensory details, show not tell, and figurative language. Watch this video and take your
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
A descriptive essay is an essay in which you describe a single event or subject using sensory details such as sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Descriptive
A descriptive essay is an essay that you may be asked to write about a place, for example about a beach or a forest, about a person, a situation or
Descriptive essays are the best option when it comes to describing and writing about a person. A descriptive essay is written using the five