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- 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.
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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.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts
Descriptive Essays
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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 Writing
Descriptive Essay Examples
Amazing Descriptive Essay Examples for Your Help
Published on: Jun 5, 2020
Last updated on: Jan 3, 2023
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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.
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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.
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Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Essay Examples
Descriptive Essay Examples & Writing Tips
12 min read
Published on: Aug 22, 2018
Last updated on: Feb 28, 2023
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Struggling to write a descriptive essay that engages your reader? It can be frustrating to spend hours writing, only to feel like your essay is not meeting your expectations.
Relax, you're not alone! Many students find it difficult to capture readers' attention through descriptive writing.
But don't worry! Our examples of descriptive essays are here to help. These examples provide you with the perfect starting point, helping you to understand how to structure your essay to make it memorable.
Don't let your descriptive essay fall flat. Explore our examples and learn how to write an essay that your readers won't be able to forget.
Let's dive in to learn more.
What is a Descriptive Essay?
A descriptive essay is a type of essay in which a writer describes a specific subject in detail. The writer takes help from vivid language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind by engaging the human senses.
Whether you are writing about a person or an event, use strong adjectives and adverbs to present sensory details. The main objective of writing a descriptive essay is to describe a particular subject, person, place, or situation.
It is written in a way to make the reader feel the same way as you do. It is like a narrative essay where you provide a detailed description of the subject.
To understand descriptive writing, good and handy descriptive essay samples work best. It is a fact that we learn better with examples. This is why we have added some amazing examples of descriptive essays.
These samples will help you understand the dos and don’ts of a good descriptive essay. Move forward and go through the writing samples below.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay - Example
Don't know how to write a descriptive essay? We understand! Here is an example that might help you.
Introduction of a Descriptive Essay - Examples
How to Start a Descriptive Essay - Examples
How to End a Descriptive Essay - Examples
Subjective Descriptive Essay Example
Subjective descriptive essays are written based on personal experiences. Take a look at the below example to understand this format better.
Objective Descriptive Essay Example
The objective descriptive essay is a type of descriptive essay in which you describe a person, place, or thing without any emotions or opinions. Take a look at the below examples to understand this format better.
Descriptive Essay Example About an Object
Personal Descriptive Essay Example
Descriptive essay example about a person.
Descriptive Essay Example About A Place
Describing a place can be tricky. If you want to write a descriptive essay about a place, it is even more difficult. To understand this format better, let's take a look at the below example.
Good Descriptive Essay Example
Struggling to write a good descriptive essay? Understandable!
Writing an impressive essay in a descriptive tone is not everyone's cup of tea. Observe the below example to get an idea of how to craft a good descriptive essay.
Short Descriptive Essay Example
Many students fail to understand the essence of writing a short descriptive essay. If you are one of them, here is an example that will help you get an idea of how to write it.
Narrative Descriptive Essay Example
A narrative descriptive essay is a type of descriptive essay where you narrate a story in an interesting manner. Take a look at the below example to understand how to write this type of essay.
Descriptive Essay Example for Middle School
Middle school students often struggle to write essays. Descriptive essay assignments might even prove to be more difficult. Here is an example that will help middle schoolers understand this format better.
Descriptive Essay Example for Middle School Students
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 6
Descriptive Essay Example for High School
High school students face similar challenges as middle schoolers when it comes to descriptive writing. It is difficult to describe something without being generic. If you're going through something similar, here are some examples for you.
Descriptive Essay Example for High School Students
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 10
Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 12
Descriptive Essay Example for University and College
College and University students have to deal with complex and more challenging descriptive essay topics. Mostly, they don't have time to write such lengthy essays. Here are some examples that can help them understand such essays better.
Descriptive Essay Example for University Students
Descriptive Essay Example College
Thesis for Descriptive Essay Example
How to Write a Descriptive Essay?
There are many elements to an amazing descriptive essay. For starters, it's important that the writer stays focused on one point. Also, uses figurative language so readers can imagine what they're reading about in their minds.
Below are some steps that you should follow for writing a great descriptive essay.
The best way to make an interesting essay is by choosing a unique topic. It will allow you the freedom of creativity. Be careful not to choose something familiar because it might get boring quickly for readers.
It is the most important part of any essay. When you are planning a descriptive essay, you need to come up with a strong thesis statement .
A thesis statement is usually one or two sentences that explain the whole point of your essay to the reader.
To write a good essay, you need relevant information supporting your thesis statement. Make sure that you get your information from reliable sources.
An essay outline is a way to organize your thoughts and plan what you will say in your essay. In the outline, you should have an introduction, a thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Don’t know how to make an outline? Visit our descriptive essay outline blog and learn to create impressive outlines for your descriptive essays.
Proofreading is the process of looking for and correcting any spelling or grammatical errors in a written essay. Proofreading makes a document look more professional, so it is important to do it before submission.
Tips to Write a Good Descriptive Essay
Writing a good descriptive essay is both a difficult and easy task. Here we have listed some useful descriptive writing tips that will make your writing process easy and simple.
- Choose the Topic: Choosing a topic to write your essay is the very first step in any essay writing process. Make a list of the descriptive essay topics that you like and choose one from them.
Short on descriptive topic ideas? Check out our extensive list of descriptive essay topics to get inspiration.
- Preplanning: Before you start writing, plan your essay, and write all the essential details. Please do not think that you will remember it just because you know something; it does not happen this way. Write down all the details and assemble them all in one place.
- Create an Outline: Creating a descriptive essay outline before starting the essay will keep you focused on the essay topic. Include what you will add to each of the sections. Divide it into the introductory paragraph, thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
- Edit and Revise: No writing process is complete without thorough editing and proofreading. Spelling and grammar checking the essay for plagiarism are the main steps before the final submission of the essay.
Want more tips to improve your descriptive writing skills? Here is a short video clip to help you out.
If you are not sure that you could write the essay yourself, give it to MyPerfectWords.com . Our descriptive essay writers are professionals and experts in crafting top-notch essays in no time.
We specialize in providing custom-written papers and essays for various academic levels and subjects. Trust our essay writing service to deliver you top-notch papers at the most affordable prices.
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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. Descriptive essay example On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house.
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 ...
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 Conclusion Following is an example of a descriptive essay written using the famous 5 paragraph method. 5 Paragraph Descriptive Essay (PDF)
Personal Descriptive Essay Example Example Number 1: Why Moving North is The Best Decision of my Life Moving up to our north cabin and spending time there had always been something that I enjoyed and looked up to. It was a nice, beautiful, and serene place. It offered a lot in terms of peace and serenity that you will not find in cities.
Example of a hook and a thesis statement in descriptive essay writing: My personal experience of fear For many reasons, the dark forest is my greatest fear, though not a fear that I necessarily like to venture into. Body paragraphs In most cases, descriptive essays encompass three body paragraphs.