Working on your descriptive essay?
Thinking about what to add to it?
This blog will help you learn how to write and understand the core basics of a descriptive essay. You will be able to write an effective descriptive essay after reading this masterpiece.
1. What is a Descriptive Essay?
A descriptive essay describes a person, place, situation, an object or emotions. Students usually get such type of essays as an assignment in high school or a college. A descriptive essay is different from any simple essay because it keenly focuses on describing a person, place or event.
Similarly, it helps to test the writer's ability in expressing and explaining their experiences. Therefore, a student may be asked to describe anything, such as a beach or a forest. It makes it both an exciting and challenging task.
Moreover, avoid using vague language. Instead, use adjectives and adverbs in your essay for an impressive outlook. Only then, it will create a clear picture in the reader's mind. A writer who cannot engage all five senses of the readers while writing a descriptive essay needs to work a lot on his writing skills.
It is somehow similar to a narrative essay because it explains the sense of touch, smell and taste through words. However, narrative descriptive essays describe someone's real-life story and then follow the content with the writer's imagination.
1.1 What is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?
The primary purpose of this essay is to provide a vivid detail about a person, place or situation. The reader will get a clear idea of the whole picture this way.
They are not written to show facts and figures to prove something. They only contain specific details about the situation. On the other hand, descriptive essays are mostly assigned to the students of creative writing.
2. How to Start a Descriptive Essay?
Some necessary steps are needed to be followed to start a descriptive essay.
2.1 Analyze Thoroughly
This first step is the basis of your essay. It is important to analyze the object thoroughly and document all the details in your description. These details include the object's features like skin colour, age and expressions.
Also, observe the physical setting to develop your opinions about them. They may include the position and shape of the object, surroundings, time of the day and the kind of lighting.
2.2 Create A Complete Storyline
After observing the object, the next important step is to create a perfect storyline. It turns a good descriptive essay into an exciting and interesting drama. However, make sure the excitement does not affect the writing skills and the sentence structure. Also, try to focus on your feelings and opinions about the object.
2.3 Use the Perfect Vocabulary
Choice of words and vocabulary is the most critical aspect while undertaking a writing task. Therefore, it is advisable to use the best words for describing any object. Write thoughtfully and use specific words to convey your thoughts.
2.4 Specify the Importance of the Topic
It is a good practice of knowing “why” to describe your topic correctly. Therefore, before finalizing a topic to analyze, always ask yourself, why are you choosing it?
Moreover, focus on the reasons behind a particular issue. For example, why is the subject the way it is? Or why the person seems so scared?
Such questions will make the topic even more clear.
2.5 Be Organized
It is easier for a writer to lose focus in the excitement that may affect the true essence of the essay. To avoid such a situation, try to be more organized and logical in your arguments.
2.6 Present a Clear Impression to the Reader
The main goal of the descriptive essay is that the reader feels a sense of familiarity with the described object or a situation. Thus, it is vital to be more precise and explicit so that it presents a clear impression to the reader.
2.7 Psychological Elements
Don't forget to focus on the mental and emotional elements when writing about specific behaviour. Try to explore the emotions and describe the body language as well.
3. Descriptive Essay Outline
Before starting an essay, it is important to create an outline that provides a detailed format. Following sections make up a good descriptive essay.
3.1 Introduction
A reader goes through the introduction before reading an entire essay. It is considered as the first impression of work and thus needs to be drafted carefully. It offers basic details about the topic and its importance.
Try to use an easy and understandable language. It will make it even more interesting for the reader to read till the end. Also, discuss all the important points and craft a perfect thesis statement for your essay.
3.2 Thesis Statement
It presents the writer's main argument, purpose and scope about the topic. It should be a single sentence describing the objective of the essay. Similarly, this section must be engaging enough to attract readers to the body paragraphs.
3.3 Body Paragraphs
This part comes right after the introduction and thesis statement. It is an integral part that contains all the major arguments of your essay. Usually, there are three body paragraphs; however,a writer can increase their numbers.
Add a single argument in one paragraph. Avoid using irrelevant details and use transitions to make it even more strong. Lastly, each paragraph should only have five to six sentences.
3.4 Conclusion
It is the last part of your essay and probably the last chance to impress the reader. A compelling conclusion should have the following points.
- Restating the thesis statement
- Summarization of major points
- Adding a closing statement
- After concluding your essay, review and proofread it several times to identify mistakes.
4. Descriptive Essay Example H2
It is not easy to write a descriptive essay. Samples and examples help to guide the students about a particular format. Therefore, students refer them for a better understanding of the structure and content.
We have given some free essay examples for your ease.
4.1 Descriptive Essay About a Place
Writing a description of your favourite place includes all the details about the place you visited, the weather and your feelings. Below is a descriptive essay sample for you.
Descriptive Essay About a Place (PDF)
4.2 Descriptive Essay About a Person
Descriptive essay about a person helps students to describe their parents, best friends, teachers and siblings. Here is an example for you.
4.3 Descriptive Essay About an Event
A descriptive essay on an event usually describes the event, the writer's level of excitement and the surrounding.
Here is an example for you.
Descriptive Essay About a Person and Event (PDF)
5. Descriptive Essay Topics
Choosing a topic for your descriptive essay can become difficult sometimes. It is because you want to write about so many things, including a place, person, emotions and an event.
Writing about a person should include the following aspects of gender, age, posture and expressions. Similarly writing about an animal should contain details about animal species, weight and behaviour patterns.
Essay topics on places and events should first include its importance, consequences and other generic information.
Following things should be kept in mind while choosing a topic:
- Select a topic that interests you.
- The topic should have a good scope.
- A topic that inspires you emotionally or mentally.
- Choose the topic that appeals to all of your five senses including touch, taste and hearing or at least one.
- Choose an issue that engages the readers.
By keeping in mind all these significant points, we have categorized different topics in a list.
5.1 Descriptive Essay Topics for College Students
- Importance of college education
- Education before anything else
- How can you make the world a better place?
- Describe your first day at college
- List the names of the place you want to visit
- The first time I fell in love
- Describe your favourite fiction character
- Write about the location for a perfect student party
- Earth from the eye of an astronaut
- Share a description of your favourite movie
- Who is your favourite music band?
- Your dream house
- Your favourite childhood memory
5.2 Descriptive Essay Topics for High School Students
- Describe your worst nightmare
- What is your favourite place to read?
- Describe your best friend
- Write about your favourite pet
- Share a description of your most liked teacher
- Describe your visit to a new city
- Write about your mother
- Describe an event from your academic life
- Do you like riding a bicycle?
- How did you feel in your Mathematics exam?
- Why do I want to be famous?
- Staying at a friend's house
- What is your unusual talent?
5.3 Descriptive Essay Topics for Middle School
- How do you see your future?
- Which is your most liked subject?
- Your favourite season
- Your favourite animal in the zoo
- Which is your least favourite meal?
- A trip to the beach
- Benefits of summer school
- Describe a neighbouring house
- Your visit to London
- Describe the event of your tenth birthday
- Why is it important to keep a diary?
- Your favourite subject
- What is your hobby?
Above mentioned are the best examples of the descriptive essay topics. Always make sure to choose a topic about which you are passionate about. It will help you produce a great piece of writing.
6. Professional Essay Writing Help
Still Confused about how to pick a topic and write about it?
Don't Worry; we are here to help you at FreeEssayWriter. We offer high-quality writing services for middle schools, college and university students at affordable rates. Moreover, our qualified essay experts will engage themselves in something that might interest you. Therefore, we guarantee to produce zero-plagiarism content within a given deadline.
Also, we make sure to submit all the work after thorough checking of the grammar and spelling mistakes.
Get in touch with our essay writing service and place your order now.