How to write a descriptive essay
Table of Contents
How to write a descriptive essay.
Different and numerous essay assignments accompany a student’s life; each assignment contributes to the overall grade the student receives at the end of their academic year. Thus, every student desire to write and complete essay assignments in the most distinctive way.
However, writing a well-researched and detailed essay paper demands time, effort, and dedication. In most cases, assignments, specifically descriptive essays, challenge students to the extreme. Thus, most students are often overwhelmed while completing them and always seek “professional descriptive essay help writers” with the knowledge and expertise to complete their descriptive essay assignments.
Do you need help completing your descriptive essay assignment? Say no more to late and poor-quality submissions; our experts are here to assist you. At researchpaperpro.com, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide to writing a high-quality descriptive essay and how to perfect your writing skills to write better on your own.
What is a descriptive essay?
The word ‘descriptive’ is derived from the word “describe,” which means to give more information or talk about how something feels, looks, tastes, or smells. Thus, in simple terms, a descriptive essay is a piece of writing that describes something like an object, a place, a person, or an event.
Purpose of a descriptive essay.
A notable feature for an essay to fall under descriptive writing is its focus on the description aspect of an object, place, or someone, including their details, feelings, sound, and color. Mainly, a descriptive paper aims to show readers a comprehensive description of an object, place, animal, or person through illustrative terms. Professors mainly want to see a student create an imaginary picture or event in the minds of the reader rather than simply telling a story. This means that students should primarily focus on creating an image in the minds of those reading the essay.
Characteristics of a descriptive essay.
- Captures the reader’s attention.
A descriptive essay should be interesting and intriguing to read. To ensure it captures your reader’s attention, you have to identify your target audience and their preferences. Also, be sure to use terms and descriptions that will capture your reader’s attention. For instance, you could use an opening sentence like “As I walked through the blazing streets of our town, the bright neon lights illuminated the skyscrapers and the cacophony of honking cars, filling my senses with an electrifying energy.”
- Primarily descriptive essays are based on the show more than tell, thus giving your audience a comprehensive visual theme of the topic. For instance, a show sentence would sound like, “As the sun gradually set below the horizon, the sky burst into a riot of brilliant colors, with stripes of orange, pink, and scarlet painted all across the sky, giving a warm feeling over the peaceful sea below.
- Sensory Experience
Outstanding descriptive essays mainly focus on using the five senses. Through this, a student should aim to convey individual perceptions or ideas based on the topic using sensory and figurative details. Notably, sensory details seek to support the five senses, while figurative details primarily focus on using metaphors and similes to describe the primary subject of discussion.
- Subjective or objective essay.
A descriptive piece of writing can either be subjective or objective. However, this is mainly determined by the type of emotion that you, as the writer, want to draw out from your readers. Notably, you can easily reduce the subjective view in your essay by including more objective aspects like their shape, color, and size and comprehensively describing them before you can bring in your personal views, opinions, or feelings.
Different approaches to writing descriptive essays.
- Personal approach
This mainly focuses on individual experiences using individual experiences and how you perceive them. This can help your readers understand a specific individual experience, making them either sympathize or acknowledge your experience. To perfectly write a personal descriptive essay, focus mainly on aspects that fully detail your experience in certain situations in an ideal way.
Examples of personal descriptive topics.
- Describing your first flight experience.
- Explaining personal childhood memories and how they have impacted you.
- Describing one of your proudest moments and what it meant to you.
- Reflecting on your favorite movies and lessons learned from them.
- Describing your first day in college.
- Describe a challenge you have faced and the valuable lessons learned from it.
Note that the key to writing an outstanding personal descriptive essay is to write something directly impacting you and be sure to utilize descriptive terms to create a vivid picture for your readers.
- Formal approach.
Formal descriptive writing also closely resembles an argumentative piece of writing. Primarily focusing on communicating a specific point or describing something comprehensively following an already stated structure. Unlike personal descriptive essays, formal descriptive essays demand specific information groups to provide a clear picture of what you are describing. However, do not use too many formal terms, as this will make your paper look dull and uninteresting.
Examples of formal descriptive essay topics.
- Describe the effects of pollution on the environment.
- Impact of technology advancement on modern society.
- Role of Education in shaping future generations.
- Role of Religion in shaping personal beliefs and Practices.
- The main importance of social justice.
Note that when writing formal descriptive essays, be sure to use a formal tone, adhere to your institution’s academic guidelines, and provide credible sources to support your arguments.
A descriptive essay structure.
Writing an outstanding descriptive essay demands time, effort, and dedication to structure ideas in the most ideal way. This also demands outstanding writing skills and research skills. An outstanding descriptive essay should have a clear and concise structure where all points are well explained to describe the object of discussion.
Considering that different essays have different essay formats, it’s best to consult with your professor on the best format for your descriptive essay. However, all essays follow a similar pattern which consists of three sections (Introductions, Body, and conclusions). Below is a short description and illustration of writing an outstanding descriptive essay paper. A typical descriptive essay structure:
- The introduction.
A descriptive essay’s introduction section is crucial as it sets the tone for the whole paper. Also, the introductory paragraph should capture the attention of your readers. To write an outstanding introductory paragraph, follow the following steps.
- Open with a hooking sentence – ensure you start your paper with a catchy introductory sentence to grab your readers’ attention. To make it catchier, you can use opening quotes, questions, or a simple fact to grab your reader’s attention.
- Provide background information – Following your opening sentence, provide information on the topic you will discuss. These include a simple fact on the issue, its history, or key definitions.
- Ensure you have a clear and concise thesis statement – The thesis statement should come at the end of your introductory paragraph. Its primary aim is to show your readers what will be covered in the paper. Also, this creates a clearer picture for your readers of what to expect in the paper.
- Keep your introductory paragraph concise – Keep your paragraph clear and to the point, and avoid giving too much information. Strictly provide an engaging catchy introduction paragraph to your topic.
- The body paragraph.
This is the section where you will provide a comprehensive review utilizing description and sensory details to bring your arguments to life. Follow the following tips to write a good body paragraph.
- Start with a topic sentence – Make your topic sentence clear and straight to the point. It should give an introduction to the paragraph’s main theme, which will link to the main theme of the whole paper.
- Utilize sensory terms – To create a clear and realistic picture in the minds of your audience, be sure to use sensory details and descriptive terms. Additionally, to create an engaging sensory experience for your audience, use terms that describe how something looks, feels, smells, and sounds.
- Utilize figurative language – To make what you describe more interesting and engaging to your audience, use figurative languages like metaphors, smiles, and personification terms.
- Organize ideas perfectly – Use transition words to link all body paragraphs to the paper’s topic. This will make it easier for your audience to follow and comprehend your ideas and arguments.
- Give realistic examples – Be sure to provide examples to back up your arguments and ideas. This makes your descriptive essay look good and easy to convince your readers. For example, you could use facts, statistics, or quotes.
- Don’t stray from your topic – stick to the main topic of discussion all through. Don’t stray from the theme of the paper, as this will create a bad impression on your readers. Ensure that all arguments and ideas presented are in reference to your topic of discussion.
- The conclusion section.
A good concluding paragraph is very important as it wraps up the ideas and arguments discussed in the body paragraph. To give you a clearer picture, follow the following steps.
- Summarize the main points – Start the concluding paragraph by summarizing the key point discussed in the body paragraph. This will give a comprehensive overview of your discussion and restate the main arguments.
- Restate the thesis statement – Be sure not to repeat exactly what you stated in your thesis statement; instead, use more engaging and interesting terms, to sum up.
- Provide a closing remark – Give your readers a sense of closure by providing a memorable quote or statement that gives a sense of closure to your readers. You could use a memorable quote, saying, or a recommendation to inspire your readers to act or respond in a given way.
- Do not add any new information – No new information should be included in your closing paragraph instead focuses on reinforcing the main arguments and ideas discussed.
- Be sure to use transitional words – Connect your conclusion paragraph to the rest of your paper by using transitional words.
Step By Step Guide to Writing A Perfect Description Essay.
- Choose a suitable topic.
This being the first step to writing your descriptive essay, be sure to pick a topic that is interesting, familiar to you, and one of which you have deep knowledge. This will drive you to research and write a compelling descriptive essay paper.
- Brainstorm
After deciding on the topic:
- Brainstorm on the topic and find all relevant information concerning your topic.
- Consider how you would organize and relay information to make it more realistic.
- List sensory and descriptive details you could use to relay your thoughts in the paper.
- Create your outline
Having an outline before writing is very important as it helps you keep track and stay within the theme of your paper. Also, an outline will help you organize your ideas and thoughts optimally. Key parts of an outline include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
- Have a catchy introduction paragraph.
The introduction is the most crucial part of your descriptive essay as it is the first part your readers use to judge you. A catchy introduction will ensure you can grab your reader’s attention immediately. Provide some background information on the topic in this part to show your reader what will be covered in your paper.
- Use sensory details.
These are very important as they create a clear and vivid picture of what you are discussing in your reader’s minds.
- Use figurative terms.
Using figurative terms such as similes, metaphors, and personifications make your essay livelier and more interesting to read. They also make it easier for your readers to flow with your thoughts and arguments.
- Organize your paragraphs.
Ensure each paragraph has a primary focus and should be linked to the previous and next paragraphs. Also, ensure that they are connected and organized and ideas flow logically and consistently.
- Make use of transitional phrases.
Transition words connect all paragraphs in the essay and make them flow perfectly. Transitional words include words like, additionally, however, Finally, furthermore, besides, etc.
- Write an outstanding conclusion.
This section should sum up the main ideas discussed in the paper. Give the readers a perfect closing impression by restating the thesis statement.
- Edit and proofread
Having completed your descriptive essay, edit and proofread it thoroughly to ensure it is free from grammatical and typo errors. Also, ensure that all paragraphs flow smoothly. Go through the paper several times to ascertain its grammatically correct and adhere to your university’s academic guidelines.
Writing an outstanding descriptive essay demands time, effort, and dedication. By following the above ideas, you can rest assured that your essay will be engaging, well-organized, and exceed your reader’s expectations.
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