descriptive essay about a strange place

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay About A Place

Writing a Descriptive Essay About A Place - Guide With Examples

Understanding Descriptive Essays

A descriptive essay is a type of writing that aims to describe and portray an object, person, or place. The essay typically includes sensory details to help the reader imagine its contents more vividly. Descriptive essays can be written about a person , place, or other themes like nature , autumn , food , or even yourself .

A descriptive essay about a place should provide enough details for the reader to build a mental image of it. To do this, you need to include vivid descriptions and relevant information that could paint a picture in their minds.

Let's read some examples to see what a good descriptive essay looks like.

Examples of Descriptive Essay About Any Place

Here are some descriptive writing about a place examples:

Example of a Descriptive Essay About a Place

Descriptive Essay About a Place You Visited

Descriptive Essay About a Place Called Home

Descriptive Essay About a Place You Loved as a Child

Descriptive Essay About a Place of Interest I Visited

Descriptive Essay About a Favorite Place

Do you need more sample essays? Check out more descriptive essay examples t o get inspired.

Tips for Writing an Excellent Descriptive Essay About A Place

Now that you've read some examples of descriptive essays about places, it's time to learn how to write one yourself. Here are some tips on writing a great essay:

Choose The Right Topic

The topic of your essay should be something that you have a strong connection to or feeling about. It could be a place you've visited recently or a place from your childhood. Moreover, make sure that it's something that you can write about in enough detail to make your essay interesting.

Check out this blog with 100+ descriptive essay topics to get your creative juices flowing.

Gather Information

Gather as much information as possible about the topic of your essay. This will help you craft vivid descriptions and portray an accurate picture for your readers. Gather your observations, research online, and talk to people who have visited the place you're writing about.

Make sure to research the topic thoroughly so you can provide accurate and detailed descriptions. Read up as much as you can about the history of the place, and any interesting facts or stories about it.

Structure Your Essay

Outline your descriptive essay before beginning to write so all points flow logically from one to another throughout the entire piece.

Make sure to include a strong introduction and conclusion, as well as several body paragraphs that help support your main points.

Include Sensory Details

Use sensory language by including details such as sights, smells, tastes, sounds, etc. This helps to engage readers and transport them into the setting of your essay.

When writing a descriptive essay, make sure to include vivid descriptions that involve all five senses. This will help create a more engaging and immersive experience for your readers.

Use Vivid Language

Make sure to use strong and powerful words when describing the place you're writing about. Use metaphors and similes to bring your descriptions to life and make them more interesting for readers.

Proofread Your Essay

Proofreading is an important step in any writing process, especially when it comes to descriptive essays. Make sure to check for any typos or spelling errors that may have slipped through in your writing.

You also need to make sure that the flow of your essay is logical and coherent. Check if you've used a consistent point of view throughout, and make sure that all ideas are well-supported with evidence.

Follow these tips and examples, and you'll be well on your way to writing a great descriptive essay.

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How to describe an imaginary place or strange land

by Janet | Jul 21, 2011 | Teaching Homeschool Writing

Stretch those creative-writing muscles! Invite children to think up and describe an imaginary place.

Summer is a season of travel, a time of sandy beaches, hypnotic sunshine, stamped tickets, and the excited laughter of children visiting out-of-the-ordinary places.

Summer vacations—and the summer months—fill our minds with those moments of wonder and imagination so natural to childhood and keep us connected to our own children.

But sometimes the household budget doesn’t stretch quite far enough for exotic adventures.

What to do?

Here’s how!

Start with a Map

Gather your family around the kitchen table with paper, pencils, pens, and an atlas. Better yet, pull out a road map of your state. As these maps are more detailed for the traveler, interstate road maps usually have the richer place names.
Study some maps, reading place names aloud. Listen for those syllables and sounds that tickle and tempt your ear, hinting at the exotic. Where I live, nearby towns, rivers, and ancient mountain ranges honor the first Americans who dwelled here. Names like “Uwharrie,” “Oconeechi,” “Saponi,” “Lumbee,” “Saxapahaw,” and “Eno” dot the landscape and tease my heart and mind.
Make a list of place names you like.
Begin to imagine an island or a country or a planet where you’d like to visit.

Set Your Imagination Loose

It’s time to describe an imaginary place! Begin to paint this strange land with colorful, descriptive words and phrases.

What color is the sky? Are there cliffs, rivers, canyons, or mountains? Name the landforms.

Are there trees or flowering plants? What do they look like? Describe and name the flowers.

Place yourself there. What does the ground feel like under your feet? Stony? Sandy? Spongy?

What kind of person —or wonderful being—could you allow yourself to be there?

Create Your World

As ideas shape themselves around your kitchen table, have your children create colorful maps and illustrated “travel guides” of their visionary worlds.

Don’t forget rich descriptions , helping your kids write and edit for an imaginary audience of would-be adventurers or vacationers. This is the magic of writing! In the creative power of words, our children are free to journey through the realms of their own sacred and unique imaginations.

As adults, what a wonderful gift we can give our kids: a love of adventure enhanced with the tools of creative writing .

Enjoy your magical travels this summer!

For over two decades, Janet Wagner taught elementary and middle school in a variety of settings. She also had the honor of helping homeschool her two nieces. Janet and her husband Dean live on the family farm in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. She enjoys a flexible life of homemaking, volunteering, reading, writing, tutoring students, and training dogs. You can find her at Creative Writing Ideas and Activities .

All photos from Flickr , courtesy of Creative Commons .

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Writing Prompts

12 Creative Descriptive Essay Prompts

by Suzanne Davis | Dec 12, 2019 | Writing Essays and Papers , Writing Prompts | 13 comments

“Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story.” –Stephen King

Stephen King wrote about description in stories. But the same advice is correct for descriptive essays. Get your readers engaged by making them sense and connect with everything you’ve written in your essay. How can you do that? Begin with descriptive essay prompts that inspire you to write more.

Then add important details and characteristics or features about the person, place, object, or experience in your essay. The more detail and elements you add to a descriptive essay, the better it will be.

So, check out these descriptive writing topics and find the one that will work best for you.

How to Select a Descriptive Essay Prompt

Before you select a descriptive essay topic, see if you can show and not tell your readers about the characteristics, actions, and emotions in that essay.

Maybe you’ve heard writers say, “ Show Don’t Tell .” This motto is an approach some writers use to make their writing more descriptive. The word “show” means to portray or illustrate feelings and actions. And “tell” is when a writer says what the emotions and actions are.

For example, “ The black poodle snarled and growled.” (showing) vs. “The black poodle was angry and fierce.” (telling)

In the example above, the first sentence shows that the black poodle was angry because it snarled and growled. The second sentence says or tells us that the dog was angry and fierce.

Use the “ Show Don’t Tell” approach in your descriptive essay by asking these questions about the 5 senses:

What did you see?
What did you hear?
What did you touch?
What did you smell?
What did you taste?

You probably won’t have answers to all these questions. (Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.) But write “Show Don’t Tell ” content wherever you can in your essay.

The 12 descriptive essay prompts here, give you the freedom to develop your content in different ways, and with a lot of sensory details. They are divided into 4 categories: person, place, object, and experience. Each type has 3 descriptive essay writing ideas. For each writing prompt, brainstorm how you can develop that essay.

Descriptive WritingTopics About a Person

# 1 describe the strangest person you ever met.

Strange people are easy to remember, and if you remember a different, odd, or unique person, you’ll have a lot of information you can write on. Before you choose this topic, brainstorm a few ideas about this person.

Questions to develop this essay topic : What seemed strange about this person? What characteristics did he/she possess? How did you feel about this person?

# 2 Describe a person you envied .

Envy or jealousy is a powerful emotion. When you focus on a person you were jealous of, there are reasons and characteristics for why you felt that way.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What traits or characteristics did this person have? How did that person look? How did this person act? What made you envy him/her?

# 3 Describe an inspiring friend or family member.

We remember people who inspire us. And people love to read about inspiring individuals. If you describe an inspiring person, think about the impact that a person made on you.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this person do that was inspiring? How did that person act toward others?

Descriptive Writing Topics About a Place

# 4 describe a spooky or haunted place ..

If you describe a scary place, include a lot of sensory details. Spooky and haunted places are memorable.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look like? Where was it located? What did you see, hear, smell, or feel at this place? Did you find someone or something that scared you? Why is this place, spooky?

# 5 Describe a place you loved as a child.

People love to know things about another person’s childhood. A great way to show who you are is to describe a place that was important to you. If you select this writing topic, make sure you remember this place well.

Questions to develop this essay topic : How did this place look? What did you do at this place? Was anyone else at this there? How did you feel about the area?

# 6 Describe a beautiful location in nature.

You could describe a mountain, body of water, campground, desert, etc. Or any other place that is outdoors and part of nature.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did this place look like? How did you feel when you were there? Did you hear, smell, taste, or touch anything at the location? Was there anyone else with you? What did you do at this place?

Descriptive WritingTopics About an Object

# 7 Describe a lucky object.

It can be any lucky object, a good luck charm, an heirloom object, etc. Select something you believe brings you good luck.

Q uestions to develop this essay topic: What are the characteristics of this object? How is it used? What makes this a lucky object?

# 8 Describe a piece of art.

It can be a photograph, painting, sculpture, etc. There are a lot of sensory details you can include in a descriptive essay about a piece of art.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What does this work of art look? Can you touch it? If so, how does it feel? What are the emotions you have when you see this sculpture, painting, photograph, etc.?

# 9 Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.

If you have a favorite sport or hobby, describe an object that is relevant to that sport. For example, if you play tennis, describe a tennis racket. Or, if you collect coins, describe a unique coin from your collection.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What are the characteristics or features of this object? How is it used? What is significant about this object? What are some sensory details you can add?

Descriptive Essay Topics About an Experience

# 10 describe the first time you drove a car or rode a bicycle..

First-time experiences are emotional and significant to people. If you haven’t driven a car or ridden a bicycle, write about another first-time experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What did you see, hear, touch, smell, or taste during this experience? What did you do? Were others involved? If so, what did they do? How did you feel during this experience? How do you feel about it now?

# 11 Describe a hike or special walk you took .

Do you recall a hike you took or a walk on a trail, path, or street? If so, describe that memory.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What was the place you were at like? What did you hear, see, smell, taste, or touch during this experience? What did you do? What did anyone else do?

# 12 Describe a happy memory.

Write about a happy experience you can remember clearly. This topic involves remembering what occurred and how you felt during that experience.

Questions to develop this essay topic: What made this experience happy? What happened? Who else was there? Can you describe them?

Writing a Descriptive Essay

The key to writing a descriptive essay is to show or portray to a reader the significant elements of a person, place, object, or experience. So, select an essay topic that you connect with, and develop it with sensory details. If you do this, you’ll achieve what Stephen King does in his writing and “make the reader a sensory participant.” When you do that, your readers will want to keep reading until the end.

Make them wish your essay continued so that they could read even more!

So which descriptive essay prompt inspires you? And if you want more creative writing prompts, check out my blog post, “13 Thought-Provoking Personal Narrative Prompts” https://www.academicwritingsuccess.com/13-thought-provoking-personal-narrative-prompts/.

Suzanne,I enjoy reading your articles. Loved your sense of humour ‘(Or at least if you write about a mountain, I hope you can’t describe how tastes.)’. I tried to share this article in my Pinterest account, but somehow something went wrong and it did not allow me to do it.

I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I do try to be funny whenever I can. I’m having a problem right now with my article pinning. I’m working on it.

Loved the “show, not tell” explanation. It really made sense. I’m a visual learner, so I really liked the visual for the 12 descriptive essay prompts in both written form and as a image. You gave me a lot of good ideas for starting a descriptive essay!

Terri, I’m glad you liked my infographic for the post. I love designing visual images for articles. Let me know if you use one of the descriptive essay prompts. I’d love to know how it worked for you.

Excellent. I like the sensory detail questions. It brings the writing to a new level.

Raven, thank you. Sensory details are great for developing writing. They really help writers of all ages.

Nice article, Suzanne. I love using prompts with my students. I might be nervous of the prompt “Describe the strangest person you ever met.” For many of my students I would have the starring role in that one! 🙂 Using the basic five senses to help students expand upon their writing is also very good. So many students write one sentence and then get stuck. Prompting questions can really help them broaden their thoughts.

Ron, thank you. I might be nervous about the “strangest person you ever met” prompt too. But, I’m hoping there are other strange people students could write about too!

Love these! In this generation of “just getting the point across”, it is so difficult to get some students to be descriptive in their writing.It would be hard for any student to not be descriptive using these prompts. When working on writing with students, I always use the five senses to show them how their writing will be more interesting to any reader when it is descriptive. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you,Randy. Descriptive writing is a challenge, but finding a good descriptive writing prompt and using the 5 senses makes a huge difference.

Also, that is a great quote by Stephen King!

Hi Suzanne! Excellent post! I love the creative prompts. They’re helpful, whether one is writing fiction or non-fiction.

You have a great site. Will stop by again. I know I’ll learn lots here.

P.S. Thanks for stopping by my site. I appreciate your feedback.

Hi Nadine, Thanks so much. I am glad you stopped by and checked out my post on descriptive writing prompts. I love prompts because they can make you think about writing in different ways. And sometimes I just need help getting started. I enjoyed your post on writing spaces. I’ll be visiting your site again.

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How to Write a Descriptive Essay about a Place

If you’re not sure what exactly a descriptive essay is and how to write one, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I’ll explain how a descriptive essay works and how to write it, step by step.

We’ll write one together, so you’ll have a great example of a descriptive essay.

What Is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a piece of writing in which the author describes a place, a person, an object, an animal, or a process. The purpose of a descriptive essay is to move the reader to some kind of a revelation, conclusion, or decision about the subject.

It is very important to note that a descriptive essay is not an argumentative essay. You’re not presenting an argument and doing whatever it takes to support it.

In a descriptive essay, your intention should be to describe the subject in such a way that the reader would create her own impression of it.

At the same time, your essay is not neutral because it is colored by your own perception or experience of the subject.

In other words, you are implying and suggesting, not blatantly pushing an opinion.

You want to let the reader see, hear, touch, smell, and taste the place you’re describing. And that experience should lead the reader to an appropriate impression or conclusion.

Writing a Descriptive Essay Is a 6-Step Process

Step 1. choose the subject.

Maybe your instructor has already chosen the subject for you. If not, choose a country, city, or a place within a city or a geographical location that you are familiar with.

Ideally, it is a place that you have been to and have a good memory of it. A descriptive essay about a place should not rely solely on research, in most cases.

The real value of your essay is that you know that place, and perhaps it has a special meaning for you or evokes feelings that no other place can evoke.

So, unless you have to write about a specific place where you have never been, choose a location that has a special place in your heart.

Sometimes, your subject can be a place with which you may have negative associations. But most likely, it is a beloved place that has left an indelible impression on your heart and mind.

Criteria for choosing the place

Ideally, this place should be dear to your heart
It is unique. It is unlike any other place you’ve ever been to, in at least one or two important ways
It has left a strong impression on you
Perhaps you learned something there
Perhaps something wonderful happened to you there, such as meeting your soulmate or discovering something about yourself
Ideally, it has special visual qualities that stand out in contrast to what your audience is probably used to. In other words, being visually striking is a huge plus.

I’ll give you an example. For me, one particular little spa town in Europe won me over when I first visited it many years ago. Its name is Carlsbad, or Karlovy Vary. The terms are interchangeable. One is of German origin, and the other is native Czech.

It is located in the western part of Czech Republic, not too far from the German border. It is serene, spectacular, and magical, and I’ll choose it as the subject for our sample descriptive essay.

By the way, Carlsbad, California was named after Karlovy Vary because of the similar mineral content of the underground waters found in the American cousin city.

Step 2. Pick an audience

I understand that you’re probably writing this essay to fulfill a requirement for your class. In which case, your audience is your teacher or professor.

But even if you’re writing for your instructor, you should still have a particular audience in mind because this will help you form ideas and keep your thoughts flowing.

Knowing your audience will inform your choices of what to include and what to exclude in your descriptive essay because your reader may care about some aspects of this place but not others.

Criteria for choosing an audience

Your ideal reader is someone who is most likely to be interested in this place
It is someone who is likely to enjoy reading your essay
Your ideal audience is also someone who will benefit from reading about this place and derive the most value from it

Let’s come back to our example of Karlovy Vary. As I already mentioned, it is a spa town, which means that its attractiveness lies in its therapeutic qualities.

I first visited this gem of a town back in 2004 as a result of a real academic and professional burnout. I believe I was still an undergraduate student finishing up my studies, and I also had a stressful job.

I lived in Brooklyn, which is a borough of New York City, and this metropolis is known for its stressful lifestyle.

New York has all the disadvantages of living in a large city, such as pollution and other stressors that can really suck the life energy out of its dwellers if they are not careful.

I lived in New York for 25 years, and I love this city. I don’t want to come across as totally negative about it.

But focusing on the negatives about my city in this case will help you see how I am choosing the audience for this essay we’ll be writing together in this tutorial.

You see, New York City is a direct opposite of Karlovy Vary in several critical ways.

Establishing a contrast helps define an audience

New York is noisy. Drivers here are notorious for incessant horn honking. And you can hear an ambulance or a police siren probably every 15 minutes or so.

Conversely, Karlovy Vary is super quiet. Such a crazy hustle and bustle doesn’t exist here, and drivers don’t have a reason to honk the horn all the time. It is also very rare to hear a police or an ambulance siren.

Air quality in New York is decent for a big city, but it is still relatively polluted . All the millions of cars and trucks produce way too much carbon dioxide. You can actually see the smog from some vantage points.

The air in Karlovy Vary is virtually pristine. The town is surrounded by hills, and car traffic is not allowed in the city center.

The landscape in New York is a bit monotonous and often fails to inspire. They don’t call this city “a concrete jungle” for nothing. The overall atmosphere is hardly conducive to a great mood or daily inspiration.

Conversely, Karlovy Vary offers aesthetically pleasing, relaxing, and inspiring architecture and landscape. It’s like entering a spa, only the spa is a whole town.

Now that we have this contrast, it is easy to see who might be interested in learning more about Karlovy Vary. Our ideal audience is someone who:

Lives in a big metropolis, such as NYC or another big city
Can relate to being excessively stressed out
Is aware of noise and air pollution
Would love an escape to relax and renew, even if only by reading an essay.

So, our essay becomes a sort of a virtual or a fantasy escape until an actual trip becomes possible.

Your audience might have different challenges, needs, and desires. It could be someone who:

Is nostalgic about their childhood and a place associated with it
Dreams about a perfect place to live and work
Plans a retirement location

Think of these factors when determining your audience. In the meantime, because we’ve already identified our ideal reader – a stressed out urban dweller – we can move on to the next step.

Step 3. Divide the subject into subtopics

No matter what kind of an essay you’re writing, you want to divide the main topic into subtopics. In other words, you want to create some kind of a structure that will consist of parts.

I use and teach my students to use the technique I call the Power of Three.

What this means is that instead of having just one big topic, such as one town, we can have three aspects of this town to discuss.

Incidentally, we already talked about three major differences between NYC and Karlovy Vary. These are noise levels, air quality, and landscape. So, perhaps we can use one or more of these aspects of a city as sections of our essay.

We must keep in mind that we’re not writing a comparative essay , although that’s a possibility, too.

We’re writing a descriptive essay. So, we need to find three aspects of the town that we can discuss one after another to put together a rich and detailed enough picture of this place.

Note that these three aspects correspond to the senses of hearing, smell, and sight.

Let’s make a preliminary list of such aspects of Karlovy Vary:

Quietness. Does this aspect present an interesting description opportunity? This will depend on our ability to turn it into an asset.
Air quality. This may be too specific. We may want to zoom out a little and discuss more than one natural asset of this city. Some of the others include water quality and the industries associated with it.
Landscape. This is the most conspicuous aspect of this city. The first thing you’re struck with is how beautiful this place really is. This one is definitely a winner.

If we go about writing about these three aspects of Karlovy Vary creatively, we will have three nice sections or paragraphs that will form the body of our essay.

Note that we’ll probably use more than one sensory perception, such as sight or smell, in each section. We’ll simply use one of three senses as a primary focus in each of our three sections.

It would make sense to begin the discussion of the city by describing it visually. So, this will be our primary focus in the first section.

Then, we can proceed to the sense of hearing. Why? Because our last section will be about air and water. And we should probably leave those for last because we can hear the water before we can taste it. That’s just the way it works in Karlovy Vary.

So, the primary sense perception in our second section will be hearing. And this section won’t be just about how quiet it is.

In fact, the real contrast between a big city and Karlovy Vary is the quality of the soundscape, not just the simple quietness, although it’s a part of it. So, we’ll focus on all the little sounds that make this place unique.

Finally, in the third section or paragraph, we’ll talk about the air and the water, which will correspond to the senses of smell and taste, primarily.

Again, we’ll be using any sense perceptions we feel necessary to make the reader’s experience as real as possible.

And now we have our place, we know our audience, and we have our three main ideas about this place that we’ll use to structure the essay.

We can begin writing, and we’ll start with the opening paragraph.

Step 4. Write the introduction

An introductory paragraph in a descriptive essay offers you a lot of flexibility in how you choose to write it.

You can start off with a particular example of a sense perception, drop your reader in the middle of a town square, or begin with an abstract concept.

I would like to suggest an easy and practical way to do it. In the first sentence or two, pull your reader from the outside world into this particular magical place you’ve chosen to write about.

Then, focus on the place you want to describe and say something general about it that would set the context or provide a perspective.

And finally, set some kind of an expectation for what’s to follow. You can create a sense of mystery, if you like. Remember, this is not an argumentative essay. So, you have more room for creativity.

This is where we begin to put together our descriptive essay example. Let’s write our introductory paragraph.

Descriptive Essay Introduction

“When the city has worn you down, the body is tired, and the soul yearns for a respite, you can count on a little magic gem of a town that will nourish you back to life. The name of the place is Karlovy Vary, and it is nested in the heart of Europe, in Western Bohemia, a region in Czech Republic famous for its spa towns. Its beautiful architecture, therapeutic landscape, clean air, and mineral waters offer the weary a healing adventure and a feast for the senses.”

What have we done in this paragraph?

We’ve pulled the reader into the world of this small spa town. We first descended in their world of the stressful city, and then we turned their attention to its opposite. We named the town and explained where it is located.

And finally, we provided a glimpse of what to expect in this descriptive essay about this town. Now, we’re ready to write the body of the essay.

Step 5. Write the body of the essay

We know our three main sections, which in this case correspond to three sense perceptions. Each section can have more than one paragraph. It all depends on how long your essay has to be.

If you are writing an essay of about 500-600 words, then a five-paragraph structure will do the job. If you need to write 2000 words or more, then you’ll have three sections instead of just three paragraphs.

And then each section can also be divided into two or three subsections (using the Power of Three, if you like). And each subsection can be a paragraph or more.

Just remember – the more words you need, the more dividing into subtopics you must do. The key to writing more is dividing one idea into several supporting ideas. And then you simply treat each supporting idea as a tiny essay.

If you struggle with essay writing in general or need to brush it up, I recommend you read my tutorial on essay writing for beginners . This would be a great place to turn to next.

Now, let’s write out our body paragraphs. Since there’s quite a bit to cover, we’ll probably take two paragraphs per section to get the job done.

Descriptive essay body paragraphs

“When you stay in one of the pretty little hotels in Karlovy Vary, you are likely to be descending the hills towards the hot springs every morning. No matter which part of town you live in, you’ll be greeted with a magnificent sight of little hotels and spas whose architecture has a unifying 19th century style. At the same time, each building has its own character, color, and features. The town is situated on several hills, and the hotels are lined up along about four levels.

The first level is down by the river Tepla, and these hotels are only a few because most of the downtown is occupied with hot springs colonnades where people gather and drink hot mineral water. The next three levels ascend from the springs, and you can either take the stairs or even use a funicular that will take you to the highest level to the Hotel Imperial. As you exit your hotel in the morning, you are greeted with a sight of a collection of small, three to four story buildings that look like birthday cakes. They are pink, green, blue, red, turquoise, and any color you can imagine. You suddenly realize how this variety of colors and shapes strewn over the hillsides all facing you and the city center makes your head spin and makes you feel like you’ve never felt before. Your healing has begun with landscape therapy.

As you descend the stairs to reach the hot springs, you notice the abundance of oxygen in the air because it has a subtle but distinct smell, a bit like the way air smells right before a rain. Then, as you pass by another hotel, and you’ll pass more than one, a light whiff of toast and fried eggs with bacon hits you, stirring your appetite. It is customary to drink a cup of hot mineral water before you come back to your hotel for breakfast. It is called a drinking cure.

As you keep walking towards the geyser and the springs that surround it, you notice another astonishing detail. Nobody is in a rush. Nobody has anywhere to be except right here, right now. Travelers with cute little porcelain cups stroll along without a worry in the world, taking in the sights, the smells, and the sounds of the birds chirping and singing all around. Their serenity infects you. You slow down, too. You begin to look, smell, and listen. This town has got you.

Karlovy Vary is famous for its healing mineral waters that are known to alleviate gastrointestinal issues. These waters really do have magic powers. You have your little sipping cup with you, and when you reach one of the springs, you wait for your turn to fill it up, walk off, and begin sipping. The water has a very subtle smell, but its taste is pretty strong for water. It has very high mineral content and tastes salty. Most people like the taste. Some find it too strong. But one thing is for sure – by the time you’re about half way through with your cup’s content, your digestive juices have begun to stir.

The hot springs flow out through several fountains, each with its own intricately detailed colonnade. The mineral content of water bursting out of each fountain is identical. But the temperature of the water varies from really hot to mild and comfortable. Your “spa doctor” actually prescribes which fountains to use and how much to drink. Sipping the water out of a special porcelain cup with a built-in straw-like system is a special pleasure of its own. The point is not to rush but to take about 20 minutes to empty the cup. In the meantime, you have a chance to take in the magnificent serenity that surrounds and infuses you. When you’ve drunk your water, it is time to head back to your hotel and eat breakfast. You repeat this routine three times a day for the duration of your stay. By day three, you are serenity itself. By day fourteen, you are a brand new person.”

Step 6. Write the conclusion

A conclusion in a descriptive essay is, like the introduction, more flexible than a conclusion in an argumentative essay.

You can conclude your essay in any way you really want as long as you observe one rule. Just make sure you zoom out and write in more general terms.

It is not the time to add specific details and examples. This is the time to wrap things up and end on a general note.

Your conclusion can be very short – only a couple of sentences. But you can take your space and write as much or as little as you feel like. You can always go back and trim it down or beef it up.

Let’s write our conclusion.

Our Conclusion

“Upon reading this, you may feel that this town is described as some sort of a paradise. And in a way, it is, especially if you are traveling from a big city and carrying a load of accumulated stress. But it’s not until you see, touch, smell, hear, and taste it for yourself that this European jewel will become a part of your entire being forever.”

It’s okay to be a little emotional and perhaps to even exaggerate a little in the concluding paragraph. Just notice that this one is more general than any of the body paragraphs.

It also touches upon or mentions every sense perception evoked in the body of the essay.

Your Key Takeaways

A descriptive essay is much more flexible and has a lot fewer rules than an argumentative essay.
Use the five sense perceptions – sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing – to structure your essay.
You don’t have to organize your essay by sense perceptions. You can divide your place into sections and walk the reader through each one.
You can even structure your essay as a string of paragraphs that describe one particular walk or route, from beginning to end.
Our last body paragraph is a description of the process of drinking hot mineral water in Karlovy Vary. It is a perfect example of a description of a process, if you ever want to write that kind of an essay.
Don’t persuade but subtly suggest.
Show, don’t tell, whenever you can.

A Few Scenic Snapshots of Karlovy Vary’s Charm

I hope this was helpful. Now go ahead and write that descriptive essay about a place!

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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 August 14, 2023.

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 .

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Descriptive essay topics, tips for writing descriptively, descriptive essay example, other interesting articles, 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.

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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.

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.

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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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Caulfield, J. (2023, August 14). How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/descriptive-essay/

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Think of the last time you were completely captivated by a good story. What made it so enthralling? What caused it to take your attention from everything else? Most likely, it was the author’s use of descriptive language that helped you feel like you were actually a part of the story. You could probably imagine what it would have looked or felt like to be in each place the book described. Descriptive essays do much the same thing. They’re essays meant to engage the readers to paint a descriptive picture of the words on paper.

Let's say you are assigned to write a descriptive essay about a place, and you’re wondering where to begin. How do you make sure your essay is captivating, and passes with flying colors? In this blog, we’ll show you exactly how to write an all-star descriptive essay about a place, by covering the steps involved in writing, and the elements of how to write a great descriptive essay.

First, we will review the purpose of descriptive essays, then discuss why they are important, and we will end by sharing pro writing tips to help find the right words.

What are descriptive essays?

The goal of a descriptive essay is to be captivating, including sensory-oriented details of a person, place, experience, or object. Include this in your essay and the reader's imagination will go wherever is being described. These essays accomplish this by using vivid language, specific adjectives, and clear explanations so that the reader can personally relate. Descriptive essays are written so that readers can imagine and understand the feelings, sensations, visualizations, and sounds the author is describing.

Related how-to guide— How to write a narrative essay .

Why are descriptive essays important?

A detailed description helps readers empathize with your experience and, as an author, you can communicate this meaning. This is important because much of our academic and professional success depends on our ability to clearly, and specifically, communicate our experiences to others. We may not be writing a descriptive essay each time we communicate our experiences, but writing descriptive essays definitely strengthen our ability to convey specific details in compelling ways.

How to Use the Five Senses in an Essay | Ultius

For example, writing a descriptive essay about a place can strengthen your ability to communicate your work expertise to your next potential employer; or to write your life experiences in a compelling way in your next scholarship essay (learn how to write a scholarship essay ).

Perhaps you’d like to write your own book some day or craft your own advertising campaigns using your business degree—both of which are more successful when the reader can empathize with your writing. You’ll use descriptive language to succeed at both!

Choosing a descriptive essay topic

Descriptive essays can be written about many topics. One of the most common assignments you may receive is to write a descriptive essay about a place. Here are a few descriptive writing example topics you might choose:

Who writes descriptive essays?

Being able to write well is a skill for any career you're pursuing whether it be business, arts, marketing, education, or even medicine!

Students in these areas will be assigned to write a descriptive essay at some point during their high school or undergraduate careers:

Language arts students
Literature and cultural studies students
Social studies students
Psychology students

Finding the right words for an engaging essay can be challenging. Plus, many students are pressed for time, juggling work, family, and extracurricular activities on top of trying to complete assignments. If you can identify, this blog will help get you started.

When your future career depends on it, you want to feel confident and proud of your work instead of overwhelmed by it. Practicing smart time management and finding the writing help you need, when you need it, is important.

Elements of a great descriptive essay

Before we dive into how to write a descriptive essay, let’s review some key elements that will help you paint a picture in writing:

Clear organization

Effective descriptive essays are clearly organized. In other words, the reader is able to easily understand why she or he is reading the essay, the place the essay will describe, and what the purpose of the description is. This is accomplished by organizing the essay into and introduction, body and conclusion.

Introduction: A captivating hook

The opening of your essay is one of the most important parts because it interests readers. Start with a captivating introductory paragraph. One way to do this is by using anecdotes to grab readers’ attention. Anecdotes are short stories that can be used literally or metaphorically to help readers relate to what you’re going to write about.

For example, an anecdote that opens an essay with descriptive words about what it’s like to be working in the middle of busy production factory might read:

“Imagine every appliance in your house is turned on—your vacuum cleaner, your blender, your fans—and imagine on top of all that, you hear airplanes and helicopters flying overhead and cars buzzing by outside. Meanwhile, you’re trying to focus on your tasks…”

This type of anecdote accomplishes two key things: First, it engages the reader and helps them personally relate to your essay by asking them to imagine. Second, it immediately clarifies the type of place you’re going to write about.

Build your essay with strong imagery. Capture the time, date, weather, and mood of the place.

The introduction paragraph should end by explaining the place the rest of the essay is going to describe and why. This includes any key setting logistics like time, specific location, and who’s involved.

Body: Full of specifics and adjectives

Anecdotes are also helpful in the body paragraphs of a descriptive essay, for the same reasons noted above. The body of a great descriptive essay about a place should be packed full of vivid, sensory language. During the body of a descriptive essay, the reader gains a clear image and understanding of the place being described, as if he or she were actually there. To accomplish this, the body paragraphs use descriptive adjectives and colorful phrases such as, “The chaotic, clashing noise was deafening,” or, “The scent of freshly fallen rain cleansed the sunlit air, and I could see the horizon for miles.”

Use one or two strong adjectives to convey descriptions in your sentences. This creates a flow throughout the entire essay. Be sure to note, not every sentence requires an adjective or adverb.

If you’re having trouble with finding adjectives and adverbs, use strong action verbs instead.

Conclusion: Reminding readers of the meaning

Just as the introduction of a descriptive essay previews what place will be written about and why, the conclusion reminds readers of what was just described and why it’s important. The key is to not sound redundant. For instance, while the introductory paragraph hooks readers and then tells them what they can expect to read, the conclusion summarizes what was written and leaves readers with thought-provoking ideas to consider, helping them to understand how the essay may relate to their lives, or why it’s important to the reader.

Revisiting the production factory introduction example, the same essay’s conclusion may summarize with a statement highlighting the essay’s takeaways, such as, “The chaos and noise of the factory made it difficult to focus, but after working there for five years, I learned how to overcome that challenge. Now I can focus in even the most noisy of places.”

Steps to writing a great descriptive essay

1) choose a topic.

Depending on the purpose of your descriptive essay assignment, you may have varying flexibility in terms of what place you can choose to write about. Nonetheless, try to choose a topic that vividly stands out in your memory. The more you can remember about a place and how it felt, the better your descriptive paper is likely to be. For example, if you’re assignment asks you to write about a place you’ve traveled to, what destination comes to mind first? Perhaps it’s a foreign country. Or, if you haven’t traveled much, it could even be a different town.

2) Observe the details

If you’re writing about a place you’re currently at or can easily visit, spend time observing the details. Watch what the scenery looks like, including colors and objects. What sounds do you hear? What’s the temperature? What scents do you notice? How do you feel being there? All these questions will help guide your descriptive flow writing process (step six).

If you’re writing about a place you visited in the past, ask yourself the same questions. Perhaps look at old photos to jog your memory. Finally, if you’re asked to describe a place you’ve never been, use your imagination to answer similar questions. The more time you take to list details about what your place feels like, the easier the next steps will be.

3) Understand why your place is important

Ask yourself why you think it is important to share this with your readers. Having a clear understanding of your essays’ importance will not only help you write your introduction and conclusion, but it will also help you stay focused on describing the details that matter most.

4) Outline and organize your writing

Now it’s time to begin the actual descriptive writing process by organizing your ideas into an outline . Your outline doesn’t have to be formal; just a simple numbered list of points to include in your introduction, body and conclusion will suffice. This will guide your writing process and keep you focused.

5) Start with the introduction

Remember step number one and three, “your topic ” and “why your place is important?” Those are the two main highlights you’ll want to make clear in your introductory paragraph. When writing your introduction, be sure it explains what you’re about to describe and why you’re going to write about it.

6) Write the body in free-flow style

The body paragraph of your essay can sometimes be the most difficult part, depending on length, a great way to start is by free-flow writing. This means that you simply start writing your detailed description of the place you’re writing about, without editing or analyzing as you write. This often helps to overcome writer’s block while making sure that all the critical details you jotted down in step two, “observe the details,” get down on paper and into the body of your essay. You’ll be able to go back later and edit the body of your paper for organization, flow and grammar. As long as you start your free-flow within the bullet points of the outline you created, the process will be relatively simple and easy.

7) Revise the body of your essay

Now it’s time to go back and be sure all the free-flow writing you just did is clear, makes sense and follows your original outline. You may need to re-arrange a few sentences or even paragraphs. This is also a great time to check for spelling and grammar errors.

Next, read the body paragraph of your essay and pretend you’re someone else reading it for the first time. How does it sound? Does it make sense and flow? If not, ask yourself what would make your descriptions more understandable for the reader. Finally, remember that not every sentence of your descriptive essay needs to sound fancy, artistic, or be long. Vary your sentence length, breaking up long sentences with short sentences to make reading easier. Use exciting language, but don’t over-do it or adjectives will lose their power.

8) Finish your essay strong

Writing a strong conclusion is key to leaving a lasting impression with your readers. A great way to conclude your descriptive essay about a place is to reiterate, in a new way, how the place you’re describing impacted you and why you believe it’s important. You can also describe what you hope readers may learn from your essay.

9) Proofread your work

You can never re-read your essay too many times. Proofread your work at least twice for spelling and grammar errors. It’s often helpful to read your writing out loud, since that slows the reading process and helps us catch errors we may otherwise overlook.

Steps for writing a narrative essay | Ultius

Also, don’t be afraid to ask a friend to proof your work. If you’re still stuck or need help, the writing center has tons of resources just for you like expert advice, essay examples, and more.

Final words of wisdom

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How To Write A Descriptive Essay About A Place (Step By Step)

Table of Contents

Descriptive essay about a place

Descriptive essay focus on specific details about an object, a place or an event. It presents an object to the reader using vivid language for the reader to have a mental picture of what the writer is describing. When composing a detailed essay about a particular place, the paper needs to present clear descriptions about the location to the reader. Writing an essay about a familiar place gives the writer an opportunity to present his personal experience and feelings the place invokes in him.

How to start a descriptive essay

Before presenting the beautiful scenery, the author needs to be observant of the surroundings because the essay would require detailed explanations and the vibrant experiences about the place. The author needs to identify all the important items that make the place worth describing. A good essay should be based on personal experience whereby the author can easily reflect about his experience.

The first step of developing an essay is to start with a brief introduction, a descriptive introduction would determine whether the reader would want to continue reading the article or not. The author needs to use words that would attract the reader’s attention at the beginning of the essay. An introduction should start with a strong statement, and in the end, the writer needs to present the thesis statement by relating it to what is being described. The thesis statement reveals why the place is important to the author.

A good introduction can start with an anecdote, the author can narrate an interesting story to heighten the reader’s curiosity. A good anecdote sets a good tone for the essay and acts as a transition sentence from the introduction to the body of the essay. An introductory paragraph needs to mention the name, the exact address, and other exciting things that makes to reader wants to visit the location.

How to write main part

The essay body should express feelings, the taste, the smell, the sights and sounds of the place. The author describes the different aspects of the location for the reader to develop a mental picture of how the place looks like. For instance, when describing your grandmother’s home, the body essay describes how beautiful the place looks like, including the lovely trees, her tasty cookies, the most soil around the nearby river, the dishes clicking in the kitchen and how you feel the about the particles of the wood on the staircase. The author can also talk about the people living nearby and any unique features around the home .

Apart from detailed descriptions, the author needs to reflect about the place and make important connections to it. For instance, the essay needs to highlight why the place is a safe haven from everyday stress. The author can also present some of the feeling associated with the location, this will make the readers aware why the place is important to the author.

How to conclude a descriptive essay

The concluding paragraph should rephrase the inspiration of the essay providing detail and personal feelings and also make recommendations for the readers. A good conclusion should describe why the place is significant. Even though the descriptive language used can provoke the reader’s emotion, the audience wants to know why the author spent a lot of time describing the place. Apart from just highlighting the good experience about the place, a good conclusion explains the significance of the essay theme. The conclusion simply confirms to the audience what was already presented, but using selected sensory language for the readers to believe that the place is amazing. A good paper should end on a strong note, leaving the audience feeling satisfied in the concluding paragraph. A good descriptive essay should create excitement for its readers.

Outline example

Introduction

Hook sentence with detailed descriptions that grabs the reader’s attention
Brief background about the place
Sensory descriptions of the place.

Body paragraph

Topic sentence that supports the thesis statement
Describe the place by the name and the exact location
Description about the feelings the place invokes
Provide additional sensory descriptions about the place, including the surrounding areas.
Opening sentence justifying why the place is significant
The facts that support the descriptions using attractive descriptions.
Explain intensely about the place
Describe the important details for the readers
Present emotional background
Present the author’s emotional response based on the place being described.
Expand the feelings described in the above paragraphs
Provide additional emotional details using a decisive factor statement
Restate the feeling of the location.
Restate the main thesis ideas described in the paragraphs
Repeat to the reader why this particular location is important
Review the major things that the author vividly recalls
The feeling and the difference the location makes in the author’s life.

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Guide to Writing a Descriptive Essay about a Place with an Example

This article will teach you step-by-step how to write a descriptive essay about a place . You will find a full guideline on how to start a descriptive essay about a place, structure and proofread it in this article as well as an example that will demonstrate all of these guidelines in practice.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay About a Place

The first step to writing a descriptive essay about a place is to create a draft. Write down the name of the place you want to describe and then proceed to the following steps:

1 Brainstorm the ideas you want to include in your essay

Location of the place
How you found out about it or why you visited it
If it is your favorite place, explain why
Your own feelings about the place
Remarkable details and facts about the place

This way, you will be able to determine the most important facts about the place that you will cover in your essay and organize them.

Gather available information about a place

If you are not aware of the background of the place you are going to write about, it is important to find out everything you can.

Here is a comprehensive list of questions that might be relevant to your own essay:

Is it a tourist attraction in the area?
What architecture style do buildings have?
When were they built?
Who was the architect?
How do local people call this place?
What kinds of trees/plants/animals can be found there?
Has any famous persona lived there?
What is the weather like in this place?
Are there any particular elements of the landscape you noticed (mountain, river, etc.)?
Do you have any stories told by the locals and/or your friends and family about the place?

The answers to some of these questions can be further incorporated into your essay and help make it more engaging for readers.

3 Use five senses to write a descriptive essay about a place

Nothing can help a reader to imagine a place more than feelings and emotions connected with it. Use your own five senses to grasp the mood and ambiance of a place and merge them into your essay. Describing your own feelings of sight , touch, smell, sound , and taste , to provide your readers with understanding how it is like to be there.

Despite that we get the majority of information about the environment through visual perception other senses are equally important for creating a full picture. Imagine watching a music video without a sound or shopping for a winter coat without touching any – that is same tough as trying to imagine a particular place without having the information from other senses than eyesight.

Here is a list of things you can describe in your essay that refer to five senses:

1. Shapes of objects and landscape elements (sharp, rounded, spiky, etc.)

2. Scents and aromas you associate with the place (the smell of freshly mown grass, brewed coffee, smoke, blooming flowers, etc.)

3. Feelings you get from the sense of touch (feeling of wind on skin, rough texture of tree bark, cold water, etc.)

4. Sounds you hear in this place (chirping birds, a rustle of leaves, sound of water flowing, bell ringing, music, etc.)

5 . The sense of taste you associate with the place (taste of the food you’ve tried there, local specialty description, coffee you’ve had there, etc.)

Consider your own senses and memories about feelings you’ve had in that place as a source of information.

4 Expand your vocabulary

Vivid descriptions are the most effective at setting the mood and drawing a picture of a place for readers of your essay, so make the best out of it by expanding your vocabulary. While describing many objects, use vocabulary to solve the problem of finding synonyms and antonyms to avoid repetitions.

Another important aspect is describing colors. Malevich used only black for his iconic Black Square painting, but unless you are describing a place with your eyes closed, using one color won’t do any good.

Did you know there is such color as Ferrari red? Here you can find an exciting list of color names that will help you bring your essay language to another level of richness. Write down all colors you think are appropriate for specific objects in the place you describe in your draft.

Writing a Descriptive Essay About a Place

If you have followed the steps above, you have around 70-75% of your work done – congrats! Now it is time to organize and structure your essay to make sure it is consistent and easy to follow. Below you will find steps that will help you accomplish that.

1 Introduction for a descriptive essay about a place

Start your introduction with a hook – a catchy sentence that will instantly grab readers’ attention. A hook can contain a relevant quote, idiom, reference to your own feelings about a place.

Here you can find some interesting quotes about a place that can help you get started or inspire you to create a catchy hook.

Then briefly introduce the place you are to write about: state if it is your favorite place or you have visited it, and why you decided to write about it.Here, you can include one of the facts or interesting details you have found out about this place earlier, while starting to write the essay. Create a thesis statement about a place that provides a quintessence of your essay.

2 Writing the main part of a descriptive essay about a place

The main part of your essay is where you can fully uncover all your thoughts about the place, your experiences, and feelings. Make sure that the central part of the essay is consistent and you describe one object or topic at a time.

If you struggle on what to begin with in the main part of your essay, try to start with surroundings of the place or its background. This will help you set the atmosphere and mood for the readers and make describing the place easier.

Devote each paragraph to the specific topic and describe everything that is connected to it, including your own perception and feelings. Use feeling adjectives that describe your own feelings associated with the place and will help translate that mood to your readers.

3 Conclusion for descriptive essay about a place

Conclusion will summarize your essay without introducing new ideas. Restate your thesis statement in the conclusion to remind your readers of the core idea of your essay. Keep in mind that your thesis in the introduction may become irrelevant while writing the main part, so make sure to revise it and tie introduction, main part, and conclusion together.

How to Proofread a Descriptive Essay About a Place

Here is a list of steps you need to take in order to proofread your descriptive essay:

1. Reread your essay carefully, paying attention to the train of thought

2. Make sure there are no repetitions – use synonyms where possible

3. Check the length of paragraphs – they should be consistent in length

4. Check sentence length – too long sentences are hard to follow

5. Check consistency – your essay should cover topics

6 . Make sure your descriptive essay has your personal approach rather than a mere description of a place

Example of a Descriptive Essay About a Place

Central Market Hall in Budapest, Hungary

Lailah Gifty Akita, the founder of Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation, once said that “We travel to see the beauty of souls in new landscapes.” For me, traveling to Budapest, Hungary, truly uncovered the beauty built in history and the souls of people who live there. Central Market Hall in Budapest, or as locals call it Nagyvásárcsarnok, has unexpectedly become the highlight of my trip and a place that stunned me the most. The Central Market Hall is located on a picturesque street Váci utca and not far from metro station Kálvin tér. The building looks like it has been built as a castle rather than a market and is fascinating to view. The most captivating element of the building is, by all means, its roof, which is made of Zsolnay tiles brought here from Pécs city in Hungary. The colors of the tiles are contrasting shades of yellow, blue, and turquoise, that form diamond shape pattern. If you are lucky to visit this place in a sunny day as I was, you will be able to discern the variety of shades used, including ecru, mustard yellow, saffron, teal, pine green, and orchid tiles. Altogether, the roof of this building, as well as its neo-Gothic entrance gate style, create an almost fairytale vibe to this place. As much as I was fascinated by the facade of the Central Market Hall, I was stunned even more by the interior and ambiance of it on the inside, which looks like a miniature city jammed in one building. The streets with market stalls seem endless same as the rows of products, including sausages, spices, meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and beverages, such as traditional Hungarian alcoholic drink pálinka, which is a fruit brandy. Despite that the majority of signs are in Hungarian, it is easy for foreigners to find what they are looking for even without knowing the language because sellers are cheerful and ready to assist. The air in the building is filled with a variety of smells and noises. While approaching any stall, I could sense the aroma of spices, especially paprika, which is highly popular in Hungarian national cuisine. The scent of fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, meats, sausages, and herbs make this place a gastronomical paradise for gourmets. On the second floor the market also has a variety of food stalls where visitors can try traditional Hungarian foods, such as langos – one of the most popular street foods here. The Central Market Hall is also a noisy place with a lot of people selling and buying, which adds to the experience of being there. This building has a very special vibe where everyone is welcome and can have a great sense of belonging. Overall, this place has its own unforgettable ambiance that is created by architecture, aromas, sounds, and colors. Central Market Hall is surely one of my most memorable tourist spots in Budapest and a must-see for everyone visiting this beautiful city.

1. Don’t be afraid to be emotional in your essay and express your own perception

2. Feel free to edit your draft as many times as needed

3. Check pictures and photographs of the place you are to describe to refresh your memory

4. Use outlines to organize your thoughts

5. Write your introduction last – this way you will be able to coordinate it with the main part and conclusion and achieve consistency

research paper topics for college students

What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

A descriptive essay is a type of creative writing that uses specific language to depict a person, object, experience, or event. The idea is to use illustrative language to show readers what the writer wants to convey – it could be as simple as a peaceful view from the top of a hill or as horrific as living in a war zone. By using descriptive language, authors can evoke a mental image in the readers’ minds, engaging readers and leaving a lasting impression, instead of just providing a play-by-play narrative.

Note that a description and descriptive essay are not the same thing. A descriptive essay typically consists of five or more well-written paragraphs with vivid imagery that can help readers visualize the content, as opposed to a description, which is typically one or more plain paragraphs with no particular structure or appeal. If you are still unsure about how to write a compelling descriptive essay, continue reading!

What is a descriptive essay, types of descriptive essay topics.

Characteristics of descriptive essays

How to write a descriptive essay using a structured outline

Frequently asked questions.

A simple descriptive essay definition is that it is a piece of writing that gives a thorough and vivid description of an object, person, experience, or situation. It is sometimes focused more on the emotional aspect of the topic rather than the specifics. The author’s intention when writing a descriptive essay is to help readers visualize the subject at hand. Generally, students are asked to write a descriptive essay to test their ability to recreate a rich experience with artistic flair. Here are a few key points to consider when you begin writing these.

Look for a fascinating subject

You might be assigned a topic for your descriptive essay, but if not, you must think of a subject that interests you and about which you know enough facts. It might be about an emotion, place, event, or situation that you might have experienced.

Acquire specific details about the topic

The next task is to collect relevant information about the topic of your choice. You should focus on including details that make the descriptive essay stand out and have a long-lasting impression on the readers. To put it simply, your aim is to make the reader feel as though they were a part of the experience in the first place, rather than merely describing the subject.

Be playful with your writing

To make the descriptive essay memorable, use figurative writing and imagery to lay emphasis on the specific aspect of the topic. The goal is to make sure that the reader experiences the content visually, so it must be captivating and colorful. Generally speaking, “don’t tell, show”! This can be accomplished by choosing phrases that evoke strong emotions and engage a variety of senses. Making use of metaphors and similes will enable you to compare different things. We will learn about them in the upcoming sections.

Capture all the different senses

Unlike other academic articles, descriptive essay writing uses sensory elements in addition to the main idea. In this type of essay writing, the topic is described by using sensory details such as smell, taste, feel, and touch. Example “ Mahira feels most at home when the lavender scent fills her senses as she lays on her bed after a long, tiring day at work . As the candle melts , so do her worries” . It is crucial to provide sensory details to make the character more nuanced and build intrigue to keep the reader hooked. Metaphors can also be employed to explain abstract concepts; for instance, “ A small act of kindness creates ripples that transcend oceans .” Here the writer used a metaphor to convey the emotion that even the smallest act of kindness can have a larger impact.

Maintain harmony between flavor and flow

The descriptive essay format is one that can be customized according to the topic. However, like other types of essays, it must have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The number of body paragraphs can vary depending on the topic and available information.

It is crucial to remember that a descriptive essay should have a specific topic and goal, such as sharing personal experiences or expressing emotions like the satisfaction of a good meal. This is accomplished by employing exact language, imagery, and figurative language to illustrate concrete features. These language devices allow the writer to craft a descriptive essay that effectively transmits a particular mood, feeling, or incident to readers while also conjuring up strong mental imagery. A descriptive essay may be creative, or it may be based on the author’s own experiences. Below is a description of a few descriptive essay examples that fit into these categories.

Personal descriptive essay example

A personal essay can look like a descriptive account of your favorite activity, a place in your neighborhood, or an object that you value. Example: “ As I step out of the front door, the crisp morning air greets me with a gentle embrace; the big chestnut tree in front, sways in the wind as if saying hello to me. The world unfolds in a symphony of awakening colors, promising a day filled with untold possibilities that make me feel alive and grateful to be born again”.

Imaginative descriptive essay example

You may occasionally be required to write descriptive essays based on your imagination or on subjects unrelated to your own experiences. The prompts for these kinds of creative essays could be to describe the experience of someone going through heartbreak or to write about a day in the life of a barista. Imaginative descriptive essays also allow you to describe different emotions. Example, the feelings a parent experiences on holding their child for the first time.

Characteristics of descriptive essay s

The aim of a descriptive essay is to provide a detailed and vivid description of a person, place, object, event, or experience. The main goal is to create a sensory experience for the reader. Through a descriptive essay, the reader may be able to experience foods, locations, activities, or feelings that they might not otherwise be able to. Additionally, it gives the writer a way to relate to the readers by sharing a personal story. The following is a list of the essential elements of a descriptive essay:

Sensory details
Clear, succinct language
Organized structure
Thesis statement
Appeal to emotion

How to write a descriptive essay, with examples

Writing an engaging descriptive essay is all about bringing the subject matter to life for the reader so they can experience it with their senses—smells, tastes, and textures. The upside of writing a descriptive essay is you don’t have to stick to the confinements of formal essay writing, rather you are free to use a figurative language, with sensory details, and clever word choices that can breathe life to your descriptive essay. Let’s take a closer look at how you can use these components to develop a descriptive essay that will stand out, using examples.

Figurative language

Have you ever heard the expression “shooting for the stars”? It refers to pushing someone to strive higher or establish lofty goals, but it does not actually mean shooting for the stars. This is an example of using figurative language for conveying strong motivational emotions. In a descriptive essay, figurative language is employed to grab attention and emphasize points by creatively drawing comparisons and exaggerations. But why should descriptive essays use metaphorical language? One it adds to the topic’s interest and humor; two, it facilitates the reader’s increased connection to the subject.

These are the five most often used figurative language techniques: personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and allusion.

Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare two things while emphasizing and enhancing the description using terms such as “like or as.”

Example: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving – Albert Einstein

Metaphor: A metaphor are also used to draw similarities, but without using direct or literal comparisons like done in similes.

Example: Books are the mirrors of the soul – Virginia Woolf, Between the acts

Personification: This is the process of giving nonhuman or abstract objects human traits. Any human quality, including an emotional component, a physical attribute, or an action, can be personified.

Example: Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world – Louis Pasteur

Hyperbole: This is an extreme form of exaggeration, frequently impractical, and usually employed to emphasize a point or idea. It gives the character more nuance and complexity.

Example: The force will be with you, always – Star Wars

Allusion: This is when you reference a person, work, or event without specifically mentioning them; this leaves room for the reader’s creativity.

Example: In the text below, Robert Frost uses the biblical Garden of Eden as an example to highlight the idea that nothing, not even paradise, endures forever.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay

– Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost (1923)

Descriptive essays need a combination of figurative language and strong sensory details to make the essay more memorable. This is when authors describe the subject matter employing senses like smell, sound, touch, and taste so that the reader can relate to it better.

Example of a sensory-based descriptive essay: The earthy fragrance of freshly roasted chestnuts and the sight of bright pink, red, orange fallen leaves on the street reminded her that winter was around the corner.

Word choice

Word choice is everything in a descriptive essay. For the description to be enchanting, it is essential to utilize the right adjectives and to carefully consider the verbs, nouns, and adverbs. Use unusual terms and phrases that offer a new viewpoint on your topic matter instead of overusing clichés like “fast as the wind” or “lost track of time,” which can make your descriptive essay seem uninteresting and unoriginal.

See the following examples:

Bad word choice: I was so happy because the sunset was really cool.

Good word choice: I experienced immense joy as the sunset captivated me with its remarkable colors and breathtaking beauty.

Descriptive essay format and outline

Descriptive essay writing does not have to be disorganized, it is advisable to use a structured format to organize your thoughts and ensure coherent flow in your writing. Here is a list of components that should be a part of your descriptive essay outline:

Introduction
Opening/hook sentence
Topic sentence
Body paragraphs
Concrete details
Clincher statement

Introduction:

Hook: An opening statement that captures attention while introducing the subject.
Background: Includes a brief overview of the topic the descriptive essay is based on.
Thesis statement: Clearly states the main point or purpose of the descriptive essay.

Body paragraphs: Each paragraph should have

Topic sentence: Introduce the first aspect or feature you will describe. It informs the reader about what is coming next.
Sensory details: Use emphatic language to appeal to the reader’s senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell).
Concrete details: These are actual details needed to understand the context of the descriptive essay.
Supporting details: Include relevant information or examples to improve the description.

Conclusion:

Summarize key points: Here you revisit the main features or aspects of the subject.
Restate thesis statement: Reinforce the central impression or emotion.
Clincher statement: Conclude with a statement that summarizes the entire essay and serve as the last words with a powerful message.

Revision and editing:

Go over your essay to make sure it is coherent, clear, and consistent.
Check for logical paragraph transitions by proofreading the content.
Examine text to ensure correct grammar, punctuation, and style.
Use the thesaurus or AI paraphrasing tools to find the right words.

A descriptive essay often consists of three body paragraphs or more, an introduction that concludes with a thesis statement, and a conclusion that summarizes the subject and leaves a lasting impression on readers.

A descriptive essay’s primary goal is to captivate the reader by writing a thorough and vivid explanation of the subject matter, while appealing to their various senses. A list of additional goals is as follows: – Spark feeling and imagination – Create a vivid experience – Paint a mental picture – Pique curiosity – Convey a mood or atmosphere – Highlight specific details

Although they both fall within the creative writing category, narrative essays and descriptive essays have different storytelling focuses. While the main goal of a narrative essay is to tell a story based on a real-life experience or a made-up event, the main goal of a descriptive essay is to vividly describe a person, location, event, or emotion.

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Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay Writing

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

How To Write An Impactful Descriptive Essay?

By: Cathy A.

12 min read

Reviewed By: Melisa C.

Published on: Dec 17, 2019

Wondering how to write an impressive descriptive essay? Writing a descriptive essay is both fun and challenging. You need to describe the main topic in detail and by engaging the five senses of the readers.

Students usually get this type of essay in high school and college. Writing a descriptive essay is different from other essays.

You need to focus on describing a certain person, place, or event.

Luckily for you, the following blog post will provide some helpful tips on how to create an engaging essay.

Continue reading to learn how to write an A-worthy descriptive essay.

On this Page

What is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a detailed paper that describes a place, person, situation, object, or emotion. Different people have different points of view and your job is to explain yours in detail.

You may be asked to write a descriptive essay about the beach or forest or about a person or situation. The purpose of this essay is to test the writer’s ability in expressing and explaining their experiences.

Descriptive writing should create a picture in the reader’s mind. You may be required to write a descriptive essay as a high school or college essay assignment.

For a compelling essay, using adjectives and adverbs, details, and figurative language is fundamental. Without proper usage of words, you will not be able to invoke the readers' emotions.

What is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?

The purpose of a descriptive essay is to describe a person, place, or personal experience in vivid detail so that the reader can create a picture in his mind.

The descriptive essay is written to get the reader to understand by using descriptive language. It is different from narrative essays, where the writer tells the story about someone else. Usually, it starts with a real-life event and then the content follows the author's imagination.

Descriptive essays are not intended to persuade the reader or show facts and figures to prove something. Descriptive essays are like word paintings that contain personal and descriptive details and these are mostly assigned to students of creative writing.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay

A strong start for your descriptive essay is essential. Analyze your topic from every angle and document the following details:

Analyze the main subjects in detail and observe minute things.

Start with observing all the possible aspects of the subject.
Don't just observe the object but also its surroundings.
Focus on details and features of the subject and develop opinions about them.
Be thoughtful; this first step will be the basis for the essay.

Physical Settings

Describing the physical settings is a must in a descriptive essay. When describing, keep the following points in mind.

Focus on the subject's position and observe nearby objects
Note the time of day and kind of lighting: natural or imitated
Physical settings: all the basic and decorative elements
The position and shape of the objects
Alignment and any other observable information

Physical Features

When describing the physical features of the subject, living or nonliving, consider the following points.

Living or nonliving; describe the features in detail
The subject's skin color, texture, smoothness, expression, and age
The features of inanimate objects in the picture, color, surface, and texture

Create Drama

Storytelling and drama are the life and blood of a good descriptive essay. It turns your essay into an exciting and interesting piece of writing. However, be subtle about adding drama to your sentence structure and add it to complement your story only.

Focus On Your Feelings

Focus on how you feel about the particular topic or person and stick to it. It is easy to get involved when working on the essay. But, focus on your own feelings and write an essay based on them.

Use Of Specific Vocabulary

Vocabulary is important. Select the best words for describing an action or object. Don't always use the first word that comes to mind.

Write slowly and thoughtfully, and use specific words to convey your thoughts.

Psychological Aspects

Writing about a certain situation or behavior of a person focuses on the mental aspects and emotions involved in them.

For Example, describe your emotions when your friend misplaced your notes right before the exam.

You may have had several emotions in that incident. Maybe you were prepared for exams, but this situation put you under pressure and made you feel frustrated and hurt.

Explore those emotions and describe the feelings they aroused. Describe the body language also, if relevant.

Ask Yourself, WHY?

This is the most valuable tip for students. When you are looking at a particular subject, and having difficulty analyzing its aspects, ask yourself "WHY".

Why is the subject the way it is?
Why does the person you are describing have such a deep-set and cold eyes?
Why is the animal so wounded and terrified?
Why is this particular place famous?

It is a good practice and after some time you will do it naturally. Knowing the why is important if you want to describe your topic properly.

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How To Write A Descriptive Essay?

When you write a descriptive essay, you help your readers visualize an event, a person, or a story. It is written to make your readers feel what you feel about the respective subject.

A descriptive essay seeks to appeal to some or all of the audience’s five senses. Some key things to consider are:

Discussing your subject thoroughly
Focusing on details and adding them in your essay
Sharing your personal feelings and experience about the subject
Observing and describing all sensory details of your subject

Here are the steps to write a descriptive essay easily.

1- Choose an Engaging and Focused Essay Topic

An important step that all strong descriptive essays share is having a focused topic. Before you make the outline, identify the purpose of your essay and use it to create an appropriate thesis statement.This type of paper does not require much personal opinion from you. Its main goal should be focusing on information that will make a dominant impression in readers' minds instead.

2- Research and Gather Important Details

When writing a descriptive essay, it is important to make sure you include as many details and sensory information as possible. This helps your reader fully understand the images that are being presented in their mind's eye.You can organize these ideas into categories so they're easy for you to access when needed.

3- Create an Outline of Your Essay

Your essays must be organized by having subheadings that are clear and concise. Group your main points into individual body paragraphs, each of which should only cover one idea or topic at a time.

4- Write your Essay’s Introduction

A good introductory paragraph is much like a road map because it provides direction to your readers.

It provides relevant background information before diving into more specific details related to how something works or why something happens. These could include statistics or stories from real-life scenarios.

5- Write the Main Body Section of Your Essay

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that keeps the reader hooked on what you are saying. Use specific details instead of making generalized statements, and make sure to give examples if necessary.

6- End with a Strong Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay is the final paragraph, and it should summarize all that you have said throughout. It's a good idea to restate the main points and key details from the essay in this section.

It is important so the reader has everything they need for better understanding before ending off on something new.

If necessary be sure not to introduce anything odd or unusual, to avoid any confusion.

7- Proofread and Revise the Essay Carefully

Once you are done writing the essay, proofread and revise it carefully. Make sure that it is free from all kinds of errors.

Descriptive Essay Outline

Like all the other essays, a descriptive essay also follows the usual 5-paragraph essay structure and format.Before starting, it is important to create an outline. Following are the fundamental elements of your descriptive essay outline:

Descriptive Essay Introduction

The introduction sets the footing for the entire essay. Before heading towards the body section, the reader will come across the introduction.

It is the first impression of your work. It is very important to write an engaging introduction so that the readers read the essay till the end.

Start the essay in an easy-to-understand way and language. Provide background information on your topic so they can understand it and its importance.

To make sure the reader feels your emotions and decides to continue reading further, incorporate the following points in your introduction.

The following tips will guide you on how to write a good introduction for a descriptive essay.

Attract the reader's attention with an interesting fact, phrase, or quote
Don't bombard them with information
Go straight to the main pointsInclude enough information to introduce the topic and its significance.
Summarize the argument and the main topic and craft your thesis statement

Descriptive Essay Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is an integral part of your essay. It focuses on the argument and the writer’s main idea, which is to be discussed in the essay.

This statement also provides the writer with a chance of explaining the purpose and scope of the topic. It is intriguing and engaging.

A thesis statement is written at the end of the introduction, it is mainly a single sentence that describes the essay objective. The thesis statement should act as a guide to the reader on what to expect in the essay body. It is like a table of contents of a book, to the reader on contents you will get an idea of what the book is all about so you get to understand it better.

It is like a table of contents of a book. By reading it, you will get an idea of what the book is all about.

A good thesis should contain the following things:

Define the essay scope - it should narrow down all the points to clarify its purpose.
Avoid using common words - you should be creative with your choice of words.
Create suspense - it should attract the reader to the body paragraphs of the essay.

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

Descriptive essay example about a Place

“Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.”

Descriptive essay example about a Person

“One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.”

Descriptive essay example about an Emotion

“For numerous reasons, the dark forest is my greatest fear, though not a fear which is necessarily smart to face.”

Descriptive Essay Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs of the essay come next after the introduction and thesis statement. It is the main part that continues your essay.

Usually, an essay consists of three body paragraphs but you can add more if needed.

Don't add more than one central idea in one paragraph. Fusing different ideas will confuse the reader.

Build your paragraphs according to the thesis and introduction.

Start each body paragraph with the main sentence
Use transitions to move between paragraphs smoothly
Each paragraph should be five to six sentences long

Descriptive Essay Conclusion

The concluding paragraph is the last part of an essay, and probably your last chance to impress your reader.

The last part that the reader can keep in mind is the conclusion, which is as important as the rest of the essay.

To make it interesting and thought-provoking, include the following points:

Restate the thesis statement
Summarize the main points
Add an intriguing closing statement

After writing the conclusion, make a review of your essay, identify the mistakes and maintain a good tone throughout the essay.

Descriptive Essay Format Sample

Here is the descriptive essay format to help you understand how you can write a winning descriptive essay.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY FORMAT (PDF)

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Descriptive Essay Topics Ideas

Descriptive essay topics are often related to physical settings, locations, living beings, and objects.

Make sure that your essay includes the five senses, touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, or at least one of them. It depends on the topic and the kind of feeling that you want to arouse.

Below are some descriptive essay ideas and ways to achieve them.

Living Beings

When you want to write about a person like a family member, consider the following elements:

Gender, age, complexion, and expressions
Physical features
Height, body type, and approximate weight
Kind of clothes

These details will add depth to the description and your readers will actually see your narrative.

When animals are the subject, you can add the above points plus the following details:

Species and animal
Size, weight, color
Behavior patterns
Temperament
Trained or wild?
Real or fictional?

Inanimate Subjects

Geographic locations and structures.

When your subject is a place or a building, add the following points:

Research about the place and its historical background
The color and the building's type
A famous place or landmark to draw a comparison and inspire interest

Human behavior and psychology is a compelling descriptive essay subject. When writing about it:

Describe the consequences of a particular behavior
Discuss the emotional dimension of the topic and how you perceive it personally

Event Or Travel Experience

A travel experience makes a good descriptive essay since you have experienced the event first hand.

Give a detailed description of the place, people at the venue, and the atmosphere of the location.

Idea, Concept, or Occupation

When writing on such topics, focus on how an idea or concept affects society and its different aspects.

Example Descriptive Essay Topics for Students

Choosing a topic for your descriptive essay is quite interesting. You get to choose something that you have an emotional connection with.

When writing a descriptive essay about a person or place, adding their personal traits will be helpful.

Some examples of descriptive essay topics include:

Compose a detailed descriptive essay about your best friend.
Describe a fancy place that you have created.
Describe your dream vacation destination.
Describe your favorite mall or store.
Describe your childhood home.
Descriptive essay about nature.
Descriptive essay about a place you visited.
Describe the personality of your Maths teacher.
Discuss the main characters of your favorite movie.
Descriptive essay about chocolate.
Write an essay using unique Words to describe yourself.
What makes me unique?
My first love.

Descriptive Essay Examples

Study these descriptive essay examples and sample papers to understand the main idea, structure, and purpose of descriptive essays.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY ON MARKET (PDF)

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE PERSON (PDF)

To help you understand how to write a great descriptive essay, we have a whole blog post dedicated to it. We know that talking about something is one thing and demonstrating it is completely different.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the features of a descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay provides a perfect opportunity for writers to express their feelings on any subject. Descriptive writing has rich sensory details which appeal to all of your senses.

How do you start a descriptive essay introduction?

The introduction to the descriptive essay should set the scene and introduce the main topic. You can use these sensory details to get a sense of what the essay is all about.

What are the two types of descriptive essays?

There are two types of descriptive essays. The first type deals with people, and the second one is about objects.

What are the elements of a descriptive essay?

Here are the key elements of a descriptive essay.

Sensory details
Figurative language
Central and main theme
Precise and clear language
Proper organization of ideas

What makes good descriptive writing?

Good and effective descriptive writing consists of vivid sensory details that appeal to all senses including the sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Moreover, these essays also explain people’s feelings in writing.

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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.

Literary Terms

Descriptive Essay

I. what is a descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay is an essay that describes something – an object or person, an event or place, an experience or emotion, or an idea. The goal of this kind of essay is to provide readers with enough detailed descriptions for them to be able to picture or imagine the chosen topic.

II. Examples of Descriptive Essays

The list of possible topics is nearly endless. The best topics are those that the author knows well and can clearly imagine. A writer should also consider what may be interesting to their audience.

The first day of spring (an experience)
Your best friend (a person)
Honesty or trust (ideas)
Courage/bravery (idea)
Nervousness/fear (emotions)
Happiness/fun of kite flying (emotion)
A museum sculpture (an object)
A ride on the subway (an event)
Your bedroom (place)
A leaf, seashell, or other small object

III. Types of Descriptive Essays with Topics

Even though there are countless topics for a descriptive essay, a writer only has to use two types of description. The first type of description is used for concrete topics, and the second is used when the essay describes an abstract topic.

a. Concrete

A topic about something concrete is something that you can see, touch or taste, hear, or smell – in other words, something concrete can be described with your senses.

b. Abstract

Describing an abstract topic is more challenging. Ideas and emotions are abstract topics – they cannot be touched. Therefore, it is difficult to describe them with our senses. In order to write a descriptive essay of this type, writers often turn to context – experiences or situations – that point the reader towards understanding the topic.

IV. Parts of a descriptive essay with examples

A. clear topic.

A descriptive essay must focus clearly on the topic. The topic should be as specific as you can make it. A vague topic makes it difficult to focus on. In addition, if the description includes a time, place, or point-of-view, the writer must make that clear.

b. Sensory description or context

Depending on whether the topic is concrete or abstract, a large part of a descriptive essay will be sensory description or context. This part of the essay has enough details and information for readers to clearly imagine whatever is being described ( see part III for examples ).

c. Conclusion with purpose

A strong descriptive essay leaves the reader with a strong image or impression of the topic. A purposeful conclusion helps the reader see the value or importance of the topic. In other words, it states the purpose or point of the essay.

V. How to write a descriptive essay

Remember these writing goals when writing a descriptive essay.

a. Use your senses

Think about all five of your senses (sight, sound, hearing, touch, taste) when you write about your topic. Let your readers ‘see’ your topic with two or three senses.

b. Consider your point of view

Many descriptive essays use a straightforward look at their topic, but sometimes a creative point of view lets your readers see the topic in a new light. For instance, you can describe a tree from the point of view of a bird, or items in your bedroom described by a person from the past. Writing a descriptive essay with a creative point of view can be very effective, but be aware of what your audience wants!

c. Consider figurative language

Descriptive essays are all about imagery. Similes and metaphors can create vivid images to your descriptive writing.

d. Don’t slip into narrative

A descriptive essay should ‘paint a picture’ — not show a movie. You won’t see dialogue, a chain of events, or characters (unless a character is the topic) in a descriptive essay. Keep your essay focused on a single, steady image.

e. Be clear with your word-choice

A successful narrative essay requires careful word choice. Take a close look at the adjectives (describing words) you use. See if you can find a more specific or descriptive word. Also make sure you use clear, active verbs ( action words).

f. Search for unique details

Find small, interesting details that others may not see. Think about focusing your description in a way that will give your audience a new view on something they might’ve already seen.

List of Terms

Alliteration
Amplification
Anachronism
Anthropomorphism
Antonomasia
APA Citation
Aposiopesis
Autobiography
Bildungsroman
Characterization
Circumlocution
Cliffhanger
Comic Relief
Connotation
Deus ex machina
Deuteragonist
Doppelganger
Double Entendre
Dramatic irony
Equivocation
Extended Metaphor
Figures of Speech
Flash-forward
Foreshadowing
Intertextuality
Juxtaposition
Literary Device
Malapropism
Onomatopoeia
Parallelism
Pathetic Fallacy
Personification
Point of View
Polysyndeton
Protagonist
Red Herring
Rhetorical Device
Rhetorical Question
Science Fiction
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Synesthesia
Turning Point
Understatement
Urban Legend
Verisimilitude
Essay Guide
Cite This Website

How to Write a Descriptive Essay

This could be something as simple as your favorite flavor of ice cream or as complicated as the politics of 13th century Vienna. Different than a simple description, a descriptive essay allows the writer to really show off both their imagination as well as their writing skills.

What is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a type of academic writing that asks the writer to fully describe a place, person, situation, event, or thing. They can be simple or they can be very complex depending on the subject matter and audience written for. These types of essays train a writer’s ability to express themselves accurately as well as build compelling sentences and arguments.

Descriptive Essay Ideas

There is no exhaustive list of things that can be described, but these are some of the most common things you may be asked to write about.

A Location - The goal of writing about a place is to make the reader feel as if they are there. Words, similes, and metaphors that ignite the reader’s imagination are essential. Try and immerse the reader in the sights, smells, and sounds of the place you are describing. Examples could be a city, a view, a particular building like your house, etc.

A Time Period - Similar to writing about a location, the goal is to make the reader lose themselves in the time you are describing. This requires great research to be able to describe physical characteristics as authentically and as well as possible. This could include how you felt a year ago, an ancient time period, or the future.

An Event - The goal of describing an event is to explain a series of interesting circumstances. Typical storytelling elements like describing the plot, setting, and characters are useful, but make sure you focus on the chain of events.

An Emotion - The goal of describing an emotion is to make the reader feel the sentiments of the character you are describing. Metaphors and similes are very useful when trying to evoke an emotion in a reader along with physical descriptions that express the emotion.

A Person - The goal of writing about a person is to make the reader understand something about that person. This includes physical descriptions of what they look like, what kind of clothing they wear, a sense of the physical presence along with their profession, as well as how they behave.

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Descriptive Essay Outline and Structure

Though a descriptive type of essay is quite different from a typical academic paper, it still follows a classic 5 paragraph format. Always follow any directions though, sometimes you may need more or fewer body paragraphs. This is a general structure you should keep in mind for this type of essay.

Introduction

Introduction/background information

Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence
Sensory Information
Physical Descriptions
Transition Sentence
Summary of the main points
Restate the thesis

An outline is always a good idea for any kind of writing, but it is particularly useful for this type of essay because it collects your thoughts and makes sure your essay stays on track.

Introduction

Hook - The sting of salty water, the hypnotic crash of the waves, the breathtaking sunsets, the best vacation spot?
Background information - Everyone is different and everyone likes different types of things. When it comes to vacations though, there is a place that almost everyone enjoys.
Thesis - In my opinion, the beach is the best possible vacation spot because of the variety of ways one can enjoy it.

Body Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence - The beach has many kinds of natural beauty
Sensory information - The unlimited expanse of the ocean combined with glorious sunrises and sunsets.
Physical descriptions -The crunch of sand below your bare feet and the crash of waves on your body.
Transition sentence - There’s more than just natural beauty though, there are physical activities to enjoy as well

Body Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence - The beach has unlimited activities for physical enjoyment.
Sensory information - The thrill of battling with the ocean, the joy of falling on the sand, the wind streaming through your hair, and the pleasant tingling of the sun on bare skin.
Physical descriptions - Water sports like surfing, jet skiing, and the like allow you to exercise in one of the most fun ways possible. Not to mention sports like frisbee, volleyball, beach soccer, and more.
Transition sentence - If you just want to relax, the beach is perfect for that too!

Body Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence - The beach is ideal just to relax, destress, and take it easy.
Sensory information - To relax as you are massaged by either human hands or the sun is a pleasure. Lazing around might be frowned upon, but the beach is the ideal place to spend some time taking care of yourself and letting the stresses of the world melt away.
Physical description - Whether it’s reading a book, or enjoying a refreshing beverage with umbrellas in it, you can get taken care of on the beach. Building sandcastles, painting, and meditating are other activities easily and freely enjoyed.
Transition sentence - The beach has so much to offer.
Summary of the main points - Whether it’s nature, physical exercise, or simple relaxation, the beach can offer all of that and more.
Restate the thesis - That’s the main reason that a beach is the ideal vacation spot, it allows for diverse ways of having fun.
Closing statement/Clincher - Think about the last time you went to the beach, don’t you want to go again?

What is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?

It should leave the reader with a clear idea of the topic of the essay. The goal is to explain things in a comprehensive and interesting way so that the information stays with the reader. Let’s go into the details of how to accomplish this.

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Writing Process & Descriptive Essay Examples

It may seem challenging to write a successful essay of this type, but if you follow the advice below, it will be a breeze.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay

Making sure you choose the right topic is the first hurdle to cross. A topic for a descriptive essay is vital because it is the main subject you will be writing about. Spend at least 20 minutes brainstorming different topic ideas and make sure you choose a topic that you know well.

Next, create an outline to better structure your thoughts and figure out the pieces of information you need to find out more about. The more time you spend creating a well-researched outline, the better your endpaper is going to be, and you’ll end up spending less time on actually writing the paper. Now you can move on the writing the descriptive essay introduction.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay Thesis

A thesis statement is the main argument you are trying to make in your paper. It is the main point you are trying to describe. A good thesis statement for descriptive essay is particular without being too brief. It should include not only just what the topic is, but also mention why the topic is important.

How to Write Body Paragraphs

You can have as many body paragraphs as you think are necessary to achieve the goal of describing something clearly. This means you could have just one body paragraph, the standard three, or more.

Start every paragraph with a topic sentence that explains what the main purpose of the paragraph is. Next fill in sensory details, describing the emotions before moving on to describing the actual physical details. End each body paragraph with a transition sentence that helps each paragraph flow into the other. Not only does this make your writing stronger, but it also helps you create an immersive experience.

How to Write the Conclusion

Summarize the main points of your essay and make sure that you reiterate the thesis statement. This reminds people of the point of your essay and ensures that when writing, you don’t stray too far from the point.

Descriptive Essay Format

There are 3 main formats of citation types for essays. Though the most common one is MLA, it is possible that you may have to use APA or Chicago Style citations.

MLA stands for Modern Language Association and is used primarily for the arts and humanities. MLA uses in-text parenthetical citation in the format of (Author, Page). The page at the end that contains all the sources is called the Works Cited page. The format of these entries is unique to MLA but is easy to make with a citation generator.

APA stands for American Psychological Association and is used mostly for the sciences and social sciences. APA uses in-text parenthetical citations in the format (Author, Date). The page at the end that contains all the sources is called the References section

Chicago Style is used primarily for Business, History, and the Fine Arts. In-text citation can be either as footnotes or parenthetical citation in the format (Author, Date). The page at the end that contains all the sources is called the Bibliography.

Most descriptive essays will follow the MLA style of citation, but if you need any more help, find a guide on Studyfy.com for more information about citation styles in general.

Descriptive Essay Topics

The topic is crucial, because all the research you do, and the entire paper, will specifically be about describing the topic. Here are some descriptive essay prompts to inspire you!

The person you’ve most admired in your life

A movie scene that made you feel strong emotions

The time period you would travel to if you had a time machine

Why a beach is better than the mountains for a vacation (or vice versa)

The taste of a drink when you are incredibly tired

An author that inspired you

Your favorite cuisine

The best place in the world to be by yourself

The best Christmas morning you’ve ever had

An accent that you really enjoy

A time when you wanted something so much it burned

Describe the day in the life of your favorite celebrity

The joy of escaping into a video game

What dancing means to you

A life philosophy you believe in

The feeling of holding a baby in our arms

The sound of crashing waves

Standing in front of a gorgeous view

A vacation that was meaningful

Why fireworks are magical

The first time you cosplayed

How it feels to listen to music that you hate

The best thing you have ever eaten in your life

What would it be like to live 100 years in the future

Why hearing people laugh is beautiful

A day in the life of your favorite animal

A strange superstition you believe in

The strangest person you’ve ever met

Your favorite tv show

Playing your favorite sport

What it’s like to be in love

Descriptive Essay Tips

Before we end, let’s go over some of the key points of information in this article.

Use figurative language including metaphors and similes
Use your senses
Choose appropriate words
Show don't tell
Focus on specific details
Spend time choosing the right topic
Create a detailed outline
Forget about the purpose of the essay
Submit your first draft
Make it too complicated
Ignore your audience
Ignore any directions

In addition to the information provided in this article, there are various resources available to help with your writing needs. If you are struggling to write your descriptive essay, you can turn to professional writers and editors for assistance. You may consider hiring a research paper writing service or seeking help from dissertation writers .

Additionally, if you need someone to " write my admission essay ", there are various options available. You can hire a writer for a custom writing service or seek help from online tutors and teachers. Furthermore, if you need to write a strong admission essay, there are services available that specialize in providing guidance and assistance with this type of writing.

It is important to note that before submitting any work, it should be proofread and edited thoroughly to ensure its quality. Studyfy offers a range of services to help with this, including professional proofreaders and editors who can check your work for grammatical errors and ensure that it meets academic standards.

In summary, there are various resources available to help with your writing needs, including professional writing services, proofreaders, and editors. By utilizing these resources and following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can write a successful descriptive essay that effectively conveys your ideas and engages your readers.If you are looking for the query " I need someone to write an essay for me ", Studyfy has got you covered

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Descriptive Essay Writing

Descriptive Essay Examples

Amazing Descriptive Essay Examples for Your Help

Published on: Jun 21, 2023

Last updated on: Mar 1, 2024

Descriptive Essay Example 5 Paragraph

5 paragraphs essay writing format is the most common method of composing an essay. This format has 5 paragraphs in total. The sequence of the paragraphs is as follows;

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

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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 readerâs mind and understanding what the writer is trying to convey.

Here is one of the best descriptive essay examples about a person. Read it thoroughly and try to understand how a good descriptive essay is written on someoneâs personality.

Descriptive Essay Example About a Person

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.

Here is one of the good descriptive essay examples about a place. Use it as a sample and learn how you can write such an essay.

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Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 6

Descriptive essays are frequently assigned to school students. This type of essay helps the students enhance their writing skills and helps them see things in a more analytical way.

If you are a 6 grader and looking for a good descriptive essay example, you are in the right place.

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 7

Here is one of the best descriptive essay examples for grade 7.

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 8

If you are looking for some amazing descriptive essay examples for grade 8, you have already found one. Look at the given example and see what a well-written descriptive essay looks like.

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 10

Essay writing is an inevitable part of a student's academic life . No matter your grade, you will get to write some sort of essay at least once.

Here is an example of a descriptive essay writing for grade10. If you are also a student of this grade, this example might help you to complete your assignment.

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 12

If you are a senior student and looking for some essay examples, you are exactly where you should be.

Use the below-mentioned example and learn how to write a good essay according to the instructions given to you.

Descriptive Essay Example College

Descriptive essays are a great way to teach students how they can become better writers. Writing a descriptive essay encourages them to see the world more analytically.

Below is an example that will help you and make your writing process easy.

College Descriptive Essay Example

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.

See the example below and know what a descriptive essay at the university level looks like.

Short Descriptive Essay Example

Every time a descriptive essay isn't written in detail. It depends on the topic of how long the essay will be.

For instance, look at one of the short descriptive essay examples given below. See how the writer has conveyed the concept in a composed way.

Objective Descriptive Essay Example

When writing an objective description essay, you focus on describing the object without conveying your emotions, feelings, or personal reactions. The writer uses sight, sound, or touch for readers' minds to bring life into pictures that were painted by words.

Here is an example that you can use for your help.

Narrative and Descriptive Essay Example

A narrative descriptive essay can be a great way to share your experiences with others. It is a story that teaches a lesson you have learned. The following is an example of a perfect narrative descriptive essay to help you get started.

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How to Start a Descriptive Essay? - Example

If you don't know how to start your descriptive essay, check this example and create a perfect one.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay - Example

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.

Choose a Topic

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. Check out our descriptive essay topics blog for a variety of intriguing topic suggestions.

Create a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the essence of any academic writing. When you select 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.

Collect the Necessary Information

Once you have created the thesis statement and are done writing your essay introduction . Now, it's time to move toward 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.

Create a Descriptive Essay Outline

An outline is yet another necessary element of your college essay. By reading the descriptive essay 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 high-quality content 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 an essay written by our professional descriptive essay writers. Our essay writing service for students aims to help clients in every way possible and 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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Barbara P (Literature)

Barbara is a highly educated and qualified author with a Ph.D. in public health from an Ivy League university. She has spent a significant amount of time working in the medical field, conducting a thorough study on a variety of health issues. Her work has been published in several major publications.

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Strange Place Descriptive And Creative Essay (600 Words)
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Descriptive Essay About A Place Using The Five Sens
Excellent What Is The Purpose Of A Descriptive Essay ~ Thatsnotus
Descriptive Essay About a Place
Descriptive Essay Tutorial for Beginners

VIDEO

VIDEO ANIMATION DESCRIPTIVE TEXT (TOURISM PLACE)
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Final Project 7H : Descriptive Text ( Place ) Bilqis Alfiyah Kamiliya (09)
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COMMENTS

Descriptive Essay About A Strange Place
Descriptive Essay About A Strange Place. Those questions were floating in my head. I couldn't recall how I got to this place. To this really weird place. It was really bright there, and it felt warm too, like you were in the bright sunshine. I was standing on something fluffy. When I looked down I saw something like a cotton candy.
Descriptive Essay About A Place
A descriptive essay is a type of writing that aims to describe and portray an object, person, or place. The essay typically includes sensory details to help the reader imagine its contents more vividly. Descriptive essays can be written about a person, place, or other themes like nature, autumn, food, or even yourself.
Strange Place Descriptive And Creative Essay (600 Words)
Strange Place. On July 11th it will be twelve years since I discovered the magical world of yuccas and mesquite trees. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I remember driving all the way down the road that seemed like miles and miles of nothing but wilderness. We seemed to have driven for forever. There were no houses or mobile homes or ...
Describe an Imaginary Place or Strange Land
Make a list of place names you like. Begin to imagine an island or a country or a planet where you'd like to visit. Set Your Imagination Loose. It's time to describe an imaginary place! Begin to paint this strange land with colorful, descriptive words and phrases.
12 Creative Descriptive Essay Prompts
The 12 descriptive essay prompts here, give you the freedom to develop your content in different ways, and with a lot of sensory details. They are divided into 4 categories: person, place, object, and experience. Each type has 3 descriptive essay writing ideas. For each writing prompt, brainstorm how you can develop that essay.
20 Fascinating and Unusual Descriptive Essay Topics
Write a 750 word essay describing a place, an object, an experience, or a process. Be creative! Now this sounds like something you might be asked to write. Describing something sounds easy enough, right? But there are guidelines you should follow when writing a descriptive essay. Being creative and descriptive can sometimes be a challenge.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay about a Place
Step 4. Write the introduction. An introductory paragraph in a descriptive essay offers you a lot of flexibility in how you choose to write it. You can start off with a particular example of a sense perception, drop your reader in the middle of a town square, or begin with an abstract concept.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
Descriptive essay example. 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.
Free Descriptive Essay Examples For Your Help
Like every essay sample, a descriptive essay has an outline and format. The essay follows the traditional essay structure and includes: 1. An Introductory Paragraph. The first paragraph of an essay is the introduction and it usually sets the mood for the entire essay. A good descriptive essay has a strong opening.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
1) Be specific. The more specific you are, the more readers will be able to relate to your descriptions. For example, "The heat outside made me feel sluggish and exhausted" is a more effective description than, "It was so hot outside.". 2) Write first, edit later. Break writer's block by writing unedited.
How To Write A Descriptive Essay About A Place, with Outline
Outline example. Introduction. Hook sentence with detailed descriptions that grabs the reader's attention. Brief background about the place. Sensory descriptions of the place. Body paragraph. Section 1. Topic sentence that supports the thesis statement. Describe the place by the name and the exact location.
All You Need for Writing Descriptive Essay (+ Examples)
Here is a list of things you can describe in your essay that refer to five senses: 1. Shapes of objects and landscape elements (sharp, rounded, spiky, etc.) 2. Scents and aromas you associate with the place (the smell of freshly mown grass, brewed coffee, smoke, blooming flowers, etc.) 3.
Descriptive Essay On A Strange Place
1210 Words3 Pages. Recommended: descriptive writing essay. Standing on the balcony, I gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded me as I took a glimpse at the deserted park before me. Memories bombarded my mind. As a young girl, the park was my favourite place to go. One cold winter's night just like tonight as I looked ...
Guide to a Perfect Descriptive Essay [Examples & Outline Included]
The use of literary devices such as personification and metaphor makes the banyan tree in the second example come to life. This is how you can make your writing more vivid, descriptive, and poetic. 2. Use your senses. Sensory descriptors are one of the most important aspects of a descriptive essay.
What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)
A descriptive essay's primary goal is to captivate the reader by writing a thorough and vivid explanation of the subject matter, while appealing to their various senses. A list of additional goals is as follows: - Spark feeling and imagination. - Create a vivid experience. - Paint a mental picture. - Pique curiosity.
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive essay example about a Place. "Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.". Descriptive essay example about a Person. "One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.".
Descriptive Essays
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
A descriptive essay is an essay that describes something - an object or person, an event or place, an experience or emotion, or an idea. The goal of this kind of essay is to provide readers with enough detailed descriptions for them to be able to picture or imagine the chosen topic. II. Examples of Descriptive Essays.
How to Write a Descriptive Essay
A descriptive essay is a type of academic writing that asks the writer to fully describe a place, person, situation, event, or thing. They can be simple or they can be very complex depending on the subject matter and audience written for. These types of essays train a writer's ability to express themselves accurately as well as build ...
descriptive essay about a strange place
Smell, appearance, sounds, sights, tastes and texture are all things to include in a descriptive essay about a location. The idea of a descriptive essay is to recreate the item, event or, in this case, place in someone's head.... An objective description essay describes an object, place or person with factual details. The writer avoids imparting his personal opinions or feelings into the essay.
15 Good Descriptive Essay Examples for All Students
Descriptive Essay Example 5 Paragraph. 5 paragraphs essay writing format is the most common method of composing an essay. This format has 5 paragraphs in total. The sequence of the paragraphs is as follows; Introduction. Body Paragraph 1. Body Paragraph 2. Body Paragraph 3. Conclusion.
Essay On Waking Up In A Strange Place
Essay On Waking Up In A Strange Place. I open my eyes to a room that does not belong to me. Sitting up, I look around at my surroundings; there was one window, a single bed, in which I was asleep in and a stool, it was plan and non-threatening. In this kind of situation most would think waking up in a strange place is something to be worried ...
Descriptive Essay: A Beautiful Place
Descriptive Essay On A Strange Place 1210 Words | 3 Pages. Standing on the balcony, I gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded me as I took a glimpse at the deserted park before me. Memories bombarded my mind. As a young girl, the park was my favourite place to go.

Writing a Descriptive Essay About A Place - Guide With Examples

Understanding Descriptive Essays

Examples of Descriptive Essay About Any Place

Tips for Writing an Excellent Descriptive Essay About A Place

Choose The Right Topic

Gather Information

Structure Your Essay

Include Sensory Details

Use Vivid Language

Proofread Your Essay

Keep reading

How to describe an imaginary place or strange land

Start with a Map

Set Your Imagination Loose

Create Your World

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12 Creative Descriptive Essay Prompts

“Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story.” –Stephen King

How to Select a Descriptive Essay Prompt

Descriptive WritingTopics About a Person

# 2 Describe a person you envied .

# 3 Describe an inspiring friend or family member.

Descriptive Writing Topics About a Place

# 5 Describe a place you loved as a child.

# 6 Describe a beautiful location in nature.

Descriptive WritingTopics About an Object

# 7 Describe a lucky object.

# 8 Describe a piece of art.

# 9 Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.

Descriptive Essay Topics About an Experience

# 11 Describe a hike or special walk you took .

# 12 Describe a happy memory.

Writing a Descriptive Essay

Privacy Overview

How to Write a Descriptive Essay about a Place

What Is a Descriptive Essay?

Writing a Descriptive Essay Is a 6-Step Process

Step 2. Pick an audience

Step 3. Divide the subject into subtopics

Step 4. Write the introduction

Step 5. Write the body of the essay

Step 6. Write the conclusion

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What are descriptive essays?

Why are descriptive essays important?

Choosing a descriptive essay topic

Who writes descriptive essays?

Elements of a great descriptive essay

Clear organization

Introduction: A captivating hook

Body: Full of specifics and adjectives

Conclusion: Reminding readers of the meaning

Steps to writing a great descriptive essay

2) Observe the details

3) Understand why your place is important

4) Outline and organize your writing

5) Start with the introduction

6) Write the body in free-flow style

7) Revise the body of your essay

8) Finish your essay strong

9) Proofread your work

Final words of wisdom

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