What is a descriptive essay

What is a descriptive essay

Put simply, a descriptive essay is a type of essay that describes something. Specifically, a descriptive essay should describe something the writer has experienced or knows about, with sufficient detail to communicate that subject to a reader. There are two classic approaches to the 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) What is a Descriptive Essay? Our brain is so powerful that it can easily imagine scenarios and make use of our senses. The job of such an essay is to appeal to our senses in a way that it creates an image in our minds. Hence a descriptive essay plays with at least one of Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins

Descriptive Essay - Examples and Definition of Descriptive Essay

Last Updated: May 30, References Approved. This article was co-authored by Jake Adams. With over 11 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is also the CEO of Simplifi EDU, what is a descriptive essay, an online tutoring service aimed at providing clients with access to a network of excellent California-based tutors. Jake holds a BA in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough what is a descriptive essay feedback.

This article has been viewed 1, times. You may need to write a descriptive essay for a class assignment or decide to write one as a fun writing challenge. Start by brainstorming ideas for the essay. Then, outline and write the essay using vivid sensory details and strong description. Always polish your essay and proofread it so it is at its best. To write a descriptive essay, start by choosing a topic, like a person, place, or specific emotion.

Next, write down a list of sensory details about the topic, like how it sounds, smells, and feels. After this brainstorming session, outline the essay, dividing it into an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Open with a vivid introduction that uses what is a descriptive essay details, then introduce your thesis statement, which the rest of your essay should support.

Strengthen your essay further by using metaphors and similes to describe your what is a descriptive essay, and the emotions it evokes.

To learn how to put the finishing touches on your essay, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

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Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Education and Communications College University and Postgraduate Academic Writing Essays How to Write a Descriptive Essay. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Jake Adams Last Updated: May 30, References Approved. Part 1 of Choose a person to describe. One option for a topic is to describe a person that you know well in your life. This could be a family member like your mother or your father.

It could also be a best friend, a coworker, or a mentor. Choose a person that you have a lot to write about so you have enough material for the essay. You could write about a character on your favorite TV show or video game. Pick a place or object to describe. Another option is to focus on a specific place or object that you have strong feelings about. This could be a place like your high school, your workplace, or your childhood home.

You could also write about an important family heirloom or a gift from a friend. Another take on this option is to write about a made up place or object, such as the fantastical school in your favorite book or the magic wand from your favorite TV show. Select an emotion to describe. Some descriptive essays are about an emotion that you connect to or relate to.

You may choose a strong emotion like anger, loss, desire, or rage. You could then try to describe the emotion using your own experiences with it. These emotions can make for powerful descriptive essays. Don't get overly technical or jargon-y with the words you choose. Make a list of sensory details about the topic.

Once you have chosen your topic, draw five columns on a piece of paper or a word document on your computer. You can then use these notes in your essay. Part 2 of Outline the essay in sections. Organize the essay by creating a brief outline. Do this in sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The standard is to have a five paragraph essay, one paragraph for introduction, three paragraphs for body, and one for conclusion, what is a descriptive essay. But you can also try having sections instead, allowing you to have as many paragraphs as you want for the body section of the essay.

Create a thesis statement. A thesis statement is the key idea or theme for the essay. It states the purpose of the essay and acts as a guide for the rest of the essay. The thesis statement should appear in your introduction and be restated in your conclusion. Write a strong introduction.

The introduction to the descriptive essay should set the scene and introduce the reader to the subject. Use the list of sensory details to describe the subject. Then, end the introduction with your thesis statement. She is a fierce protector and a mysterious woman to my sisters and I. Describe the topic with vivid adjectives. Use adjectives that express emotion. Be as specific as you can. Use metaphors and similes. Metaphors are when you compare what is a descriptive essay thing to another.

Use metaphors to show the reader what you think about the topic, rather than simply tell the reader how you feel. Discuss your emotions and thoughts about the topic. Do not be afraid to express your emotions in your essay. Do you feel joy, sadness, angry, or disgust with the subject?

How do you respond emotionally to the subject? Wrap up the essay with a strong conclusion. Your conclusion should tie all the thoughts in your essay together. Restate your thesis statement in the conclusion and end with a strong final sentence. Do not add anything new to your essay in the conclusion.

Simply evaluate your thoughts in the essay and wrap things up with a short, final statement. Part 3 of Read the essay out loud. Once you have completed a draft of the essay, what is a descriptive essay, read it aloud to yourself.

Listen for any awkward or unclear sentences. Circle these sentences so what is a descriptive essay can revise them later. Ask them to let you know if there are any unclear or vague sentences in the essay. Show the essay to others. Show the draft to peers, teachers, family members, and mentors. Ask them if they think the essay is descriptive and full of sensory detail. Have them tell you if they got a clear picture of the subject by the end of the essay.

This will only make your essay stronger, what is a descriptive essay.

How to write a descriptive essay [structure of the descriptive essay with examples]

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How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example & Tips

A descriptive essay, as the name implies, is a form of essay that describes something. In this genre, students are assigned the task of describing objects, things, places, experiences, persons, and situations. The students use sensory information to enable readers to use their five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight to understand the topic of the blogger.comted Reading Time: 4 mins  · 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 blogger.comted Reading Time: 7 mins What is a Descriptive Essay? Our brain is so powerful that it can easily imagine scenarios and make use of our senses. The job of such an essay is to appeal to our senses in a way that it creates an image in our minds. Hence a descriptive essay plays with at least one of Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins