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Home Knowledge Base Essay How to write a descriptive essay | Example & tips
Search... How to Write a Descriptive Essay | Example &
Tips
Essay Published on July 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on December 6, 2021.
How to write an essay
A descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something—generally a place or object,
- Types of essays
but possibly something more abstract like an emotion. This type of essay, like the narrative
The main types of essay
essay, is more creative than most academic writing.
Argumentative
Descriptive essays test your ability to use language in an original and creative way, to convey to
Expository
the reader a memorable image of whatever you are describing. They are commonly assigned as
Narrative
writing exercises at high school and in composition classes.
Descriptive
Compare and contrast
Literary analysis Table of contents
Rhetorical analysis Descriptive essay topics
Tips for writing descriptively
Personal statement
Descriptive essay example
Statement of purpose
Frequently asked questions about descriptive essays
Length of an essay
Generating topic ideas
+ Essay structure
Descriptive essay topics
+ The introduction When you are assigned a descriptive essay, you’ll normally be given a specific prompt or choice
+ The body of prompts. They will often ask you to describe something from your own experience.
The conclusion
Personal descriptive essay prompts
Revision process
Essay example
Describe a place you love to spend time in.
Describe an object that has sentimental value for you.
Checklist
Interesting topics You might also be asked to describe something outside your own experience, in which case
you’ll have to use your imagination.
Research paper
Research bias
Imaginative descriptive essay prompts
College essay
Describe the experience of a soldier in the trenches of World War I.
APA Style 6th edition
Describe what it might be like to live on another planet.
Applying to graduate school
Statistics
Sometimes you’ll be asked to describe something more abstract, like an emotion.
Have a language expert
Conceptual descriptive essay prompt
improve your writing
Describe the feeling of envy.
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If you’re not given a specific prompt, try to think of something you feel confident describing in
Check your paper for detail. Think of objects and places you know well, that provoke specific feelings or sensations,
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and that you can describe in an interesting way.
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Tips for writing descriptively
The key to writing an effective descriptive essay is to find ways of bringing your subject to life
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for the reader. You’re not limited to providing a literal description as you would be in more formal
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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.
Literal description
There are patches of woodland in the 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.
Figurative description
Small groves are dotted across the face of the park like a patchy beard.
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.
Sensory details
I feel the bonfire’s heat on my face, and smell the rich smoke filling the air.
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.
Sensory details used metaphorically
Fear is the smell of sweat, and the feeling you can’t breathe.
Choose the right words
Writing descriptively involves choosing your words carefully. The use of effective adjectives is
important, but so is your choice of adverbs, verbs, and even nouns.
It’s easy to end up using clichéd phrases—“cold as ice,” “free as a bird”—but try to reflect
further and make more precise, original word choices. Clichés provide conventional ways of
describing things, but they don’t tell the reader anything about your unique perspective on what
you’re describing.
Try looking over your sentences to find places where a different word would convey your
impression more precisely or vividly. Using a thesaurus can help you find alternative word
choices.
My cat runs across the garden quickly and jumps onto the fence to watch it from above.
My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above.
However, exercise care in your choices; don’t just look for the most impressive-looking synonym
you can find for every word. Overuse of a thesaurus can result in ridiculous sentences like this
one:
My feline perambulates the allotment proficiently and capers atop the palisade to regard
it from aloft.
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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.
Descriptive essay example
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
Frequently asked questions about descriptive essays
What’s the difference between a narrative essay and a descriptive essay?
How do I come up with a topic for my descriptive essay?
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Jack Caulfield
Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes
and edits for Scribbr, and reads a lot of books in his spare time.
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A narrative essay tells a story. It is a personal Literary analysis means closely studying a text An expository essay provides an explanation
and creative type of essay that tests your and discussing how meaning is conveyed of a topic. It’s usually a short essay designed
ability to create a clear and engaging through things like imagery, tone and to give clear, reliable information on its topic.
narrative. perspective.
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