Posted: 29 May, 2017

Descriptive Essay: How-To, Structure, Examples, Topics

A descriptive essay can seem boring at first glance, but they're the essays that you can really be creative with. Here's how to plan and write an essay that will get you top marks.

Table Of Contents

1. What is Descriptive Essay?
2. Descriptive Essay Structure
3. How to Write Descriptive Essay
4. Descriptive Essay Topics
5. Descriptive Essay Examples

What is Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is an essay where you describe a topic in detail. It could be an event, a person, or an idea. Your task is to bring in all the senses to describe it, in order to paint as vivid a picture as possible.

Descriptive Essay Structure

Descriptive essays can vary, depending on what you're describing. This essay structure can help you describe most things, though, thoroughly and easily.

• Introduction: Introduce the topic you're describing, and give a quick over view of what it is.
• Thesis statement: This is where you'll outline your description of the topic. You'll go into more detail in the main body.
• Main body: This can be taken by three separate paragraphs. The first paragraph can focus on a detailed description of the topic itself. The second will cover the environment surrounding the topic. Finally, the third topic will focus on a sensual and emotive description, which covers how the topic affects those interacting with it.
• Conclusion: This will draw all your points together, without introducing anything new.

How to Write Descriptive Essay

• First, look into the topic you've been given. At first, it may seem quite dry, but you can broaden the idea with some creative writing.
• Gather any evidence you plan to use. Descriptive essays don't require as much research as others, but you'll still need to back up your points.
• Write an outline, using the example above. Write in bullet points, and lay out what you're going to say.
• Write your essay. You can fill in the blanks on your outline, and you'll find that it's much easier to write using this method.
• Proofread and edit. Before you hand it in, give your essay a read through for any errors you've made.

Descriptive Essay Topics

A descriptive essay can be used to describe almost anything. It could be very personal, or a more abstract idea. For example, you could be asked to write about the most embarrassing moment of your life, or the idea of travel. It's up to you to make the topic engaging for the reader.

Descriptive Essay Examples

If you want some practice, here are some topics you can try writing about:

• Describe what it's like living in another country.
• Describe the idea of freedom.
• Describe a normal day at your school.

These ideas will help you see how a descriptive essay is put together. Try being creative with them, and really delve into what these ideas could mean for the reader.

With this information, you can now write an excellent descriptive essay. With a little practice, you'll really get into what a topic is about, and how it's relevant to your reader. Have a practice and improve your writing skills.