How to Write a
Descriptive Essay
Heald College
Rancho Cordova, California
Descriptive Essay
• A descriptive essay
describes something using
specific, rich language that
conveys to the reader a
vivid picture of what the
author is expressing.
Descriptive Essay
Purpose
• The purpose of a
descriptive essay could
be to inform, persuade,
entertain, reflect,
examine, or define.
Descriptive Essay
Elements
• Elements of a descriptive essay include:
Observation
+ Description
of a Relationship
Descriptive Essay
Relationship
A relationship may be between:
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•
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•
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One person and another person or people
A person and his/her past
A person and an object, a place, or an animal
One place and another place
One object and another object
Notice that many relationships involve people,
but relationships may also include ideas, the past
and present, or systems of things.
Descriptive Essay
Observation
Observation means to become aware of or to study intently. This
is done through the senses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sight
Sound
Taste
Smell
Touch
Motion
Emotion
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay, use
words that describe what you see.
Avoid: “I saw a tall tree.”
• Use specific words: “The evergreen tree, four feet
wide at the base and rising to over 150 feet, was
gnarled and burned near the base, but stood
determined to reach the sky.”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay,
use words that describe what you hear.
• Avoid: “The cafeteria was noisy.”
• Use specific words: “The low hum of
conversation was occasionally interrupted by
laughter or the clink of dishes. Popcorn was
popping in the cafeteria microwave.”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay,
use words that describe what you taste.
• Avoid: “The food tasted so good! It was
absolutely delicious!”
• Use specific words: “Anise, cinnamon and
nutmeg mingled with the sweet aroma of
fresh garlic, local honey and chicken, resulting
in a flavor my tongue believed to be
somewhere between astounding and divine!”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay, use words
that describe what you smell.
• Avoid: “My Grandmother’s kitchen always
smelled so good.”
 Use specific words: “My Grandmother’s
kitchen, sweet with freshly rising bread
dough and herbs from her garden hanging
to dry, was always a place of comfort for
me.”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay, use words
that describe what you feel, or your sensation of touch.
• Avoid: “We were freezing cold!”
• Use specific words: “Frost lingered in the air after we
exhaled, and ice clung to our eyebrows. The blue in our
lips now colored our fingers as well. We were fools for
leaving so late in the day, and for leaving so unprepared.”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay, use words
that describe your sense of motion, or movement.
• Avoid: “We were driving way too fast.”
• Use specific words: “The speedometer said “100,” but I
felt smooth and in control as the other cars blurred into
the oleander growing along the roadside.”
Descriptive Essay
Observation
When writing a descriptive paragraph or essay, use words
that describe your sense of emotion.
•
Avoid: “I was so depressed.”
• Use specific words: “Black wallpaper covered every room
in my heart, every windowless room. I couldn’t see
anything, couldn’t see any light, couldn’t see any love,
couldn’t see any goodness, because I couldn’t see
anything. I could see no evil, either. So I did nothing,
responded to no one, took no action for any reason.”
Descriptive Essay
Review I
Q: What is a descriptive essay?
A: A descriptive essay describes something using
specific, rich language that conveys to the
reader a vivid picture of what the author is
expressing.
Descriptive Essay
Review I
Q: What are the elements of a descriptive
essay?
A: Elements of a descriptive essay include:
Observation
+ Description
of a Relationship
Descriptive Essay
Review I
Q: What does the word “relationship” include?
A: A relationship may be between:
•
•
•
•
•
One person and another person or people
A person and his/her past
A person and an object, a place, or an animal
One place and another place
One object and another object
Descriptive Essay
Review I
Q: How should an observation be described?
A: Observation means to become aware of or to study
intently. This is done through the senses:
• Sight
• Sound
• Taste
• Smell
• Touch
• Motion
• Emotion
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Words
The relationship that has been observed needs
to be described.
• The description is made using:
– Specific Words
– Literary Devices
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Words
• Use specific words for more vivid description.
For example, let’s say you were hungry.
– Rather than simply stating “I was hungry,” describe what
hunger feels like.
– “My energy drained, leaving me without ambition or
discipline. The only thing I could focus on was the thought
of finding something, anything, to eat: Something fast,
something easy, something cheap.”
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Words
• Use specific words for more vivid description.
• Brainstorm a word, moving from general to specific or vice-versa.
• For example, suppose you were describing a recent mishap:
“The goat walked through the room.”
• This gives the reader some idea of what happened, but it is not very
descriptive or interesting.
– Brainstorm other words for “walked” (ie, ambled, sauntered,
skipped, etc.)
– When you cannot think of any other words for “walked”, use a
Thesaurus to generate more ideas (ie, toddled, strode,
promenaded)
– “The goat promenaded through the kitchen….”
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Words
• Literary devices, also known as
rhetorical tools, are used for
richer description. Certain words
used together, or used in a
particular way, carry greater
significance than just the words
alone.
Descriptive Essay
Descriptive Words
• These are examples of some common literary
devices:
Metaphors
Similes
Personification
Allusion
Hyperbole
Understatement
Note: Literary devices are discussed under another power point.
Descriptive Essay
Review II
• Q: What are the elements of a descriptive
essay?
• Q: Who or what can have a relationship?
• Q: How are observations made and written
about?
Descriptive Essay
Review II
The relationship that was
observed needs to be
described.
What are two ways to do
this?
Descriptive Essay
Review II
•
A descriptive essay describes something using specific, rich language that
conveys to the reader a vivid picture of what the author is expressing.
•
Elements of a descriptive essay include observation + description (of a
relationship).
•
Relationships often involve people, but relationships may also include ideas,
the past and present, or systems of things.
•
Observation is done through the senses.
•
The relationship that has been observed needs to be described.
•
The description is made using specific words and literary devices.
Descriptive Essay
Conclusion
For more information about descriptive
essays, consult your English text book,
or explore online at
http://www.heald.campusguides.com