Descriptive Essay: Characteristics

Study Notes

A descriptive essay tells about how something looks, feels, smells, sounds, or tastes.
The purpose of a descriptive essay is to show the readers something that the writer has experienced through illustrative language.
Writers should "show, don't tell" in their writing.
Effective descriptions make readers feel like they are experiencing the subject firsthand.

Writers "show" by using imagery, figurative language, and precise language.
Imagery creates an image in the readers' minds by addressing the five senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.
Figurative language makes a comparison between two unlike things.
Similes, metaphors, and personification are types of figurative language.
A simile uses words like, as, than, or resembles to compare two unlike things.
A metaphor compares two unlike things without using connective words, declaring that one thing is another.
Personification gives human qualities to a nonhuman object, animal, or abstract idea.
Precise language keeps writing descriptive and interesting.
Specific details and relevant adjectives should be used to describe a subject.
The language and details used create a specific mood or give the reader an impression of how the writer feels.

A descriptive essay has three parts: beginning (introduction), middle (body), and end (conclusion).

Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence stating the topic.
Use transitions to guide the reader to "see" the subject.
Use imagery, figurative language, and precise language to describe the subject.
End each paragraph with a closing sentence that concludes the paragraph and hints at what will be described next.

Choose a topic such as an object, place, person, or event.
Gather sensory details and analogies.
Decide how to organize the essay: spatially, chronologically, or from general to specific.
Create an outline with an introduction, body, and conclusion.