DESCRIPTIVE
ESSAYS
The purpose
of descriptive writing is to make readers see,
feel, taste, touch and hear what we have seen, felt, tasted, touched and
heard. Whether we're describing a person, a place, or a thing, our aim is to
evoke a scene or to reveal a subject through vivid, carefully
arranged details. A good descriptive essay is like a
window into another world.
Use
precise descriptive details to evoke a distinctive mood as well as to convey a memorable picture.
Details that are carefully chosen and well organized can help to make a piece of
writing more precise, vivid, convincing, and interesting. They serve the narrative in terms of dramatization,
characterization, structure, and style. Choose words that convey something to
which many readers can relate.
- In describing a character, we look for details that not only show what an individual looks like, but also provide clues to his or her personality. Focus on the character´s habits and actions, not on the physical appearance.
- In describing a thing, begin the paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies it, describe the item in four or five sentences, using the details that you listed after probing your topic. Explain briefly its significance to you and conclude the paragraph with a sentence that emphasizes the personal value of the item.
- With thoughtfully organized details, we can also suggest the personality--or mood--of a place. As you write each paragraph, place signals to help to establish cohesion so that the reader can be guided clearly from one detail to the next
20 Topic Suggestions
- a waiting room
- a treasured belonging
- a favourite restaurant
- your dream house
- your ideal roommate
- your memory of a place that you visited as a child
- an accident scene
- a place that holds a special meaning
- a place I could stay forever
- a child's secret hiding place
- the inside of a spaceship
- your old neighborhood
- a small town cemetery
- a pet
- a painting
- a character from a book, movie or television programme
- a photograph
- a hospital emergency room
- a particular friend or family member
