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Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay About A Place

Caleb S.

Writing a Descriptive Essay About A Place - Guide With Examples

Descriptive Essay About A Place

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Are you writing an essay about a place and need to know where to start?

The beauty of the world lies in its diversity, and every place has something unique to offer. A descriptive essay can bring these places alive for readers. But the question is, how do you write one?

Don't worry! We've got the right answer for you!

With a few examples and some tips on crafting your own essay, you can write it easily.

So read on to find good samples and tips to follow!

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  • 1. Understanding Descriptive Essays
  • 2. Examples of Descriptive Essay About Any Place
  • 3. Tips for Writing an Excellent Descriptive Essay About A Place

Understanding Descriptive Essays

A descriptive essay is a type of writing that aims to describe and portray an object, person, or place. The essay typically includes sensory details to help the reader imagine its contents more vividly. Descriptive essays can be written about a person , place, or other themes like nature , autumn , food , or even yourself .

A descriptive essay about a place should provide enough details for the reader to build a mental image of it. To do this, you need to include vivid descriptions and relevant information that could paint a picture in their minds.

Let's read some examples to see what a good descriptive essay looks like.

Examples of Descriptive Essay About Any Place

Here are some descriptive writing about a place examples:

Example of a Descriptive Essay About a Place

Descriptive Essay About a Place You Visited

Descriptive Essay About a Place Called Home

Descriptive Essay About a Place You Loved as a Child

Descriptive Essay About a Place of Interest I Visited

Descriptive Essay About a Favorite Place

Do you need more sample essays? Check out more descriptive essay examples t o get inspired.

Tips for Writing an Excellent Descriptive Essay About A Place

Now that you've read some examples of descriptive essays about places, it's time to learn how to write one yourself. Here are some tips on writing a great essay:

Choose The Right Topic

The topic of your essay should be something that you have a strong connection to or feeling about. It could be a place you've visited recently or a place from your childhood. Moreover, make sure that it's something that you can write about in enough detail to make your essay interesting.

Check out this blog with 100+ descriptive essay topics to get your creative juices flowing.

Gather Information

Gather as much information as possible about the topic of your essay. This will help you craft vivid descriptions and portray an accurate picture for your readers. Gather your observations, research online, and talk to people who have visited the place you're writing about.

Make sure to research the topic thoroughly so you can provide accurate and detailed descriptions. Read up as much as you can about the history of the place, and any interesting facts or stories about it.

Structure Your Essay

Outline your descriptive essay before beginning to write so all points flow logically from one to another throughout the entire piece.

Make sure to include a strong introduction and conclusion, as well as several body paragraphs that help support your main points.

Include Sensory Details

Use sensory language by including details such as sights, smells, tastes, sounds, etc. This helps to engage readers and transport them into the setting of your essay.

When writing a descriptive essay, make sure to include vivid descriptions that involve all five senses. This will help create a more engaging and immersive experience for your readers.

Use Vivid Language

Make sure to use strong and powerful words when describing the place you're writing about. Use metaphors and similes to bring your descriptions to life and make them more interesting for readers.

Proofread Your Essay

Proofreading is an important step in any writing process, especially when it comes to descriptive essays. Make sure to check for any typos or spelling errors that may have slipped through in your writing.

You also need to make sure that the flow of your essay is logical and coherent. Check if you've used a consistent point of view throughout, and make sure that all ideas are well-supported with evidence. 

Follow these tips and examples, and you'll be well on your way to writing a great descriptive essay.

Don't stress if you still want a professional writer to do it for you. We've got the best solution for you.

MyPerfectWords.com offers excellent essay writing service for students to help them. Our experienced writers are here to provide high-quality and error-free work to help you get the grade you deserve. With our essay writing service, you are guaranteed a 100% original essay.

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Step-by-step guide on writing a captivating descriptive essay about a place.

How to write a descriptive essay about a place

When it comes to descriptive writing, there is an ocean of possibilities that lies before us like an uncharted territory waiting to be discovered. One such avenue that beckons us to embark on a literary journey is the realm of describing a place. In this captivating genre, we have the opportunity to transport our readers to a specific location, immerse them in its sights, sounds, and sensations, and create an experience that will linger in their minds long after they put down our words.

Perhaps you have stumbled upon a tucked-away village nestled amidst rolling hills, or chanced upon a bustling metropolis pulsating with energy. Maybe it is a secluded beach, where the soft sand caresses your feet and the salty breeze carries the whispers of the waves. Regardless of the place, to paint a vivid picture with words, we must utilize our skills to evoke the atmosphere, bring out the essence, and capture the essence of the locale.

Throughout this step-by-step guide, we will delve into the art of writing a descriptive essay about a place. We will uncover the secrets of choosing the ideal location, gathering sensory details, and employing vivid language that will transport our readers and ignite their imaginations. So, let us begin this adventure and uncover the hidden treasures that await us in the enchanting world of descriptive writing.

Choosing the Perfect Setting

One of the key factors in writing a descriptive essay is selecting the ideal setting to portray. The setting serves as the backdrop for the events and experiences that will be described in the essay. It plays a vital role in creating a vivid image in the reader’s mind and capturing their interest.

When choosing the perfect setting, it is essential to consider the specific details that will help bring the place to life. These details can include the location, time of day, weather, and the overall ambiance of the place. By carefully selecting these elements, the writer can create a sensory experience that allows the reader to feel as if they are truly present in the described location.

The location sets the stage for the essay and provides the reader with a sense of the place’s physical surroundings. Whether it is a bustling city street, a tranquil beach, or a picturesque countryside, the location choice should align with the overall theme and purpose of the essay.
The time of day can significantly impact the atmosphere and mood of the place being described. The soft glow of a sunrise, the hustle and bustle of a crowded city during rush hour, or the peacefulness of a starlit night can all evoke different emotions and create various visual images in the reader’s mind.
The weather conditions help to set the tone and add another layer of sensory detail to the essay. Whether it’s a hot summer day with a gentle breeze, a gloomy and rainy afternoon, or a crisp winter morning with snowflakes falling, describing the weather can allow the reader to fully immerse themselves in the environment.
The overall ambiance of a place encompasses the general feeling and atmosphere it exudes. Is it a lively and energetic place with people bustling about, or is it a serene and calming space where one can escape from the chaos of everyday life? Describing the ambiance can help to convey the emotions and sensations that the writer wants to evoke in the reader.

Choosing the perfect setting is a crucial step in writing a descriptive essay. It sets the stage, creates a visual image, and immerses the reader in the described location. By carefully considering the location, time of day, weather, and ambiance, the writer can craft a compelling and sensory experience for their audience.

Gathering Research and Inspiration

Exploring the essence of a specific location requires careful research and a keen eye for detail. Before you start writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is essential to gather relevant research and seek inspiration to create a vivid and engaging portrayal.

Start by delving into books, articles, and online resources that offer information about your chosen place. Look for historical facts, geographical details, and anecdotes that can add depth and context to your essay. Note down interesting tidbits and unique features that make the place stand out.

Additionally, immerse yourself in the experiences of others. Read travel blogs, watch documentaries or interviews, and browse through personal experiences shared by people who have visited or lived in the place you are describing. Pay attention to their descriptive language and how they capture the atmosphere and essence of the location.

While conducting your research, take the opportunity to gather visual inspiration as well. Look for photographs, paintings, or sketches that depict the place. Study the colors, textures, and overall composition, and think about how these visual elements can help you convey the atmosphere and mood in your writing.

Don’t limit yourself to online research alone – visit the place if possible or explore through virtual means such as online tours or interactive maps. Immerse yourself in the sounds, sights, and smells of the place, and pay attention to the small details that often go unnoticed.

By gathering research and seeking inspiration, you will have a solid foundation to create a descriptive essay that transports your readers to the place you are describing. It will allow you to paint a vivid picture with words and evoke a strong sense of familiarity and connection in your readers.

Describing the Senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, and More

When it comes to writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is important to engage the reader’s senses and create a vivid image in their mind. By skillfully incorporating descriptive language, you can effectively convey the sights, sounds, smells, and other details that make a place unique and memorable.

The sense of sight plays a crucial role in bringing a place to life on the page. Describe the vibrant colors that dominate the landscape, the architectural details that catch the eye, and the play of light and shadow that creates an atmosphere in the place. Paint a picture with words and immerse your reader in the visual experience of being there.

Sound is another sense that can transport your reader to the place you are describing. Capture the cacophony of a busy city street, the rhythmic crashing of waves on a beach, or the melodic chirping of birds in a tranquil forest. By using descriptive language to convey the soundscape of a place, you can make the reader feel like they are standing right there, immersed in the auditory environment.

In addition to sight and sound, smell is a powerful sense that can evoke strong emotions and memories. Describe the pungent aroma of exotic spices wafting through a bustling market, the earthy scent of freshly fallen rain in a forest, or the intoxicating fragrance of flowers in a lush garden. By bringing the sense of smell to the forefront of your description, you can transport your reader to a place in a way that is both visceral and emotionally resonant.

But the senses don’t stop there. Consider incorporating tactile sensations, such as the rough texture of weathered stone or the softness of a sandy beach. Taste can also play a role, as you describe the flavors of local cuisine or the tang of salt in the air near the ocean. By engaging multiple senses in your description, you create a more immersive and rich experience for your reader.

Describing the senses is a powerful tool in writing a descriptive essay about a place. By skillfully using language to convey the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensory details, you can transport your reader to the place you are describing and create a lasting impression.

Concluding with Impact: Emotions and Reflections

Concluding with Impact: Emotions and Reflections

As we reach the end of our journey through the process of writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is important to consider the lasting impact that a well-crafted conclusion can have on the reader. The conclusion is the final opportunity to leave a lasting impression, and by evoking emotions and prompting reflection, we can ensure that our essay resonates with the reader long after they have finished reading.

One effective way to conclude with impact is to appeal to the reader’s emotions. By using descriptive language and vivid imagery, we can paint a final picture that elicits specific emotions in the reader. Whether it is a sense of awe and wonder, nostalgia and longing, or even fear and suspense, tapping into the reader’s emotions can create a powerful connection and leave a lasting impression.

In addition to evoking emotions, the conclusion should also provide an opportunity for reflection. By summarizing the main points and themes discussed throughout the essay, the reader is encouraged to take a step back and consider the broader implications of the place being described. This reflection can deepen the reader’s understanding and create a sense of resonance as they contemplate the significance of the place in their own lives.

Finally, it is important to remember that the conclusion should leave the reader with a sense of closure. This can be achieved by circling back to the introduction, perhaps referencing a key detail or anecdote mentioned at the beginning of the essay. By creating a sense of full circle, the reader is left with a satisfying conclusion and a lasting impression.

In conclusion, the final section of a descriptive essay about a place is a crucial opportunity to make an impact on the reader. By appealing to emotions, prompting reflection, and providing closure, we can ensure that our essay has a lasting effect and leaves the reader with a sense of connection and resonance.

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example of essay describing a place

How to Write a Descriptive Essay about a Place

example of essay describing a place

If you’re not sure what exactly a descriptive essay is and how to write one, you’ve come to the right place. I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I’ll explain how a descriptive essay works and how to write it, step by step.

We’ll write one together, so you’ll have a great example of a descriptive essay.

What Is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a piece of writing in which the author describes a place, a person, an object, an animal, or a process. The purpose of a descriptive essay is to move the reader to some kind of a revelation, conclusion, or decision about the subject.

It is very important to note that a descriptive essay is not an argumentative essay. You’re not presenting an argument and doing whatever it takes to support it.

In a descriptive essay, your intention should be to describe the subject in such a way that the reader would create her own impression of it. 

At the same time, your essay is not neutral because it is colored by your own perception or experience of the subject. 

In other words, you are implying and suggesting, not blatantly pushing an opinion.

You want to let the reader see, hear, touch, smell, and taste the place you’re describing. And that experience should lead the reader to an appropriate impression or conclusion. 

Writing a Descriptive Essay Is a 6-Step Process

Step 1. choose the subject.

Maybe your instructor has already chosen the subject for you. If not, choose a country, city, or a place within a city or a geographical location that you are familiar with.

Ideally, it is a place that you have been to and have a good memory of it. A descriptive essay about a place should not rely solely on research, in most cases. 

The real value of your essay is that you know that place, and perhaps it has a special meaning for you or evokes feelings that no other place can evoke. 

So, unless you have to write about a specific place where you have never been, choose a location that has a special place in your heart. 

Sometimes, your subject can be a place with which you may have negative associations. But most likely, it is a beloved place that has left an indelible impression on your heart and mind.

Criteria for choosing the place

  • Ideally, this place should be dear to your heart
  • It is unique. It is unlike any other place you’ve ever been to, in at least one or two important ways
  • It has left a strong impression on you
  • Perhaps you learned something there
  • Perhaps something wonderful happened to you there, such as meeting your soulmate or discovering something about yourself
  • Ideally, it has special visual qualities that stand out in contrast to what your audience is probably used to. In other words, being visually striking is a huge plus. 

I’ll give you an example. For me, one particular little spa town in Europe won me over when I first visited it many years ago. Its name is Carlsbad, or Karlovy Vary. The terms are interchangeable. One is of German origin, and the other is native Czech. 

It is located in the western part of Czech Republic, not too far from the German border. It is serene, spectacular, and magical, and I’ll choose it as the subject for our sample descriptive essay. 

By the way, Carlsbad, California was named after Karlovy Vary because of the similar mineral content of the underground waters found in the American cousin city. 

Step 2. Pick an audience

I understand that you’re probably writing this essay to fulfill a requirement for your class. In which case, your audience is your teacher or professor. 

But even if you’re writing for your instructor, you should still have a particular audience in mind because this will help you form ideas and keep your thoughts flowing. 

Knowing your audience will inform your choices of what to include and what to exclude in your descriptive essay because your reader may care about some aspects of this place but not others. 

Criteria for choosing an audience

  • Your ideal reader is someone who is most likely to be interested in this place 
  • It is someone who is likely to enjoy reading your essay 
  • Your ideal audience is also someone who will benefit from reading about this place and derive the most value from it

Let’s come back to our example of Karlovy Vary. As I already mentioned, it is a spa town, which means that its attractiveness lies in its therapeutic qualities. 

I first visited this gem of a town back in 2004 as a result of a real academic and professional burnout. I believe I was still an undergraduate student finishing up my studies, and I also had a stressful job.

I lived in Brooklyn, which is a borough of New York City, and this metropolis is known for its stressful lifestyle. 

New York has all the disadvantages of living in a large city, such as pollution and other stressors that can really suck the life energy out of its dwellers if they are not careful.

I lived in New York for 25 years, and I love this city. I don’t want to come across as totally negative about it. 

But focusing on the negatives about my city in this case will help you see how I am choosing the audience for this essay we’ll be writing together in this tutorial. 

You see, New York City is a direct opposite of Karlovy Vary in several critical ways. 

Establishing a contrast helps define an audience

New York is noisy. Drivers here are notorious for incessant horn honking. And you can hear an ambulance or a police siren probably every 15 minutes or so. 

Conversely, Karlovy Vary is super quiet. Such a crazy hustle and bustle doesn’t exist here, and drivers don’t have a reason to honk the horn all the time. It is also very rare to hear a police or an ambulance siren. 

Air quality in New York is decent for a big city, but it is still relatively polluted . All the millions of cars and trucks produce way too much carbon dioxide. You can actually see the smog from some vantage points. 

The air in Karlovy Vary is virtually pristine. The town is surrounded by hills, and car traffic is not allowed in the city center. 

The landscape in New York is a bit monotonous and often fails to inspire. They don’t call this city “a concrete jungle” for nothing. The overall atmosphere is hardly conducive to a great mood or daily inspiration.

Conversely, Karlovy Vary offers aesthetically pleasing, relaxing, and inspiring architecture and landscape. It’s like entering a spa, only the spa is a whole town. 

Now that we have this contrast, it is easy to see who might be interested in learning more about Karlovy Vary. Our ideal audience is someone who:

  • Lives in a big metropolis, such as NYC or another big city
  • Can relate to being excessively stressed out 
  • Is aware of noise and air pollution
  • Would love an escape to relax and renew, even if only by reading an essay.

So, our essay becomes a sort of a virtual or a fantasy escape until an actual trip becomes possible. 

Your audience might have different challenges, needs, and desires. It could be someone who:

  • Is nostalgic about their childhood and a place associated with it
  • Dreams about a perfect place to live and work
  • Plans a retirement location 

Think of these factors when determining your audience. In the meantime, because we’ve already identified our ideal reader – a stressed out urban dweller – we can move on to the next step.

Step 3. Divide the subject into subtopics

No matter what kind of an essay you’re writing, you want to divide the main topic into subtopics. In other words, you want to create some kind of a structure that will consist of parts. 

I use and teach my students to use the technique I call the Power of Three. 

example of essay describing a place

What this means is that instead of having just one big topic, such as one town, we can have three aspects of this town to discuss.

Incidentally, we already talked about three major differences between NYC and Karlovy Vary. These are noise levels, air quality, and landscape. So, perhaps we can use one or more of these aspects of a city as sections of our essay.

We must keep in mind that we’re not writing a comparative essay , although that’s a possibility, too. 

We’re writing a descriptive essay. So, we need to find three aspects of the town that we can discuss one after another to put together a rich and detailed enough picture of this place.

Note that these three aspects correspond to the senses of hearing, smell, and sight. 

Let’s make a preliminary list of such aspects of Karlovy Vary:

  • Quietness. Does this aspect present an interesting description opportunity? This will depend on our ability to turn it into an asset. 
  • Air quality. This may be too specific. We may want to zoom out a little and discuss more than one natural asset of this city. Some of the others include water quality and the industries associated with it. 
  • Landscape. This is the most conspicuous aspect of this city. The first thing you’re struck with is how beautiful this place really is. This one is definitely a winner.

If we go about writing about these three aspects of Karlovy Vary creatively, we will have three nice sections or paragraphs that will form the body of our essay. 

Note that we’ll probably use more than one sensory perception, such as sight or smell, in each section. We’ll simply use one of three senses as a primary focus in each of our three sections. 

It would make sense to begin the discussion of the city by describing it visually. So, this will be our primary focus in the first section.

Then, we can proceed to the sense of hearing. Why? Because our last section will be about air and water. And we should probably leave those for last because we can hear the water before we can taste it. That’s just the way it works in Karlovy Vary.

So, the primary sense perception in our second section will be hearing. And this section won’t be just about how quiet it is. 

In fact, the real contrast between a big city and Karlovy Vary is the quality of the soundscape, not just the simple quietness, although it’s a part of it. So, we’ll focus on all the little sounds that make this place unique. 

Finally, in the third section or paragraph, we’ll talk about the air and the water, which will correspond to the senses of smell and taste, primarily. 

Again, we’ll be using any sense perceptions we feel necessary to make the reader’s experience as real as possible. 

And now we have our place, we know our audience, and we have our three main ideas about this place that we’ll use to structure the essay. 

We can begin writing, and we’ll start with the opening paragraph. 

Step 4. Write the introduction

An introductory paragraph in a descriptive essay offers you a lot of flexibility in how you choose to write it. 

You can start off with a particular example of a sense perception, drop your reader in the middle of a town square, or begin with an abstract concept. 

I would like to suggest an easy and practical way to do it. In the first sentence or two, pull your reader from the outside world into this particular magical place you’ve chosen to write about.

Then, focus on the place you want to describe and say something general about it that would set the context or provide a perspective. 

And finally, set some kind of an expectation for what’s to follow. You can create a sense of mystery, if you like. Remember, this is not an argumentative essay. So, you have more room for creativity.

This is where we begin to put together our descriptive essay example. Let’s write our introductory paragraph.

Descriptive Essay Introduction

“When the city has worn you down, the body is tired, and the soul yearns for a respite, you can count on a little magic gem of a town that will nourish you back to life. The name of the place is Karlovy Vary, and it is nested in the heart of Europe, in Western Bohemia, a region in Czech Republic famous for its spa towns. Its beautiful architecture, therapeutic landscape, clean air, and mineral waters offer the weary a healing adventure and a feast for the senses.”

What have we done in this paragraph? 

We’ve pulled the reader into the world of this small spa town. We first descended in their world of the stressful city, and then we turned their attention to its opposite. We named the town and explained where it is located. 

And finally, we provided a glimpse of what to expect in this descriptive essay about this town. Now, we’re ready to write the body of the essay. 

Step 5. Write the body of the essay

We know our three main sections, which in this case correspond to three sense perceptions. Each section can have more than one paragraph. It all depends on how long your essay has to be. 

If you are writing an essay of about 500-600 words, then a five-paragraph structure will do the job. If you need to write 2000 words or more, then you’ll have three sections instead of just three paragraphs.

And then each section can also be divided into two or three subsections (using the Power of Three, if you like). And each subsection can be a paragraph or more. 

Just remember – the more words you need, the more dividing into subtopics you must do. The key to writing more is dividing one idea into several supporting ideas. And then you simply treat each supporting idea as a tiny essay. 

If you struggle with essay writing in general or need to brush it up, I recommend you read my tutorial on essay writing for beginners . This would be a great place to turn to next.

Now, let’s write out our body paragraphs. Since there’s quite a bit to cover, we’ll probably take two paragraphs per section to get the job done.

Descriptive essay body paragraphs

“When you stay in one of the pretty little hotels in Karlovy Vary, you are likely to be descending the hills towards the hot springs every morning. No matter which part of town you live in, you’ll be greeted with a magnificent sight of little hotels and spas whose architecture has a unifying 19th century style. At the same time, each building has its own character, color, and features. The town is situated on several hills, and the hotels are lined up along about four levels. 

The first level is down by the river Tepla, and these hotels are only a few because most of the downtown is occupied with hot springs colonnades where people gather and drink hot mineral water. The next three levels ascend from the springs, and you can either take the stairs or even use a funicular that will take you to the highest level to the Hotel Imperial. As you exit your hotel in the morning, you are greeted with a sight of a collection of small, three to four story buildings that look like birthday cakes. They are pink, green, blue, red, turquoise, and any color you can imagine. You suddenly realize how this variety of colors and shapes strewn over the hillsides all facing you and the city center makes your head spin and makes you feel like you’ve never felt before. Your healing has begun with landscape therapy.

As you descend the stairs to reach the hot springs, you notice the abundance of oxygen in the air because it has a subtle but distinct smell, a bit like the way air smells right before a rain. Then, as you pass by another hotel, and you’ll pass more than one, a light whiff of toast and fried eggs with bacon hits you, stirring your appetite. It is customary to drink a cup of hot mineral water before you come back to your hotel for breakfast. It is called a drinking cure. 

As you keep walking towards the geyser and the springs that surround it, you notice another astonishing detail. Nobody is in a rush. Nobody has anywhere to be except right here, right now. Travelers with cute little porcelain cups stroll along without a worry in the world, taking in the sights, the smells, and the sounds of the birds chirping and singing all around. Their serenity infects you. You slow down, too. You begin to look, smell, and listen. This town has got you. 

Karlovy Vary is famous for its healing mineral waters that are known to alleviate gastrointestinal issues. These waters really do have magic powers. You have your little sipping cup with you, and when you reach one of the springs, you wait for your turn to fill it up, walk off, and begin sipping. The water has a very subtle smell, but its taste is pretty strong for water. It has very high mineral content and tastes salty. Most people like the taste. Some find it too strong. But one thing is for sure – by the time you’re about half way through with your cup’s content, your digestive juices have begun to stir. 

The hot springs flow out through several fountains, each with its own intricately detailed colonnade. The mineral content of water bursting out of each fountain is identical. But the temperature of the water varies from really hot to mild and comfortable. Your “spa doctor” actually prescribes which fountains to use and how much to drink. Sipping the water out of a special porcelain cup with a built-in straw-like system is a special pleasure of its own. The point is not to rush but to take about 20 minutes to empty the cup. In the meantime, you have a chance to take in the magnificent serenity that surrounds and infuses you. When you’ve drunk your water, it is time to head back to your hotel and eat breakfast. You repeat this routine three times a day for the duration of your stay. By day three, you are serenity itself. By day fourteen, you are a brand new person.”

Step 6. Write the conclusion

A conclusion in a descriptive essay is, like the introduction, more flexible than a conclusion in an argumentative essay.

You can conclude your essay in any way you really want as long as you observe one rule. Just make sure you zoom out and write in more general terms. 

It is not the time to add specific details and examples. This is the time to wrap things up and end on a general note. 

Your conclusion can be very short – only a couple of sentences. But you can take your space and write as much or as little as you feel like. You can always go back and trim it down or beef it up.

Let’s write our conclusion.

Our Conclusion

“Upon reading this, you may feel that this town is described as some sort of a paradise. And in a way, it is, especially if you are traveling from a big city and carrying a load of accumulated stress. But it’s not until you see, touch, smell, hear, and taste it for yourself that this European jewel will become a part of your entire being forever.”

It’s okay to be a little emotional and perhaps to even exaggerate a little in the concluding paragraph. Just notice that this one is more general than any of the body paragraphs. 

It also touches upon or mentions every sense perception evoked in the body of the essay. 

Your Key Takeaways

  • A descriptive essay is much more flexible and has a lot fewer rules than an argumentative essay.
  • Use the five sense perceptions – sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing – to structure your essay. 
  • You don’t have to organize your essay by sense perceptions. You can divide your place into sections and walk the reader through each one. 
  • You can even structure your essay as a string of paragraphs that describe one particular walk or route, from beginning to end.
  • Our last body paragraph is a description of the process of drinking hot mineral water in Karlovy Vary. It is a perfect example of a description of a process, if you ever want to write that kind of an essay.
  • Don’t persuade but subtly suggest. 
  • Show, don’t tell, whenever you can. 

A Few Scenic Snapshots of Karlovy Vary’s Charm

example of essay describing a place

I hope this was helpful. Now go ahead and write that descriptive essay about a place!

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How to Write a Descriptive Essay About a Place

You can compose a well-written descriptive essay that conveys a clear image of a location to the reader. A descriptive essay is traditionally divided into three or more paragraphs that make up the introduction, body and conclusion. Writing a descriptive essay about a place you have visited gives you the opportunity to convey a personal perspective or feeling about the subject location. Transport readers with descriptive and concise words that impart your own vision of a place.

Write an introduction paragraph in the present tense that accurately describes what motivated you to select this particular place for the descriptive essay. The paragraph must be at least two sentences and explicitly mention the full name of the location. Mention things you know are exciting about the place if the location was assigned and not chosen.

Compose an essay body of one to five paragraphs that conveys the sights, sounds, smells, feeling and tastes of the subject place. Choose clear adjectives that describe these various aspects of a place so they are recognizable to readers who have been there and are understandable to readers who have not.

Include a conclusion paragraph that briefly restates the inspiration for the essay and details any personal feelings, memories or visitor recommendations about the place. This section is the individual writer's chance to clearly spell out her overall impression of the location.

Proofread the first draft to make any grammar or spelling corrections and trim any extraneous information that is not pertinent to the location. Type or rewrite the final draft according to the details of the assignment.

  • Look for examples of descriptive essays about locations in travel literature and online to see the format executed successfully.
  • See the link in Resources for an example.
  • Describing a well-known location from memory may lead to mistakes that cause the reader to discredit the essay. Use pictures of the place to keep your memories in line with the facts.

Things You'll Need

  • Write Express: How to Write a Descriptive Essay by Jesse Seldess
  • InfoPlease: Homework Center -- Writing Skills Descriptive Essays

Jeffrey Brian Airman is a writer, musician and food blogger. A 15-year veteran of the restaurant industry, Airman has used his experience to cover food, restaurants, cooking and do-it-yourself projects. Airman also studied nursing at San Diego State University.

example of essay describing a place

Descriptive Essay: Your Guide to Writing an Effective One

example of essay describing a place

A descriptive essay is one of the four main types of essays, alongside narrative, argumentative, and expository essays. Among these, descriptive essays can be particularly challenging because they demand a keen eye for detail and an appreciation for aesthetics. By vividly describing scenes and details, you engage your reader’s senses, making your essay memorable and engaging. In this guide, our essay writers will break down the writing process for you, offering step-by-step instructions, practical examples, and clear definitions to help you excel in your next assignment.

What is a Descriptive Essay?

Descriptive writing aims to vividly portray something through essays, helping readers visualize and feel the scene or object being described. Such essays draw on detailed descriptions to create a clear and impactful image that not only presents the subject but also evokes emotions and memories.

There are three main techniques used in descriptive writing: naming, detailing, and comparing .

Naming identifies the subject and its characteristics, answering questions like 'What is it?' and 'What features does it have?'

Detailing elaborates on these features, providing answers to detailed questions such as 'How many are there?' and 'What is its value?' Techniques like synesthesia and comparisons enhance these descriptions.

Comparing uses similes and metaphors to make descriptions more vivid, linking the subject to familiar concepts.

Description vs. Descriptive Essay

What Is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?

The purpose of a descriptive essay is multifaceted. Primarily, it allows writers to give readers a vivid impression of a person, place, or event, making the subject come alive through words. By using detailed descriptions, writers can help readers visualize settings and characters as if they were seeing them firsthand.

Additionally, descriptive essays can serve to clarify abstract ideas. By describing these concepts with concrete images and examples, writers make complex ideas easier to understand and more relatable to the reader.

Descriptive essays also aim to make information more memorable. When details are vivid, they are more likely to stick in the reader's mind, enhancing recall and engagement with the text.

Lastly, it can bolster an argument by providing concrete, detailed evidence that supports a point of view. This helps persuade the reader by making the argument more tangible and credible.

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Descriptive Essay Topics

When you're tasked with writing a descriptive essay, you'll usually get a prompt that asks you to describe something. These descriptive essay prompts allow you to explore different settings, time periods, and imaginative scenarios in your essays. 

Personal Prompts:

  • Describe a favorite childhood memory.
  • Describe a treasured family heirloom.

Imaginative Prompts:

  • Describe a day in the life of a pirate.
  • Describe what it would be like to explore an underwater city.

Historical Prompts:

  • Describe the atmosphere of a bustling ancient marketplace.
  • Describe the experience of witnessing a significant moment in history, like the moon landing or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Nature Prompts:

  • Describe the sights and sounds of a peaceful forest at dawn.
  • Describe the feeling of standing at the edge of a majestic waterfall.

Everyday Prompts:

  • Describe the chaos of a busy morning commute in a big city.
  • Describe the tranquility of a sunset picnic in the countryside.

If you need topic ideas for other essay genres, consult our guide on narrative essay topics .

How to Write a Descriptive Essay in 8 Steps

Now that you understand the essence and purpose of this type of essay let's explore some fundamental yet valuable tips for writing a descriptive essay. 

How to Write a Descriptive Essay in 8 Steps

Step 1: Select Your Topic

The first step in creating a captivating descriptive essay is choosing the right topic. Start by paying close attention to your surroundings. 

  • Consider describing a person you know well in your life, like a sibling, a close friend, or a teacher who has made a significant impact on you.
  • Alternatively, you could focus on a specific place or object that holds sentimental value to you, such as a favorite vacation spot, a cherished childhood toy, or a meaningful piece of jewelry.
  • Another option is to explore a strong emotion that you have experienced, like excitement, nostalgia, or determination. 

Avoid using overly technical or jargon-filled language in your topic selection. Instead, aim for simplicity and clarity to ensure that your chosen topic resonates with your audience and allows you to convey your unique perspective effectively.

Step 2: Gather Details

Once you've selected your topic for your descriptive essay, the next step is to gather details that will bring your chosen subject to life on the page. Start by closely observing your subject, whether it's a person, place, object, or emotion. Pay attention to its appearance, characteristics, and any unique features that stand out to you.

For example, if you've chosen to describe your childhood home, take note of its architectural style, color scheme, and any distinctive elements like a front porch or a cozy fireplace. Recall memories associated with the home, such as family gatherings or quiet moments spent reading in your favorite spot.

If your topic is a person, like a close friend or family member, observe their physical appearance, mannerisms, and personality traits. Consider the ways in which they interact with others and the impact they have on your life.

Step 3: Draft an Outline

When structuring your essay, you can organize your paragraphs from top to bottom or near to far, chronologically, or from general to specific. Here's a simple descriptive essay outline from our custom writers to guide you: 

Section Description
Introduction Provide a brief overview of the topic.
Present your thesis statement.
Body Paragraph 1 Describe aspect 1 of your topic.
Provide supporting details and examples.
Body Paragraph 2 Describe aspect 2 of your topic.
Provide supporting details and examples.
Body Paragraph 3 Describe aspect 3 of your topic.
Provide supporting details and examples.
Conclusion Summarize the main points discussed.
Offer final thoughts or reflections on the topic.

Step 4: Develop a Thesis Statement

When developing your thesis statement, consider the main points or aspects of your subject that you want to highlight in your essay. Think about the emotions or impressions you want to evoke in the reader and tailor your thesis statement accordingly.

For example, if you're writing about your favorite childhood memory, your thesis statement could be: 'My summers spent at my grandparents' farm were filled with laughter, adventure, and a sense of belonging.'

Or, if you're describing a beautiful sunset, your thesis statement might be: 'The breathtaking colors and serene atmosphere of the sunset over the ocean evoke a sense of peace and wonder.'

Step 5: Craft the Introduction

Start your descriptive essay introduction by hooking the reader with an engaging opening sentence or anecdote related to your topic. This could be a vivid description, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising fact. For example:

  • Growing up on my grandparents' farm, each summer brought new adventures and unforgettable memories that still warm my heart to this day.

After hooking the reader, provide some background information or context for your topic. This could include brief details about the setting, time period, or significance of your subject. For instance:

  • Nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside, my grandparents' farm was a sanctuary of simple pleasures and cherished traditions.

Finally, end your introduction with your thesis statement, clearly stating the main point of your essay. This ties everything together and gives the reader a roadmap for what to expect in the rest of your essay. 

Step 6: Compose the Body Paragraphs

Once you've crafted your introduction, it's time to compose the body paragraphs, where you delve into the details and descriptions that bring your topic to life.

Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect or detail of your topic, expanding upon the ideas presented in your thesis statement. Use vivid language, sensory details, and descriptive devices to paint a clear picture for the reader.

For example, if you're writing about summers spent at your grandparents' farm, you could dedicate one body paragraph to describing the sights and sounds of the farm:

  • The rolling fields stretched out before me, golden waves of wheat swaying gently in the breeze. The air was filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers, mingling with the earthy aroma of freshly turned soil.

In another body paragraph, you might explore the adventures and activities that filled your days:

  • From sunrise to sunset, there was never a dull moment on the farm. Whether we were exploring the woods, splashing in the creek, or helping with chores, each day brought new excitement and adventure.

Continue with additional body paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect of your topic and providing rich, detailed descriptions. Be sure to vary your language and sentence structure to keep the reader engaged and interested.

Step 7: Conclude the Essay

The conclusion should bring together all the ideas presented in your essay. Avoid introducing any new information in the conclusion. Instead, focus on evaluating your thoughts and reflections on the topic. End with a strong final sentence that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

For example, if you were writing about summers spent at your grandparents' farm, your conclusion might reflect on the significance of those memories:

  • 'As I reminisce about the summers spent amid the rustic charm of my grandparents' farm, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude for the simple pleasures and cherished moments that shaped my childhood. The laughter echoing through the fields, the adventures awaiting around every corner, and the sense of belonging that enveloped me there will forever hold a special place in my heart.'

Step 8: Refine Your Essay

Once you've finished writing your essay, it's time to refine it for clarity and impact. Start by reading your essay aloud to yourself. Listen for any sentences that sound awkward or unclear. Mark these sentences so you can revise them later.

You can also read your essay aloud to others and ask for their feedback. Invite friends, family members, teachers, or mentors to listen to your essay and share their thoughts. Ask them if there are any parts that are difficult to understand or if they have trouble picturing the subject you're describing.

Be receptive to constructive criticism and feedback. Use it as an opportunity to improve your essay and make it stronger. And if it sounds too demanding right now, you can buy cheap essay to sidestep the hassle and reclaim some much-needed free time.

Descriptive Essay Format

The standard format for a descriptive essay typically includes five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, you can also organize your essay into sections, allowing for flexibility in the length of the body paragraphs.

Introductory Paragraph: This paragraph sets the scene by describing where, when, and to whom the experience occurred. It should include descriptive words to capture the reader's attention.

First Body Paragraph: Here, the writer provides details that allow the reader to visualize the situation. Descriptive language is key in painting a clear picture for the reader.

Second Body Paragraph: More details are provided, with a focus on using descriptive adjectives. Figurative language, such as metaphor (e.g., describing the city as a 'jungle of concrete'), can enhance the imagery.

Third Body Paragraph: The writer continues to appeal to the reader's senses with visually descriptive words. Figurative language, like personification (e.g., describing the wind as a playful dancer), adds depth to the description.

Conclusion: The conclusion alludes to another sense, such as touch or sound, and uses strong words to signify closure. It ends with a powerful concluding sentence to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Descriptive Essay Examples

In this section, you'll discover essay examples that demonstrate how to captivate your readers' attention effectively. After exploring these examples, you might find yourself tempted to ask, 'Can someone do my homework for me?' - and that's completely understandable! We're here to help you become more confident and articulate communicators through your writing!

3 Additional Tips for Writing

While writing a descriptive essay, your goal is to make your subject come alive for the reader. Unlike more formal essays, you have the freedom to be creative with your descriptions, using figurative language, sensory details, and precise word choices to make your writing memorable.

3 Additional Tips for Writing

Use Figurative Language: Figurative language, like metaphors and similes, adds flair to your descriptions. Instead of sticking to literal descriptions, use comparisons to create unique and memorable imagery. 

  • For instance, describing a city as a bustling beehive of activity ' or a forest as ' a blanket of whispers ' adds an unexpected twist that captures the reader's attention.

Engage Your Senses: In a descriptive essay, don't just focus on what something looks like; appeal to all the senses. Describe how things smell, sound, feel, and even taste, if applicable. This adds depth and richness to your descriptions, making them more immersive. 

  • For example, instead of just describing a beach visually, include sensory details like feeling the warm sand between your toes , hearing the rhythmic crash of waves , and t asting the salty sea breeze.

Choose Your Words Carefully: Use effective adjectives, verbs, and nouns to convey your impressions vividly. Avoid clichés and opt for original, precise language that reflects your unique perspective. Take the time to review your sentences and consider if there are better word choices that could enhance your description.

In Wrapping Up

To sum it up, descriptive essays are all about encouraging students like you to explore your surroundings and unleash your creativity by describing scenes in detail with words. When you carefully select and organize these descriptive details, it not only enhances your writing but also sharpens your critical thinking skills. Plus, diving into this expressive writing style allows you to appreciate the beauty of language and feel more connected to written communication. And remember, if you ever need a little boost in your writing journey, our descriptive essay writing service is here to help!

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Let one of our essay writers do it for you, all you have to do is send us your paper requirements and wait for your original paper to be written.

How To Write A Descriptive Essay?

What is a descriptive essay, what is the purpose of a descriptive essay.

Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

example of essay describing a place

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

  • New samples
  • New information on each of the rest sections 

Axelrod, R. B. and Cooper, R. C. (2008). The st martin’s guide to writing. (English Edition). New York: Bedford/St Martins

Okono, U. M. (2021). Descriptive essay: An assessment of performance by undergraduates of AkwaIbom State University. Erudite Journal of Linguistics and Languages . https://www.globalacademicstar.com/download/article/descriptive-essay-an-assessment-of-performance-by-undergraduates-of-akwa-ibom-state-university.pdf

Okono. U. M. (2020). “Qualities of a good essay: An assessment of the writings of Nigerian undergraduates.” International Journal on integrated Education. 3: vi.

https://irsc-asc.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/8/1/31813909/e7__descriptive_essay_guidelines.pdf

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How to Write a Descriptive Essay About a Person or Place

  • Author: Alex Hills

Before you start writing, learn about the 5 Ws, writing to feelings and emotion, and the three-part essay structure.

Before you start writing, learn about the 5 Ws, writing to feelings and emotion, and the three-part essay structure.

What Is a Descriptive Essay?

At some point in your academic or professional career, you may be asked to write a descriptive essay about a person or a place. A descriptive essay is essentially a short piece of writing in which the author describes a person or place using words that engage all five senses: sight, touch, smell, sound and taste.

As the author, you will be required to convey the physical and, more importantly, the emotional attributes of the person or the place you are describing. To grab your reader’s attention for your essay, your descriptions have to be interesting. But don’t forget about the structure of the essay itself. It is crucial that it has a captivating introduction, a meaty body and a strong, concise conclusion.

Below are tips to ensure your essay gets the attention of your readers and remains engaging throughout.

The 5 Ws: Who? What? Where? When? Why?

The 5 Ws: Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Descriptive Essay About a Person

People often find that writing a descriptive essay about a person is surprisingly difficult. You may be asked to describe some of the following:

  • A family member or extended relative,
  • A close friend or colleague with whom you've lost contact or
  • A celebrity or athlete that you admire.

How Does the Character Feel?

This writing can focus on describing the character physically, but it's important that you explore the character’s personality, state of mind and current emotion. Anyone can describe the size, colour or shape of a physical object. However, a good writer gets inside a character's head, conveying their personality and making you feel their emotions.

Show, Don't Tell

One way to demonstrate a character’s personality is through actions. Their behaviour will communicate anger or sadness or anxiety. Don't tell us they're funny. Have them be funny. Show, don't tell. When you can describe in detail what they're doing and why they're doing it, you leverage the reader’s imagination.

The more you can describe, the better your essay will be. For example, here are two sentences that describe similar things. They're both grammatically correct. The difference is one is good enough, and the other is excellent.

  • The man had a short temper and was easily angered.
  • The tall man frowned, his wrinkled skin weathered after years of toiling in the sun. A simple comment was all that it took to disrupt the man, who then stormed off in short strides.

Good writing is about feeling, not seeing.

Good writing is about feeling, not seeing.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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Descriptive essay about a place.

A descriptive essay about a place is often easier to write as the author is able to rely on his or her memory—or a memory of a similar place. This may be a memory of your school or a recent local festival. Unfortunately, as a result of this, descriptions of places tend to gravitate towards physical senses, such as sight.

How Does a Place Make You Feel?

Remember, there is more than just what we see. Instead of simply describing the physical attributes of a place, describe how the place made you feel. For example, you can describe the whistle of the wind as it brushes past the mountain walls or the refreshing salty breeze while you stand on the scorching beach sand.

Furthermore, though you may be assigned to write a description of a place, you should not be limited to a physical location. As an author, look to describe abstract locations, like a place in the past.

How Did an Event Make You Feel?

If you describe how it felt to be nervous giving a speech or the many reasons your prom night was a disaster, you'll be able to leverage the emotions of your readers because there's a high likelihood they've experienced similar situations in their personal lives.

The three parts of an essay: intro, body and conclusion

The three parts of an essay: intro, body and conclusion

Remember the 3-Part Structure

Choosing the right topic and angle for your essay is crucial. We've discussed how to invest emotions in your descriptive essay, whether about a person or a place. However, let us not forget the importance of structuring your essay. There are three fundamental components.

Introduction

First and foremost, you need to establish the thesis of your essay. What are you going to be describing? This is your introduction, and it will set the tone for your essay.

The second element is the most obvious: the body of the essay. If your descriptive essay is about your first pet, the body of the essay will discuss how you acquired the pet, all the things that made him or her distinctive (good and bad) and finally, how and when your first pet passed away, ran away or left the family for whatever reason.

The third and final element of a well-written descriptive essay is a strong conclusion. If the introduction was about setting up what you're going to describe, the conclusion is about telling us for the final time what you described. This is the final paragraph or two and the last impression a reader will have of your essay. It should be strong.

Be mindful of the 5 Ws, emotion and structure, and you can tell any story.

Be mindful of the 5 Ws, emotion and structure, and you can tell any story.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

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Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Essay Writing

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

How To Write An Impactful Descriptive Essay?

By: Cathy A.

12 min read

Reviewed By: Melisa C.

Published on: Dec 17, 2019

Descriptive Essay

Wondering how to write an impressive descriptive essay? Writing a descriptive essay is both fun and challenging. You need to describe the main topic in detail and by engaging the five senses of the readers.

Students usually get this type of essay in high school and college. Writing a descriptive essay is different from other essays.

You need to focus on describing a certain person, place, or event.

Luckily for you, the following blog post will provide some helpful tips on how to create an engaging essay.

Continue reading to learn how to write an A-worthy descriptive essay.

Descriptive Essay

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What is a Descriptive Essay?

A descriptive essay is a detailed paper that describes a place, person, situation, object, or emotion. Different people have different points of view and your job is to explain yours in detail.

You may be asked to write a descriptive essay about the beach or forest or about a person or situation. The purpose of this essay is to test the writer’s ability in expressing and explaining their experiences.

Descriptive writing should create a picture in the reader’s mind. You may be required to write a descriptive essay as a high school or college essay assignment.

For a compelling essay, using adjectives and adverbs, details, and figurative language is fundamental. Without proper usage of words, you will not be able to invoke the readers' emotions.

What is the Purpose of a Descriptive Essay?

The purpose of a descriptive essay is to describe a person, place, or personal experience in vivid detail so that the reader can create a picture in his mind.

The descriptive essay is written to get the reader to understand by using descriptive language. It is different from narrative essays, where the writer tells the story about someone else. Usually, it starts with a real-life event and then the content follows the author's imagination.

Descriptive essays are not intended to persuade the reader or show facts and figures to prove something. Descriptive essays are like word paintings that contain personal and descriptive details and these are mostly assigned to students of creative writing.

How to Start a Descriptive Essay

A strong start for your descriptive essay is essential. Analyze your topic from every angle and document the following details:

Analyze the main subjects in detail and observe minute things.

  • Start with observing all the possible aspects of the subject.
  • Don't just observe the object but also its surroundings.
  • Focus on details and features of the subject and develop opinions about them.
  • Be thoughtful; this first step will be the basis for the essay.

Physical Settings

Describing the physical settings is a must in a descriptive essay. When describing, keep the following points in mind.

  • Focus on the subject's position and observe nearby objects
  • Note the time of day and kind of lighting: natural or imitated
  • Physical settings: all the basic and decorative elements
  • The position and shape of the objects
  • Alignment and any other observable information

Physical Features

When describing the physical features of the subject, living or nonliving, consider the following points.

  • Living or nonliving; describe the features in detail
  • The subject's skin color, texture, smoothness, expression, and age
  • The features of inanimate objects in the picture, color, surface, and texture

Create Drama

Storytelling and drama are the life and blood of a good descriptive essay. It turns your essay into an exciting and interesting piece of writing. However, be subtle about adding drama to your sentence structure and add it to complement your story only.

Focus On Your Feelings

Focus on how you feel about the particular topic or person and stick to it. It is easy to get involved when working on the essay. But, focus on your own feelings and write an essay based on them.

Use Of Specific Vocabulary

Vocabulary is important. Select the best words for describing an action or object. Don't always use the first word that comes to mind.

Write slowly and thoughtfully, and use specific words to convey your thoughts.

Psychological Aspects

Writing about a certain situation or behavior of a person focuses on the mental aspects and emotions involved in them.

For Example, describe your emotions when your friend misplaced your notes right before the exam.

You may have had several emotions in that incident. Maybe you were prepared for exams, but this situation put you under pressure and made you feel frustrated and hurt.

Explore those emotions and describe the feelings they aroused. Describe the body language also, if relevant.

Ask Yourself, WHY?

This is the most valuable tip for students. When you are looking at a particular subject, and having difficulty analyzing its aspects, ask yourself "WHY".

  • Why is the subject the way it is?
  • Why does the person you are describing have such a deep-set and cold eyes?
  • Why is the animal so wounded and terrified?
  • Why is this particular place famous?

It is a good practice and after some time you will do it naturally. Knowing the why is important if you want to describe your topic properly.

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How To Write A Descriptive Essay?

When you write a descriptive essay, you help your readers visualize an event, a person, or a story. It is written to make your readers feel what you feel about the respective subject.

A descriptive essay seeks to appeal to some or all of the audience’s five senses. Some key things to consider are:

  • Discussing your subject thoroughly
  • Focusing on details and adding them in your essay
  • Sharing your personal feelings and experience about the subject
  • Observing and describing all sensory details of your subject

Here are the steps to write a descriptive essay easily.

1- Choose an Engaging and Focused Essay Topic

An important step that all strong descriptive essays share is having a focused topic. Before you make the outline, identify the purpose of your essay and use it to create an appropriate thesis statement.This type of paper does not require much personal opinion from you. Its main goal should be focusing on information that will make a dominant impression in readers' minds instead.

2- Research and Gather Important Details

When writing a descriptive essay, it is important to make sure you include as many details and sensory information as possible. This helps your reader fully understand the images that are being presented in their mind's eye.You can organize these ideas into categories so they're easy for you to access when needed.

3- Create an Outline of Your Essay

Your essays must be organized by having subheadings that are clear and concise. Group your main points into individual body paragraphs, each of which should only cover one idea or topic at a time.

4- Write your Essay’s Introduction

A good introductory paragraph is much like a road map because it provides direction to your readers.

It provides relevant background information before diving into more specific details related to how something works or why something happens. These could include statistics or stories from real-life scenarios.

5- Write the Main Body Section of Your Essay

Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence that keeps the reader hooked on what you are saying. Use specific details instead of making generalized statements, and make sure to give examples if necessary.

6- End with a Strong Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay is the final paragraph, and it should summarize all that you have said throughout. It's a good idea to restate the main points and key details from the essay in this section.

It is important so the reader has everything they need for better understanding before ending off on something new.

If necessary be sure not to introduce anything odd or unusual, to avoid any confusion.

7- Proofread and Revise the Essay Carefully

Once you are done writing the essay, proofread and revise it carefully. Make sure that it is free from all kinds of errors.

Descriptive Essay Outline

Like all the other essays, a descriptive essay also follows the usual 5-paragraph essay structure and format.Before starting, it is important to create an outline. Following are the fundamental elements of your descriptive essay outline:

Descriptive Essay Introduction

The introduction sets the footing for the entire essay. Before heading towards the body section, the reader will come across the introduction.

It is the first impression of your work. It is very important to write an engaging introduction so that the readers read the essay till the end.

Start the essay in an easy-to-understand way and language. Provide background information on your topic so they can understand it and its importance.

To make sure the reader feels your emotions and decides to continue reading further, incorporate the following points in your introduction.

The following tips will guide you on how to write a good introduction for a descriptive essay.

  • Attract the reader's attention with an interesting fact, phrase, or quote
  • Don't bombard them with information
  • Go straight to the main pointsInclude enough information to introduce the topic and its significance.
  • Summarize the argument and the main topic and craft your thesis statement

Descriptive Essay Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is an integral part of your essay. It focuses on the argument and the writer’s main idea, which is to be discussed in the essay.

This statement also provides the writer with a chance of explaining the purpose and scope of the topic. It is intriguing and engaging.

A thesis statement is written at the end of the introduction, it is mainly a single sentence that describes the essay objective. The thesis statement should act as a guide to the reader on what to expect in the essay body. It is like a table of contents of a book, to the reader on contents you will get an idea of what the book is all about so you get to understand it better.

It is like a table of contents of a book. By reading it, you will get an idea of what the book is all about.

A good thesis should contain the following things:

  • Define the essay scope - it should narrow down all the points to clarify its purpose.
  • Avoid using common words - you should be creative with your choice of words.
  • Create suspense - it should attract the reader to the body paragraphs of the essay.

For further information on how to write a thesis for a descriptive essay, check out the following examples.

  • Descriptive essay example about a Place

“Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.”

  • Descriptive essay example about a Person

“One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.”

  • Descriptive essay example about an Emotion

“For numerous reasons, the dark forest is my greatest fear, though not a fear which is necessarily smart to face.”

Descriptive Essay Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs of the essay come next after the introduction and thesis statement. It is the main part that continues your essay.

Usually, an essay consists of three body paragraphs but you can add more if needed.

Don't add more than one central idea in one paragraph. Fusing different ideas will confuse the reader.

Build your paragraphs according to the thesis and introduction.

  • Start each body paragraph with the main sentence
  • Use transitions to move between paragraphs smoothly
  • Each paragraph should be five to six sentences long

Descriptive Essay Conclusion

The concluding paragraph is the last part of an essay, and probably your last chance to impress your reader.

The last part that the reader can keep in mind is the conclusion, which is as important as the rest of the essay.

To make it interesting and thought-provoking, include the following points:

  • Restate the thesis statement
  • Summarize the main points
  • Add an intriguing closing statement

After writing the conclusion, make a review of your essay, identify the mistakes and maintain a good tone throughout the essay.

Descriptive Essay Format Sample

Here is the descriptive essay format to help you understand how you can write a winning descriptive essay.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY FORMAT (PDF)

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Descriptive Essay Topics Ideas

Descriptive essay topics are often related to physical settings, locations, living beings, and objects.

Make sure that your essay includes the five senses, touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, or at least one of them. It depends on the topic and the kind of feeling that you want to arouse.

Below are some descriptive essay ideas and ways to achieve them.

Living Beings

When you want to write about a person like a family member, consider the following elements:

  • Gender, age, complexion, and expressions
  • Physical features
  • Height, body type, and approximate weight
  • Kind of clothes

These details will add depth to the description and your readers will actually see your narrative.

When animals are the subject, you can add the above points plus the following details:

  • Species and animal
  • Size, weight, color
  • Behavior patterns
  • Temperament
  • Trained or wild?
  • Real or fictional?

Inanimate Subjects

Geographic locations and structures.

When your subject is a place or a building, add the following points:

  • Research about the place and its historical background
  • The color and the building's type
  • A famous place or landmark to draw a comparison and inspire interest

Human behavior and psychology is a compelling descriptive essay subject. When writing about it:

  • Describe the consequences of a particular behavior
  • Discuss the emotional dimension of the topic and how you perceive it personally

Event Or Travel Experience

A travel experience makes a good descriptive essay since you have experienced the event first hand.

Give a detailed description of the place, people at the venue, and the atmosphere of the location.

Idea, Concept, or Occupation

When writing on such topics, focus on how an idea or concept affects society and its different aspects.

Example Descriptive Essay Topics for Students

Choosing a topic for your descriptive essay is quite interesting. You get to choose something that you have an emotional connection with.

When writing a descriptive essay about a person or place, adding their personal traits will be helpful.

Some examples of descriptive essay topics include:

  • Compose a detailed descriptive essay about your best friend.
  • Describe a fancy place that you have created.
  • Describe your dream vacation destination.
  • Describe your favorite mall or store.
  • Describe your childhood home.
  • Descriptive essay about nature.
  • Descriptive essay about a place you visited.
  • Describe the personality of your Maths teacher.
  • Discuss the main characters of your favorite movie.
  • Descriptive essay about chocolate.
  • Write an essay using unique Words to describe yourself.
  • What makes me unique?
  • My first love.

Descriptive Essay Examples

Study these descriptive essay examples and sample papers to understand the main idea, structure, and purpose of descriptive essays.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY ON MARKET (PDF)

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY EXAMPLE PERSON (PDF)

To help you understand how to write a great descriptive essay, we have a whole blog post dedicated to it. We know that talking about something is one thing and demonstrating it is completely different.

Having a descriptive essay assignment with a short deadline? Looking for someone to do my essay for me ?

5StarEssays.com academic writing professionals are ready to help you. They read the essay details before writing and make sure that they incorporate all the details in it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the features of a descriptive essay.

A descriptive essay provides a perfect opportunity for writers to express their feelings on any subject. Descriptive writing has rich sensory details which appeal to all of your senses.

How do you start a descriptive essay introduction?

The introduction to the descriptive essay should set the scene and introduce the main topic. You can use these sensory details to get a sense of what the essay is all about.

What are the two types of descriptive essays?

There are two types of descriptive essays. The first type deals with people, and the second one is about objects.

What are the elements of a descriptive essay?

Here are the key elements of a descriptive essay.

  • Sensory details
  • Figurative language
  • Central and main theme
  • Precise and clear language
  • Proper organization of ideas

What makes good descriptive writing?

Good and effective descriptive writing consists of vivid sensory details that appeal to all senses including the sense of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Moreover, these essays also explain people’s feelings in writing.

Cathy A.

Finance Essay, Literature

Cathy has been been working as an author on our platform for over five years now. She has a Masters degree in mass communication and is well-versed in the art of writing. Cathy is a professional who takes her work seriously and is widely appreciated by clients for her excellent writing skills.

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Jun 27, 2023

Descriptive Essay Examples: Bring Your Writing to Life with Vivid Descriptions and Engaging Language

Dive into the vibrant world of descriptive writing! Discover how to captivate your audience with rich details and stirring language, creating immersive experiences with your words!

Immerse yourself in the vibrant art of descriptive writing in this comprehensive guide. Throughout this article, we'll explore the intricacies of crafting descriptive essays, offering you useful tips, and showcasing compelling examples.

 You'll learn the essence of sensory details in creating vivid imagery, the structure of a captivating essay, and pointers for picking engaging topics. Our journey will feature rich examples like a description of the Grand Canyon, demystifying the language techniques used.

 So, are you ready to amplify your writing skills and charm your readers with words? Dive right into the world of descriptive essays and let your creativity flow!

Understanding Descriptive Essays

Before we delve into crafting engaging descriptive essays, let's clarify their fundamental purpose. Each essay type serves a unique role, and for descriptive essays, the objective is to paint an elaborate picture using vivid language and sensory details. As a writer, your goal is to transport readers to a particular location, event, or time, allowing them to experience it through their senses.

Among different essay types, each comes with a specific objective. Let's consider a few:

Narrative Essays: These essays recount a story or event. Your goal here is to craft a captivating narrative that keeps your reader engrossed from beginning to end.

Descriptive Essays: The focus of a descriptive essay is to create a vivid mental image for your reader. By using intricate details and expressive language, you invite readers into a sensory experience, making them feel as if they're part of the story.

Expository Essays: In an expository essay, the aim is to clarify or inform. You should present information in a clear, concise manner, educating your reader about a particular topic or issue.

Persuasive Essays: Persuasive essays aim to convince the reader to adopt a certain viewpoint or perform a specific action. Your task here is to utilize evidence and logical reasoning to support your argument, persuading your reader to agree with your stance.

In the context of creative writing, which includes forms like short stories, poetry, novels, and memoirs, descriptive writing serves as an essential tool. Through the use of metaphors, vivid descriptions, and other literary devices, writers can create a powerful impact and engage readers in an imaginative experience.

Whether you are aiming for fiction or non-fiction, creative writing offers a platform to explore your creativity, express your thoughts, ideas, and experiences in an original and unique way. It invites experimentation with styles, genres, and techniques, allowing for the creation of unique literary pieces.

Improving creative writing skills is an ongoing journey, with numerous resources available, including online courses and writing workshops. So, embark on your creative journey, explore your imagination, and unlock your creative potential!

In conclusion, understanding an essay's objective is a crucial step towards successful writing. A clear definition of the essay's purpose guides you to develop a robust thesis statement and structure your arguments effectively, making your essay a compelling read.

The Framework of a Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essays breathe life into words by painting a vivid picture of a person, place, thing, or experience. They employ sensory details and expressive language to make the subject come alive for the reader. Here's a basic yet effective structure you might use when crafting a descriptive essay:

1. Introduction

Your introduction should pique the reader's interest and provide some context for your essay's subject. Begin with an engaging statement about your subject, an intriguing rhetorical question, or an interesting fact to hook your audience. Subsequently, introduce your thesis statement, a clear declaration of the particular aspect or impression of the subject you will be describing.

2. Body Paragraphs

The body of your essay should dive into a detailed description of your subject. Each paragraph should spotlight a unique facet of your subject, using sensory details to paint a vibrant image for the reader. Language techniques such as metaphors, similes, and personification can enhance your descriptions. Depending on your subject and its characteristics, you may want to organize your paragraphs in chronological or spatial order.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion should encapsulate the key points of your essay, leaving a lasting impression on your reader. Restate your thesis statement and offer a brief summary of your main points. Conclude with a striking statement or image that underscores your essay's primary theme.

Bear in mind that this structural blueprint for a descriptive essay is flexible and may require adjustments based on the specific topic or purpose of your essay. Still, this basic outline provides a robust foundation to organize your thoughts and guide your journey in crafting a compelling descriptive essay.

Expanding Your Imagination: Descriptive Essay Writing Inspiration Ideas

Crafting a remarkable descriptive essay involves bringing a scene to life with your words. This immersive style of writing can be applied to a variety of topics. Here are some areas you might want to explore:

1. Recalling Cherished Memories

Our minds are vaults of experiences just waiting to be unraveled. Dive into your childhood memories and bring forth a moment that left an indelible mark on you. Remember to describe the environment, your emotions, people around you, and why this memory has remained so vivid over the years.

2. Exploring Unfamiliar Territories

Have you always dreamt about a certain place but never had the chance to visit? This is your opportunity to transport your readers to this location using your imagination. Research, craft an image, and explore this place in your mind, then share it with your audience.

3. The Magic of the Seasons

Every season carries its unique charm. Pick your favorite season and describe its essence. Use sensory details to communicate the change in the atmosphere, the transformation in the landscape, and how these alterations make you feel.

4. Delving into Personal Relationships

Consider a person who has made a significant impact on your life. It could be a family member, a friend, or even a celebrity. Describe them and explain why they are so influential. Discuss their characteristics, their words, actions, or ideas that have inspired you.

5. Relishing in the Gastronomic Delights

Food can elicit powerful memories and emotions. Describe your favorite dish or a memorable meal in great detail. Use descriptive language to convey its flavors, textures, and aromas, and share why it holds a special place in your heart.

6. Reimagining Historical Events

Historical events offer rich ground for descriptive essays. Choose an event that interests you and imagine you're a part of it. Describe the environment, the people, their emotions, and the atmosphere during this event.

Remember, the key to writing a compelling descriptive essay is to paint a vibrant picture using your words. By carefully selecting your subject and using detailed, sensory language, you can create a narrative that captivates your readers and provides them an experience to remember. Be creative, have fun with your writing, and let your imagination roam free.

Descriptive Essay Examples

Example essay 1: "my favorite place" .

My favorite place in the world is my grandparents' farm in the countryside. As I walk down the dirt road that leads to the farmhouse, I am greeted by the sweet smell of hay and the sound of crickets chirping in the distance. The rolling hills that surround the farm are covered in lush green grass and dotted with wildflowers of every color. The old wooden barn and weathered farmhouse are a testament to the many years of hard work and love that my grandparents have put into this land. I can't help but feel a sense of peace and belonging when I am here, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the memories of my family.

Example Essay 2: "The Haunted House" 

As I stepped through the creaky gate and onto the overgrown path that led to the abandoned mansion, I felt a chill run down my spine. The house's ivy-covered walls and broken windows loomed over me like a giant beast waiting to pounce. The air was thick with the scent of decay and mold, and the sound of rustling leaves and distant whispers made me feel as if I was not alone. As I explored the dark and eerie interior of the house, I couldn't help but feel as if I was stepping into a nightmare. The peeling wallpaper and rotting floorboards added to the sense of dread, and the only light came from the occasional flash of lightning that illuminated the shadows. I left the haunted house feeling as if I had been transported to another world, a world of darkness and fear.

Example Essay 3: "A Day at the Beach" 

The sun was blazing down on the white sand and turquoise waters of the beach as I settled onto my towel and let the warm breeze wash over me. The sound of crashing waves and seagulls filled the air, and the salty smell of the ocean mingled with the sweet scent of coconut oil and sunscreen. The water was crystal clear, and I could see schools of brightly colored fish darting in and out of the waves. As the day wore on, I built sandcastles with my nieces and nephews, went for a swim in the cool water, and soaked up the sun until my skin was golden brown. As the sun began to set and the sky turned fiery orange and pink, I knew that this was a day I would never forget.

Example Essay 4: "The City at Night" 

The city comes alive at night, its streets bathed in the glow of neon lights and the hum of activity. The air is filled with the scent of roasted peanuts and hot dogs, and the sound of honking horns and chatter of people fills your ears. The towering skyscrapers loom above you, casting long shadows that stretch across the sidewalks. The city never sleeps, and you feel alive in its energy and vibrancy.

Example Essay 5: "My First Love" 

The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I was in love. Her eyes were like pools of emerald green, and her smile was like sunshine on a cloudy day. Her voice was soft and musical, and I could listen to her talk for hours. We spent every moment we could together, exploring the city, watching movies, and talking about everything and nothing at all. Even now, years later, I can still feel the warmth of her hand in mine and the thrill of our first kiss.

Example Essay 6: "A Winter Wonderland" 

As I stepped outside into the winter wonderland, I was struck by the beauty of the snow-covered landscape. The trees were draped in a blanket of white, and the snow sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. The air was cold and crisp, and my breath formed puffs of steam as I exhaled. I bundled up in my warmest coat and gloves and set out to explore the snowy wonderland, feeling like a child again.

Example Essay 7: "The Perfect Day" 

The perfect day for me is one where the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the world is filled with endless possibilities. I wake up early and savor a cup of hot coffee as I watch the sunrise from my front porch. Then, I spend the day exploring the great outdoors, hiking in the mountains, swimming in a crystal-clear lake, and soaking up the beauty of nature. In the evening, I enjoy a delicious meal with my loved ones, and we laugh and share stories until the stars come out.

Example Essay 8: "A Magical Place" 

As I stepped through the door of the tiny bookstore, I felt as if I had been transported to a magical world. The shelves were lined with books of every size and color, and the air was thick with the scent of old paper and ink. The cozy armchairs and crackling fireplace invited me to curl up with a good book and get lost in a story. I spent hours exploring the aisles and discovering hidden treasures, feeling as if I had found a secret portal to another world.

Example Essay 9: "The Taste of Home" 

The taste of my grandmother's cooking is something that will always hold a special place in my heart. Her homemade apple pie was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, with a buttery crust that melted in my mouth. Her hearty beef stew warmed my soul on cold winter nights, and her homemade bread was the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Every bite was infused with love and care, and I can still taste the flavors of my childhood in every dish she made.

Example Essay 10: "The Seashore"

 As I walked along the sandy shore, the sound of crashing waves filled my ears and the salty ocean air tickled my nose. The sun beat down on my skin, warming me from the inside out. I closed my eyes and listened to the seagulls calling overhead and the laughter of children playing in the distance. The water lapped at my toes, sending chills up my spine. It was the perfect day at the beach, and I never wanted it to end.

Example Essay 11: "The Concert" 

The roar of the crowd and the pulsing beat of the music filled the arena, making my heart race with excitement. The lights flashed in time with the music, casting the performers in a rainbow of colors. The lead singer's voice soared through the air, and I felt as if I were transported to another world. The energy was electric, and I couldn't help but dance along with the crowd, lost in the music.

Example Essay 12: "Autumn Leaves" 

The trees were ablaze with color, their leaves a riot of red, orange, and gold. The air was crisp and cool, and the sound of rustling leaves echoed through the quiet streets. The smell of wood smoke and pumpkin spice filled the air, and I felt a sense of peace and contentment wash over me. As I walked through the park, I kicked up piles of leaves and marveled at the beauty of the season.

Example Essay 13: "The Old House" 

The old house was a thing of beauty, its weathered exterior and ivy-covered walls telling the story of years gone by. As I stepped inside, the creaking floorboards and musty smell of old books greeted me, transporting me back in time. The rooms were filled with antique furniture and intricate wallpaper, and the sunlight streaming through the dusty windows cast a warm glow over everything. I felt as if I were a character in a novel, exploring the secrets of this forgotten place.

Example Essay 14: "The First Snowfall" 

As I looked out the window, I saw the first snowflakes of the season drifting down from the sky. The world outside was transformed, the trees and buildings dusted with a layer of pristine white. The air was cold and crisp, and the sound of snow crunching underfoot was a satisfying crunch. I couldn't help but smile as I stepped outside, feeling the snowflakes land on my cheeks and melt against my skin.

Example Essay 15: "The Mountain" 

As I hiked up the mountain, the air grew cooler and the scenery became more breathtaking with every step. The rugged landscape was dotted with trees and boulders, and the sound of rushing water filled the air. I paused to catch my breath and took in the panoramic view of the valley below, feeling small and insignificant in the face of such natural beauty. It was a humbling experience, and I felt grateful for the opportunity to witness it.

Example Essay 16: "The Market"

 The market was a cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells. The vendors called out their wares in a dozen different languages, and the smell of spices and fresh produce mingled in the air. I wandered through the crowded stalls, admiring the handmade crafts and sampling the local delicacies. It was a feast for the senses, and I couldn't help but be swept up in the energy of it all.

Example Essay 17: "The Sunrise" 

As the sun rose over the horizon, the sky was painted with hues of pink, orange, and gold. The world was quiet, and the only sound was the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore. I watched in awe as the sun slowly crept higher into the sky, casting its warm glow over everything in its path. It was a peaceful moment, and I felt a sense of renewal and hope for the day ahead.

Remember, when writing a descriptive essay, it's important to use sensory details to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind. These examples demonstrate how descriptive language can help to bring a place, experience, feeling, or season to life. Use these examples as inspiration for your writing and experiment with different techniques to find your unique style.

In conclusion, the art of crafting a compelling descriptive essay lies in harnessing sensory details and vivid language to immerse readers in your narrative. Constant practice and experimentation with various literary techniques will help refine your unique style.

To further boost your writing skills, consider leveraging the power of AI tools like Jenni.ai . This advanced writing assistant provides features such as AI Autocomplete, In-text Citations, and Paraphrase & Rewrite, effectively enhancing your writing process. With global acclaim, Jenni.ai accelerates your writing speed and caters to a broad spectrum of writing needs.

In essence, combining your creativity with potent AI assistance can elevate your writing quality, efficiency, and overall experience, ultimately taking your descriptive essay skills to the next level.

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How To Write A Descriptive Essay About A Place (Step By Step)

Table of Contents

Descriptive essay about a place

Descriptive essay focus on specific details about an object, a place or an event. It presents an object to the reader using vivid language for the reader to have a mental picture  of what the writer is describing. When composing a detailed essay about a particular place,  the paper needs to present clear descriptions about the location to the reader. Writing an essay about a familiar place gives the writer  an opportunity to present his personal experience and feelings the place invokes in him.

How to start a descriptive essay

Before presenting the beautiful scenery, the author needs to  be observant of the surroundings because the essay would require detailed explanations and the vibrant experiences about the place.  The author needs to identify all the important items that make the place worth describing. A good essay should be based on personal experience whereby the author can easily reflect about his experience.

The first step of developing an essay is to start with a brief introduction, a descriptive introduction would determine whether the reader would want to continue reading the article or not. The author needs to use words that would attract the reader’s attention at the beginning of the essay. An introduction should start with a strong statement, and in the end, the writer needs to present the thesis statement by relating it to what is being described. The thesis statement reveals why the place is important to the author.

A good introduction can start with an anecdote, the author can narrate an interesting story to heighten the reader’s curiosity. A good anecdote sets a good tone for the essay and acts as a transition sentence  from the introduction to the body of the essay. An introductory paragraph needs to mention the name, the exact address, and other exciting things that makes to reader wants to  visit  the location.

How to write main part

The essay body should express  feelings, the taste, the smell, the sights and sounds of the place. The author describes the different aspects of the location for the reader to develop a  mental picture of how the place looks like.  For instance, when describing your grandmother’s home, the body essay describes how beautiful the place looks like, including the lovely trees, her tasty cookies, the most soil around the nearby river,  the dishes clicking in the kitchen and how you feel the about the particles of the wood on the staircase. The author can also talk about the people living nearby and any unique features around the home .

Apart from detailed descriptions, the author needs to reflect about the place and make important connections to it. For instance, the essay needs to highlight why  the place is a  safe haven from everyday stress. The author can also present some of the feeling associated with the location, this will make the readers aware why the place is important to the author.

How to conclude a descriptive essay

The concluding paragraph should rephrase the inspiration of the essay providing detail and personal feelings and also make recommendations for the readers. A good conclusion should describe why the place is significant. Even though the descriptive language used can provoke the reader’s emotion, the audience wants to know why the author spent a lot of time describing the place. Apart from just highlighting the good experience about the place, a good conclusion explains the significance of the essay theme.  The conclusion simply confirms to the audience what was already presented,  but using selected sensory language for the readers to believe that the place is amazing. A good paper should end on a strong note, leaving the audience feeling satisfied in the concluding paragraph. A good descriptive essay should create excitement for its readers.

Outline example

Introduction

  • Hook sentence  with detailed descriptions that grabs the reader’s attention
  • Brief background  about the  place
  • Sensory descriptions of the place.

Body paragraph

  • Topic sentence  that  supports the thesis statement
  • Describe the place  by the name and the exact location
  • Description about the feelings the place invokes
  • Provide additional sensory descriptions about the place, including the surrounding areas.
  • Opening sentence  justifying why the place is significant
  • The facts that support the descriptions using attractive descriptions.
  • Explain intensely about the place
  • Describe the important details  for the readers
  • Present emotional background
  • Present the author’s emotional  response based on the place being described.
  • Expand  the feelings described in the above paragraphs
  • Provide additional  emotional details  using a decisive factor statement
  • Restate the feeling of the location.
  • Restate the main thesis ideas  described in the paragraphs
  • Repeat to the reader why this particular location is important
  • Review the major things  that the author vividly recalls
  • The feeling and the difference the location makes in the author’s life.

example of essay describing a place

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How to write a descriptive essay.

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Think of the last time you were completely captivated by a good story. What made it so enthralling? What caused it to take your attention from everything else? Most likely, it was the author’s use of descriptive language that helped you feel like you were actually a part of the story. You could probably imagine what it would have looked or felt like to be in each place the book described. Descriptive essays do much the same thing. They’re essays meant to engage the readers to paint a descriptive picture of the words on paper.

Let's say you are assigned to write a descriptive essay about a place, and you’re wondering where to begin. How do you make sure your essay is captivating, and passes with flying colors? In this blog, we’ll show you exactly how to write an all-star descriptive essay about a place, by covering the steps involved in writing, and the elements of how to write a great descriptive essay.

First, we will review the purpose of descriptive essays, then discuss why they are important, and we will end by sharing pro writing tips to help find the right words.

What are descriptive essays?

The goal of a descriptive essay is to be captivating, including sensory-oriented details of a person, place, experience, or object. Include this in your essay and the reader's imagination will go wherever is being described. These essays accomplish this by using vivid language, specific adjectives, and clear explanations so that the reader can personally relate. Descriptive essays are written so that readers can imagine and understand the feelings, sensations, visualizations, and sounds the author is describing.

Related how-to guide— How to write a narrative essay .

Why are descriptive essays important?

A detailed description helps readers empathize with your experience and, as an author, you can communicate this meaning. This is important because much of our academic and professional success depends on our ability to clearly, and specifically, communicate our experiences to others. We may not be writing a descriptive essay each time we communicate our experiences, but writing descriptive essays definitely strengthen our ability to convey specific details in compelling ways.

How to Use the Five Senses in an Essay | Ultius

For example, writing a descriptive essay about a place can strengthen your ability to communicate your work expertise to your next potential employer; or to write your life experiences in a compelling way in your next scholarship essay (learn how to write a scholarship essay ).

Perhaps you’d like to write your own book some day or craft your own advertising campaigns using your business degree—both of which are more successful when the reader can empathize with your writing. You’ll use descriptive language to succeed at both!

Choosing a descriptive essay topic

Descriptive essays can be written about many topics. One of the most common assignments you may receive is to write a descriptive essay about a place. Here are a few descriptive writing example topics you might choose:

Place / Topic Purpose
Favorite vacation spot To allow readers to understand your personal experiences
The house you grew up in To help readers gain a background understanding of who you are and what growing up was like for you
Your place of work Helping readers understand your daily life
Riding a New York subway Allowing someone who has never experienced this to understand what it feels like
Driving through a snowstorm To enlighten readers to the dangers felt during this experience

Who writes descriptive essays?

Being able to write well is a skill for any career you're pursuing whether it be business, arts, marketing, education, or even medicine!

Students in these areas will be assigned to write a descriptive essay at some point during their high school or undergraduate careers:

  • Language arts students
  • Literature and cultural studies students
  • Social studies students
  • Psychology students

Finding the right words for an engaging essay can be challenging. Plus, many students are pressed for time, juggling work, family, and extracurricular activities on top of trying to complete assignments. If you can identify, this blog will help get you started.

Find words that paint a picture

When your future career depends on it, you want to feel confident and proud of your work instead of overwhelmed by it. Practicing smart time management and finding the writing help you need, when you need it, is important.

Elements of a great descriptive essay

Before we dive into how to write a descriptive essay, let’s review some key elements that will help you paint a picture in writing:

Clear organization

Effective descriptive essays are clearly organized. In other words, the reader is able to easily understand why she or he is reading the essay, the place the essay will describe, and what the purpose of the description is. This is accomplished by organizing the essay into and introduction, body and conclusion.

Introduction: A captivating hook

The opening of your essay is one of the most important parts because it interests readers. Start with a captivating introductory paragraph. One way to do this is by using anecdotes to grab readers’ attention. Anecdotes are short stories that can be used literally or metaphorically to help readers relate to what you’re going to write about.

For example, an anecdote that opens an essay with descriptive words about what it’s like to be working in the middle of busy production factory might read:

“Imagine every appliance in your house is turned on—your vacuum cleaner, your blender, your fans—and imagine on top of all that, you hear airplanes and helicopters flying overhead and cars buzzing by outside. Meanwhile, you’re trying to focus on your tasks…”

This type of anecdote accomplishes two key things: First, it engages the reader and helps them personally relate to your essay by asking them to imagine. Second, it immediately clarifies the type of place you’re going to write about.

Build your essay with strong imagery. Capture the time, date, weather, and mood of the place.

The introduction paragraph should end by explaining the place the rest of the essay is going to describe and why. This includes any key setting logistics like time, specific location, and who’s involved.

Body: Full of specifics and adjectives

Anecdotes are also helpful in the body paragraphs of a descriptive essay, for the same reasons noted above. The body of a great descriptive essay about a place should be packed full of vivid, sensory language. During the body of a descriptive essay, the reader gains a clear image and understanding of the place being described, as if he or she were actually there. To accomplish this, the body paragraphs use descriptive adjectives and colorful phrases such as, “The chaotic, clashing noise was deafening,” or, “The scent of freshly fallen rain cleansed the sunlit air, and I could see the horizon for miles.”

Correct vs Incorrect Adjective | Ultius

Use one or two strong adjectives to convey descriptions in your sentences. This creates a flow throughout the entire essay. Be sure to note, not every sentence requires an adjective or adverb.

If you’re having trouble with finding adjectives and adverbs, use strong action verbs instead.

Conclusion: Reminding readers of the meaning

Just as the introduction of a descriptive essay previews what place will be written about and why, the conclusion reminds readers of what was just described and why it’s important. The key is to not sound redundant. For instance, while the introductory paragraph hooks readers and then tells them what they can expect to read, the conclusion summarizes what was written and leaves readers with thought-provoking ideas to consider, helping them to understand how the essay may relate to their lives, or why it’s important to the reader.

Revisiting the production factory introduction example, the same essay’s conclusion may summarize with a statement highlighting the essay’s takeaways, such as, “The chaos and noise of the factory made it difficult to focus, but after working there for five years, I learned how to overcome that challenge. Now I can focus in even the most noisy of places.”

Steps to writing a great descriptive essay

1) choose a topic.

Depending on the purpose of your descriptive essay assignment, you may have varying flexibility in terms of what place you can choose to write about. Nonetheless, try to choose a topic that vividly stands out in your memory. The more you can remember about a place and how it felt, the better your descriptive paper is likely to be. For example, if you’re assignment asks you to write about a place you’ve traveled to, what destination comes to mind first? Perhaps it’s a foreign country. Or, if you haven’t traveled much, it could even be a different town.

Brainstorming techniques | Ultius

2) Observe the details

If you’re writing about a place you’re currently at or can easily visit, spend time observing the details. Watch what the scenery looks like, including colors and objects. What sounds do you hear? What’s the temperature? What scents do you notice? How do you feel being there? All these questions will help guide your descriptive flow writing process (step six).

If you’re writing about a place you visited in the past, ask yourself the same questions. Perhaps look at old photos to jog your memory. Finally, if you’re asked to describe a place you’ve never been, use your imagination to answer similar questions. The more time you take to list details about what your place feels like, the easier the next steps will be.

3) Understand why your place is important

Ask yourself why you think it is important to share this with your readers. Having a clear understanding of your essays’ importance will not only help you write your introduction and conclusion, but it will also help you stay focused on describing the details that matter most.

4) Outline and organize your writing

Now it’s time to begin the actual descriptive writing process by organizing your ideas into an outline . Your outline doesn’t have to be formal; just a simple numbered list of points to include in your introduction, body and conclusion will suffice. This will guide your writing process and keep you focused.

5) Start with the introduction

Remember step number one and three, “your topic ” and “why your place is important?” Those are the two main highlights you’ll want to make clear in your introductory paragraph. When writing your introduction, be sure it explains what you’re about to describe and why you’re going to write about it.

6) Write the body in free-flow style

The body paragraph of your essay can sometimes be the most difficult part, depending on length, a great way to start is by free-flow writing. This means that you simply start writing your detailed description of the place you’re writing about, without editing or analyzing as you write. This often helps to overcome writer’s block while making sure that all the critical details you jotted down in step two, “observe the details,” get down on paper and into the body of your essay. You’ll be able to go back later and edit the body of your paper for organization, flow and grammar. As long as you start your free-flow within the bullet points of the outline you created, the process will be relatively simple and easy.

7) Revise the body of your essay

Now it’s time to go back and be sure all the free-flow writing you just did is clear, makes sense and follows your original outline. You may need to re-arrange a few sentences or even paragraphs. This is also a great time to check for spelling and grammar errors.

Next, read the body paragraph of your essay and pretend you’re someone else reading it for the first time. How does it sound? Does it make sense and flow? If not, ask yourself what would make your descriptions more understandable for the reader. Finally, remember that not every sentence of your descriptive essay needs to sound fancy, artistic, or be long. Vary your sentence length, breaking up long sentences with short sentences to make reading easier. Use exciting language, but don’t over-do it or adjectives will lose their power.

8) Finish your essay strong

Writing a strong conclusion is key to leaving a lasting impression with your readers. A great way to conclude your descriptive essay about a place is to reiterate, in a new way, how the place you’re describing impacted you and why you believe it’s important. You can also describe what you hope readers may learn from your essay.

9) Proofread your work

You can never re-read your essay too many times. Proofread your work at least twice for spelling and grammar errors. It’s often helpful to read your writing out loud, since that slows the reading process and helps us catch errors we may otherwise overlook.

Steps for writing a narrative essay | Ultius

Also, don’t be afraid to ask a friend to proof your work. If you’re still stuck or need help, the writing center has tons of resources just for you like expert advice, essay examples, and more.

Final words of wisdom

1) Be specific The more specific you are, the more readers will be able to relate to your descriptions. For example, “The heat outside made me feel sluggish and exhausted” is a more effective description than, “It was so hot outside.”
2) Write first, edit later Break writer’s block by writing unedited. You can always revisit your work later, as many times as you need.
3) Remember your adjectives Descriptions would be lifeless without adjectives! What words can you use to make the place you’re describing come to life?!
4) Include the 5 senses How does the place you’re describing feel, smell, look, taste and sound?
5) Read from an outsider’s perspective Pretend you’re your instructor or friend, reading your essay. Does it flow and make sense?
6) Ask for help when you need it Juggling work, family and other non-school obligations shouldn’t keep you from succeeding academically. Ultius is here to help by providing you with the exact resources you need to save time and put your best foot forward.

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How to Write a Good Descriptive Paragraph

  • Writing Essays
  • Writing Research Papers
  • English Grammar
  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York

A good descriptive paragraph is like a window into another world. Through the use of careful examples or details, an author can conjure a scene that vividly describes a person, place, or thing. Whether it's found in fiction or nonfiction, the best descriptive writing appeals to multiple senses at once—smell, sight, taste, touch, and hearing.

See below for examples of strong descriptive paragraphs, and then get some tips to start writing your own.

5 Examples of Strong Descriptive Paragraphs

In their unique ways, each of the following writers (three of them students, two of them professional authors) have selected a belonging or place that holds special meaning to them. After identifying that subject in a clear topic sentence, they proceed to describe it in detail while explaining its introspective significance.

"A Friendly Clown"

"On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle―a gift I received last Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and expand to the black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend Tran, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room."

Observe how the writer moves clearly from a description of the head of the clown to the body to the unicycle underneath. More than sensory details for the eyes, she provides touch, in the description that the hair is made of yarn and the suit of nylon. Certain colors are specific, as in cherry-red cheeks and light blue, and descriptions help the reader visualize the object: the parted hair, the color line on the suit, and the grapefruit analogy. Dimensions overall help to provide the reader with the item's scale, and the descriptions of the size of the ruffle and bows on the shoes in comparison to what's nearby provide telling detail. The concluding sentence helps to tie the paragraph together by emphasizing the personal value of this gift.

"The Blond Guitar"

by Jeremy Burden

"My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar―the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and fingerprinted. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it."

Here, the writer uses a topic sentence to open his paragraph and then uses the following sentences to add specific details . The author creates an image for the mind's eye to travel across by describing the parts of the guitar logically, from the strings on the head to the worn wood on the body.

He emphasizes its condition by the number of different descriptions of the wear on the guitar, such as noting its slight warp; distinguishing between scuffs and scratches; describing the effect that fingers have had on the instrument by wearing down its neck, tarnishing frets, and leaving prints on the body; listing both its chips and gouges and even noting their effects on the color of the instrument. The author even describes the remnants of missing pieces. After all that, he plainly states his affection for it.

"Gregory"

by Barbara Carter

"Gregory is my beautiful gray Persian cat. He walks with pride and grace, performing a dance of disdain as he slowly lifts and lowers each paw with the delicacy of a ballet dancer. His pride, however, does not extend to his appearance, for he spends most of his time indoors watching television and growing fat. He enjoys TV commercials, especially those for Meow Mix and 9 Lives. His familiarity with cat food commercials has led him to reject generic brands of cat food in favor of only the most expensive brands. Gregory is as finicky about visitors as he is about what he eats, befriending some and repelling others. He may snuggle up against your ankle, begging to be petted, or he may imitate a skunk and stain your favorite trousers. Gregory does not do this to establish his territory, as many cat experts think, but to humiliate me because he is jealous of my friends. After my guests have fled, I look at the old fleabag snoozing and smiling to himself in front of the television set, and I have to forgive him for his obnoxious, but endearing, habits."

The writer here focuses less on the physical appearance of her pet than on the cat's habits and actions. Notice how many different descriptors go into just the sentence about how the cat walks: emotions of pride and disdain and the extended metaphor of the dancer, including the phrases "dance of disdain," "grace," and "ballet dancer." When you want to portray something through the use of a metaphor, make sure you are consistent, and that all the descriptors make sense with that one metaphor. Don't use two different metaphors to describe the same thing, because that makes the image you're trying to portray awkward and convoluted. The consistency adds emphasis and depth to the description.

Personification is an effective literary device for giving lifelike detail to an inanimate object or an animal, and Carter uses it to great effect. Look at how much time she spends on the discussions of what the cat takes pride in (or doesn't) and how it comes across in his attitude, with being finicky and jealous, acting to humiliate by spraying, and just overall behaving obnoxiously. Still, she conveys her clear affection for the cat, something to which many readers can relate.

"The Magic Metal Tube"

by Maxine Hong Kingston

"Once in a long while, four times so far for me, my mother brings out the metal tube that holds her medical diploma. On the tube are gold circles crossed with seven red lines each―"joy" ideographs in abstract. There are also little flowers that look like gears for a gold machine. According to the scraps of labels with Chinese and American addresses, stamps, and postmarks, the family airmailed the can from Hong Kong in 1950. It got crushed in the middle, and whoever tried to peel the labels off stopped because the red and gold paint came off too, leaving silver scratches that rust. Somebody tried to pry the end off before discovering that the tube falls apart. When I open it, the smell of China flies out, a thousand-year-old bat flying heavy-headed out of the Chinese caverns where bats are as white as dust, a smell that comes from long ago, far back in the brain."

This paragraph opens the third chapter of Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts," a lyrical account of a Chinese-American girl growing up in California. Notice how Kingston integrates informative and descriptive details in this account of "the metal tube" that holds her mother's diploma from medical school. She uses color, shape, texture (rust, missing paint, pry marks, and scratches), and smell, where she has a particularly strong metaphor that surprises the reader with its distinctness. The last sentence in the paragraph (not reproduced here) is more about the smell; closing the paragraph with this aspect adds emphasis to it. The order of the description is also logical, as the first response to the closed object is how it looks rather than how it smells when opened.

"Inside District School #7, Niagara County, New York"

by Joyce Carol Oates

"Inside, the school smelled smartly of varnish and wood smoke from the potbellied stove. On gloomy days, not unknown in upstate New York in this region south of Lake Ontario and east of Lake Erie, the windows emitted a vague, gauzy light, not much reinforced by ceiling lights. We squinted at the blackboard, that seemed far away since it was on a small platform, where Mrs. Dietz's desk was also positioned, at the front, left of the room. We sat in rows of seats, smallest at the front, largest at the rear, attached at their bases by metal runners, like a toboggan; the wood of these desks seemed beautiful to me, smooth and of the red-burnished hue of horse chestnuts. The floor was bare wooden planks. An American flag hung limply at the far left of the blackboard and above the blackboard, running across the front of the room, designed to draw our eyes to it avidly, worshipfully, were paper squares showing that beautifully shaped script known as Parker Penmanship."

In this paragraph (originally published in "Washington Post Book World" and reprinted in ​"Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art"), Joyce Carol Oates affectionately describes the one-room schoolhouse she attended from first through fifth grades. Notice how she appeals to our sense of smell before moving on to describe the layout and contents of the room. When you walk into a place, its overall smell hits you immediately, if it's pungent, even before you've taken in the whole area with your eyes. Thus this choice of chronology for this descriptive paragraph is also a logical order of narration, even though it differs from the Hong Kingston paragraph. It allows the reader to imagine the room just as if he were walking into it.

The positioning of items relative to other items is on full display in this paragraph, to give people a clear vision of the layout of the place as a whole. For the objects inside, she uses many descriptors of what materials they are made from. Note the imagery portrayed by the use of the phrases "gauzy light," "toboggan," and "horse chestnuts." You can imagine the emphasis placed on penmanship study by the description of their quantity, the deliberate location of the paper squares, and the desired effect upon the students brought about by this location.

Writing Your Own Descriptive Paragraph

Writing your own descriptive paragraph ? Always start by observing your subject closely, using all five senses. Think about and write down as many details as you can; then, try to associate different metaphors or expressions to convey those details. Don't forget to identify what your topic sentence should be. And of course, be open to whatever your imagination explores. Need ideas for a topic? Check out this list of 40 descriptive paragraph topic suggestions .

  • Examples of Great Introductory Paragraphs
  • Practice in Supporting a Topic Sentence with Specific Details
  • How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph
  • 40 Topics to Help With Descriptive Writing Assignments
  • Model Place Descriptions
  • Maxine Hong Kingston’s "The Woman Warrior"
  • Expanding Sentences With Adjectives and Adverbs
  • Understanding Organization in Composition and Speech
  • Writing a Descriptive Essay
  • Writing Descriptive Paragraphs
  • How to Teach Topic Sentences Using Models
  • How to Structure an Essay
  • detail (composition)
  • Supporting Detail in Composition and Speech
  • Understanding General-to-Specific Order in Composition
  • Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing

Describing a Place Essay edumantra.net

Describing a Place| Tips, Techniques, & Examples

Describing a place paragraphs.

When describing a place , you have to be able to use all of the five senses so that the readers feel as if they are there too. An easy way to do this is by using adjectives to describe what you see, hear, touch, taste and smell while you are in the environment . The human brain is a powerful instrument , one that we shouldn’t take for granted.

Descriptive Writing about a Place- Some Techniques to Describe a Place

If you want to describe a place, you will need to use some specific adjectives and verbs . To start, you might want to use general words like “beautiful,” “serene,” or ” majestic.” However, these words alone will not give your reader a clear picture of the place. You will need to be more specific. For example- If you are describing a mountain, you might say that it is “covered in snow” or that it has “a jagged peak.” If you are describing a forest, you might say that it is “dense with trees” or that it has “a thick canopy of leaves.” By using specific adjectives and verbs, you can give your reader a much clearer picture of the place you are trying to describe. So finally let’s sum up –

When describing a place, it is important to include as many sensory details as possible. Describe what you see, hear, smell, and feel.

Be sure to use vivid language to bring the reader into the scene. Here are some tips on how to describe a place: 1.Use all five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste means if you ate something at the place you are describing. 2.Be as specific as possible with your adjectives. Instead of saying “nice,” try “splendid,” “gorgeous,” or “wonderful.” 3.Create a mental image for the reader by including as many sensory details as possible. What does the place look like? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? What does it feel like? 4.Use active verbs and strong adjectives to create an engaging description. 5.Vary your sentence structure to keep the reader engaged. Use simple sentences, complex sentences, and short paragraphs. 6.Paint a picture with your words and help the reader feel like they are there in the moment with you.

There are many different ways to describe a place. Some people might describe the physical features of the place, while others might focus on the emotions that they feel when they are there.

Here are a few examples of how you could describe a place:

Example of Describing a Happy Place like Beach- The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the smell of salt in the air, and the feel of sand between my toes; these are some of the things that come to mind when we think of a happy place like beach. Example of Describing a Happy Place like Home- To me, home is a place where I can be myself and relax. It’s a place where I am surrounded by people who love and support me. It’s a place where I feel safe and secure. Example of Describing a Happy Place like Park- The park is my favorite place to go to clear my head. It’s a peaceful oasis in the middle of the city, where I can forget about my troubles and just enjoy nature. Here are some examples of adjectives and phrases that could be used to describe different places: Example of Describing a Comfortable Cottage by the Sea Side A small, cozy cottage by the sea: The cottage was small and cozy, with whitewashed walls and a thatched roof. It sat right on the water’s edge, with a small dock where you could tie up a boat. The waves lapped at the shore, and seagulls cried overhead. Example of Describing a Bustling Busy City Street: The street was busy and noisy, with cars honking and people shouting. The sidewalks were crowded with people rushing to get where they were going. The air was thick with smog and the smell of garbage. Example of Describing a Peaceful Forest: The forest was quiet and peaceful, with tall trees shading the path. Birds sang in the branches, and squirrels chattered in the leaves. A cool breeze drifted through the woods, making the leaves rustle softly. Example of Describing an Uncomfortable Place like a Small Room: The room was small and cramped, with bare walls and a single window. It smelled musty, as if it hadn’t been aired out in months. The only sound was the drip of water from a leaky faucet. The air was heavy and oppressive. The floor was cold and damp. Example of Describing a Nice Place like Garden: The garden was a riot of color and scent. Flowers of every hue filled the air with their fragrance. Birds sang in the trees, and insects buzzed among the flowers. The grass was soft and cool beneath my feet. Following are a few links for the examples of describing a place. Click the links below and learn-

1.Describing Place: An Angry Mob

2.describing place: a railway station, 3.describing place: my school, 4. describing place: a visit to a historical place, 5. describing place: hill station, 6. describing place: indian village, people also ask:.

1. How do you describe a beautiful place? Ans : When giving a description of a place, the use of all five senses will help make it come alive. Consider what you see, the sounds that surround you, what you smell and taste, and how it feels to be in this place. Using as many adjectives will create an immersive experience for your readers.

2.What words best describe a place? Ans : The best words to describe a place would be the adjectives that can be used to describe it. These would include words like beautiful, stunning, majestic, and so on.

3. How do you describe a place in a short story? Ans : You can use all five senses to describe a place in a short story. For example, you can describe the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and textures of a place. You can also use similes and metaphors to describe a place.

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Descriptive essay example: a beautiful place.

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I think we all have a beautiful place in our mind. I have a wonderful place that made me happy a lot of times, years ago. But sometimes I think that I am the only person who likes this place and I’m asking myself if this place will be as beautiful as I thought when I will go back to visit it again. Perhaps I made it beautiful in my mind.

This place is meaningful to me because it is part of the county I loved, is part of the county where I grew up and is part of my childhood. This place is in the country in an old region named Appalachia, a small piece of the Appalachian Mountains, in a town named Pikeville.

Pikeville is a polluted town because of the coal industry. People live in apartment or condominium buildings because of its little space available. I grew up in one of the many buildings in Pikeville admiring from my bedroom window the beauty of the mountains, always exploring with my eyes the forest or the meadows, looking for a clean and quiet place. And, I found one on a hill in the back of the town. It is about 100 feet square, it has seven old trees, wild flowers and a lot of bugs and ants during summer time.

I used to go there to sit down on a rock and watch the town and my trees. There was a very old tree, a maple tree, with a huge trunk. The others were smaller, three in the back, three on my left side and the old maple tree on my right. There were flowers, many kinds, white, yellow, purple and blue. It was nobody’s place. Nobody owned that hill, but it was beautiful and peaceful and I dreamed many times about a white house over there.

I think that, these kinds of places are meaningful to people because they are natural and people can be there alone, away from their everyday life.

I used to go there to be alone or to dream with my eyes open admiring the blue sky or the clouds. I liked to go there to lay down on the grass, listen to the wind, kiss the flowers and watch the leaves moving. It was hard to go up the hill to get there, but I wanted to see everyday my seven trees, to see how the color of the leaves changed and to feel the softness of the grass.

I used to go there with a reason or with no reason at all. I knew that I had to be there to forget who I am, to breath and re-feed myself with hope. That was the only place I could go to dance, or sing, or cry. That place was part of me. The wind was part of my breath, the leaves were part of my song, the flowers were part of my purity and the trees were my friends that I used to hug every time when I got there.

I used to go there even in winter to play with clean snow. In my native town, even after a fresh snow, we got a gray-black layer of soot over the snow. All the town was covered with dirty snow.

During winter time my place was still beautiful. My trees had branches full of white, heavy snow. The flowers, the birds, the grass were gone, also the rock I used to sit on was hard to be found, but it was still peaceful, quiet and especially clean. The snow angels I made kept watch over this natural splendor.

This place is far, far-away in time and space, part of my childhood and my adolescence. It means a lot to me because it is beautiful and natural, is a clean and quiet place in a world of noise and dirty air. This place is maybe beautiful just in my mind, but it is one of the few friends I had, back in Romania. I really hope that the new construction will spare this place and others like it, for these are the places that can bring us happiness.

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Descriptive essays are very commonly assigned essays. This type of essay enhances students' writing skills and allows them to think critically. 

A descriptive essay is often referred to as the parent essay type. Other essays like argumentative essays, narrative essays, and expository essays fall into descriptive essays. Also, this essay helps the student enhance their ability to imagine the whole scene in mind by appealing senses.

It is assigned to high school students and all other students at different academic levels. Students make use of the human senses like touch, smell, etc., to make the descriptive essay more engaging for the readers. 

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Examples make it easy for readers to understand things in a better way. Also, in a descriptive essay, different types of descriptions can be discussed. 

Here are some amazing examples of a descriptive essay to make the concept easier for you. 

Descriptive Essay Example 5 Paragraph

5 paragraphs essay writing format is the most common method of composing an essay. This format has 5 paragraphs in total. The sequence of the paragraphs is as follows;

  • Introduction
  • Body Paragraph 1
  • Body Paragraph 2 
  • Body Paragraph 3
  • Conclusion 

Following is an example of a descriptive essay written using the famous 5 paragraph method. 

5 Paragraph Descriptive Essay

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Descriptive Essay Example About A Person

Descriptive essays are the best option when it comes to describing and writing about a person.  A descriptive essay is written using the five human senses. It helps in creating a vivid image in the reader’s mind and understanding what the writer is trying to convey. 

Here is one of the best descriptive essay examples about a person. Read it thoroughly and try to understand how a good descriptive essay is written on someone’s personality.

Descriptive Essay Example About a Person

Descriptive Essay Example About A Place

If you have visited a good holiday spot or any other place and want to let your friends know about it. A descriptive essay can help you explain every detail and moment you had at that place. 

Here is one of the good descriptive essay examples about a place. Use it as a sample and learn how you can write such an essay. 

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Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 6

Descriptive essays are frequently assigned to school students. This type of essay helps the students enhance their writing skills and helps them see things in a more analytical way.

If you are a 6 grader and looking for a good descriptive essay example, you are in the right place.  

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 7

Here is one of the best descriptive essay examples for grade 7. 

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 8

If you are looking for some amazing descriptive essay examples for grade 8, you have already found one. Look at the given example and see what a well-written descriptive essay looks like. 

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 10

Essay writing is an inevitable part of a student's academic life . No matter your grade, you will get to write some sort of essay at least once. 

Here is an example of a descriptive essay writing for grade10. If you are also a student of this grade, this example might help you to complete your assignment.

Descriptive Essay Example for Grade 12

If you are a senior student and looking for some essay examples, you are exactly where you should be. 

Use the below-mentioned example and learn how to write a good essay according to the instructions given to you. 

Descriptive Essay Example College

Descriptive essays are a great way to teach students how they can become better writers. Writing a descriptive essay encourages them to see the world more analytically.

Below is an example that will help you and make your writing process easy.

College Descriptive Essay Example

Descriptive Essay Example for University

Descriptive essays are assigned to students at all academic levels. University students are also assigned descriptive essay writing assignments. As they are students of higher educational levels, they are often given a bit of difficult and more descriptive topics. 

See the example below and know what a descriptive essay at the university level looks like. 

Short Descriptive Essay Example

Every time a descriptive essay isn't written in detail. It depends on the topic of how long the essay will be.  

For instance, look at one of the short descriptive essay examples given below. See how the writer has conveyed the concept in a composed way. 

Objective Descriptive Essay Example

When writing an objective description essay, you focus on describing the object without conveying your emotions, feelings, or personal reactions. The writer uses sight, sound, or touch for readers' minds to bring life into pictures that were painted by words.

Here is an example that you can use for your help. 

Narrative and Descriptive Essay Example

A narrative descriptive essay can be a great way to share your experiences with others. It is a story that teaches a lesson you have learned. The following is an example of a perfect narrative descriptive essay to help you get started.

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How to Start a Descriptive Essay? - Example

If you don't know how to start your descriptive essay, check this example and create a perfect one. 

How to Start a Descriptive Essay - Example

Subjective Descriptive Essay Example

It is a common concept that a descriptive essay revolves around one subject. Be it a place, person, event, or any other object you can think of. 

Following is one of the subjective descriptive, easy examples. Use it as a guide to writing an effective descriptive essay yourself. 

Writing a descriptive essay is a time-consuming yet tricky task. It needs some very strong writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills. Also, this is a type of essay that a student can not avoid and bypass. 

But if you think wisely, work smart, and stay calm, you can get over it easily. Learn how to write a descriptive essay from a short guide given below. 

How to Write a Descriptive Essay?

A writer writes a descriptive essay from their knowledge and imaginative mind. In this essay, the writer describes what he has seen or experienced, or ever heard from someone. For a descriptive essay, it is important to stay focused on one point. Also, the writer should use figurative language so that the reader can imagine the situation in mind. 

The following are some very basic yet important steps that can help you write an amazing descriptive essay easily. 

  • Choose a Topic

For a descriptive essay, you must choose a vast topic to allow you to express yourself freely. Also, make sure that the topic you choose is not overdone. An overdone will not grab the attention of your intended audience. Check out our descriptive essay topics blog for a variety of intriguing topic suggestions.

  • Create a Strong Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the essence of any academic writing. When you select the descriptive essay topic, then you create a strong thesis statement for your essay.  

A thesis statement is a sentence or two that explains the whole idea of your essay to the reader. It is stated in the introductory paragraph of the essay. The word choice for creating the thesis statement must be very expressive, composed, and meaningful. Also, use vivid language for the thesis statement.  

  • Collect the Necessary Information

Once you have created the thesis statement and are done writing your essay introduction . Now, it's time to move toward the body paragraphs. 

Collect all necessary information related to your topic. You would be adding this information to your essay to support your thesis statement. Make sure that you collect information from authentic sources. 

To enhance your essay, make use of some adjectives and adverbs. To make your descriptive essay more vivid, try to incorporate sensory details like touch, taste, sight, and smell.

  • Create a Descriptive Essay Outline

An outline is yet another necessary element of your college essay. By reading the descriptive essay outline , the reader feels a sense of logic and a guide for the essay. 

In the outline, you need to write an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs and end up with a formal conclusion.

Proofreading is a simple procedure in which the writer revises the written essay. This is done in order to rectify the document for any kind of spelling or grammatical mistakes. Thus, proofreading makes high-quality content and gives a professional touch to it. 

You might be uncertain about writing a good enough descriptive essay and impress your teacher. However, it is very common, so you do not need to stress out. 

Hit us up at CollegeEssay.org and get an essay written by our professional descriptive essay writers. Our essay writing service for students aims to help clients in every way possible and ease their stress. Get in touch with our customer support team, and they will take care of all your queries related to your writing. 

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Barbara is a highly educated and qualified author with a Ph.D. in public health from an Ivy League university. She has spent a significant amount of time working in the medical field, conducting a thorough study on a variety of health issues. Her work has been published in several major publications.

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example of essay describing a place

Writing the Memoir (Moxley): Describing a Place

  • Introduction
  • Tips for Writing the Memoir
  • Annotated Memoirs
  • Describing a Person

Describing a Place

  • Sample Topics and Essays

1.  Don’t be mysterious; start with a place name and tell where it is:  “Shreveport, known once as an outpost backcountry town on the Red River in northern Louisiana, is now an I-20 city, a good toilet break between Birmingham and east Texas.  I spent a week one night in Shreveport trying to catch a Greyhound back to Nashville and the rest of southern civilization.”

2.  Give the climate, particularly temperature and weather.  Use concrete imagery to build heat or rain or snow.  Let someone sweat or put on a coat or shiver.  If it’s a bright day, show the sun’s glare off a windshield.  If it’s night, let the moon sail in the clouds.  Whatever you do, let us feel the climate.

3.  Strategically choose the telling details of a scene, be it specific trees, wild flowers, or rock formations if you’re in nature; or sweeping lawns (include grass type), well-arbored trees (give tree type), architecture, or street scenes in the city.

4.  Don’t forget to include textures, sounds, and smells; it’s easy to do the visuals, but make sure to awaken the other senses as well.

5.  Bring action into a setting by letting something happen.  No setting is still and dormant.  The world is in constant motion, so choose what you want us to see happen in order to build the spirit of “place,” also known as atmosphere.

6.  Similar to 5, bring in characters to build a place, especially an interior like an office or restaurant.

7.  Remember that the language you use to create all of the above must be concrete; you need to use metaphors and a few similes, personifications and apostrophe, and other rhetorical devices.  BUT the key thing is to choose nouns and verbs that create textures, smells, tastes, sounds, and sights.

Here are two samples from Willie Morris’ Taps.  This first one describes what Friday nights were like in the fall of Yazoo, Mississippi.  Note how specific Morris gets in his description of precise details.  He’s trying to get you to see Yazoo realistically, not just romantically.

“That Friday night before the Saturday burial was one of the important home football games, and the whole town was imbued with a fine undercurrent of excitement, for on Fridays in the fall you could almost feel the tension in the atmosphere. Everything, the earth and the trees, touched by the airy sunshine, was the soft golden brown of that sad and lovely time. There was a faint presence of wood smoke everywhere and the smell of leaves burning, and the sounds and their echoes—the train whistles, the courthouse chimes, dogs barking, dead leaves drifting—carried a long, long way, as across a vast and immeasurable distance. Surely it was one of the two most thrilling times of the year in the town, if one loves and remembers too the voluptuous and fragrant Aprils. The autumns there are not so fiery or magnificent as the eastern ones, but their sudden sharpened luster after the heavy summers, the bracing exhilaration of them across the invigorated earth, are a song yet in the heart. It seemed not the time to celebrate death, but rather a moment to indulge one's self in the throbs and melancholies of the living. Wherever you looked, there was a truckload of raw cotton coming in for ginning; along the roads and even the paved avenues of the town you could see the dirty fragments of cotton that had fallen to the ground. There was cotton in the very atmosphere, little floating particles of it. The cotton gin remained open all night, ablaze with light and rumbling with busy noise. The older trees in the flatland were covered in trumpet vine, the soybeans and bitterweed and goldenrod were a sea of yellow, and the gnarled cypresses had turned russet brown and looked for all the world like gaunt and undying sentinels. The leaves glided down out of the trees and whirled along the lonesome sidewalks, and the boulevard was a corridor of sudden and riotous color—the hickories awash in golden flame, the dogwoods almost purple now, the sweet gums bursting with reds and yellows. The weeds and Johnson grass in the gullies and ditch were already beginning to turn brown and seared, yet so teeming was the land that they still grew, half dead and half alive” (Willie Morris,  Taps  184).

This next sample shows how you can generalize, and not always be micro-specific about garden details.  Note how Morris lets the “grass and overhanging foliage” grow in our imagination, without having to tell us which kind of grass or what kind of foliage.  Sometimes you need the name of a plant, sometimes not.  It depends on the emotion you’re trying to create.  This image is more haunting and romantic than the image in the above sample:

“The state highway to Monroe City more or less straddled that emphatic divide between the flatland and the ragged hills to the east. In minutes the lights of the town were behind us. We skirted the country club, then the high eminent bluff where Georgia and I had first kissed on a matchless spring day that now seemed centuries ago, then the sharp gravel turnoff to the Godbold holdings. The highway was the same one we had often taken in our ancient bus to the out-of-town basketball games, and the terrain all around was not unfamiliar to me, yet on this dubious night was all too remote and foreboding, and it seemed that every other car flashing by us going south had only one eye, a circumstance for which the state was well known. The lights on the dashboard of the hearse cast an unwholesome bluish luminance inside, and the slow rhythmic thump of wiper against windshield was eerie, like the heavy beating of an old heart. Everywhere the fog clung to the watery land and spreading marshes, and under the bright forward lights the grass and overhanging foliage after the last days' rains were of a green so deep and impenetrable as to turn emerald in the afterglow” ( Taps  300).

Finally, if you ever need to read one line of near-perfect description—to get you headed in the right direction before you start to writer—turn to this line, again from Taps:

“The night was bracing.   There was a pale fresco of stars, and dark willowy cloud drifted across the amber moon.  Somewhere in the distance a car horn was stuck, and dogs howled down from the hills.”

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How to Describe a Place in English

example of essay describing a place

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Haven’t you ever been asked by someone to describe a place you loved visiting? Or didn’t you ever feel like talking with your friend about a lovely place you visited? Whether a place is exciting or dull, you can draw a picture of the place with a vivid description. An accurate description can help your audience to experience that place through your eyes.

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In this post, I’ll help you with some useful adjectives and other expressions to describe a place in English.  

Use descriptive adjectives and visual & auditory imageries to describe a place in English. Also, share your feelings and recommend whether to visit the place or the best time to visit it . If you have been to a place more than once, you can talk about the changes you notice.

Well! To learn adjectives to be able to use in various real-life situations, you may try one of my favorite books, 10,000 Useful Adjectives In English: Types, Degrees and Formation of Adjectives (Amazon Link) .

Use Descriptive Adjectives for a General Description

To effectively use descriptive adjectives for describing a place, select words that vividly convey its atmosphere, appearance, and mood. For instance, “bustling” suggests a lively, busy area, while “serene” paints a picture of tranquility. Aim for adjectives that evoke sensory experiences and emotional responses, providing a vivid, immersive description.

Here, I present several descriptive adjectives with their use in sentences to help you to develop your skill in describing a place.

1. Interesting
VS
Boring
I visited an  place last month. It was a very  place for vacation.
2. Bustling
VS
Deserted
This is a  city. So you would never feel bored. I didn’t enjoy my last vacation. It was like a  place.
3. Calm
VS
Noisy
I really enjoyed this tour. It was a  and quiet place to relax. The place is a bit  . You may not find it comfortable.
4. Charming
VS
Disgusting
What a  place it is! It was a   place to stay.
5. Temperate
VS
Cold
The climate is  there. It was too   there in Darjeeling.
6. Amiable
VS
Dangerous
People in this area are helpful and friendly. The whole city is  . My bag was hijacked there in the daytime. I found the city really  to live in.
7. Economical
VS
Expensive
My previous stay at this hotel in Cox’bazar was  . Life in this locality is a bit  compared to others.
8. Fascinating
VS
Dull
The countryside is too  . Life will be  there. I stayed for a year and left forever.
9. Intriguing
VS
Tedious
It is a very   place. You would come again and again once you experience the variety of activities there. I am not interested in going there again. The place seemed  to me.
10. Modern
VS
Antiquated
The city has all the  facilities. I really loved visiting the city. It is an  city.
11. Peaceful
VS
Rough
I wish I could stay in that village for some more days. It was such a  place. The place was too  to stay for a long time.
12. Picturesque
VS
Unsightly
It was a beautiful town with a  harbor. I wouldn’t say I liked the city. It was  .  
13. Fresh
VS
Polluted
I breathed in some  air there. I would love to go there with you again. The area was too  . The government should take good care of it.
14. Quiet
VS
Loud
To get a  place to write your next novel, go to the bungalow I have in the countryside. The place is too  to relax.
15. Scenic
VS
Unattractive
I was mesmerized by the   beauty of the countryside. The place was  . I couldn’t enjoy myself there.
16. Serene
VS
Turbulent
What a   garden it is! I found the place  , not serene, as you said.
17. Stimulating
VS
Uninspiring
The city is very  . I don’t find comfort here. It is an  place for me to write poetry.
18. Stunning
VS
Ordinary
I was amazed by the  beauty of nature in Bangladesh. I think there is nothing to mention about the place. It’s an  city.
19. Traditional
VS
Rare
It’s a  village. But still, you will love it, I guess. I think this is a  type of orchard. You will hardly find such a place in the city.

Use Vivid Visual Imagery to Describe a Place

To use vivid visual imagery in describing a place, employ descriptive language that appeals to the senses. Detail colors, textures, and shapes, and incorporate similes or metaphors to liken features to familiar objects, creating a rich, evocative mental picture for the reader.

Here, let me give you some examples of how you can create visual imagery through your words.

Example 1: I loved the green paddy fields beside the river. The boats of different designs, shapes, and colors made a mesmerizing picturesque. On a moonlit night, you can spend hours after hours sitting by the river’s shore, looking at the moon’s reflection on the water.

Describe Places with Auditory Imagery

To describe places with auditory imagery, use descriptive language that evokes sounds. Mention specific noises, like rustling leaves or bustling streets, and their volume, pitch, and rhythm. This approach helps readers vividly experience the place through its unique soundscapes.

Like visual imagery, auditory imagery can be crucial while describing a place. It appeals to your sense of hearing. Every place has its sound. For example, suppose you were at a big car factory a few days ago. While describing the place, you can talk about the sounds of the machines to help your audience to get a good idea about the place.

Here comes the power of auditory imagery. If you can describe the sounds well with your words, your audience may be able to get the feeling of hearing that sound without being there.

Example 1: In the bungalow, in the morning, you will wake up with birds chirping, while at night, you will go to sleep listening to the rhythmic sound of crickets.  

Example 2: The sound of the waves will outdo all the other noises around the beach.

Talk about Your Feelings about the Place

Suppose you love to stay close to nature. In that case, you would love to go to places full of greenery, hills, seas, etc. such sites will give you a good vibe. But, on the other hand, if you go to a very crowded and clumsy city where everything seems deserted, you may not like it.

Example 2: I didn’t enjoy the stay here at all. The rooms are very clumsy.   

Are you looking for a book or a guide to help you learn and improve your English? You may try English Made Easy Volume One: A New ESL Approach: Learning English Through Pictures (Amazon Link) . This book creatively uses pictures and text in tandem to revolutionize English language learning, making it easier to understand and more effective overall.

Describe the Changes You Noticed Now and Then

If you like a place, you may visit it again and again. Whenever you get some time, you go there to feel different and relaxed. However, the place you went to three years ago may not remain the same this year. So, if you describe a place you visit frequently, you can talk about the changes you notice now and then.

Example 1: I visited my hometown last month after twelve years. In my childhood, there were so many playgrounds and open fields there. But now, most playgrounds are converted to parks, while mills and factories have occupied most open places.

Make Recommendations about the Place

Suppose someone new to your city has asked you about the places they would visit here. First, you should recommend places with short descriptions. Then, you can talk about their beauty, specialty, culture, and history.

The following examples show some words and phrases you can use to recommend a place while describing it in English.

Example 1: You must visit the longest natural seabeach in the world if you ever visit Bangladesh. This is a fantastic place to enjoy your vacation.

Sample Conversation: Describing a Place in English

Adrian: Clara, have you ever visited the old town part of the city?

Clara: No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. How would you describe it?

Clara: Sounds absolutely enchanting. I must make a point to visit soon.

Mia: Oh, tell me about it! I’m thinking of going there next month.

Sarah: It’s this perfect little seaside haven. Imagine soft golden sands stretching for miles, waves gently lapping the shore, and the distant call of seagulls. There’s a lighthouse at one end, and as you climb its spiral stairs, you get this breathtaking view of the horizon where the sea kisses the sky. The town itself has these charming blue and white cottages, seafood diners, and the air always smells slightly salty.

Final Thoughts

Describing a place in English can be an enriching experience, allowing you to paint a vivid picture for your audience. By using descriptive adjectives, you create a solid general impression. Vivid visual imagery adds depth, making your description more engaging and relatable. Auditory imagery further immerses your listeners or readers into the environment you’re describing, while sharing your personal feelings adds a human touch, making your description more relatable and heartfelt.

FAQ: Describing a Place in English

1. Why is it important to accurately describe a place in English?

One should engage in active reading, write regularly, and practice keen observation of different environments to hone descriptive skills. Exposure to varied literature can also be beneficial.

4. Is it better to be concise or detailed when describing a place?

Sensory language taps into the five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. By invoking these senses in descriptions, one can create a more immersive and relatable experience for the listener or reader.

7. Are there cultural considerations to keep in mind when describing places?

Avoiding clichés requires conscious effort. Being original, drawing from personal experiences, actively expanding one’s vocabulary, and reading diverse content can help present fresh perspectives.

10. Why is it essential to use correct grammar and vocabulary when describing a place?

Proper grammar and vocabulary ensure clarity and credibility in the description. It ensures the message is conveyed accurately and professionally, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Cooking — Descriptive Paper On My Kitchen

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Descriptive Paper on My Kitchen

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

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How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph About a Person (With Examples)

How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph About a Person (With Examples)

4-minute read

  • 7th January 2023

Describing a person or character is difficult for even the most successful authors. It requires a balance of words to make sure they shine through without the language being too heavy. In this article, we’ll look at how to write a descriptive paragraph about a person, share some examples, and talk about different strategies.

1.   Brainstorm Your Ideas

Brainstorming is crucial to any writing process. It’s the process in which you think of ideas for what you’d like to write about. In this case, you’re writing a descriptive paragraph about a person. It’s important to use adjectives to describe the features or characteristics you want to focus on.

One way to come up with ideas for a descriptive paragraph about a person is to go through the five senses. Use the questions below to get some ideas for what you want to highlight about your person.

Appeal to your reader’s senses – smell, taste, sound, sight, and touch

Smell: How does the person smell? Do they wear perfume? Are they doing an activity that would make them have a certain smell?

Taste: Do you associate a certain food with this person? Does it make you think of a specific taste? Can you taste something due to a certain smell they have?

Sound: Do they have a unique voice or laugh? Are they doing an activity that has distinctive sounds?

Sight: What prominent features do they have? For example, think about their dressing style, their smile, or their surroundings. What do you see them doing in your mind when you see a photo of them? What memories do you have of this person? Does this person remind you of something or someone?

Touch: What textures do you see? For example, imagine their skin or clothing. How does it feel if you hug them?

2.   Begin With a Short and Snappy Sentence

Like with any type of writing, you want to hook your reader so that they want to continue reading. In this case, you can use a topic sentence, if appropriate, to introduce your reader to the person. For example:

Or, if you want to be more creative, you can reel them in with a short and snappy sentence about this person. This is called a writing hook . This sentence should focus on a stand-out detail or characteristic about the person you’re describing. For example:

3.   Describe the Person

Now, this is the hard part. But, if you’ve brainstormed plenty of ideas and know which ones you want to focus on, it will be easier. Let’s look at some examples to get a better idea of how to write a descriptive paragraph about a person using the prompt “describe a person you admire.”

Comments: This paragraph is pretty typical of most students. It gives lots of visual details of the person and uses a simile or two (“ Her eyes are like the color of honey” and “Her smile shines like the sun” ). While this strategy gets the job done, it’s not very exciting to read. In fact, it can be quite boring!

Let’s look at how we can rewrite this to make it more exciting.

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Comments: In this example, we focused on one defining characteristic of the person we are describing — her laugh. This strategy places more focus on the person you’re describing, rather than the adjectives you use to describe them.

4.   Edit and Revise

After you write your descriptive paragraph, be sure to read it over. Read it out loud. Read it in a funny voice. Doing this will help you to hear the words and identify which parts do not work or sound awkward.

5.   General Tips for Descriptive Writing

●  Avoid using too many descriptive words.

●  Remember to show the reader, not tell.

●  Appeal to the reader’s five senses – smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound.

●  Focus on a striking or defining characteristic.

●  Use contrasting details from other people or surroundings for emphasis.

●  Use literary devices (metaphors, similes etc.) sparingly and with intention.

●  Use a hook to reel your reader in.

●  Use a variety of short and long sentences.

●  Practice creative writing exercises to improve your descriptive writing skills.

●  Always edit and revise your writing.

If you need more help with writing a descriptive paragraph or essay , send your work to us! Our experts will proofread your first 500 words for free !

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Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. Things to consider: A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities?

Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn't necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family? 2. Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side. Things to consider: What does creativity mean to you? Do you have a creative skill that is important to you? What have you been able to do with that skill? If you used creativity to solve a problem, what was your solution? What are the steps you took to solve the problem?

How does your creativity influence your decisions inside or outside the classroom? Does your creativity relate to your major or a future career? 3. What would you say is your greatest talent or skill? How have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time? Things to consider: If there is a talent or skill that you're proud of, this is the time to share it.You don't necessarily have to be recognized or have received awards for your talent (although if you did and you want to talk about it, feel free to do so). Why is this talent or skill meaningful to you?

Does the talent come naturally or have you worked hard to develop this skill or talent? Does your talent or skill allow you opportunities in or outside the classroom? If so, what are they and how do they fit into your schedule? 4. Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced. Things to consider: An educational opportunity can be anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for college. For example, participation in an honors or academic enrichment program, or enrollment in an academy that's geared toward an occupation or a major, or taking advanced courses that interest you; just to name a few.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you've faced, how did you overcome or strive to overcome them? What personal characteristics or skills did you call on to overcome this challenge? How did overcoming this barrier help shape who you are today? 5. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school. Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone?

If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? 6. Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. Things to consider:  Many students have a passion for one specific academic subject area, something that they just can't get enough of. If that applies to you, what have you done to further that interest? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had inside and outside the classroom such as volunteer work, internships, employment, summer programs, participation in student organizations and/or clubs and what you have gained from your involvement.

Has your interest in the subject influenced you in choosing a major and/or future career? Have you been able to pursue coursework at a higher level in this subject (honors, AP, IB, college or university work)? Are you inspired to pursue this subject further at UC, and how might you do that?

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community. Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community?

Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? 8. Beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California? Things to consider:  If there's anything you want us to know about you but didn't find a question or place in the application to tell us, now's your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better?

From your point of view, what do you feel makes you an excellent choice for UC? Don't be afraid to brag a little.

Writing tips

Start early..

Give yourself plenty of time for preparation, careful composition and revisions.

Write persuasively.

Making a list of accomplishments, activities, awards or work will lessen the impact of your words. Expand on a topic by using specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make.

Use “I” statements.

Talk about yourself so that we can get to know your personality, talents, accomplishments and potential for success on a UC campus. Use “I” and “my” statements in your responses.

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Although you will not be evaluated on grammar, spelling or sentence structure, you should proofread your work and make sure your writing is clear. Grammatical and spelling errors can be distracting to the reader and get in the way of what you’re trying to communicate.

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Once you are satisfied with your answers, save them in plain text (ASCII) and paste them into the space provided in the application. Proofread once more to make sure no odd characters or line breaks have appeared.

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  • How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

How to Write a Literature Review | Guide, Examples, & Templates

Published on January 2, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on September 11, 2023.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research that you can later apply to your paper, thesis, or dissertation topic .

There are five key steps to writing a literature review:

  • Search for relevant literature
  • Evaluate sources
  • Identify themes, debates, and gaps
  • Outline the structure
  • Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources—it analyzes, synthesizes , and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

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Table of contents

What is the purpose of a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1 – search for relevant literature, step 2 – evaluate and select sources, step 3 – identify themes, debates, and gaps, step 4 – outline your literature review’s structure, step 5 – write your literature review, free lecture slides, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions, introduction.

  • Quick Run-through
  • Step 1 & 2

When you write a thesis , dissertation , or research paper , you will likely have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:

  • Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and its scholarly context
  • Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
  • Position your work in relation to other researchers and theorists
  • Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
  • Evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of the scholarly debates around your topic.

Writing literature reviews is a particularly important skill if you want to apply for graduate school or pursue a career in research. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.

Literature review guide

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See an example

example of essay describing a place

Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.

  • Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
  • Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
  • Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
  • Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)

You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.

Download Word doc Download Google doc

Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .

If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research problem and questions .

Make a list of keywords

Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research question. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list as you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

  • Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
  • Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
  • Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals and articles include:

  • Your university’s library catalogue
  • Google Scholar
  • Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
  • Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
  • EconLit (economics)
  • Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

You can also use boolean operators to help narrow down your search.

Make sure to read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

You likely won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on your topic, so it will be necessary to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your research question.

For each publication, ask yourself:

  • What question or problem is the author addressing?
  • What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
  • What are the key theories, models, and methods?
  • Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
  • What are the results and conclusions of the study?
  • How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible , and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.

You can use our template to summarize and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using. Click on either button below to download.

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography , where you compile full citation information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, be sure you understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:

  • Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
  • Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
  • Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
  • Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
  • Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

  • Most research has focused on young women.
  • There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
  • But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat—this is a gap that you could address in your own research.

There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).

Chronological

The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.

Methodological

If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

  • Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
  • Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
  • Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical

A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Like any other academic text , your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.

The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

  • Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole
  • Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers — add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
  • Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
  • Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts

In the conclusion, you should summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance.

When you’ve finished writing and revising your literature review, don’t forget to proofread thoroughly before submitting. Not a language expert? Check out Scribbr’s professional proofreading services !

This article has been adapted into lecture slides that you can use to teach your students about writing a literature review.

Scribbr slides are free to use, customize, and distribute for educational purposes.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

  • Sampling methods
  • Simple random sampling
  • Stratified sampling
  • Cluster sampling
  • Likert scales
  • Reproducibility

 Statistics

  • Null hypothesis
  • Statistical power
  • Probability distribution
  • Effect size
  • Poisson distribution

Research bias

  • Optimism bias
  • Cognitive bias
  • Implicit bias
  • Hawthorne effect
  • Anchoring bias
  • Explicit bias

A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .

It is often written as part of a thesis, dissertation , or research paper , in order to situate your work in relation to existing knowledge.

There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:

  • To familiarize yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
  • To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
  • To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
  • To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
  • To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic

Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.

The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your thesis or dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .

A literature review is a survey of credible sources on a topic, often used in dissertations , theses, and research papers . Literature reviews give an overview of knowledge on a subject, helping you identify relevant theories and methods, as well as gaps in existing research. Literature reviews are set up similarly to other  academic texts , with an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion .

An  annotated bibliography is a list of  source references that has a short description (called an annotation ) for each of the sources. It is often assigned as part of the research process for a  paper .  

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Essays That Worked

example of essay describing a place

The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you’ll be in our community.

It’s a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you’ll find selected examples of essays that “worked,” as nominated by our admissions committee. In each of these essays, students were able to share stories from their everyday lives to reveal something about their character, values, and life that aligned with the culture and values at Hopkins.

Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants .

Hear from the class of 2027.

These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. We hope these essays inspire you as you prepare to compose your own personal statements. The most important thing to remember is to be original as you share your own story, thoughts, and ideas with us.

example of essay describing a place

Ordering the Disorderly

Ellie’s essay skillfully uses the topic of entropy as an extended metaphor. Through it, we see reflections about who they are and who they aspire to be.

example of essay describing a place

Pack Light, But Be Prepared

In Pablo’s essay, the act of packing for a pilgrimage becomes a metaphor for the way humans accumulate experiences in their life’s journey and what we can learn from them. As we join Pablo through the diverse phases of their life, we gain insights into their character and values.

example of essay describing a place

Tikkun Olam

Julieta illustrates how the concept of Tikkun Olam, “a desire to help repair the world,” has shaped their passions and drives them to pursue experiences at Hopkins.

example of essay describing a place

Kashvi’s essay encapsulates a heartfelt journey of self-discovery and the invaluable teachings of Rock, their 10-year-old dog. Through the lens of their companionship, Kashvi walked us through valuable lessons on responsibility, friendship, patience, and unconditional love.

example of essay describing a place

Classical Reflections in Herstory

Maddie’s essay details their intellectual journey using their love of Greek classics. They incorporate details that reveal the roots of their academic interests: storytelling, literary devices, and translation. As their essay progresses, so do Maddie’s intellectual curiosities.

example of essay describing a place

My Spotify Playlist

Alyssa’s essay reflects on special memories through the creative lens of Spotify playlists. They use three examples to highlight their experiences with their tennis team, finding a virtual community during the pandemic, and co-founding a nonprofit to help younger students learn about STEM.

More essays that worked

We share essays from previously admitted students—along with feedback from our admissions committee—so you can understand what made them effective and how to start crafting your own.

example of essay describing a place

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  1. Descriptive Essay About A Place

    A descriptive essay is a type of writing that aims to describe and portray an object, person, or place. The essay typically includes sensory details to help the reader imagine its contents more vividly. Descriptive essays can be written about a person, place, or other themes like nature, autumn, food, or even yourself.

  2. Step-by-Step Guide: Writing a Descriptive Essay About a Place

    When it comes to writing a descriptive essay about a place, it is important to engage the reader's senses and create a vivid image in their mind. By skillfully incorporating descriptive language, you can effectively convey the sights, sounds, smells, and other details that make a place unique and memorable. The sense of sight plays a crucial ...

  3. How to Write a Descriptive Essay about a Place

    Step 4. Write the introduction. An introductory paragraph in a descriptive essay offers you a lot of flexibility in how you choose to write it. You can start off with a particular example of a sense perception, drop your reader in the middle of a town square, or begin with an abstract concept.

  4. How to Write a Descriptive Essay

    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.

  5. Free Descriptive Essay Examples For Your Help

    Descriptive Essay Example About a Place. Describing a place that you visited in your summer holidays is quite an enjoyable experience. It is like you are visiting the same place again and having the same feelings. When describing your favorite place in an essay, use vivid language. You can describe the details like the weather of the place, the ...

  6. How to Write a Descriptive Essay About a Place

    Transport readers with descriptive and concise words that impart your own vision of a place. Write an introduction paragraph in the present tense that accurately describes what motivated you to select this particular place for the descriptive essay. The paragraph must be at least two sentences and explicitly mention the full name of the location.

  7. Descriptive Essay: Definition, Format & Writing Tips

    Descriptive Essay Examples. In this section, you'll discover essay examples that demonstrate how to captivate your readers' attention effectively. ... A descriptive essay is a type of essay that describes a person, place, object, event, or experience in vivid detail. It aims to create a sensory experience for the reader by appealing to the five ...

  8. How to Write a Descriptive Essay About a Person or Place

    A descriptive essay is essentially a short piece of writing in which the author describes a person or place using words that engage all five senses: sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. As the author, you will be required to convey the physical and, more importantly, the emotional attributes of the person or the place you are describing.

  9. Model Place Descriptions: Four Descriptive Paragraphs

    Model Place Descriptions. Descriptive place paragraphs give readers a sense of cohesion. Greenwood Subway Station Toronto. melindasutton/Flickr. By. Richard Nordquist. Updated on September 15, 2019. In each of these four paragraphs, the authors use precise descriptive details to evoke a distinctive mood as well as to convey a memorable picture.

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    Descriptive essay example about a Place. "Even though monarchy is long gone, Buckingham Palace is here to remind us of the aesthetic beauty of that era.". Descriptive essay example about a Person. "One of the characteristics of Spider-Man is his youthfulness, and the fact that he talks to himself more than Hamlet.".

  11. Descriptive Essay Examples: Bring Your Writing to Life with Vivid

    Descriptive essays breathe life into words by painting a vivid picture of a person, place, thing, or experience. They employ sensory details and expressive language to make the subject come alive for the reader. Here's a basic yet effective structure you might use when crafting a descriptive essay: 1. Introduction.

  12. How To Write A Descriptive Essay About A Place, with Outline

    Outline example. Introduction. Hook sentence with detailed descriptions that grabs the reader's attention. Brief background about the place. Sensory descriptions of the place. Body paragraph. Section 1. Topic sentence that supports the thesis statement. Describe the place by the name and the exact location.

  13. How to Write a Descriptive Essay

    1) Be specific. The more specific you are, the more readers will be able to relate to your descriptions. For example, "The heat outside made me feel sluggish and exhausted" is a more effective description than, "It was so hot outside.". 2) Write first, edit later. Break writer's block by writing unedited.

  14. How to Write a Descriptive Essay (2021 Edition)

    A descriptive essay is both expository and creative. When you write a descriptive essay, you use rich diction to make your chosen subject come alive. Your job is to describe in detail a person, place, or thing. You describe things every day of your life. Just think: you tell your friend about the date you had last night in great detail, or you describe how good that bowl of ramen was yesterday ...

  15. Examples of Good Descriptive Paragraphs

    5 Examples of Strong Descriptive Paragraphs. In their unique ways, each of the following writers (three of them students, two of them professional authors) have selected a belonging or place that holds special meaning to them. After identifying that subject in a clear topic sentence, they proceed to describe it in detail while explaining its ...

  16. Describing a Place| Tips, Techniques, & Examples

    Here are some tips on how to describe a place: 1.Use all five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste means if you ate something at the place you are describing. 2.Be as specific as possible with your adjectives. Instead of saying "nice," try "splendid," "gorgeous," or "wonderful.". 3.Create a mental image for the reader ...

  17. Descriptive Essay Example: A Beautiful Place

    There was a very old tree, a maple tree, with a huge trunk. The others were smaller, three in the back, three on my left side and the old maple tree on my right. There were flowers, many kinds, white, yellow, purple and blue. It was nobody's place. Nobody owned that hill, but it was beautiful and peaceful and I dreamed many times about a ...

  18. 15 Good Descriptive Essay Examples for All Students

    This format has 5 paragraphs in total. The sequence of the paragraphs is as follows; Introduction. Body Paragraph 1. Body Paragraph 2. Body Paragraph 3. Conclusion. Following is an example of a descriptive essay written using the famous 5 paragraph method. 5 Paragraph Descriptive Essay.

  19. Writing the Memoir (Moxley): Describing a Place

    Describing a Place; Sample Topics and Essays; Describing a Place. 1. Don't be mysterious; start with a place name and tell where it is: "Shreveport, known once as an outpost backcountry town on the Red River in northern Louisiana, is now an I-20 city, a good toilet break between Birmingham and east Texas. I spent a week one night in ...

  20. How to Describe a Place in English

    To effectively use descriptive adjectives for describing a place, select words that vividly convey its atmosphere, appearance, and mood. For instance, "bustling" suggests a lively, busy area, while "serene" paints a picture of tranquility. Aim for adjectives that evoke sensory experiences and emotional responses, providing a vivid ...

  21. Descriptive Paper On My Kitchen: [Essay Example], 530 words

    Descriptive Paper on My Kitchen. My kitchen is the heart of my home. As you step inside, the first thing that greets you is the warm, inviting aroma of freshly baked bread and simmering spices. The kitchen is a harmonious blend of functionality and aesthetics, designed to be both a workspace and a place of comfort.

  22. How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph About a Person (With Examples

    1. Brainstorm Your Ideas. Brainstorming is crucial to any writing process. It's the process in which you think of ideas for what you'd like to write about. In this case, you're writing a descriptive paragraph about a person. It's important to use adjectives to describe the features or characteristics you want to focus on.

  23. APA Sample Paper

    Media Files: APA Sample Student Paper , APA Sample Professional Paper This resource is enhanced by Acrobat PDF files. Download the free Acrobat Reader. Note: The APA Publication Manual, 7 th Edition specifies different formatting conventions for student and professional papers (i.e., papers written for credit in a course and papers intended for scholarly publication).

  24. Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

    Mission. The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives.

  25. How to Write the UC Essay Prompts 2023/2024 (+ Examples)

    A mini-step-by-step guide to writing each response. How to write each PIQ (with examples) Prompt #1: Leadership. Prompt #2: Creative. Prompt #3: Greatest Talent or Skill. Prompt #4: Significant Educational Opportunity/Barrier. Prompt #5: Significant Challenge.

  26. Personal insight questions

    Remember, the personal insight questions are just that—personal. Which means you should use our guidance for each question just as a suggestion in case you need help. The important thing is expressing who you are, what matters to you and what you want to share with UC. 1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have ...

  27. How to Write a Literature Review

    Examples of literature reviews. Step 1 - Search for relevant literature. Step 2 - Evaluate and select sources. Step 3 - Identify themes, debates, and gaps. Step 4 - Outline your literature review's structure. Step 5 - Write your literature review.

  28. Essays That Worked

    The essays are a place to show us who you are and who you'll be in our community. It's a chance to add depth to something that is important to you and tell the admissions committee more about your background or goals. Below you'll find selected examples of essays that "worked," as nominated by our admissions committee.