Has your professor assigned you a descriptive essay? Surely you felt cold on your back and goosebumps on your hands. Of course, such a reaction is possible if you encounter such an assignment for the first time. But there is no need to panic: you will surely cope with all the details and instructions. In addition, this guide will allow you to choose the shortest path to high grades. Here's what you need to know to cope with such an essay.
What Is a Descriptive Essay and Why Is It Important for Students?
Typically, a descriptive essay gives a vivid, detailed description of something. Most of the time, it's about a place or object, but your professor might ask you to focus on something abstract. The main feature of such an assignment is the creative component and the need to look for the right words while describing something. In addition, you need to convey a memorable image of whatever you are describing to the reader. That is why such an essay is important for students.
What Is the Difference Between a Descriptive Essay and a Narrative Essay?
On the other hand, this question seems non-obvious because both types of assignments allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays. On the other hand, there are a few key differences that you should be aware of. First, a narrative essay aims to tell a complete story, considering certain nuances or factors. But writing descriptive essays will require you to take a completely different approach. Such a paper conveys an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept. As you can see, in the second situation, your goals come down to a detailed description of something and not creating a complete story. However, some students may find it challenging to write either a descriptive or a narrative essay, especially if they lack time, skills, or inspiration. In such cases, they may seek professional help from a narrative essay writing service that can provide them with custom-written papers according to their requirements. A reliable service can also assist with descriptive essays, as well as other types of academic assignments.
How to Start a Descriptive Essay Like a Pro?
Do not forget that descriptive writing is a process that directly depends on your topic. You must analyze the object, person, event, or something else in as much detail as possible. You need to start with important nuances that describe the relevance of your research. And do not forget that your thesis should be the key idea for all subsequent paragraphs. However, let's start in order.
Descriptive Essay Writing: Craft Your Outline First
Your outline is the key element and "framework" for your essay, so try to put all the points together. Please note that the logical structure is consistent with all academic instructions. You may even want to write a couple of sentences for each part to make it easier to organize the information.
Introduction
Your intro is the key paragraph describing the purpose of your paper. Start with important nuances relevant to your topic. Then, concentrate on creating a solid thesis statement because this is a springboard for a further writing activity. You should also create a clear transition that will allow you to jump to the main paragraphs.
Body Paragraphs
All descriptive essays have at least three paragraphs. Try to divide the description of important things for your topic into several parts. Describe each feature in paragraphs, and don't forget about smooth transitions between ideas and statements. In other words, put here everything you find during the research according to your instructions.
Conclusion
The final paragraph should summarize the work done and emphasize the relevance of your findings. Perhaps you should also describe the possible ideas and goals the academic community can achieve if they continue to explore your topic in a new way.
Polishing Your Paper
This stage is extremely important for all students, without exception. Check the grammar and spelling as well as the correctness of your sentences. In addition, you should use tenses correctly and formulate descriptions of things without jargon. Finally, Polish your paper, and you will reduce the risk of low grades.
Top Descriptive Essay Tips for Modern Students
What to do if descriptive writing makes you panic and unwilling to follow your professor's instructions? Don't worry: the devil isn't as scary as you think. Here are the top tips to help you handle stress and craft your paper.
Use Figurative Language
Figurative language gives your writing its creative edge and makes your description unique. Use metaphors and similes that use words in non-literal ways to create a memorable effect. This approach will allow you to describe most of the relevant nuances of your assignment. In addition, you do not have to think long about how to formulate any proposal.
Use Your Senses
Don't be afraid to use sensory details, which will allow you to describe the visual parameters of something as well as smell, sound, touch, and taste. This approach is extremely important for your essay. Here is an example that will allow you to grasp the essence and get to work.
I saw knight's gloves in the museum. The inside material is calfskin. The outer layer is metal flakes fastened with rivets. I saw rust and abrasions in the place of the bends. Most likely, the metal looks deformed due to blows in battle.
As you can see, this example shows in which direction you should move. However, nothing prevents you from describing other important aspects of an object, natural phenomenon, or event.
Choose the Right Words
Your describing process should always begin with carefully selecting the right words. Use adverbs, verbs, and even nouns wisely, and avoid cliches. Try to describe what you see in as much detail as possible and avoid using phrases like "hot as a flame" or "cold as an arctic current." Surely you can think of an alternative.
Five Good Descriptive Essay Topics for Everyone
Writing a descriptive essay can be tricky, especially if you don't pick a good idea. Here are the topics that will help you get started faster and look forward to a good result.
- Describe the strangest person you ever met
- Describe a spooky or haunted place.
- Describe a piece of art
- Describe a happy memory.
- Describe an object used in your favorite sport or hobby.
As you can see, many descriptive essays will stop being boring if you choose a good topic. Concentrate on objects, events, or things that interest you, and you will see how things will go smoothly.