Descriptive essay is devoted to portraying a detailed account of your writing’s subject. The sort of details that should be provided depends on the type of the described concept. For example, if the essay is about a literary character, it should include references to his or her individuality, behavior and its role in the corresponding story. But if your subject is a bicycle, you should refer more to its technical characteristics and parameters.
Although descriptive essay obviously requires detailed description, it is not necessary to thoroughly discuss every aspect of your subject. Choose one that is the most interesting and will be in focus – some event, person, mood or feeling – and describe it vividly. Still, do not isolate the subject from its context, as it must serve as a background, which will make your description more expressive.
Decide on the purpose of your essay. For example, if you plan to depict someone’s achievements, it won’t be enough just to stick to describing his or her talents. For that purpose, you should relate about competitions the person participated in, list the prizes and honors he or she won.
When it comes to description, it’s high time to forget regular cliches. Make use of rich vocabulary; be sure to use plenty of adjectives and synonyms. A few metaphors will also make for a vivid experience of your readers.
Try to keep the order of your description in such a way that you proceed from general information to specific details. For example, it is inappropriate to start the person’s description with discussion of his or her clothes. It is better first to give general details, such as gender, age and occupation.
There are no strict rules concerning the summary part of descriptive essay. You may add your own attitude, or state what you find special about the subject described.