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9 Descriptive Essay

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay writing that asks the student to describe
something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This sort of
essay allows for the use of vivid language that creates images for the reader’s mind
and eye. Therefore, one must consider a descriptive essay a success if the reader is
able to form the images described in their mind’s eye.

Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay.

1. Use clear and concise language.
2. Choose vivid language—use imagery (‘She couldn’t sleep any longer. So, she got
out of bed, trailed through the delicate slips of sunlight twinkling on the frost-
covered glass, and turned on the kettle. It was time for tea.’) and metaphors
(‘Mala is doing a tightrope walk with her grades this term.’) to create images
through your words, for the reader.

3. Your descriptions should appeal to more than one sense of the reader.
4. Leave the reader with a clear picture of what it is that you are describing.

Let us now read a sample descriptive essay.

Sharks
Great white sharks are the biggest ocean predators.
They grow up to six metres long and can weigh more
than 2,000 kilograms.

They have strong tails and pointed fins so they
swim fast—about 24 kilometres per hour. They have
approximately 3,000 teeth which they use to catch their prey.

Great white sharks live in cool seas and oceans all over the world. They eat
seals, fish, sea turtles, and they sometimes attack small whales. They don’t eat
humans! If they attack humans it’s because they are curious—not to eat them.

Great white sharks are excellent hunters and well-camouflaged so they can
hide and wait for their prey. They are grey on top, so they are difficult to see
on the rocky sea floor.

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