descriptive essay thesis statement

How To Write A Thesis Statement For A Descriptive Essay

Table of Contents

Opening remarks.

Writing is not an easy task. The subjective nature and countless variables, both known and unknown, can make writers dread the process and its outcomes. There are many ways a writer can take hold of these variables, from planning and researching beforehand to outlining the whole content before getting started.

In essay writing, the purpose is to tackle an issue, solve a problem, or answer a question. That’s why it is necessary to take every issue into account before moving forward. In the case of writing a descriptive essay, the best thing to do is to understand what it is, what it is made of, and how to add value to the final product.

Descriptive Essay Writing 101

A descriptive essay is an essay that describes a subject under consideration. That subject can be anything, from physical to metaphysical, real to fictional, and beyond. Most descriptive essay topics revolve around describing a person, a thing, a place, an event, or an emotion.

Writers rely on figurative language and literary devices to make “things” come alive on a piece of paper. Without such tools, it is hard for writers to create fictional worlds and inhabit them with fictional people concerned about fictional problems and looking for fictional solutions for them.

Although it revolves around a single subject, the structure of a descriptive essay is well-defined, with three sections. One is the introduction or opening of the essay, the other is the main body where much of the description happens, and the last one is the conclusion or closing where the gist of the essay is summarized.

A Thesis Statement In An Essay

It would not be an overstatement to say that a thesis statement is a heart and soul of an essay. If you are to look for the distillation of the grand idea in one or two sentences in the essay, it will be a thesis statement.

It is a bold, brief statement that can summarize the whole gist of the essay in a couple of sentences. For instance, if an essay is about finding a solution to a problem, the thesis does not only mention the problem but finds states its supposed solution clearly and concisely.

Many people argue that an essay can be complete without a thesis statement. This cannot be farther from the truth. In real practice, the practice of having a thesis statement in an essay is going on for decades. There is no end to this practice in sight soon.

Composing A Thesis Statement For A Descriptive Essay

The approach to coming up with a solid thesis statement depends on the assignment and its writing approach. Is because of the reasons you should have a thesis statement in your essay:

• Testing ideas and getting their essence in one or two sentences
• Better organizing and developing your argument
• To foreshadow the contents of the essay at the end of the introduction

To get your thesis statement to accomplish these goals, it is best to approach the process of formulating one based on the circumstances of the assignment and approach toward the topic.

When Topic Is Assigned By Instructors

When a topic is assigned to a student to write a descriptive essay, it can always be stripped down to a single question, problem, or point, based on its reach and scope. Whether a topic or title is asking to do this, you can easily turn it into a question to answer it in a much better way.

For instance, if you need to write a descriptive essay on a stranger you helped in a market, it is best to turn it into a question, or a couple, and then answer them one by one and then distill it into a single one. You can easily do this by describing the traits and attributes of the person and then settling down on one or two that can easily define or make him alive for the readers.

This thesis statement comes at the end of the introduction to foreshadow the contents of the main body for the readers.

When Topic Is Not Assigned

When a topic is assigned to you by the instructor, it is often easier to connect the dots and get to a question that can be answered in a thesis statement. When that is not the case, it is up to the writers to formulate a question and then come up with an answer.

There are four important pointers you should keep in mind. One, get a good number of people to disagree with what you are proposing. Second, choose a subject that can be reasonably dealt with given the scale and scope of the assignment. Third, formulate a single cohesive idea to tie it all. Fourth, propound your claims or findings in the conclusion.

The workflow toward that goal starts with brainstorming an idea, then narrowing it down using specific language and focusing the narrative until it becomes concise enough to forward an exertion. Once you check all the boxes, you can cover the thesis statement masterfully.

Merits of A Solid Thesis Statement

Just like any other form of writing, it is easy to do it, but hard to do it the best way. A thesis statement is easy to formulate but you need solid backing and support to create a lasting thesis statement that can stand the test of peers and critics.

That’s why we have designed this section to help students identify the merits of superb thesis statements they will create during their academics.

Asserts The Subjective Truth

The purpose of  writing a descriptive essay  is to show the readers what that subject is, be it a person, a thing, a place, or an event. This requires going through both subjective and objective details that can make it come alive on paper. Since a thesis is the distilled version of the whole narrative, it should reflect, and even assert, the subjective truth from the findings. Students should keep in mind that merely stating the problem or the issue is not a thesis statement. Merely suggesting the solution to the problem is not a thesis. They need to assert the claims and make others think it harder and even provoke them to turn it down or challenge it based on academic grounds.

Provides Justification For Discussion

Discussion, inherently speaking, is a two-way process. It means a party makes a claim that is either accepted and added to by the second party, is challenged and leads to other claims, and so on. This follows the same steps of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis where society grows based on ideas. Sometimes, the rationale behind connecting dots with a thesis is to challenge widely-held beliefs. For instance, if you are writing a descriptive essay on a person who is universally believed to be a monster, you can unearth facts and forward the claim that he was indeed mentally ill and did what he did because of his maladies.

Expresses One Primary Idea

Many students make the mistake of formulating multiple ideas or stances in a single thesis. They shortlist findings based on their inclination toward the subject and base the statement on those ideas. There is no denying that this process is indeed formidable, but it is not the right one. Since the purpose of writing a descriptive essay is to highlight the vices and virtues of the subject under consideration, readers should have empirical takeaways when they depart from the essay. They should be able to pinpoint the central idea or the theme of the essay that was immortalized by the thesis statement. It can also be said that the primary idea in the thesis is the thread that binds the whole narrative together.

Specifies The Problem And Its Solution

When a writer sets out to write a descriptive essay, he needs to balance certain things so that the finished product can hold on its own. Apart from preliminary research and outlining, there are not many things that can keep the writer from swaying away from the main topic, except the thesis statement. The biggest strength of a well-rounded thesis statement is that it not only identifies the problem but also asserts a solution. Most of the time, the thesis statement picks only a single problem and then works around it to find a single, tangible solution.

What is an example of a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is a distillation of the central idea or a theme in a single or a couple of sentences. It can cover the whole premise of the problem and its solution. Here is a simple example of thesis building:

• Describing the strangest person
• Finding a person in the middle of nowhere who turned out to be a good person

What are the three essential parts of a thesis statement?

Following are the three essential parts of a thesis statement that you must keep in mind while researching and formulating one for your descriptive essay:

• The subject discussed in the discourse is limited
• The opinion propounded by the writer was precise
• The author provides the reasons to come up with the proposed solution

How long is a thesis statement for a descriptive essay?

Loosely, a thesis statement should be a bold and concise summary of the central idea. Practically, it should be from a bold statement comprising a single sentence to a small paragraph, highlighting the issue and its solution. Keep in mind that it depends on the scale of the essay and the scope of the research.

Can a thesis statement be a question?

A thesis statement cannot be a question. It has to have the issue or the question in its body along with a plausible solution or answer to it. Merely stating the question does not promote debate and reasoning. That’s why it has two distinct characters encapsulated as one.

What is the ideal place to put the thesis statement in a descriptive essay?

The best place to mention the thesis statement is at the end of the introduction. It will directly lead to the bulk or action of the essay in the main body and it will tie the sections coming before and after the thesis statement.

Does a thesis statement always have to be a single sentence?

No law or convention in essay writing compels the writers to sum up their thesis statements in a single sentence. It is always ideal to have a concise, brief, and bold statement to back up the claims. Depending on the reach and scope of the essay, the thesis can go from a single sentence to a small paragraph containing a couple of sentences to further strengthen its position.

Summing It Up

Coming up with a solid thesis statement to back up the claims and answers to the possible questions is the primary job of the writer. While writing a descriptive essay, writers are often plagued with problems of generalization, especially when tackling extremely subjective topics. That’s why we have dedicated this whole blog post to help them how to write thesis statements in different scenarios. This will help them better understand the requirements of the assignment and set the scope and reach of the essay accordingly.

For those who can tackle the creative issues of writing but are stumped by technical issues such as writing a superb thesis  statement for the descriptive essay , this is the perfect resource to explore!

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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