1. “Little strokes fell great oaks.” Benjamin Franklin
Description Essay
“Little strokes fell great oaks.”
Benjamin Franklin

2. What is a Description Essay
A description essay appeals to the reader’s five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
It paints a vivid picture with words. The writer’s purpose is to describe people, places, or objects as detailed as possible so that the readers are able to form a clear picture in their minds.

3. To write a description essay, it would be a good idea to follow the following steps . . .
Step one: Choose an interesting topic (a person, place or an object)

4. Dominant Impression—LNE Campus is vibrant.
Step two: Decide on what kind of dominant impression you want to convey with your description
Examples:
Topic—LNE
Dominant Impression—LNE Campus is vibrant.
Topic—My Grandma
Dominant Impression—My grandma is a strong woman.

5. Step three: Support the dominant impression with at least three major features.
Examples:
LNE Campus is vibrant: one can sense the lively atmosphere by watching students busy socializing, faculty members busy conduction classes, and student activists organizing activities
My grandmother is a strong woman. Her strength lies in her intellectual power, her emotional steadiness and her good health.

6. Step four: Use descriptive details
Step four: Use descriptive details. The following are ways to provide descriptive details.
Vague: The tuna tasted strange.
Improved: The tuna tasted bitter and spoiled.
Vague: The closet smelled funny.
Improved: The closet smelled damp.
Vague: The old man smiled.
Improved: The wrinkled, gray-haired, old man grinned a toothless smile.

7. Use descriptive diction
2). Replace being verbs (am, be, been, is, was, were) with descriptive action
words to improve a description essay.
Vague: Leo is having a conversation with Elizabeth.
Improved: Leo whispers secrets into Elizabeth’s ear.
Vague: The music is loud throughout the apartment.
Improved: The music blares throughout the apartment.
3). Replace boring verbs with action verbs to further enrich the description
in the essay.
Vague: The salesman looked at Erika when she opened the door.
Improved: The salesman stared at Erika when she opened the door.
Vague: Paul’s hungry date ate the pastry.
Improved: Paul’s hungry date devoured the pastry.
4). Avoid vague nouns, such as thing, stuff, and item.
Vague: Honesty is a thing that I admire.
Improved: Honesty is a trait that I admire.
Vague: Henry gave the stuff to his brother.
Improved: Henry gave the bag of books to his brother.

8. Writing Descriptive Essays
I. Introduction
1. Lead-in: Introduce the person or place to be described in an interesting way.
2. Transition: Explain how you get to know this person or place.
3. Thesis Statement:
1). Present the dominant impression of the person or place.
2). Present the three features that support the dominant impression.

9. Body Body Paragraph 1 1. Topic Sentence: Introduce the first feature.
2. Supporting Details: Use descriptive details.
3. Closing Remarks: Summarize this paragraph.
Body Paragraph 2
1. Topic Sentence: Introduce the second feature.
Body Paragraph 3
1. Topic Sentence: Introduce the third feature.

10. Conclusion 1. Rephrase the thesis sentence.
2. Restate the three features.
3. Extend the significance of the description.