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Descriptive Essay Tips: Some Helpful Shortcuts for Students

Descriptive essay tips are designed to make this type of essay easier to write for students who have been assigned a descriptive essay topic.

A descriptive essay offers a detailed description of a thing, person, happening, event, place, or object.  The distinguishing factor of these types of essays is that they employ all five senses to create a three dimensional image of the item being described in the mind of the reader.

Therefore, tips for descriptive essay encourage the student to perform non-standard research about the topic in order to give a full sensory description.  The following list provides a series of descriptive essay tips that will help students create these types of assignments quickly and effectively:

1. The number one rule in regards to a tip for descriptive essay is making sure you choose different forms of research.  Use your senses.  For example, of your topic is tulips, go out into the garden and smell as many tulips as you can.  If your topic is hydroelectric dams, go and visit one or two and listen to how they sound. 
2. The second most important tip regarding descriptive essays is to understand that sight and hearing tend to dominate our experience of the world; therefore, utilize blindfolds or earplugs when you research your topic. This will help you to experience the topic using your less well-developed senses.
3. Another useful descriptive essay tip is to record yourself describe the topic verbally before you write.  If possible, this tip works best when you are looking at the topic. 
4. Use technology to your advantage.  Record the sounds associated with the topic, and take photographs of the topic if possible. 
5. One descriptive essay tip that may be of value to students is to balance your description of the topic between all five of your senses.  Avoid emphasizing how the topic looks, for example, to the detriment of how it smells. 
6. Include evocative details in your descriptive essay to transport your reader into the piece.  For example, if you are writing about a diner, talk about the quirky behavior of the patrons, the pink flowered toilet paper, the prep cook’s outrageous toupee, and the one-legged German Shepherd that sleeps under the fryer.