DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY
I. A descriptive composition about a place or building should consist of:
1) an introduction in which you identify it, give its exact location and state the reason
for choosing it;
2) a main body in which you describe the main aspects of the place or building in
detail:
a) a separate paragraph on the exterior (what it is made of, appearance,
grounds/gardens, etc.);
b) a paragraph on the interior (rooms, furniture, pictures, design, etc.); and
3) a conclusion in which you mention your feelings and your final thoughts about the
place or give a recommendation.
Main Body
Introduction Conclusion
Paragraphs 2, 3
Paragraph 1 Paragraph 4
overall look and particular
set the scene (name & feelings & final thoughts
details (place: sights,
location of the about the place/building
facilities, free-time activities;
place/building, reasons for and/or a recommendation
building: exterior and
choosing it)
interior, first look and
specific details)
Ex. A. Read the following description given in a jumbled order and put the paragraphs in
the correct order.
THE HOUSE OF MY DREAMS
A ___ My house would have a large, bright kitchen where I could sit quietly at a
wooden table admiring the view of the garden through the window. My living room
would be simple, with basic furniture like a long soft sofa and two large armchairs. It
would also have a fireplace so I could keep warm on cold windy nights. There would
also be several wooden bookcases full of books to keep me company. My bedroom
would have a four-poster bed with a white linen bed cover and the walls would be
painted a soothing pale blue.
B ___ It would be a small wooden cottage surrounded by a neat green lawn stretching
all the way down to a river. There would be colourful flowers gently swaying in the
cool breeze and an orchard at the back of the house with trees full of sweet and juicy
oranges, apples and pears.
C ___ If I could choose, I would live in a house just like this with its beautiful natural
surroundings and peaceful atmosphere.
D ___ Imagine walking up to the sound of birds singing in the trees outside and warm
sunlight shining through your bedroom window. This is what I dream of when I imagine
my ideal house.
II. As descriptive paragraph explains how someone feels or something looks a wide
variety of adjectives (enormous, beautiful, etc.) and adverbs (horribly, beautifully, etc.)
will make your description more interesting. Here are a few common adjectives to
describe objects:
shape and size atmosphere how you feel
large/small cozy Amazed
wide/narrow comfortable Surprised
round warm/cool happy
rectangular cold/hot/chilly nostalgic
Ex. B. Use a dictionary to decide if these adjectives have a positive (+) or a negative (-)
meaning. Some words can have both a positive and a negative meaning.
bright, practical, ugly, comfortable, tasteful, spacious, attractive, tiny, uncomfortable,
impractical, roomy, elegant, tasteless, modern, cozy, airy, cramped, dilapidated.
When a number of adjectives go before a noun, they are generally written in the
following order: 1) number/determiner (a, one, her, too many, etc.); 2) opinion
(favourite, adorable, stylish, charming, romantic, eccentric, sophisticated, old-fashioned,
etc.); 3) size (short, little, tiny, minute, microscopic, gigantic, etc.); 4) age (antique,
brand-new, second-hand, etc.); 5) shape (oval, square, rectangular, round, pointed, etc.);
6) colour (jet black, tartan, canary yellow, shocking pink, etc.); 7) origin (Chinese,
Roman, Persian, etc.); 8) material (gold, leather, wooden, marble, glass, etc.).
Note: When there are two or more adjectives that are from the same group, the word and
is placed between the two adjectives: e.g. The house is green and red. The library has
old and new books. When there are three or more adjectives from the same adjective
group, place a comma between each of the coordinate adjectives: e.g. We live in the big
green, white and red house at the end of the street. My friend lost a red, black and white
watch.
III. Present tenses should be used when describing a place/building for a tourist
brochure. Past tenses should be used when you describe a visit to a place or building
which took place in the past. First and second conditionals (will/would) can be used
when you describe your ideal house/city, etc.
IV. Describing the place around you, you need to use some common and useful
prepositions and adverbs to tell how a space is organized.
in front of/behind to the right/left
on top of/on the bottom of in the middle of
next to around
above/below, underneath between
Ex. D. Read the paragraph that describes someone’s favourite place. Fill in the blanks
with the appropriate prepositions and adverbs.
My favourite place to relax is a small café down the street from where we live. This
café is ___ a small side street and as soon as you see it, you feel like going in. There are
three windown ___ either side of the door, and each window has a small window box ___
brightly coloured flowers. There is a small wooden door that opens ___ the café, and as
you go in, you can see a dozen small tables all ___ the room. Even though it isn’t a big
place, its size makes it very cosy and comfortable. I always like to sit at a small table ___
the corner ___ the front windows. From here, I can look at the artwork ___ the walls and
at the pretty green plants hanging ____ the ceiling. With a strong cup of coffee and a
good book, I feel very happy and relaxed in my favourite café.
Ex. E. Write several sentences to describe: a) the place where you are right now; b) your
favourite room; c) the room you used to live in when you were a child. Make use of as
many adjectives, adverbs and prepositions as possible. Mind the tenses used for
description.
