Descriptive Paragraph: Definition, Function, and Technique

Descriptive paragraph is a paragraph that functions to describe people, things, places, or events. As the name suggests, a descriptive paragraph contains descriptions about the object being described. This article is about to show you what it is, what it does, and what technique is considered best to write a paragraph of that type.

Definition of Descriptive Paragraph

According to Valdes (2019), A descriptive paragraph is a focused and detail-rich account of a specific topic. Paragraphs in this style often have a concrete focus—the sound of a waterfall, the stench of a skunk's spray—but can also convey something abstract, such as an emotion or a memory. Some descriptive paragraphs do both.

Based on the definition, a descriptive paragraph is a paragraph that provides information related to a specific topic, be it a place, person, thing, or event. The topic or object can be concrete thing or abstract thing.

Function of Descriptive Paragraph

As the name suggests, this type of paragraph is used to describe; it is not used to explain. Perhaps, it is interesting to see the difference between to explain and to describe. To explain means to make readers understand while to describe means to make readers to have experience, at least, to imagine. This is what a descriptive paragraph about. A descriptive paragraph makes the readers experience or to have experiences as expected by the writer. For example, if you describe a place, your paragraph should be able to make a reader imagine as if he is in that place. That is quite an experience.

How to Write a Descriptive Paragraph

A descriptive paragraph is like the other paragraphs. It has a topical sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence if necessary. However, writing a descriptive paragraph is unlike writing a narrative or expository or explanatory paragraph. To write a descriptive paragraph, we need to collect the details of the object which are classified into a term, sensory details.

The supporting details of a descriptive paragraph contain the details we collect about the object by our sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin). Sometimes, all sensory details are needed but in most cases, only relevant details are important. For example, we cannot have the "taste" of a place or a person.

We also need to represent the details by using descriptive words (words that are strong enough to describe the object). In using descriptive words, we must be aware of its potential meaning related to the object being described. For example, since there is no taste for person, the word sweety means differently when we use the same word to describe a candy or a cake.

Here are among the sensory details of the object that we can collect before we start describing the object:

• Eyes: colors, shapes, sizes
• Ears: sounds, voices
• Nose: smells
• Tongue: tastes
• Skin: feels (including feeling, emotions)

To start writing the descriptive paragraph, it is recommended to start from what we can see. Then, we continue to describe the object from what we can hear. Then we go with what we can smell. And then what we can taste and feel. Here is an example of descriptive paragraph, let's say, describing someone. I take this example from thought.co:

"A Friendly Clown"

"On one corner of my dresser sits a smiling toy clown on a tiny unicycle―a gift I received last Christmas from a close friend. The clown's short yellow hair, made of yarn, covers its ears but is parted above the eyes. The blue eyes are outlined in black with thin, dark lashes flowing from the brows. It has cherry-red cheeks, nose, and lips, and its broad grin disappears into the wide, white ruffle around its neck. The clown wears a fluffy, two-tone nylon costume. The left side of the outfit is light blue, and the right side is red. The two colors merge in a dark line that runs down the center of the small outfit. Surrounding its ankles and disguising its long black shoes are big pink bows. The white spokes on the wheels of the unicycle gather in the center and expand to the black tire so that the wheel somewhat resembles the inner half of a grapefruit. The clown and unicycle together stand about a foot high. As a cherished gift from my good friend Tran, this colorful figure greets me with a smile every time I enter my room."