Assignment Sheet: Description Paper

Description essays can cover a variety of topics and come in a variety of forms. Popular description assignments include, for example, a description of a person, and a visual item, such as a piece of art or an advertisement.

There are various ways to organize a description paper. In most cases, the item you are describing will help determine the best organizational structure. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

• Break apart the item you are describing into separate parts (see classification and division in the Paragraph Bank for more hints). If you are describing a person, for example, you may first want to describe his/her physical appearance and then move on to describe his/her personality. A visual object like a picture could be broken up by areas: left, right, foreground, background, etc.
• You might also organize your description by comparing and contrasting features. Describe, for example, your shy friend's purple spiked hair and all his other wonderfully contradictory elements.
• If you are really stuck, consider making a list of the different aspects you could describe. Then, organize this list before you set to work writing out a full description.

 

The OWL is an extension of the Community College of Denver Writing Center. For more information contact Bret Hann, Writing Center Coordinator 303-556-4709 This project was made possible in part by a grant from the Technology Learning Grant and Revolving Loan Program, State of Colorado, Department of Higher Education. We are also grateful for the ongoing support of Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline).

© 2003 Community College of Denver Dr. Christine Johnson, President 303-556-2600