what is the difference between a narrative and descriptive essay

Narrative vs Descriptive Writing: Understanding the Key Differences

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on May 13, 2023

Categories Storytelling , Writing

Narrative and descriptive writing are two of the most common writing styles used in literature. Both styles are used to convey a story, but they differ in their purpose and approach. Narrative writing is designed to tell a complete story, while descriptive writing conveys an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative writing involves telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end. It is often used in novels, short stories, and memoirs. Narrative writing can entertain, inform, or persuade the reader. It is a powerful tool for writers to convey their message and connect with their audience.

On the other hand, descriptive writing creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind. It is often used in poetry, descriptive essays, and travel writing. Descriptive writing allows the writer to use sensory details to create a picture in the reader’s mind. It is a powerful tool for writers to create a mood or atmosphere. Descriptive writing can entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.

Narrative Writing

Narrative writing is a style of writing that tells a story or describes an event. It can be fiction or non-fiction and is often written in the first-person point of view. The purpose of narrative writing is to entertain, inform or persuade the reader.

Narrative writing aims to engage the reader by telling a story that captures their attention. Narrative writing is often used in fiction writing, but it can also be used in non-fiction writing, such as memoirs or personal essays. The purpose of narrative writing is to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and make them feel like they are part of the story.

Narrative writing has several key elements that help to create a compelling story. These elements include characters, plot, point of view, narration, chronological order, action, setting, and theme. Characters are the people or animals that are involved in the story. The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story. Point of view is the perspective from which the story is told. Narration is how the story is told, such as first-person or third-person narration. Chronological order is the order in which events occur in the story. Action is the events that take place in the story. The setting is the time and place in which the story takes place. The theme is the underlying message or meaning of the story.

Examples of narrative writing include novels, short stories, and narrative essays. In fiction writing, the protagonist is the main character who drives the story forward. In a narrative essay, the writer tells a personal story that has a point or lesson to be learned. Narrative writing often uses first-person narration to create a more personal connection between the reader and the story.

In summary, narrative writing is a style of writing that tells a story or describes an event. It has several key elements that help to create a compelling story, including characters, plot, point of view, narration, chronological order, action, setting, and theme. Narrative writing can be used in fiction and non-fiction and is often used to entertain, inform, or persuade the reader.

Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing is a type of writing that aims to provide a detailed description of a person, place, object, or event. It uses sensory details to create an image in the reader’s mind. The writer tries to make the reader feel like they are experiencing the scene.

Descriptive writing aims to create a vivid and detailed picture in the reader’s mind. It is often used to set the scene in a story or to provide a detailed description of a character or place. Descriptive writing can also create an emotional response in the reader.

Descriptive writing uses sensory details to create an image in the reader’s mind. It should be written in a logical order, so the reader can easily follow along. The following elements are commonly used in descriptive writing:

• Sensory detail (smell, taste, sight, sound, touch)
• Appearance and characteristics of the subject
• Description of the place or object
• Exposition of the subject
• Figurative language (metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia)

Here are a few examples of descriptive writing:

• The sun was setting over the mountains, casting a warm glow across the valley. The air was filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers and birds singing in the trees.
• The old house sat at the end of the street, its peeling paint and broken shutters a testament to its age. The front porch creaked as I stepped onto it, and the door groaned as I pushed it open.
• The chocolate cake was rich and decadent, with a moist crumb and a smooth, velvety frosting. Each bite was like a little slice of heaven, the flavors blending perfectly.

In conclusion, descriptive writing is a powerful tool for creating vivid and detailed images in the reader’s mind. The writer can transport the reader to another time and place using sensory details and logical order.

Narrative vs. Descriptive Writing

Differences.

Narrative writing and descriptive writing are two distinct forms of writing that have different purposes. Narrative writing is used to tell a story, while descriptive writing is used to describe something in detail. The following table summarizes some of the key differences between the two:

In narrative writing, the writer is trying to convey a specific message or theme through the story they are telling. In contrast, descriptive writing is more concerned with creating a sensory experience for the reader. Descriptive writing often uses figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, to create vivid images in the reader’s mind.

Similarities

Despite their differences, narrative writing and descriptive writing also share some similarities. Both forms of writing require the writer to use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Both can also be used in both fiction and non-fiction writing.

Another similarity is that both forms of writing can create emotional connections with the reader. In narrative writing, this is achieved by creating relatable characters and situations. Descriptive writing is achieved by using sensory details to create a visceral experience for the reader.

In conclusion, while narrative writing and descriptive writing have different purposes, they require the writer to use descriptive language to create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Understanding the differences and similarities between these two forms of writing can help writers choose the appropriate style for their writing project.

Narrative Writing Techniques

Narrative writing is a form of storytelling that conveys a series of events or experiences through a particular perspective. This section will explore some of the key techniques used in narrative writing.

The narrator is the voice that tells the story. They can be a character within the story or an outside observer. The narrator’s perspective can greatly affect the reader’s interpretation of events. For example, a first-person narrator may provide a more personal and subjective account of events, while a third-person narrator may offer a more objective perspective.

Dialogue is the spoken or written words of characters within the story. It can reveal character traits, advance the plot, and provide insight into relationships between characters. Effective dialogue should sound natural and reflect the character’s personality and background.

Point of View

Point of view refers to the perspective from which the story is told. It can be first-person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient. The choice of point of view can affect the reader’s understanding of the story and its characters.

The plot is the sequence of events that make up the story. It should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with each event building upon the previous one. A well-crafted plot should be engaging and keep the reader interested.

Characterization

Characterization is the process of creating and developing characters within the story. This can be achieved through various techniques, including dialogue, actions, and inner thoughts. Effective characterization should create characters that are believable and relatable to the reader.

In conclusion, narrative writing techniques are essential for creating a compelling and engaging story. Using techniques such as a well-developed narrator, natural-sounding dialogue, and effective characterization, writers can create stories that captivate and entertain their readers.

Descriptive Writing Techniques

Sensory details.

One of the most critical aspects of descriptive writing is the use of sensory details. This means including information that appeals to the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Sensory details help the reader experience the scene or object being described, making the writing more vivid and engaging.

For example, instead of simply stating that a flower is beautiful, a writer might describe the vibrant colors of its petals, the sweet fragrance it emits, and the soft texture of its petals. This level of detail allows the reader to fully imagine the flower and feel like they are experiencing it themselves.

Logical Order

Descriptive writing should also be organized in a logical order. This can mean starting with a general description and moving on to more specific details. For example, describing a room starts with an overview, then moves on to describe individual items.

It’s also important to consider the perspective of the reader. For example, if describing a landscape, the writer should consider the reader’s viewpoint and describe the scene from left to right, top to bottom, or in another logical order that makes sense for the reader.

Descriptive writing should create a clear mental image in the reader’s mind. This can be achieved through the use of vivid imagery and figurative language. For example, a writer might describe a sunset as a “golden blanket draped over the sky” or a forest as a “lush, green cathedral.”

It’s important to balance detailed descriptions and allow readers to use their imagination. The goal is to provide enough detail to create a mental image but not so much that the reader feels overwhelmed or bored.

Finally, descriptive writing should aim to evoke emotions in the reader. This can be achieved through descriptive language conveying a mood or feeling. For example, a writer might describe a storm as “fierce and unrelenting,” creating a sense of danger and foreboding.

It’s important to consider the emotions that the reader should feel based on the subject being described. For example, if describing a peaceful meadow, the writer should use language that conveys a sense of calm and relaxation.

By using these techniques, writers can create engaging and vivid descriptions that allow the reader to experience the scene or object being described fully.

Narrative vs. Descriptive Essays

When it comes to writing essays, there are two main types: narrative and descriptive. While they may seem similar, they have distinct differences in purpose, structure, and examples.

The purpose of a narrative essay is to tell a story. It typically includes characters, a plot, and a setting. It is meant to engage the reader and create an emotional response. Narrative essays can be based on real-life experiences or fictional stories.

On the other hand, the purpose of a descriptive essay is to provide a detailed description of a person, place, or thing. It is meant to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and create a sensory experience. Descriptive essays can be based on real-life experiences or imaginary scenarios.

Narrative essays typically have a chronological structure, meaning they follow a timeline. They often include dialogue and sensory details to create a vivid picture for the reader. The structure of a narrative essay can vary depending on the story being told.

On the other hand, descriptive essays typically have a spatial structure, meaning they describe something in a specific order. They often use sensory details and figurative language to create a vivid picture for the reader. The structure of a descriptive essay can vary depending on the topic being described.

A narrative essay example could be a personal experience, such as a memorable vacation or a life-changing event. It could also be a fictional story, such as a short story or novel.

A descriptive essay example could be describing a favorite place, such as a beach or a park. It could also be a description of a person, such as a family member or a celebrity.

In conclusion, narrative and descriptive essays have distinct differences in purpose, structure, and examples. It is important to understand these differences when deciding which type of essay to write.

Argumentative Essays

Argumentative essays are a type of writing that requires the writer to take a position on a topic and defend it using evidence and reasoning. This type of essay is often used in academic settings, such as in college courses or on standardized tests like the GRE or SAT.

An argumentative essay aims to persuade the reader to agree with the writer’s point of view. To do this, the writer must present a clear and compelling argument supported by evidence. The writer must also anticipate and address counterarguments to strengthen their argument.

An argumentative essay typically follows a five-paragraph structure, which includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should include a clear thesis statement that states the writer’s position on the topic. Each body paragraph should focus on a single point that supports the thesis statement. The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and restate the thesis statement in a new way.

Rhetorical Analysis

To write an effective argumentative essay, it is important to consider the rhetorical situation. This includes the audience, purpose, and context of the essay. The writer should also consider using ethos, pathos, and logos in their argument. Ethos refers to the writer’s credibility, pathos refers to emotional appeals, and logos refers to logical appeals.

Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the most important part of an argumentative essay. It should be clear, concise, and specific. The thesis statement should state the writer’s position on the topic and provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. It should also be arguable, meaning there should be evidence and reasoning to support the writer’s position.

Expository Essays

Expository essays are a common type of academic writing that aims to inform or explain a topic to the reader. This section will discuss the purpose, structure, and examples of expository essays.

The purpose of an expository essay is to present a balanced analysis of a topic or issue. The writer aims to explain or clarify the topic to the reader, using evidence and facts to support their arguments. Unlike narrative or descriptive writing, expository writing is focused on presenting information clearly and concisely.

The structure of an expository essay typically follows a five-paragraph format. The first paragraph is the introduction, which includes a thesis statement that summarizes the essay’s main point. The following three paragraphs are the body, which presents the evidence and arguments to support the thesis. Finally, the last paragraph is the conclusion, which restates the thesis and summarizes the essay’s main points.

Here are some examples of topics that could be covered in an expository essay:

• The causes and effects of climate change
• The history and significance of a particular event or invention
• The benefits and drawbacks of a particular technology or practice
• The process of learning a new skill or language

In conclusion, expository essays are academic writing that aims to inform or explain a topic to the reader. They follow a five-paragraph structure and present a balanced analysis using evidence and facts.

In conclusion, narrative and descriptive writing are two important styles of writing that serve different purposes. Narrative writing tells a story and conveys events, while descriptive writing paints a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing. Both styles can be used in various types of writing, such as fiction, poetry, biographies, and human interest stories.

When it comes to narrative writing, it is important to consider the basic elements of a story, such as the characters, plot, setting, and theme. Dialogue can also be used to add depth and realism to the story. On the other hand, descriptive writing focuses on sensory details, such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

It is important to note that narrative and descriptive writing are distinct styles, but they can also be used together to create a more engaging and compelling piece of writing. For example, a narrative essay can include descriptive elements to enhance the reader’s understanding and emotional connection to the story.

Overall, the key to effective narrative and descriptive writing is to use clear, concise, and engaging language. By mastering these styles, writers can create powerful and memorable works that resonate with readers long after they have finished reading.

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What is a Descriptive Essay? How to Write It (with Examples)

A descriptive essay is a type of creative writing that uses specific language to depict a person, object, experience, or event. The idea is to use illustrative language to show readers what the writer wants to convey – it could be as simple as a peaceful view from the top of a hill or as horrific as living in a war zone. By using descriptive language, authors can evoke a mental image in the readers’ minds, engaging readers and leaving a lasting impression, instead of just providing a play-by-play narrative.

Note that a description and descriptive essay are not the same thing. A descriptive essay typically consists of five or more well-written paragraphs with vivid imagery that can help readers visualize the content, as opposed to a description, which is typically one or more plain paragraphs with no particular structure or appeal. If you are still unsure about how to write a compelling descriptive essay, continue reading!

Table of Contents

What is a descriptive essay, types of descriptive essay topics.

• Characteristics of descriptive essays

How to write a descriptive essay using a structured outline

Frequently asked questions.

A simple descriptive essay definition is that it is a piece of writing that gives a thorough and vivid description of an object, person, experience, or situation. It is sometimes focused more on the emotional aspect of the topic rather than the specifics. The author’s intention when writing a descriptive essay is to help readers visualize the subject at hand. Generally, students are asked to write a descriptive essay to test their ability to recreate a rich experience with artistic flair. Here are a few key points to consider when you begin writing these.

• Look for a fascinating subject

You might be assigned a topic for your descriptive essay, but if not, you must think of a subject that interests you and about which you know enough facts. It might be about an emotion, place, event, or situation that you might have experienced.

• Acquire specific details about the topic

The next task is to collect relevant information about the topic of your choice. You should focus on including details that make the descriptive essay stand out and have a long-lasting impression on the readers. To put it simply, your aim is to make the reader feel as though they were a part of the experience in the first place, rather than merely describing the subject.

• Be playful with your writing

To make the descriptive essay memorable, use figurative writing and imagery to lay emphasis on the specific aspect of the topic. The goal is to make sure that the reader experiences the content visually, so it must be captivating and colorful. Generally speaking, “don’t tell, show”! This can be accomplished by choosing phrases that evoke strong emotions and engage a variety of senses. Making use of metaphors and similes will enable you to compare different things. We will learn about them in the upcoming sections.

• Capture all the different senses

Unlike other academic articles, descriptive essay writing uses sensory elements in addition to the main idea. In this type of essay writing, the topic is described by using sensory details such as smell, taste, feel, and touch. Example “ Mahira feels most at home when the lavender scent fills her senses as she lays on her bed after a long, tiring day at work . As the candle melts , so do her worries” . It is crucial to provide sensory details to make the character more nuanced and build intrigue to keep the reader hooked. Metaphors can also be employed to explain abstract concepts; for instance, “ A small act of kindness creates ripples that transcend oceans .” Here the writer used a metaphor to convey the emotion that even the smallest act of kindness can have a larger impact.

• Maintain harmony between flavor and flow

The descriptive essay format is one that can be customized according to the topic. However, like other types of essays, it must have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The number of body paragraphs can vary depending on the topic and available information.

It is crucial to remember that a descriptive essay should have a specific topic and goal, such as sharing personal experiences or expressing emotions like the satisfaction of a good meal. This is accomplished by employing exact language, imagery, and figurative language to illustrate concrete features. These language devices allow the writer to craft a descriptive essay that effectively transmits a particular mood, feeling, or incident to readers while also conjuring up strong mental imagery. A descriptive essay may be creative, or it may be based on the author’s own experiences. Below is a description of a few descriptive essay examples that fit into these categories.

• Personal descriptive essay example

A personal essay can look like a descriptive account of your favorite activity, a place in your neighborhood, or an object that you value. Example: “ As I step out of the front door, the crisp morning air greets me with a gentle embrace; the big chestnut tree in front, sways in the wind as if saying hello to me. The world unfolds in a symphony of awakening colors, promising a day filled with untold possibilities that make me feel alive and grateful to be born again”.

• Imaginative descriptive essay example

You may occasionally be required to write descriptive essays based on your imagination or on subjects unrelated to your own experiences. The prompts for these kinds of creative essays could be to describe the experience of someone going through heartbreak or to write about a day in the life of a barista. Imaginative descriptive essays also allow you to describe different emotions. Example, the feelings a parent experiences on holding their child for the first time.

Characteristics of descriptive essay s

The aim of a descriptive essay is to provide a detailed and vivid description of a person, place, object, event, or experience. The main goal is to create a sensory experience for the reader. Through a descriptive essay, the reader may be able to experience foods, locations, activities, or feelings that they might not otherwise be able to. Additionally, it gives the writer a way to relate to the readers by sharing a personal story. The following is a list of the essential elements of a descriptive essay:

• Sensory details
• Clear, succinct language
• Organized structure
• Thesis statement
• Appeal to emotion

How to write a descriptive essay, with examples

Writing an engaging descriptive essay is all about bringing the subject matter to life for the reader so they can experience it with their senses—smells, tastes, and textures. The upside of writing a descriptive essay is you don’t have to stick to the confinements of formal essay writing, rather you are free to use a figurative language, with sensory details, and clever word choices that can breathe life to your descriptive essay. Let’s take a closer look at how you can use these components to develop a descriptive essay that will stand out, using examples.

• Figurative language

Have you ever heard the expression “shooting for the stars”? It refers to pushing someone to strive higher or establish lofty goals, but it does not actually mean shooting for the stars. This is an example of using figurative language for conveying strong motivational emotions. In a descriptive essay, figurative language is employed to grab attention and emphasize points by creatively drawing comparisons and exaggerations. But why should descriptive essays use metaphorical language? One it adds to the topic’s interest and humor; two, it facilitates the reader’s increased connection to the subject.

These are the five most often used figurative language techniques: personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, and allusion.

• Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that is used to compare two things while emphasizing and enhancing the description using terms such as “like or as.”

Example: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving – Albert Einstein

• Metaphor: A metaphor are also used to draw similarities, but without using direct or literal comparisons like done in similes.   

Example: Books are the mirrors of the soul – Virginia Woolf, Between the acts

• Personification: This is the process of giving nonhuman or abstract objects human traits. Any human quality, including an emotional component, a physical attribute, or an action, can be personified.

Example: Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world – Louis Pasteur

• Hyperbole: This is an extreme form of exaggeration, frequently impractical, and usually employed to emphasize a point or idea. It gives the character more nuance and complexity.

Example: The force will be with you, always – Star Wars

• Allusion: This is when you reference a person, work, or event without specifically mentioning them; this leaves room for the reader’s creativity.  

Example: In the text below, Robert Frost uses the biblical Garden of Eden as an example to highlight the idea that nothing, not even paradise, endures forever.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay

– Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost (1923)

Descriptive essays need a combination of figurative language and strong sensory details to make the essay more memorable. This is when authors describe the subject matter employing senses like smell, sound, touch, and taste so that the reader can relate to it better.

Example of a sensory-based descriptive essay: The earthy fragrance of freshly roasted chestnuts and the sight of bright pink, red, orange fallen leaves on the street reminded her that winter was around the corner.

• Word choice

Word choice is everything in a descriptive essay. For the description to be enchanting, it is essential to utilize the right adjectives and to carefully consider the verbs, nouns, and adverbs. Use unusual terms and phrases that offer a new viewpoint on your topic matter instead of overusing clichés like “fast as the wind” or “lost track of time,” which can make your descriptive essay seem uninteresting and unoriginal.

See the following examples:

Bad word choice: I was so happy because the sunset was really cool.

Good word choice: I experienced immense joy as the sunset captivated me with its remarkable colors and breathtaking beauty.

• Descriptive essay format and outline

Descriptive essay writing does not have to be disorganized, it is advisable to use a structured format to organize your thoughts and ensure coherent flow in your writing. Here is a list of components that should be a part of your descriptive essay outline:

• Introduction
• Opening/hook sentence
• Topic sentence
• Body paragraphs
• Concrete details
• Clincher statement

Introduction:

• Hook: An opening statement that captures attention while introducing the subject.
• Background: Includes a brief overview of the topic the descriptive essay is based on.
• Thesis statement: Clearly states the main point or purpose of the descriptive essay.

Body paragraphs: Each paragraph should have

• Topic sentence: Introduce the first aspect or feature you will describe. It informs the reader about what is coming next.
• Sensory details: Use emphatic language to appeal to the reader’s senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell).
• Concrete details: These are actual details needed to understand the context of the descriptive essay.
• Supporting details: Include relevant information or examples to improve the description.

Conclusion:

• Summarize key points: Here you revisit the main features or aspects of the subject.
• Restate thesis statement: Reinforce the central impression or emotion.
• Clincher statement: Conclude with a statement that summarizes the entire essay and serve as the last words with a powerful message.

Revision and editing:

• Go over your essay to make sure it is coherent, clear, and consistent.
• Check for logical paragraph transitions by proofreading the content.
• Examine text to ensure correct grammar, punctuation, and style.
• Use the thesaurus or AI paraphrasing tools to find the right words.

A descriptive essay often consists of three body paragraphs or more, an introduction that concludes with a thesis statement, and a conclusion that summarizes the subject and leaves a lasting impression on readers.

A descriptive essay’s primary goal is to captivate the reader by writing a thorough and vivid explanation of the subject matter, while appealing to their various senses. A list of additional goals is as follows: – Spark feeling and imagination – Create a vivid experience – Paint a mental picture – Pique curiosity – Convey a mood or atmosphere – Highlight specific details

Although they both fall within the creative writing category, narrative essays and descriptive essays have different storytelling focuses. While the main goal of a narrative essay is to tell a story based on a real-life experience or a made-up event, the main goal of a descriptive essay is to vividly describe a person, location, event, or emotion.

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Home » Language » Difference Between Narrative and Descriptive Essay

Difference Between Narrative and Descriptive Essay

Main difference – narrative vs descriptive essay.

Though there is a difference between narrative and descriptive essay, these two types of essays are often confused to be the same. Both narrative and descriptive essay can be written by any age group, as they do not contain many facts or information. They are usually used in creative writing activities for students. The main difference between narrative and descriptive essay is that a descriptive essay describes a certain person, an object or a scene while a narrative essay narrates a story .

What is a Descriptive Essay

Descriptive essay is a piece of writing that includes lot of descriptions. A descriptive essay can be about a person, a place, an object, or a feeling. In this type of essay, we can describe sensory details (sights, smells, sound, taste, touch). A good descriptive essay writer can describe his subject in such a way that vivid images are created in readers’ mind. Common descriptive essay topics include my pet, my family, my favorite place, my best friend, etc.

Extract from a Descriptive Essay:

“My best friend is my own cousin. Her name is Lily Adams and, she is in the same age as me. She is a pretty, tall girl with long black hair. Her deep green eyes like emeralds. Lily is a very talkative girl and she loves to help poor people. She often carries extra food in her bag to give to the poor people she meets on the road……”

What is a Narrative Essay

Narrative Essay is a piece of writing that narrates a story. A narrative essay can describe a writer’s personal experience or an imaginary incident. A good narrative essay writer can make the readers feel that he is writing about a true incident. First point of view is generally used in this type of an essay. A narrative essay also contains a plot, setting, and characters. Some narrative essay writers use dialogues as well. Some examples for narrative essays topics are an unforgettable day, my first day at school, an experience that changed, A day at the beach etc.

Extract from a Narrative Essay:

“….As I started to swim in the warm ocean, jumping over waves, I left others behind. I was still wearing my long back skirt which was quite heavy in the water, but my feet was touching the ocean floor, so I was not worried. But at one instant, I felt my feet could not touch the ocean floor anymore and I was  plunged into the water, weighed down by my clothing. Giant  waves kept coming and I was getting sucked into the depths every time they came. I tried to call out to my friends, but no sound came out my mouth……”

How to Write a Narrative Essay

As described above, the main difference between narrative and descriptive essay is their purpose. A narrative essay is written to narrate a certain incident or experience while a descriptive essay is written in order to describe a person, a thing, or a place. In a narrative essay, first person point of view is generally used and both first and third points of views are used in a descriptive essay. A narrative essay uses a logical, more often a chronological order, but a descriptive essay does not take time factor into account. Another significant difference between narrative and descriptive essay is that a narrative essay has a plot, setting and characters as it tells a story. In addition, a narrative essay can also contain dialogues.

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“trialsanderrors” by konen uehara: waves, ca. 1910  (cc by 2.0)  via flickr.

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Differences Between Narrative & Descriptive Writing

Karen hartless.

Seasoned writers weave descriptive and narrative writing to create compelling reading, but the two styles have distinct purposes and features emerging writers need to master separately. Descriptive writing attempts to capture the details of a topic and accurately portray its elements to readers. Narrative writing attempts to relay a story using chronological order or time sequence. Since good description often is needed in telling a story, students should master descriptive writing elements before crafting longer works of fiction.

Explore this article

• The Purpose of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive Writing Techniques

• The Purpose of Narrative Writing
• Narrative Writing Techniques

1 The Purpose of Descriptive Writing

Descriptive writing relies on sensory detail: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell to create a three-dimensional portrayal of an object, person, place, emotion or even an idea. The purpose is to give the reader as much detail as possible and to describe the subject in a new way that makes the subject unforgettable. The famous novel "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole, starts with this description: "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once." Toole accomplishes a memorable description of the title character by utilizing spatial organization and figurative language, techniques all writers can master with practice.

2 Descriptive Writing Techniques

Descriptive writing uses illustrative or spatial organization to create a logical image of the subject. Directional signal words, such as below or above, help readers follow along with transitions in your descriptions. If your are describing something abstract, use illustrative signal words such as in addition, and for example. Figurative language makes descriptive writing unique. Metaphors and similes help readers imagine a subject by comparing it directly to another more familiar item. When applicable, use sound devices such as onomatopoeia and alliteration to help readers envision subjects more clearly. Small assignments with limited word counts describing tangible or concrete items will help students build the skills needed to write descriptively.

3 The Purpose of Narrative Writing

Narrative writing attempts to tell a story, but often can use description to help readers picture the elements involved. Narrative writing has a point of view, which usually is first-person or third-person. Herman Melville's opening lines to "Moby Dick" establish a first-person narration: "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world." Narrative writing includes characters, a setting and a plot of events -- exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Narrative writing also develops a moral or theme for its readers through the integration of various fictional elements.

4 Narrative Writing Techniques

Narrative writing uses chronological or time order to describe a sequence of events. Sequence signal words, such as first, second and next, help move a narrative forward. Flashbacks and flash-forwards are techniques used to jump through time and switch between different points of view. Foreshadowing or hinting at something before it happens is a technique that entices readers to continue reading. Narrative writing often contains dialogue or conversations between characters, which helps move the action forward and allows readers to connect with characters. While narrative writing includes detailed descriptions, the narrative writer needs to focus on telling a logical story.

• 1 Short List: Literature's Greatest Opening Paragraphs

About the Author

Based in Winchester, Va., Karen Hartless has 10 years of teaching experience in the areas of English, creative writing and public speaking. She earned a Master of Education degree as a reading specialist from Shenandoah University, focusing on teaching, reading, and writing clear, concise text.

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The Ultimate Narrative Essay Guide for Beginners

A narrative essay tells a story in chronological order, with an introduction that introduces the characters and sets the scene. Then a series of events leads to a climax or turning point, and finally a resolution or reflection on the experience.

Speaking of which, are you in sixes and sevens about narrative essays? Don’t worry this ultimate expert guide will wipe out all your doubts. So let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Everything You Need to Know About Narrative Essay

What is a narrative essay.

When you go through a narrative essay definition, you would know that a narrative essay purpose is to tell a story. It’s all about sharing an experience or event and is different from other types of essays because it’s more focused on how the event made you feel or what you learned from it, rather than just presenting facts or an argument. Let’s explore more details on this interesting write-up and get to know how to write a narrative essay.

Elements of a Narrative Essay

Here’s a breakdown of the key elements of a narrative essay:

A narrative essay has a beginning, middle, and end. It builds up tension and excitement and then wraps things up in a neat package.

Real people, including the writer, often feature in personal narratives. Details of the characters and their thoughts, feelings, and actions can help readers to relate to the tale.

It’s really important to know when and where something happened so we can get a good idea of the context. Going into detail about what it looks like helps the reader to really feel like they’re part of the story.

Conflict or Challenge 

A story in a narrative essay usually involves some kind of conflict or challenge that moves the plot along. It could be something inside the character, like a personal battle, or something from outside, like an issue they have to face in the world.

Theme or Message

A narrative essay isn’t just about recounting an event – it’s about showing the impact it had on you and what you took away from it. It’s an opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings about the experience, and how it changed your outlook.

Emotional Impact

The author is trying to make the story they’re telling relatable, engaging, and memorable by using language and storytelling to evoke feelings in whoever’s reading it.

Narrative essays let writers have a blast telling stories about their own lives. It’s an opportunity to share insights and impart wisdom, or just have some fun with the reader. Descriptive language, sensory details, dialogue, and a great narrative voice are all essentials for making the story come alive.

The Purpose of a Narrative Essay

A narrative essay is more than just a story – it’s a way to share a meaningful, engaging, and relatable experience with the reader. Includes:

Sharing Personal Experience

Narrative essays are a great way for writers to share their personal experiences, feelings, thoughts, and reflections. It’s an opportunity to connect with readers and make them feel something.

Entertainment and Engagement

The essay attempts to keep the reader interested by using descriptive language, storytelling elements, and a powerful voice. It attempts to pull them in and make them feel involved by creating suspense, mystery, or an emotional connection.

Conveying a Message or Insight

Narrative essays are more than just a story – they aim to teach you something. They usually have a moral lesson, a new understanding, or a realization about life that the author gained from the experience.

Building Empathy and Understanding

By telling their stories, people can give others insight into different perspectives, feelings, and situations. Sharing these tales can create compassion in the reader and help broaden their knowledge of different life experiences.

Inspiration and Motivation

Stories about personal struggles, successes, and transformations can be really encouraging to people who are going through similar situations. It can provide them with hope and guidance, and let them know that they’re not alone.

Reflecting on Life’s Significance

These essays usually make you think about the importance of certain moments in life or the impact of certain experiences. They make you look deep within yourself and ponder on the things you learned or how you changed because of those events.

Demonstrating Writing Skills

Coming up with a gripping narrative essay takes serious writing chops, like vivid descriptions, powerful language, timing, and organization. It’s an opportunity for writers to show off their story-telling abilities.

Preserving Personal History

Sometimes narrative essays are used to record experiences and special moments that have an emotional resonance. They can be used to preserve individual memories or for future generations to look back on.

Cultural and Societal Exploration

Personal stories can look at cultural or social aspects, giving us an insight into customs, opinions, or social interactions seen through someone’s own experience.

Format of a Narrative Essay

Narrative essays are quite flexible in terms of format, which allows the writer to tell a story in a creative and compelling way. Here’s a quick breakdown of the narrative essay format, along with some examples:

Introduction

Set the scene and introduce the story.

Engage the reader and establish the tone of the narrative.

Hook: Start with a captivating opening line to grab the reader’s attention. For instance:

Example:  “The scorching sun beat down on us as we trekked through the desert, our water supply dwindling.”

Background Information: Provide necessary context or background without giving away the entire story.

Example:  “It was the summer of 2015 when I embarked on a life-changing journey to…”

Thesis Statement or Narrative Purpose

Present the main idea or the central message of the essay.

Offer a glimpse of what the reader can expect from the narrative.

Thesis Statement: This isn’t as rigid as in other essays but can be a sentence summarizing the essence of the story.

Example:  “Little did I know, that seemingly ordinary hike would teach me invaluable lessons about resilience and friendship.”

Body Paragraphs

Present the sequence of events in chronological order.

Develop characters, setting, conflict, and resolution.

Story Progression: Describe events in the order they occurred, focusing on details that evoke emotions and create vivid imagery.

Example: Detail the trek through the desert, the challenges faced, interactions with fellow hikers, and the pivotal moments.

Character Development: Introduce characters and their roles in the story. Show their emotions, thoughts, and actions.

Example: Describe how each character reacted to the dwindling water supply and supported each other through adversity.

Dialogue and Interactions: Use dialogue to bring the story to life and reveal character personalities.

Example: “Sarah handed me her last bottle of water, saying, ‘We’re in this together.'”

Reach the peak of the story, the moment of highest tension or significance.

Turning Point: Highlight the most crucial moment or realization in the narrative.

Example:  “As the sun dipped below the horizon and hope seemed lost, a distant sound caught our attention—the rescue team’s helicopters.”

Provide closure to the story.

Reflect on the significance of the experience and its impact.

Reflection: Summarize the key lessons learned or insights gained from the experience.

Example: “That hike taught me the true meaning of resilience and the invaluable support of friendship in challenging times.”

Closing Thought: End with a memorable line that reinforces the narrative’s message or leaves a lasting impression.

Example: “As we boarded the helicopters, I knew this adventure would forever be etched in my heart.”

Example Summary:

Imagine a narrative about surviving a challenging hike through the desert, emphasizing the bonds formed and lessons learned. The narrative essay structure might look like starting with an engaging scene, narrating the hardships faced, showcasing the characters’ resilience, and culminating in a powerful realization about friendship and endurance.

Different Types of Narrative Essays

There are a bunch of different types of narrative essays – each one focuses on different elements of storytelling and has its own purpose. Here’s a breakdown of the narrative essay types and what they mean.

Personal Narrative

Description: Tells a personal story or experience from the writer’s life.

Purpose: Reflects on personal growth, lessons learned, or significant moments.

Example of Narrative Essay Types:

Topic: “The Day I Conquered My Fear of Public Speaking”

Focus: Details the experience, emotions, and eventual triumph over a fear of public speaking during a pivotal event.

Descriptive Narrative

Description: Emphasizes vivid details and sensory imagery.

Purpose: Creates a sensory experience, painting a vivid picture for the reader.

Topic: “A Walk Through the Enchanted Forest”

Focus: Paints a detailed picture of the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings experienced during a walk through a mystical forest.

Autobiographical Narrative

Description: Chronicles significant events or moments from the writer’s life.

Purpose: Provides insights into the writer’s life, experiences, and growth.

Topic: “Lessons from My Childhood: How My Grandmother Shaped Who I Am”

Focus: Explores pivotal moments and lessons learned from interactions with a significant family member.

Experiential Narrative

Description: Relays experiences beyond the writer’s personal life.

Purpose: Shares experiences, travels, or events from a broader perspective.

Topic: “Volunteering in a Remote Village: A Journey of Empathy”

Focus: Chronicles the writer’s volunteering experience, highlighting interactions with a community and personal growth.

Literary Narrative

Description: Incorporates literary elements like symbolism, allegory, or thematic explorations.

Purpose: Uses storytelling for deeper explorations of themes or concepts.

Topic: “The Symbolism of the Red Door: A Journey Through Change”

Focus: Uses a red door as a symbol, exploring its significance in the narrator’s life and the theme of transition.

Historical Narrative

Description: Recounts historical events or periods through a personal lens.

Purpose: Presents history through personal experiences or perspectives.

Topic: “A Grandfather’s Tales: Living Through the Great Depression”

Focus: Shares personal stories from a family member who lived through a historical era, offering insights into that period.

Digital or Multimedia Narrative

Description: Incorporates multimedia elements like images, videos, or audio to tell a story.

Purpose: Explores storytelling through various digital platforms or formats.

Topic: “A Travel Diary: Exploring Europe Through Vlogs”

Focus: Combines video clips, photos, and personal narration to document a travel experience.

How to Choose a Topic for Your Narrative Essay?

Selecting a compelling topic for your narrative essay is crucial as it sets the stage for your storytelling. Choosing a boring topic is one of the narrative essay mistakes to avoid . Here’s a detailed guide on how to choose the right topic:

Reflect on Personal Experiences

• Significant Moments:

Moments that had a profound impact on your life or shaped your perspective.

Example: A moment of triumph, overcoming a fear, a life-changing decision, or an unforgettable experience.

• Emotional Resonance:

Events that evoke strong emotions or feelings.

Example: Joy, fear, sadness, excitement, or moments of realization.

• Lessons Learned:

Experiences that taught you valuable lessons or brought about personal growth.

Example: Challenges that led to personal development, shifts in mindset, or newfound insights.

Explore Unique Perspectives

• Uncommon Experiences:

Unique or unconventional experiences that might captivate the reader’s interest.

Example: Unusual travels, interactions with different cultures, or uncommon hobbies.

• Different Points of View:

Stories from others’ perspectives that impacted you deeply.

Example: A family member’s story, a friend’s experience, or a historical event from a personal lens.

Focus on Specific Themes or Concepts

• Themes or Concepts of Interest:

Themes or ideas you want to explore through storytelling.

Example: Friendship, resilience, identity, cultural diversity, or personal transformation.

• Symbolism or Metaphor:

Using symbols or metaphors as the core of your narrative.

Example: Exploring the symbolism of an object or a place in relation to a broader theme.

Consider Your Audience and Purpose

• Relevance to Your Audience:

Topics that resonate with your audience’s interests or experiences.

Example: Choose a relatable theme or experience that your readers might connect with emotionally.

• Impact or Message:

What message or insight do you want to convey through your story?

Example: Choose a topic that aligns with the message or lesson you aim to impart to your readers.

Brainstorm and Evaluate Ideas

• Free Writing or Mind Mapping:

Process: Write down all potential ideas without filtering. Mind maps or free-writing exercises can help generate diverse ideas.

• Evaluate Feasibility:

The depth of the story, the availability of vivid details, and your personal connection to the topic.

Imagine you’re considering topics for a narrative essay. You reflect on your experiences and decide to explore the topic of “Overcoming Stage Fright: How a School Play Changed My Perspective.” This topic resonates because it involves a significant challenge you faced and the personal growth it brought about.

Narrative Essay Topics

50 easy narrative essay topics.

• Learning to Ride a Bike
• My First Day of School
• A Surprise Birthday Party
• The Day I Got Lost
• Visiting a Haunted House
• An Encounter with a Wild Animal
• My Favorite Childhood Toy
• The Best Vacation I Ever Had
• An Unforgettable Family Gathering
• Conquering a Fear of Heights
• A Special Gift I Received
• Moving to a New City
• The Most Memorable Meal
• Getting Caught in a Rainstorm
• An Act of Kindness I Witnessed
• The First Time I Cooked a Meal
• My Experience with a New Hobby
• The Day I Met My Best Friend
• A Hike in the Mountains
• Learning a New Language
• An Embarrassing Moment
• Dealing with a Bully
• My First Job Interview
• A Sporting Event I Attended
• The Scariest Dream I Had
• Helping a Stranger
• The Joy of Achieving a Goal
• A Road Trip Adventure
• Overcoming a Personal Challenge
• The Significance of a Family Tradition
• An Unusual Pet I Owned
• A Misunderstanding with a Friend
• Exploring an Abandoned Building
• My Favorite Book and Why
• The Impact of a Role Model
• A Cultural Celebration I Participated In
• A Valuable Lesson from a Teacher
• A Trip to the Zoo
• An Unplanned Adventure
• Volunteering Experience
• A Moment of Forgiveness
• A Decision I Regretted
• A Special Talent I Have
• The Importance of Family Traditions
• The Thrill of Performing on Stage
• A Moment of Sudden Inspiration
• The Meaning of Home
• Learning to Play a Musical Instrument
• A Childhood Memory at the Park
• Witnessing a Beautiful Sunset

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

• Discovering a New Passion
• Overcoming Academic Challenges
• Navigating Cultural Differences
• Embracing Independence: Moving Away from Home
• Exploring Career Aspirations
• Coping with Stress in College
• The Impact of a Mentor in My Life
• Balancing Work and Studies
• Facing a Fear of Public Speaking
• Exploring a Semester Abroad
• The Evolution of My Study Habits
• Volunteering Experience That Changed My Perspective
• The Role of Technology in Education
• Finding Balance: Social Life vs. Academics
• Learning a New Skill Outside the Classroom
• Reflecting on Freshman Year Challenges
• The Joys and Struggles of Group Projects
• My Experience with Internship or Work Placement
• Challenges of Time Management in College
• Redefining Success Beyond Grades
• The Influence of Literature on My Thinking
• The Impact of Social Media on College Life
• Overcoming Procrastination
• Lessons from a Leadership Role
• Exploring Diversity on Campus
• Exploring Passion for Environmental Conservation
• An Eye-Opening Course That Changed My Perspective
• Living with Roommates: Challenges and Lessons
• The Significance of Extracurricular Activities
• The Influence of a Professor on My Academic Journey
• Discussing Mental Health in College
• The Evolution of My Career Goals
• Confronting Personal Biases Through Education
• The Experience of Attending a Conference or Symposium
• Challenges Faced by Non-Native English Speakers in College
• The Impact of Traveling During Breaks
• Exploring Identity: Cultural or Personal
• The Impact of Music or Art on My Life
• Addressing Diversity in the Classroom
• Exploring Entrepreneurial Ambitions
• My Experience with Research Projects
• Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in College
• The Importance of Networking in College
• Finding Resilience During Tough Times
• The Impact of Global Issues on Local Perspectives
• The Influence of Family Expectations on Education
• Lessons from a Part-Time Job
• Exploring the College Sports Culture
• The Role of Technology in Modern Education
• The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Education

Narrative Essay Comparison

Narrative essay vs. descriptive essay.

Here’s our first narrative essay comparison! While both narrative and descriptive essays focus on vividly portraying a subject or an event, they differ in their primary objectives and approaches. Now, let’s delve into the nuances of comparison on narrative essays.

Narrative Essay:

Storytelling: Focuses on narrating a personal experience or event.

Chronological Order: Follows a structured timeline of events to tell a story.

Message or Lesson: Often includes a central message, moral, or lesson learned from the experience.

Engagement: Aims to captivate the reader through a compelling storyline and character development.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s point of view, using “I” and expressing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Emphasizes a plot with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Character Development: Focuses on describing characters, their interactions, emotions, and growth.

Conflict or Challenge: Usually involves a central conflict or challenge that drives the narrative forward.

Dialogue: Incorporates conversations to bring characters and their interactions to life.

Reflection: Concludes with reflection or insight gained from the experience.

Descriptive Essay:

Vivid Description: Aims to vividly depict a person, place, object, or event.

Imagery and Details: Focuses on sensory details to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

Emotion through Description: Uses descriptive language to evoke emotions and engage the reader’s senses.

Painting a Picture: Creates a sensory-rich description allowing the reader to visualize the subject.

Imagery and Sensory Details: Focuses on providing rich sensory descriptions, using vivid language and adjectives.

Point of Focus: Concentrates on describing a specific subject or scene in detail.

Spatial Organization: Often employs spatial organization to describe from one area or aspect to another.

Objective Observations: Typically avoids the use of personal opinions or emotions; instead, the focus remains on providing a detailed and objective description.

Comparison:

Focus: Narrative essays emphasize storytelling, while descriptive essays focus on vividly describing a subject or scene.

Perspective: Narrative essays are often written from a first-person perspective, while descriptive essays may use a more objective viewpoint.

Purpose: Narrative essays aim to convey a message or lesson through a story, while descriptive essays aim to paint a detailed picture for the reader without necessarily conveying a specific message.

Narrative Essay vs. Argumentative Essay

The narrative essay and the argumentative essay serve distinct purposes and employ different approaches:

Engagement and Emotion: Aims to captivate the reader through a compelling story.

Reflective: Often includes reflection on the significance of the experience or lessons learned.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s point of view, sharing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Emphasizes a storyline with a beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Message or Lesson: Conveys a central message, moral, or insight derived from the experience.

Argumentative Essay:

Persuasion and Argumentation: Aims to persuade the reader to adopt the writer’s viewpoint on a specific topic.

Logical Reasoning: Presents evidence, facts, and reasoning to support a particular argument or stance.

Debate and Counterarguments: Acknowledge opposing views and counter them with evidence and reasoning.

Thesis Statement: Includes a clear thesis statement that outlines the writer’s position on the topic.

Thesis and Evidence: Starts with a strong thesis statement and supports it with factual evidence, statistics, expert opinions, or logical reasoning.

Counterarguments: Addresses opposing viewpoints and provides rebuttals with evidence.

Logical Structure: Follows a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs presenting arguments and evidence, and a conclusion reaffirming the thesis.

Formal Language: Uses formal language and avoids personal anecdotes or emotional appeals.

Objective: Argumentative essays focus on presenting a logical argument supported by evidence, while narrative essays prioritize storytelling and personal reflection.

Purpose: Argumentative essays aim to persuade and convince the reader of a particular viewpoint, while narrative essays aim to engage, entertain, and share personal experiences.

Structure: Narrative essays follow a storytelling structure with character development and plot, while argumentative essays follow a more formal, structured approach with logical arguments and evidence.

In essence, while both essays involve writing and presenting information, the narrative essay focuses on sharing a personal experience, whereas the argumentative essay aims to persuade the audience by presenting a well-supported argument.

Narrative Essay vs. Personal Essay

While there can be an overlap between narrative and personal essays, they have distinctive characteristics:

Storytelling: Emphasizes recounting a specific experience or event in a structured narrative form.

Engagement through Story: Aims to engage the reader through a compelling story with characters, plot, and a central theme or message.

Reflective: Often includes reflection on the significance of the experience and the lessons learned.

First-Person Perspective: Typically narrated from the writer’s viewpoint, expressing personal emotions and thoughts.

Plot Development: Focuses on developing a storyline with a clear beginning, middle, climax, and resolution.

Character Development: Includes descriptions of characters, their interactions, emotions, and growth.

Central Message: Conveys a central message, moral, or insight derived from the experience.

Personal Essay:

Exploration of Ideas or Themes: Explores personal ideas, opinions, or reflections on a particular topic or subject.

Expression of Thoughts and Opinions: Expresses the writer’s thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on a specific subject matter.

Reflection and Introspection: Often involves self-reflection and introspection on personal experiences, beliefs, or values.

Varied Structure and Content: Can encompass various forms, including memoirs, personal anecdotes, or reflections on life experiences.

Flexibility in Structure: Allows for diverse structures and forms based on the writer’s intent, which could be narrative-like or more reflective.

Theme-Centric Writing: Focuses on exploring a central theme or idea, with personal anecdotes or experiences supporting and illustrating the theme.

Expressive Language: Utilizes descriptive and expressive language to convey personal perspectives, emotions, and opinions.

Focus: Narrative essays primarily focus on storytelling through a structured narrative, while personal essays encompass a broader range of personal expression, which can include storytelling but isn’t limited to it.

Structure: Narrative essays have a more structured plot development with characters and a clear sequence of events, while personal essays might adopt various structures, focusing more on personal reflection, ideas, or themes.

Intent: While both involve personal experiences, narrative essays emphasize telling a story with a message or lesson learned, while personal essays aim to explore personal thoughts, feelings, or opinions on a broader range of topics or themes.

A narrative essay is more than just telling a story. It’s also meant to engage the reader, get them thinking, and leave a lasting impact. Whether it’s to amuse, motivate, teach, or reflect, these essays are a great way to communicate with your audience. This interesting narrative essay guide was all about letting you understand the narrative essay, its importance, and how can you write one.

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• Where is the establishment of religion clause in the U.S. Constitution?
• What's the point of making texting while driving illegal?
• Have social conservatives captured the Republican Party?
• Why are Republicans (or those who favor capitalism) called the right" or "right-wing" and Democrats (or those who favor social issues) called the "left?""
• Who were the War Hawks?
• What are the differences in the ways the House and the Senate conduct debates on a bill?
• What is WikiLeaks?
• How long do oral arguments last in Supreme Court cases?
• What do you think are some reasons why the President was given almost unlimited military powers? What are some possible positive and negative effects resulting from the scope of the President's military power?
• Why is the United States government so worried about North Korea?
• Did Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation actually free any slaves?
• How were U.S. Senators originally chosen?
• What changes in American society have created new issues for the government to address?
• What was the Tweed Ring?
• What do you think secret service for the Obama girls is like? Is there a dude with a gun and stuff sitting next to them in class? Wouldn't that make it hard for them to concentrate?
• How many representatives does each state have in the House of Representatives?
• What is the difference between the Senate Majority/Minority leaders and the Senate Whip?
• How are justices to the U.S. Supreme Court elected? Is this a good or a bad thing?
• What type of education do you need to become Speaker of the House?
• I heard a rumor that if you modify the photo by at least 10%, it doesn't matter if it's copyrighted and you can use it however. Is that true?
• What do security and infringed mean in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
• What did Abraham Lincoln mean by A house divided against itself cannot stand"?"
• Who is the only U.S. President who never won a nationwide election?
• What is the current law on compulsory vaccinations in the U.S.? Are there any exceptions for people who don't want to get vaccinated?
• After the stock market crash, how did President Hoover try to help the economy?
• My economics teacher said something about stagflation , what is that, exactly?
• How do interest groups play a role in American government?
• Has Thanksgiving always been on the same day?
• Can someone who's not a Republican or Democrat win an election?
• What can you tell me about the 1976 presidential election?
• The Electoral College — can anyone apply?
• How do lobbyists influence public policy decisions?
• What happens if the president doesn't like a piece of legislation?
• What are the legal elements of a crime?
• How did the Whiskey Rebellion change people's perception of federal laws in the United States?
• How do federal judges get their jobs?
• If you are dressed to conform to an informal, verbal dress code but a different, written dress code is enforced and you get in trouble, do you have a First Amendment right to challenge it? My teachers enforce the dress code inconsistently.
• How does the CIA recruit people? What types of majors do they typically target?
• What is the importance of the Declaration of Independence? Why would the founders of our country need to declare" their freedom? Why is it so important today?"
• What is Presidential Veto Power?
• What is the purpose of government, and how does a bill become law?
• Is there a way, other than retiring, to get out of the Supreme Court (such as being dismissed)?
• When did the pocket veto start?
• Who would serve as the new president if both the president and vice president resigned?
• What was the difference in history between the Middle Ages (Medieval Times) and the Renaissance?
• What's a Congressional Page and how do you become one?
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• Back to School Considerations for Adult Learners
• College Professors Appreciate Good Behavior
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• Why do some critics want the 22nd Amendment repealed?
• What is guerrilla warfare?
• Years ago I learned that our national highway system has built-in runways for emergency landing strips. Is this still true?
• What newspapers did Frederick Douglass write for?
• I know that the days of the week are all named after Norse or Roman gods or the sun and moon, but I can't figure out what Tuesday is named for. Do you know?
• Can you give me a brief history of Prussia?
• Who were the Ottomans?
• Who discovered oxygen?
• What have been the major Israel and Arab conflicts since World War II?
• 1What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
• How did Peter I of Russia come to power?
• What can you tell me about Kwanzaa?
• What is the Alma-Ata declaration?
• I've heard that in some countries, everyone has to sign up for the military between high school and college. Is that true?
• How were women treated in Ancient Rome?
• What is the history and meaning of Turkey's flag?
• How are justices to the US Supreme Court elected Is this a good or a bad thing
• How did ounce come to be abbreviated as oz.?
• Why did Cromwell dissolve the first Protectorate parliament?
• Why does The Great Depression end when the United States enters World War II?
• What place did the underworld have in Egyptian mythology?
• Can you explain Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in words that a teen can understand?
• Who was the most famous mathematician?
• Where did Christopher Columbus land when he reached the Americas?
• Who had control of more states during the American Civil War, the North or the South?
• How did Zeus become ruler of the Greek gods?
• Why does Santa Claus have so many names — Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, and Kris Kringle?
• What is antidisestablishmentarianism?
• What is Leningrad known as today?
• Who were the leading figures in the Classical period of music?
• Why didn't the Pope allow Henry VIII a divorce, and who was Catherine of Aragon's relative who came and held siege?
• Who wrote, A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still"?"
• Was the Spanish Armada large, and did its crews have notable sailing skill?
• What was the cause of the War of Spanish Succession?
• What is the song Yankee Doodle Dandy" really about?"
• What's the story of the Roanoke colony?
• How does history reflect what people were thinking at the time?
• My teacher says there's more than one kind of history. How can that be?
• What were the turning points in World War II?
• We just started studying Spanish exploration in North America. What makes it so important today?
• What was it like for women in the 1920s?
• Have Americans always been big on sports?
• Who invented baseball?
• What did American Indians have to give up for pioneers?
• How did imperialism spread around the world?
• How did Imperialism in India come about?
• What's the big deal about Manifest Destiny?
• How did the Tet Offensive affect public opinion about the Vietnam War?
• Why did Christian Lous Lange deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921?
• Where do the four suits in a deck of cards originate? What do they represent?
• What was the Roe v. Wade trial?
• Who is Constantine?
• I need to know some info on the Monroe Doctrine. I have looked everywhere but I still can't find any information. Can you PLEASE help?
• Where did the chair originate from? I was sitting on one the other day and it said Made in China," but where did it first come from?"
• What kind of cash crops did they grow in the South in early America?
• Everyone talks about how enlightened the Mayans were, but what did they really do?
• What caused the fall of the Roman Empire? Did Christianity play a role?
• What was the reason for the downfall of the Russian Empire in 1917?
• What prompted slavery? Why were the Africans chosen for enslavement?
• How did World War I start and end?
• What is The Palestinian Conflict?
• I don't really understand the French Revolution. What started it, and what stopped it?
• What was the doctor's diagnosis of Helen Keller when she was a baby?
• What is the Trail of Tears?
• When speaking about Native Americans, what is the difference between an Indian tribe and an Indian Nation?
• What happened during the Boston Massacre?
• What was sectionalism in America before the Civil War?
• How did the U.S. attempt to avoid involvement in World War II?
• What is Ronald Reagan's Tear down this wall" speech about?"
• Can you describe the United States policy of containment and show an example of an event when the policy was used and why?
• How many countries are there in the world?
• What did Columbus do besides sail to the New World?
• My history teacher said that if your religious denomination isn't Catholic, than you are a Protestant. Is she right?
• Do you think that Mormons are Christians? What is the full name of the Mormon Church?
• What principles of the Belmont Report were violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?
• What is the size of Europe in square miles?
• The United States was given the right to establish naval bases in the British West Indies during World War II by the British Government in exchange for what?
• How were the Crusades a turning point in Western history?
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• What does impertinent mean (from The American )?
• I know that the verb pluck means to pull out or pull at, but what's the definition when used as a noun?
• Which novels would you recommend to 15-year-olds on the theme of places and forms of power?
• In The Pearl, why didn't John Steinbeck give the pearl buyers identifying names?
• In the play, The Crucible , why would Arthur Miller include the Note on Historical Accuracy?
• What is perfidy (from Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser)?
• Is being pedantic a good or bad thing?
• Is a termagant a type of seabird?
• What is ichor (from The Iliad )?
• In The Hunger Games, why did Cinna choose to be the designer for District 12?
• Is a rivulet really a river, only smaller?
• Charles Dickens has this person called the beadle" in lots of his books. Is that like a nickname for a man with buggy eyes or something?"
• In Brave New World, why are family words like father and mother viewed as obscene?
• What is the main tenet of stoicism?
• What's the meaning of obsequious (from Theodore Dreiser's urban novel Sister Carrie )?
• Where are the Antipodes (from Much Ado about Nothing )?
• What is a truckle bed (from Romeo and Juliet )?
• What does truculent (from Great Expectations ) mean?
• If someone inculcates you, should you feel insulted?
• What does the phrase Ethiop words" mean in Shakespeare's As You Like It ?"
• I was chatting with a neighbor who said I was quite garrulous . Nice or mean?
• What does laconic mean?
• At a restaurant famous for its rude servers, a waitress told me to lump it" when I asked for another napkin. Can you tell me about that phrase?"
• What does urbane (from Daisy Miller ) mean?
• I thought necro had something to do with being dead. So, what's a necromancer ? Sounds creepy.
• In The House of Mirth, this guy named Gus Trenor is eating a jellied plover." Is that some kind of doughnut?"
• What are some well-known novels whose titles are quotations from Shakespeare?
• In Orwell's 1984, what does the opening sentence suggest about the book?
• Understanding the literary genre Magical Realism
• What's a prig?
• I asked my granddad if he liked his new apartment and he said, It's all hunky-dory, kiddo." What did he mean?"
• What does mephitic (from Man and Superman ) mean?
• I hate finding typos in books. Here's one I've seen several times: jalousies instead of jealousies.
• On the second week of my summer job at a bookstore, my boss handed me an envelope with what she called my emoluments. Looked like a paycheck to me, though.
• In To Kill a Mockingbird, what are some examples of the characters having courage?
• What's cud? I was once told to stop chewing my cud and get back to work.
• What can you tell me about the word patois from The Awakening ?
• What are thews (from Ivanhoe )?
• What does pot-shop (from The Pickwick Papers ) mean?
• Are all dowagers women?
• If someone is the titular head of a political party, does it mean they have all the power?
• The word flummox confuses me. What does it mean?
• Somebody told me I looked pasty. Does that mean I've eaten too many sweets?
• I started taking private bassoon lessons. When I arrived at my teacher’s house, he told me to wait in the anteroom. I wasn’t sure where to go.
• Is anomalous the same as anonymous ?
• I know that a fathom is a unit of measure used by sailors, but how long is a fathom?
• What is a joss (from Victory, by Joseph Conrad)?
• What does eschew (from The Pickwick Papers ) mean?
• What does excrescence (from The Call of the Wild ) mean?
• What does the word covert mean?
• In Shakespeare's Sonnet 125, what is an oblation ?
• In Moby-Dick , what does vitiate mean?
• In War and Peace , what does bane mean?
• In Jane Eyre , what are chilblains ?
• Does mendacious refer to something that is fixable (mendable)?
• Is kickshawses one of those weird words that Shakespeare coined? What does it mean?
• You say in CliffsNotes that In Cold Blood was Truman Capote's undoing. How?
• What is renege , in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra ?
• What is maxim ? I think it's a female name but I'm not sure.
• Last Valentine's Day, this guy I barely know gave me a rose and said something about ardent love. What does ardent mean?
• In Act I, Scene 1, of King Lear, what does benison mean?
• What kind of literature is a picaresque novel?
• What does culpable mean?
• What's a cenotaph ? Every Veterans Day, I hear about the Queen of England laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London.
• What does gallimaufry mean in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ? My vocabulary is pretty good, but that one has me stumped!
• What does it mean to genuflect ?
• Someone told me I was looking wistful. What is wistful ?
• In David Copperfield, what does superannuated mean?
• Does the word syllogism have something to do with biology?
• I see the word benefactor a lot in my reading assignments. Is that somebody who benefits from something?
• I found a funny word in The Glass Castle. Where did skedaddle come from and what does it mean?
• Does sinuous mean something like full of sin"? I saw the word in The Devil in the White City ."
• In Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, what is the meaning of the word propaganda ?
• What are characteristics of Modernist literature, fiction in particular?
• What does my brother mean when he says he's too ensconced in his studies to look for a girlfriend?
• My grandpa complained about a bunch of politicians making what he called chin music . Did he mean they were in a loud band?
• What is melodrama?
• In Dracula, what's a missal ?
• In the terms abject poverty and abject misery, what does abject mean?
• In Moby-Dick, what does craven mean?
• What does cicatrize mean?
• What is a noisome smell" in Tolstoy's War and Peace ?"
• What is an apostasy, from the George Bernard Shaw play, Man and Superman ?
• In Jane Eyre, what's syncope ?
• I just read Dracula. What's the forcemeat in Jonathan Harker's journal?
• Can the word stern mean more than one thing?
• Where is Yoknapatawpha county?
• What does smouch mean?
• I'm supposed to write a comparison of Hektor and Achilles from Homer's The Iliad, but I don't know where to start.
• How do you pronounce quay ? And what does it mean, anyway?
• What are some examples of paradox in the novel Frankenstein ?
• In Ivanhoe, what does mammock mean?
• What does rummage mean?
• Is a mummer some type of religious person?
• Some guy I don't like told his friend I was acting all demure. What does that mean?
• When I complained about our cafeteria food, my biology teacher told me he wished they'd serve agarics. Was he talking about some kind of dessert?
• Where did the name Of Mice and Men come from?
• What genre would you consider the book, The Outsiders ?
• In Fahrenheit 451, why would a society make being a pedestrian a crime?
• What does the phrase, a worn-out man of fashion" mean from Jane Eyre ?"
• Is sagacity a medical condition?
• My teacher told me I was being obdurate. Was that a compliment?
• What motives inspired Iago to plot revenge against Othello?
• Who was the first king of Rome?
• What does enervate mean?
• What is a parvenu ? I saw the word in William Makepeace Thackeray's book Vanity Fair.
• Is salubrity somehow related to being famous?
• Do capers have something to do with cops?
• What's the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?
• In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce uses the word pandybat . What's a pandybat?
• Does the word inexorable have something to do with driving demons out of a person?
• Do people who prognosticate have some sort of special power?
• What is a hegemony, from James Joyce's Ulysses ?
• What are fallow fields ? I'm a city gal who heard the term at a 4-H fair and just read it in Anna Karenina.
• What's the difference between parody and satire?
• Lord of the Flies uses the word inimical. What does it mean?
• What does dreadnaught mean, as it’s used in Bleak House?
• I saw vertiginous in Madame Bovary. What does mean the word mean?
• What does overweening mean, in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes?
• Can you hear a dirge anyplace but a funeral?
• Does imperturbable refer to something you can't break through?
• What are the seven ages of man?
• What is a chimera , in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë?
• What's dross ?
• What is an injunction ?
• For school I had to make a Napoleon hat, which called for a cockade. What is that?
• If someone studies assiduously, does it mean they're working really hard or really slowly?
• Define mood as it relates to a work of fiction. Distinguish mood from effect.
• My sister calls me the Princess of Prevarication." What's prevarication ?"
• What's turpitude, as in moral turpitude"?"
• What's the definition of tenebrous ?
• This biography I'm reading about Queen Victoria says that she refused to remove the hatchment she had for her husband Prince Albert. What does that word mean?
• What does sine qua non mean?
• What's lugubrious mean?
• What's impugn mean, from Ivanhoe?
• What does postprandial mean?
• I love reading fashion magazines and occasionally come across the word atelier. What is that?
• What does King Lear mean when he says that ingratitude is a marble-hearted fiend"?"
• What is celerity , from Ivanhoe ?
• In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , what are disquisitions ?
• What's shrive ? My neighbor said she's been unshriven for years, but I think her skin looks quite shriveled.
• What's a dobbin ?
• What's polemic ? Over winter break, my uncle told me I was polemic and asked if I was on the debate team at school.
• I came across a list of homonyms: mu, moo, moue . I know mu is Greek for the letter m , and moo is the sound cows make, but what's a moue ?
• What does trow mean?
• In Far from the Madding Crowd , what does cavil mean?
• What does Charles Dickens mean when he says “toadies and humbugs” in his book, Great Expectations ?
• Where can I find the word naught in The Scarlet Letter ?
• I found an old diary from the 1800s where the writer describes how he almost died but was saved by a sinapism . What is that?
• I know what mulch is, but what's mulct ?
• When our teacher was introducing the next reading assignment, he said we'll be using the unexpurgated version. What did he mean?
• For some reason, the word dingle sticks in my head after having read Treasure Island years ago. I never did discover what it meant. How about it, Cliff?
• In Dracula , what's stertorous breathing?
• What does philippic mean?
• I'm usually pretty good at guessing what words mean, but have no clue about exigence . What is it?
• What's doughty ? How do you pronounce it?
• What's sharecropping? I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, because it's one of those words everyone assumes you know what it means.
• I'm working on my summer reading list with Kafka's The Trial. The very first sentence uses traduce , and I don't know what that means.
• What does the cormorant (bird) symbolize in mythology?
• I saw the word badinage in the book Uncle Tom's Cabin . Do you think that's a typo that really should be bandage ?
• On a TV modeling contest, a judge said, Her simian walk is unbelievable." Was that a good thing?"
• What is the definition of adverbiously , from Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities ?
• In Oliver Twist , Dodger refers to Oliver as flash companion . Can't find a definition of this anywhere. What does it mean?
• Do elocutionists kill people?
• For my English homework, I have to write a love poem. I'm only 13 and I haven't had my first love yet. How would I go about writing about feelings that I haven't felt yet?
• Where on the body would I find my sarcophagus ?
• What's stolid ? It sounds like someone who's stupid and built solid like a wall.
• What's a wonton person?
• In which play did William Shakespeare state that misery loves company?
• What's comfit ? Is it a different way of saying comfort?
• Where did the story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley take place?
• What kind of person would a shallow-pate be?
• What are myrmidons of Justice" in Great Expectations ?"
• Faseeshis … no clue on the spelling, but I kind of got yelled at in school today for being that. What did I do?
• In The Red Badge of Courage , what's an imprecation ?
• The word portmanteau shows up in a lot of the literature I read for school assignments. It sounds French. What does it mean?
• I did something really stupid yesterday, and my grandfather told me I was hoist with my own petard." What does that mean? And what's a petard ?"
• How do you pronounce Cymbeline, one of Shakespeare's early comedies?
• What's a bourse ? I read it in my finance class.
• In The House of Mirth, what are oubliettes ?
• In Tess of the d'Urbervilles, what are thimble-riggers ?
• In Wuthering Heights , what's a thible ?
• Which Hemingway story references the running of the bulls" in Spain?"
• What's a clink? My dad mentioned that his granddad was there for a long time during World War I.
• If somebody is toady," does it mean they're ugly?"
• Who said all's fair in love and war" and where?"
• Why is there so much talk about baseball, especially Joe DiMaggio, in The Old Man and the Sea ?
• In the movie Failure to Launch , there's a line that goes, Well, she certainly is yar," in reference to a yacht. What's yar ?"
• What does mangle mean in Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities ?
• I got detention because a teacher said I was being contumacious . What's that?
• What are encomiums?
• What are billets in The Three Musketeers ?
• In Orwell's 1984 , what is doublethink ?
• What are orts ? That's a weird word that reminds me of orcs from The Lord of the Rings .
• What are alliteration and assonance?
• How is John the Savage's name ironic in Brave New World ?
• What's quinsy?
• What is a doppelgänger?
• What is New Historicism?
• I found the word unwonted in a book I'm reading. Is that a typo, you think?
• In Heart of Darkness , what does cipher mean?
• In the play The Glass Menagerie, would you describe Tom as selfish?
• What does Kantian mean, from a philosophical perspective?
• What's a colonnade ? My girlfriend is freaking me out with stories of her dream wedding where she walks down a colonnade. I know this is the least of my problems, but I'm curious.
• My grandma says she knows how I feel when I knit my brows. Is she crazy?
• Why is Shakespeare's play titled Julius Caesar , even though he is dead by Act III and plays a relatively small role?
• I know bier has something to do with dead people, but what is it exactly?
• My brainy brother owns a Harley and says his girlfriend is the pillion . Is he insulting her or just showing off?
• I ran across the word mien in a book. Is it a typo?
• Is a younker a person or a place?
• Does precipitancy have something to do with the weather?
• I'm writing a grade 12 comparative essay, and I need a book that I could compare with All Quiet on the Western Front. Any suggestions?
• A friend says she suffers from ineffable sadness. What's ineffable ?
• What's a scow ?
• Is a maelstrom some kind of dangerous weather?
• What is the meaning of this saying, The cat will mew and dog will have his day"?"
• What is a paradox ?
• The Picture of Dorian Gray mentions a panegyric on youth. What does that mean?
• In Madame Bovary , what's a mairie?
• In The Kite Runner, what's palliative mean?
• So what's oligarchy ? In government class, my teacher mentioned that word when we were talking about the Blagojevich scandal in Illinois.
• Is intrepidity a good thing or a bad thing?
• My grandmother told me that she thinks grandpa should see an alienist. Does she think he's from another planet or what?
• Do you have to have licentiousness to get your driver's license?
• I ran across the word hardihood in something I read the other day. Is it some kind of clothing?
• I saw mention of haversack in my history book. What does that word mean?
• I'm guessing the word quadroon is four of something. But what's a roon?
• I'm trying to understand Shakespeare's play, King Lear . Can you explain these quotes from Act 1, Scene 1?
• In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment , what's a samovar ?
• I came across a music channel that featured tejano," and then I saw the same word when I was reading Bless Me, Ultima. What does it mean?"
• In The Awakening , there's a term prunella gaiter." I'm guessing that gaiters are a type of covering for your legs, like the gaiters I use on my ski boots to keep snow out. But what the heck is prunella? Is it a purplish color like prunes?"
• What's sedulous mean?
• In Chapter 2 of Jane Eyre , what are divers parchments ?
• A friend of mine said she hopes to get a counterpane for Christmas. What's that?
• In Wuthering Heights, what does munificent mean?
• The other day, my dad called my friends a motley crew. Is that his way of saying I should hang out with a different crowd?
• Why is there an authorship problem with Shakespeare?
• What is it called when something is out of place in time, like a jet stream in a movie about ancient Rome?
• In 1984 , does Winston die from a bullet at the end of the book or is he in a dream-state?
• I saw some old guy in a soldier's uniform selling fake red flowers. He said it was for Veterans Day. What's the connection?
• I was kind of flirting with this really cute boy when my teacher told me to stop palavering. Did she want me to stop flirting or stop talking?
• My grandmother says when she was a kid in China, she became Catholic because of the Mary Knows nuns. I tried to look that up on the Internet but couldn't find anything. Can you help?
• In The Count of Monte Cristo , does cupidity mean love? I'm guessing that because of, you know, Cupid . . . Valentine's Day.
• My theater teacher called me a name the other day. I don't think it was supposed to be a compliment. What's a somnambulist, anyway?
• Why was Tartuffe such a jerk?
• To Kill a Mockingbird has this word fey in it, but I don't know what it means. Does it mean short lived or fleeting?
• In Pride and Prejudice , what's probity" &mdash
• I never met my grandma, who my mom says lives in a hovel and wants her to move in with us. Then I saw that word in Frankenstein . What's a hovel? I thought it was like a place that had room service.
• I have a friend who said something about phantasmagoric. That's not real, is it?
• Which of the following literary devices is used in these poetic lines by John Milton?
• In Faulkner's A Rose for Emily," what does noblesse oblige mean?"
• What is love?
• What is suggested by the coin image in Book II of A Tale of Two Cities ?
• Why does Satan rebel against God?
• I'm reading Candide, by Voltaire, and one of the dudes is an Anabaptist. What's that?
• What does the poem Summer Sun" by Robert Louis Stevenson really mean?"
• What did Shakespeare want to say about his beloved in Sonnet 18?
• In Romeo and Juliet , who was the last person to see Juliet alive?
• What is the Catechism?
• What is the overall meaning of the poem Before The Sun," by Charles Mungoshi?"
• What does ague mean?
• Is there a reference to venereal disease in Romeo and Juliet ?
• What is fantasy fiction?
• What is the exposition in Othello ?
• Who is the character Susan in Romeo and Juliet ?
• What is a found poem?
• What did Alice Walker mean in the essay Beauty"?"
• Why did Dr. Frankenstein create his monster?
• What is the name of the surgeon and the English ship he's on in Moby-Dick ?
• What are the differences between an epic hero and a Romantic hero?
• In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, does Gail Wynand commit suicide or only close The Banner at the end of the novel? I'm in a literary dispute over this!
• What did W.E.B. Du Bois mean when he wrote of second-sight?
• What is nihilism, and what should I read to get a better understanding of it?
• What is the difference between an atheist and an agnostic?
• What are intelligent design and creationism and how are they related?
• What is misanthropy ?
• I would like to understand the poem Blight" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Please help."
• Can you explain the significance of the question, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?""
• In Little Lost Robot," by Isaac Asimov, why have some robots been impressioned with only part of the First Law of Robotics?"
• Can you explain Cartesian Dualism and how Descartes' philosophical endeavors led him to dualism?
• When reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice , what does entailment mean?
• What does ignominy mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
• What does pecuniary mean? (From Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities )
• How do I analyze Kant's philosophy?
• What is an apostrophe in Macbeth ?
• Is music a language?
• Why should literature be studied?
• In the book The Scarlet Letter , what is a vigil ?
• The first week of school isn't even over yet and I'm already in trouble — I forgot my textbook at school and can't do my homework! What should I do now?!
• What are the renaissance features/characteristics in Hamlet ?
• What is the exact quote in Hamlet about something being wrong in Denmark? Something smells? Something is amiss?
• What does Utilitarianism mean, from a philosophical perspective?
• What was the form of English that Shakespeare used?
• At the beginning of Act V, Scene 2 of Much Ado About Nothing, does Shakespeare insinuate that anything is going on between Margaret and Benedick?
• What was the "final solution" in the book Night by Elie Wiesel?
• With the many novels out there, is there a database of some sort that can narrow down your choices to a specific book of interest for pleasure reading? And if not, why hasn't there been?
• How do you pronounce Houyhnhnms ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
• I just took the quiz on The Great Gatsby on this site. How can Jordan Baker be described as a professional golfer? To my knowledge, the LPGA did not form until the mid-1950s. Shouldn't she be referred to as an amateur golfer instead?
• What are the humanities?
• If Father, Son, and Holy Ghost aren't names, what is God's name?
• What classic novels take place in Florida?
• In which Hemingway short story is the saying, "Children's shoes for sale"?
• Who is the "lady" that Robert Plant speaks of in the song "Stairway to Heaven"?
• Was Odysseus the one who planned the Trojan horse, in the Trojan War?
• How do I get my smart-but-hates-to-read son interested in reading?
• Poetry gives me problems. How can I figure out what poems are about?
• How do you analyze a novel?
• What does it mean to ululate ? (From Golding's Lord of the Flies )
• Is ambrosia a salad? (From Homer's The Odyssey )
• What is a harbinger ? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
• What does it mean to be refractory ? (From Dickens' Great Expectations )
• What is a querulous kid? (From Wharton's Ethan Frome )
• What does the word runagate mean? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
• What is the word, imprimis ? (From Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew )
• What does the word alchemy mean? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
• What is an estuary ? (From Conrad's Heart of Darkness )
• What or who is a scullion ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
• What is a schism ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
• What does it mean to be salubrious ? (From Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights )
• What is a replication ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
• What is vicissitude ? (From Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables )
• Can you define indolent ? (From Wharton's House of Mirth )
• What does the word replete mean? (From Shakespeare's Henry V )
• What are orisons ? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
• What does it mean to be ephemeral ?
• What does it mean to be placid ? (From Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre )
• What is a paroxysm ? (From Stoker's Dracula )
• My English teacher got really mad when I said I was nauseous . Why?
• What does it mean to be farinaceous ? (From Tolstoy's Anna Karenina )
• What does dejection mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
• What is animadversion ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
• What does it mean to be timorous ? (From Shakespeare's Othello )
• Someone called me erudite . Is that good?
• What is a mountebank ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
• What does incarnadine mean? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
• What does it mean to be puissant? (From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)
• What is a purloiner? (From Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities)
• What does it mean to be affable ? (From Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment )
• What does it mean to be ostensible ? (From Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court )
• What does compunction mean? (From Dickens's Bleak House )
• What is behoveful ? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
• What is a precentor ? (From Golding's Lord of the Flies )
• What does it mean to be loquacious ? (From Cervantes's Don Quixote )
• What does imprudence mean? (From Ibsen's A Doll's House )
• What is a conflagration ? (From Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde )
• What does it mean to be spurious ? (From James' Daisy Miller )
• What is a retinue ? (From Swift's Gulliver's Travels )
• What does the word forsworn mean? (From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet )
• What does the word hauteur mean? (From Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby )
• What are vituperations ? (From Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl )
• What are ostents ? (From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice )
• What is a sockdolager ? (From Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn )
• What does insuperable mean? (From Shelley's Frankenstein )
• What is calumny ? (From Shakespeare's Hamlet )
• What is an augury ? (From Sophocles' Antigone )
• What does squally mean? (From Dickens' Great Expectations )
• What does corporal mean? (From Shakespeare's Macbeth )
• What does it mean to be plausible ? (From Sinclair's The Jungle )
• What is a dearth ? (From Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre )
• What does it mean to vacillate ? (From Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest )
• What does it mean to obtrude someone? (From Dickens's Great Expectations )
• What is a heterodox ? (From Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter )
• What is felicity ? (From Austen's Emma )
• What does it mean to be effacing ? (From Adams's The Education of Henry Adams )
• What is a repast ? (From Chan Tsao's Dream of the Red Chamber )
• What does insouciance mean? (From Sinclair's The Jungle )
• What is a soliloquy ? (From Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn )
• I was reading The Iliad and there's this word in it: greaves . What's that?
• What does the word prodigality mean? (From Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby )
• Is there an easy way to understand The Canterbury Tales ?
• What does the scarlet letter symbolize?
• What is the significance of Grendel's cave in Beowulf ?
• How did Hawthorne show that Hester Prynne was a strong woman in The Scarlet Letter ?
• What purpose do the three witches serve at the beginning of Macbeth ?
• What can you tell me about Grendel from Beowulf ?
• What figurative language does Stephen Crane use in The Red Badge of Courage ?
• Why is Roger so mean in Lord of the Flies ?
• How do Gene and Finny mirror each other in A Separate Peace ?
• The old man and the young wife — what's up with story plots like this?
• What part does vengeance play in The Odyssey ?
• What kind of a woman is Penelope in The Odyssey ?
• Do fate and fortune guide the actions in Macbeth ?
• How does Frankenstein relate to Paradise Lost ?
• How has the way people view Othello changed over time?
• How does Henry change throughout The Red Badge of Courage ?
• What's so great about Gatsby?
• How is To Kill a Mockingbird a coming-of-age story?
• Why did Ophelia commit suicide in Hamlet ?
• What is the setting of The Scarlet Letter ?
• What is a slave narrative?
• What's an anachronism ?
• Doesn't Raskolnikov contradict himself in Crime and Punishment ?
• What is the main theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ?
• What does Shakespeare mean by memento mori ?
• What are inductive and deductive arguments?
• How does Alice Walker break the rules" of literature with The Color Purple ?"
• What role does Friar Laurence play in Romeo and Juliet ?
• Why did Elie Wiesel call his autobiography Night ?
• How does Shakespeare play with gender roles in Macbeth ?
• Where did Dickens get the idea to write A Tale of Two Cities ?
• What's the purpose of the preface to The Scarlet Letter ?
• What role do women play in A Tale of Two Cities ?
• Who are the heroes and villains in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
• What are the ides of March?
• Was Kate really a shrew in The Taming of the Shrew ?
• What role does innocence play in The Catcher in the Rye ?
• How are Tom and Huck different from each other in Huckleberry Finn ?
• What is blank verse and how does Shakespeare use it?
• How do the book and film versions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest differ?
• What is a satirical novel?
• What is the role of censorship in Fahrenheit 451 ?
• How can I keep myself on track to get through my summer reading list?
• How does Jim fit into the overall theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ?
• What is a major theme of The Great Gatsby ?
• How does Shakespeare use light and darkness in Romeo and Juliet ?
• Who is the narrator in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily"?"
• In Lord of the Flies , what statement is William Golding making about evil?
• How is The Catcher in the Rye different from other coming-of-age novels?
• How does Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird show two sides?
• Was there supposed to be a nuclear war in The Handmaid's Tale ? I couldn't tell.
• What is experimental theater"?"
• Does Jonas die at the end of The Giver ?
• What is an inciting incident, and how do I find one in Lord of the Flies ?
• How does King Arthur die?
• In Julius Caesar , what does this mean: Cowards die many times before their deaths
• How do you write a paper on comparing a movie with the book?
• Please explain this Kipling quote: Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.""
• What is a tragic flaw?
• What is a motif, and how can I find them in Macbeth ?
• Why didn't Socrates write any books? After all, he was supposed to be so intelligent and wise.
• Why are there blanks in place of people's names and places in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ?
• Was Othello a king? A prince? He's referred to as My Lord" but I'm not sure of his actual title."
• I need to download some pictures of Juliet. Where would I find these?
• Why does Odysseus decide to listen to the Sirens, in The Odyssey , by Homer?
• What does prose and poetry mean? What's the difference?
• In The Scarlet Letter, why is the scaffold important and how does it change over the course of the novel?
• Why does the legend of King Arthur hold such a powerful grip over us?
• Do you like to read books?
• What are the metrical features in poetry?
• What are the riddles that Gollum asked Bilbo in The Hobbit ?
• Can you tell me what these two quotes from Much Ado About Nothing mean?
• What is connotation, and how do you find it in a poem?
• What is a dramatic monologue?
• What is formal fallacy?
• In the movie Dead Poets Society, what are some themes and values that are relevant to Transcendentalism. What is Transcendentalism?
• Why didn't Mina Harker realize she was under Dracula's spell when she witnessed her friend fall prey to him, too? Wasn't it obvious?
• In The Three Musketeers by Dumas, Cardinal Richelieu is labeled as the villain. How could he be presented as a hero instead?
• In Romeo and Juliet , what are the different types of irony used? Um, what's irony?
• What is the main theme in Fahrenheit 451 ?
• In Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities , what fact in Book the Second: Chapters 1-6, confirms Darnay's release?
• Why is Invisible Man considered a bildungsroman?
• In A Doll's House , what risqué item does Nora reveal to Dr. Rank that eventually prompts him to disclose his own secret?
• What is a definition of short story?
• What percentage of people are considered geniuses?
• How do I write and publish my own novel?
• Do I use the past or present tense to answer this question: What is this poem about?" "
• A Closer Look at Internships
• Consider Working for a Nonprofit Organization
• Create a Top-Quality Cover Letter
• Deciding Whether to Go for Your MBA
• Dress the Part for a Job Interview
• Appropriate Attire: Defining Business Casual
• Famous Americans Who Started Out in the Military
• The Benefits of Joining a Professional Organization
• Five Job Interview Mistakes
• Getting Good References for Your Job Hunt
• Lying on Your Resume
• Make the Most of Days between Jobs
• Military Career Opportunity: Translators and Interpreters
• Network Your Way into a Job
• Prepare for a Job Interview
• Preparing for Job Interview Questions
• Putting Your English Degree to Work
• Putting Your Education Degree to Work
• Take Advantage of Job and Career Fairs
• Tips for a Better Resume
• Understand Negotiable Elements of a Job Offer
• Visit the College Career Office
• Write a Resume That Will Get Noticed
• Write a Thank You Note after an Interview
• Writing a Follow-Up Letter after Submitting Your Resume
• Your Military Career: Basics of Officer Candidate School
• Your Military Career: Requirements for Officer Candidate School
• Know What to Expect in Graduate School
• Paying for Graduate School
• Plan for Graduate Education
• Tackle the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
• What Does School Accreditation Mean?
• Writing Essays for Your Business School Application
• Apply to Graduate School
• Basic Requirements for Grad School
• Choose a Graduate School
• Decide if Graduate School Is Right for You
• English Majors: Selecting a Graduate School or Program
• Getting Letters of Recommendation for Your Business School Application
• Graduate School Application: Tips, Advice, and Warnings
• Graduate School: Applying as a Returning Student
• How to Find a Mentor for Graduate School
• How to Prepare for Grad School as an Undergrad
• How Work Experience Affects Your MBA Application
• Master's Degree in Biology: Choosing a Grad School
• In what countries does Toyota produce and market cars?
• How would you use the PDSA cycle in your personal life?
• I am confused about adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing negative numbers.
• Who are some famous female mathematicians?
• Given the set of numbers [7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42], find a subset of these numbers that sums to 100.
• The speed limit on a certain part of the highway is 65 miles per hour. What is this in feet per minute?
• What is the sum of the angles of an octagon?
• In math, what does reciprocal mean?
• How many grams in an ounce?
• A number is 20 less than its square. Find all answers.
• How much is 1,000 thousands?
• How do I find the angles of an isosceles triangle whose two base angles are equal and whose third angle is 10 less than three times a base angle?
• Explain with words and an example how any number raised to the zero power is 1?
• If I had 550 coins in a machine worth $456.25, what would be the denomination of each coin?
• What three consecutive numbers add up to 417?
• How many 100,000,000s in 50 billion?
• Of 100 students asked if they like rock and roll or country music, 7 said they like neither, 90 said they like rock and roll, and 57 said they like country music. How many students like both?
• What's the formula to convert square feet into square meters?
• In math, what is the definition of order of operations?
• What's the difference between digital and analog?
• What is the square root of 523,457?
• What are all of the prime numbers?
• Our teacher told us to look for clues in math word problems. What did she mean?
• How do I figure out math word problems (without going crazy)?
• What good is geometry going to do me after I get out of school?
• I keep forgetting how to add fractions. Can you remind me?
• My teacher talks about the Greatest Common Factor. What's so great about it?
• Got any tips on finding percentages of a number?
• What does associative property mean when you’re talking about adding numbers?
• How do I use domain and range in functions?
• How do I change percents to decimals and fractions? How about decimals and fractions to percents?
• What should I do if my teacher wants me to solve an inequality on a number line?
• What is a fast and easy way to work word problems?
• How do you combine numbers and symbols in an algebraic equation?
• How do I go about rounding off a number?
• What is the First Derivative Test for Local Extrema?
• Can you describe a prism for me?
• How can I double-check my answers to math equations?
• How do you factor a binomial?
• I get the words mean , mode , median , and range mixed up in math. What do they all mean?
• How do you combine like terms in algebra?
• Can you make it easier for me to understand what makes a number a prime number?
• Explain probability to me (and how about some examples)?
• Solving story problems is, well, a problem for me. Can you help?
• What's inferential statistics all about?
• Finding percentages confuses me. Do you have any tips to make it simpler?
• What's a quadratic equation, and how do I solve one?
• How do you figure out probability?
• How do you add integers?
• How do you use factoring in quadratic equations?
• What are limits in calculus?
• I've looked everywhere to find the meaning of this word and I can't find it. What's the definition of tesseract ?
• In geometry, how do you get the perimeters of a square and a rectangle?
• What is the absolute value of a negative number?
• A rectangle swimming pool is 24m longer than it is wide and is surrounded by a deck 3m wide. Find the area of the pool if the area of the deck is 324m 2 . Where do I even start to solve this problem?
• How do you classify numbers, as in rational numbers, integers, whole numbers, natural numbers, and irrational numbers? I am mostly stuck on classifying fractions.
• How do you convert a fraction to a decimal or change a decimal to a fraction?
• I am trying to find all solutions to this algebra (factoring) problem, x 3 – 3x 2 – x + 3 = 0, and I keep getting the wrong answer. Please help!
• Sometimes when I'm doing my pre-calculus homework I need help on some of the problems. Do you know where I can find help on the weekends or whenever?
• How do you convert metric measurements?
• I'm curious about converting Celsius to Fahrenheit, or Fahrenheit to Celsius. How do I convert from one to the other?
• In basic math, the fraction bar shows division. So why does this equation show multiplication instead of division? 9/9 = 1 because 1 x 9 = 9.
• I'm taking geometry and I'm having problem with the angles and the degree. Is there a way you can help me out?
• The perimeter of a rectangle is 66m. The width is 9m less than the length. What is the length and width of the rectangle?
• How many dollars are in 5,000 pesos?
• How many ounces in a pound?
• I'm having a hard time remembering percent of change. All I have is P (percent) = amount of change over original amount. Is there a better way of understanding it?
• How do I figure out tangrams?
• What are quadrilaterals?
• What is the least common multiple of 8, 6, and 12?
• How do you convert decimals to fractions?
• How did the planet" Pluto get its name? I know it's named after the mythical god of the underworld, but why?"
• What is the difference between the earth's core and its crust?
• What does gender really mean?
• What does plum pudding have to do with physics?
• What is the functionalist perspective in sociology?
• What does pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis mean?
• Why aren't viruses considered living things?
• Why does your breathing rate increase when you exercise?
• Everyone says you shouldn't clean your ears with cotton swabs because you could break an eardrum. But if you do break your eardrum, will it grow back?
• What is a mole?
• How, and why, is body fat stored?
• Where on the body do you find ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium?
• Since she was only married for 72 days, does Kim Kardashian have to give back her wedding gifts?
• In the United States, how can you get buried at sea?
• What exactly is Salvia divinorum , and is it legal?
• What is the composition and volume of whole blood?
• Should I refer to a widow as Mrs., Miss, or Ms.?
• Is it possible to catch more than one cold at a time?
• Why does the Earth have more gravitational force than the moon or some other planet?
• Did humans evolve from monkeys or apes?
• What is the largest organ in the human body?
• How did we end up with both Fahrenheit and Celsius scales?
• What is absolute zero?
• What is cell theory?
• How come when humans flatulate, it smells bad?
• How do I convert mL into µL, and vice versa?
• What is the most abundant element in the earth's crust?
• Is global warming man-made?
• What exactly is wind? And why does it blow?
• This sounds really disgusting, but I'm curious: Can humans drink animal blood, or any other kind of blood?
• Why is space exploration important?
• How is photosynthesis essential to life on earth?
• What is the highest mountain in New Mexico?
• What's the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?
• Who are the unbelievers" referred to in The Koran? What is it that they do not believe?"
• What is the difference between Sunnis and Shi'ites?
• What happens when you die?
• Why is it important to memorize where the 50 states are on a map?
• What kind of endangered species are there? Can you give me some examples, please?
• It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open, so when you drive a car, is it against the law to sneeze?
• What are tectonic plates?
• I have boy trouble. I want to ask out my friend, but I am not sure he is going to say yes. Plus, he said he had a girlfriend when we talked during school. Plus, my parents don't want me to date.
• Why is the sky blue?
• Do you really shrink at the end of the day and then grow in the morning?
• What is the difference between matter" and "mass"?"
• What does "nature versus nurture" mean?
• What are closed contour lines?
• What is homeostasis ?
• What does the periodic table look like?
• Do you know anything about the law of conservation of energy? Is it really a law?
• I thought I knew what work means, but my physics teacher defines it differently. What's up with that?
• How do plants know when to drop their leaves?
• What's the surface of the moon like?
• How does the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom differentiate it from another atom?
• How do big rocks wear down over time?
• What does genetic recombination mean?
• How has DNA matching really made big difference in finding out who committed a crime?
• What's the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?
• What is incomplete dominance?
• Can hydrocarbons be considered compounds?
• Can you explain what molar mass is?
• Aren't fungi really plants?
• What information is contained in a chemical equation?
• What are the endocrine and exocrine systems?
• How do electrical charges interact?
• Are there more than three kingdoms of life? I can never remember.
• What are the characteristics of electrically charged objects?
• How does anomie theory explain deviant behavior?
• Why would anybody think there might be life on another planet?
• What are chemical solutions?
• Do you know of any way to simplify the overall subject of biochemical genetics?
• Can a loud noise really shatter glass?
• How do magnetic fields work?
• Did Clarence Darrow really call an animal in to testify at the famous monkey trial?
• What role does the thyroid gland play in the human body?
• What did Mendel discover about heredity when he was playing around with plants?
• How many laws of motion did Newton come up with, and what are they?
• What in the world is constructive and destructive interference?
• How do viruses do their dirty work?
• What do bones do, except give us a skeletal structure?
• Do all viruses look alike?
• My teacher keeps talking about solubility. What does that mean, anyway?
• How do positive and negative reinforcement work?
• How does nondisjunction relate to birth defects?
• With all the germs in the world today, how come everybody's not sick all the time?
• What is thermal equilibrium?
• How are sound waves created?
• What do taste buds look like — up-close?
• How often does an eclipse happen?
• What is the chemical composition of saltwater?
• I was told to write a 15-sentence answer to this question: When in life do you learn to expect the unexpected? I don't really know of an answer. Can you help me figure it out?
• My school is having a blood drive and I am considering donating blood. Can you tell me more about the whole process and if it is painful?
• Where can I download music for free? And if I do, is it illegal?
• How do I convince my parents to give me ten bucks?
• How should I deal with being a perfectionist?
• How do I convince my little brother and sisters to stay out of my room?
• Can you eat a rooster?
• How do I work out a problem with a teacher who loses the assignments I turn in and then accuses me of not doing the homework?
• Could a Tyrannosaurus rex kill King Kong?
• How would you describe a rainbow to a person who has been blind their ENTIRE life and doesn't understand colors?
• Will a tattoo inhibit hair growth?
• When did gays come about?
• I was wondering if the tilt on the earth's axis is important to animal life on earth. Could you explain?
• What are the four types of tissue found in the human body?
• Is there any easy" way to understand the Krebs Cycle?"
• Why are prostaglandins sometimes called tissue hormones?
• What is cell death? And what is the difference between apoptosis and necrosis?
• How do I find the molar mass of the elements on the periodic table?
• What do the symbols on the Periodic Table mean? For example, Gold-Au, Silver-Ag, Lead-Pb, Potassium-K, Tin-Sn, Iron-Fe, and Mercury-Hg, where did these symbols come from?
• How is your mind connected to your dreams? Does this have anything to do with psychology?
• What are the three main functions of the skeletal system?
• What are the characteristics of a moneran, protist, and fungus?
• Why does a placebo work? And who does it work for?
• What are two properties of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids?
• What is lymph? Is it part of the circulatory system in our bodies?
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Narration is the act of giving an account. The narrator is the person or entity within a story that tells the story to the reader. First-person narration presents the story from the viewpoint of one of the characters ("I maintain that the Ewell's started it all, but Jem . . . said it started long before that" . . . From To Kill a Mockingbird ). Third-person narration presents events from the viewpoint of the writer, as if watching the story. ("She slept lightly at first, half awake and drowsily attentive to the things about her." . . . From The Awakening ).

Generally, third-person narrative allows the writer to comment on characters and events to the readers, while first-person narrative unfolds as the narrator sees, or comes to understand, the events.

Descriptive Vs Narrative Essay: Understanding The Difference

Descriptive or narrative essays are the most common assignments for students in composition classes. These two types of academic papers are often considered to be the same, but this is a mistake. Narrative papers tell stories about some events, while descriptive papers create images of places, people, or events. Continue reading this article to learn more about similarities and differences of these papers.

• A narrative essay.

In a narrative paper, an author often tells a story from his or her personal perspective. Stories are usually told in a narrative style, so your paper should also reflect. Topics for this kind of paper are often about your own experience. For example, you may be assigned to write about your first day at a new school, the most interesting holiday in your life, and so on. However, narrative papers aren’t always related to an author’s experience. You may also write a book report where you retell its plot.

• A descriptive essay.

In a descriptive paper, authors often use sensory details like smells, tastes, sounds, and tactile sensations to make a clear description of a person, place, or event. You should create a three-dimensional image of your subject to make your readers see, hear, and feel what you’re describing. Topics for descriptive papers are very different; you may be assigned to write about your room, the strangest animal you’ve ever seen, your best friend, the job of your dream, etc.

• Similarities of these papers.

Both of these academic papers should have a normal essay format that includes an introduction, a few body paragraphs, and a conclusion. A thesis statement should be put at the end of the first paragraph to set the goal for your text. Explain to your readers the reason and importance of your work in your thesis statement. For example, you may write that the topic you’re writing about helped you learn something very significant. In both narrative and descriptive papers, you should follow your thesis statement when supporting your arguments and ideas.

• Differences of these papers.

In a narrative essay, you should tell a story from your own point of view and use such phrases like “I think”, “In my opinion”, and so on. In a descriptive paper, you should be objective in your writing. Also, narrative papers often include actions, while descriptive papers do not. A narrative paper follows a strict chronological order, while a descriptive paper doesn’t contain any time elements and uses other factors to tell about its subject.

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Narrative Essay vs. Descriptive Essay: What's the Difference?

Key Differences

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A Clear Guide to Descriptive Narrative Essay

Table of Contents

A descriptive narrative essay is often confused by students due to the similarities between a descriptive and narrative essay. Both of these essays can be written by people of any age as they don’t contain facts but rather involve a creative approach.

This article will guide you through the difference between descriptive and narrative essays in detail.

Descriptive Vs. Narrative: What’s the Difference?

A descriptive paragraph gives the reader a lively experience by using vivid language and details of the subject and surroundings.

They’re not necessarily personal in nature. However, narrative paragraphs incorporate personal ideas, feelings, and growth.

The key difference between the two essays is:

• A descriptive essay is supposed to provide a detailed description of a specific place, object, or concept. The art of descriptive writing involves paying attention to sensory details.
• A narrative essay is intended to present a whole story. These essays are often personal, anecdotal, or experiential, which allows students to express themselves more creatively.

What Is a Descriptive Narrative Essay?

Descriptive narrative essays are essays that attempt to capture or recreate events from the audience’s point of view. They are not intended to be a guide to how to feel about said events but to convey what occurred in a facilitated manner.

Descriptive Essays in Detail

Descriptive essays involve many descriptions of a person, place, object, or feeling . The five sensory details, sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, are employed in this type of writing.

Good descriptive writing should paint vivid pictures of the situation in the reader’s mind about the subject or surroundings. Examples of descriptive essay topics could be a haunted place, my pet, my best friend, my family, our new house, and more.

Narrative Essays in Detail

As the name suggests, a narrative essay is used to narrate a complete story in a sequence. The author could share an imaginative story or a personal experience.

A good narrative story contains a plot, setting, and characters that make the reader feel like it is a true incident. Writers often use the first point of view in this type of essay and also employ dialogues. Examples of narrative essay topics could be a trip to remember, the first day at school, an exciting Christmas Eve, and more.

Benefits of Teaching Descriptive Writing

Let’s look at some of the key benefits of teaching descriptive writing to students:

• It helps students make their writing more captivating and interesting to the readers.
• This allows students to practice using new words in meaningful contexts, which is a crucial aspect of building vocabulary.
• It enables students to observe and reflect on the methods employed by other authors to create vivid descriptions.
• Descriptive essays use figurative language, mostly similes, metaphors, personification, and onomatopoeia. Students can develop their critical verbal reasoning abilities by noticing figurative language in mentor texts and using it in their own work.
• Students can clarify their understanding of new subject matter material and remember more of what they have learned through it.

Wrapping Up

The differences between a descriptive and narrative essay are much more than merely a different type of essay. Some of the most significant differences lie in the nature of the topics discussed and the reasons for writing.

People prefer descriptive essays when they want to explore a topic by providing a detailed description of an individual or event . But narrative essays let you be creative while telling a personal story you have experienced.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Critical Writing 101

Descriptive vs analytical vs critical writing.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | April 2017

Across the thousands of students we work with , descriptive writing (as opposed to critical or analytical writing) is an incredibly pervasive problem . In fact, it’s probably the biggest killer of marks in dissertations, theses and research papers . So, in this post, we’ll explain the difference between descriptive and analytical writing in straightforward terms, along with plenty of practical examples.

Descriptive vs Analytical Writing

Writing critically is one of the most important skills you’ll need to master for your academic journey, but what exactly does this mean?

Well, when it comes to writing, at least for academic purposes, there are two main types – descriptive writing and critical writing. Critical writing is also sometimes referred to as analytical writing, so we’ll use these two terms interchangeably.

To understand what constitutes critical (or analytical) writing, it’s useful to compare it against its opposite, descriptive writing. At the most basic level, descriptive writing merely communicates the “ what ”, “ where ”, “ when ” or “ who ”. In other words, it describes a thing, place, time or person. It doesn’t consider anything beyond that or explore the situation’s impact, importance or meaning. Here’s an example of a descriptive sentence:

  “Yesterday, the president unexpectedly fired the minister of finance.”

As you can see, this sentence just states what happened, when it happened and who was involved. Classic descriptive writing.

Contrasted to this, critical writing takes things a step further and unveils the “ so what? ” – in other words, it explains the impact or consequence of a given situation. Let’s stick with the same event and look at an example of analytical writing:

“The president’s unexpected firing of the well-respected finance minister had an immediate negative impact on investor confidence. This led to a sharp decrease in the value of the local currency, especially against the US dollar. This devaluation means that all dollar-based imports are now expected to rise in cost, thereby raising the cost of living for citizens, and reducing disposable income.”

As you can see in this example, the descriptive version only tells us what happened (the president fired the finance minister), whereas the critical version goes on to discuss some of the impacts of the president’s actions.

Ideally, critical writing should always link back to the broader objectives of the paper or project, explaining what each thing or event means in relation to those objectives. In a dissertation or thesis, this would involve linking the discussion back to the research aims, objectives and research questions – in other words, the golden thread .

Sounds a bit fluffy and conceptual? Let’s look at an example:

If your research aims involved understanding how the local environment impacts demand for specialty imported vegetables, you would need to explain how the devaluation of the local currency means that the imported vegetables would become more expensive relative to locally farmed options. This in turn would likely have a negative impact on sales, as consumers would turn to cheaper local alternatives.

As you can see, critical (or analytical) writing goes beyond just describing (that’s what descriptive writing covers) and instead focuses on the meaning of things, events or situations, especially in relation to the core research aims and questions.

Need a helping hand?

But wait, there’s more.

This “ what vs so what”  distinction is important in understanding the difference between description and analysis, but it is not the only difference – the differences go deeper than this. The table below explains some other key differences between descriptive and analytical writing.

Should I avoid descriptive writing altogether?

Not quite. For the most part, you’ll need some descriptive writing to lay the foundation for the critical, analytical writing. In other words, you’ll usually need to state the “what” before you can discuss the “so what”. Therefore, description is simply unavoidable and in fact quite essential , but you do want to keep it to a minimum and focus your word count on the analytical side of things.

As you write, a good rule of thumb is to identify every what (in other words, every descriptive point you make) and then check whether it is accompanied by a so what (in other words, a critical conclusion regarding its meaning or impact).

Of course, this won’t always be necessary as some conclusions are fairly obvious and go without saying. But, this basic practice should help you minimise description, maximise analysis, and most importantly, earn you marks!

Let’s recap.

So, the key takeaways for this post are as follows:

• Descriptive writing focuses on the what , while critical/analytical writing focuses on the so what .
• Analytical writing should link the discussion back to the research aims, objectives or research questions (the golden thread).
• Some amount of description will always be needed, but aim to minimise description and maximise analysis to earn higher marks.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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19 Comments

Thank you so much. This was helpful and a switch from the bad writing habits to the good habits.

Great to hear that, Sarah. Glad you found it useful!

I am currently working on my Masters Thesis and found this extremely informative and helpful. Thank you kindly.

I’m currently a University student and this is so helpful. Thank you.

It really helped me to get the exact meaning of analytical writing. Differences between the two explains it well

Thank you! this was very useful

With much appreciation, I say thank you. Your explanations are down to earth. It has been helpful.

Very helpful towards my theses journey! Many thanks 👍

very helpful

very helpful indeed

Thanks Derek for the useful coaching

Thank you for sharing this. I was stuck on descriptive now I can do my corrections. Thank you.

I was struggling to differentiate between descriptive and analytical writing. I googled and found this as it is so helpful. Thank you for sharing.

I am glad to see this differences of descriptive against analytical writing. This is going to improve my masters dissertation

Thanks in deed. It was helpful

Thank you so much. I’m now better informed

Busy with MBA in South Africa, this is very helpful as most of the writing requires one to expound on the topics. thanks for this, it’s a salvation from watching the blinking cursor for hours while figuring out what to write to hit the 5000 word target 😂

It’s been fantastic and enriching. Thanks a lot, GRAD COACH.

Wonderful explanation of descriptive vs analytic writing with examples. This is going to be greatly helpful for me as I am writing my thesis at the moment. Thank you Grad Coach. I follow your YouTube videos and subscribed and liked every time I watch one.

Very useful piece. thanks

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Critical writing: Descriptive vs critical

• Managing your reading
• Source reliability
• Critical reading
• Descriptive vs critical
• Deciding your position
• The overall argument
• Individual arguments
• Signposting
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• Critical thinking videos

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“Descriptions: they report information about something, but they don't perform any kind of reasoning - and nor do they pass judgement on or analyse the information they contain.” Tom Chatfield, Critical Thinking

Many of students are told that their writing is too descriptive and not critical enough. But what does this actually mean? This page describes both sorts of writing so that you can see the difference and gives examples of how to make your writing less descriptive and more critical.

Descriptive versus critical writing

Descriptive writing.

This is an essential element of academic writing but it is used to set the background and to provide evidence rather than to develop argument. When writing descriptively you are informing your reader of things that they need to know to understand and follow your argument but you are not transforming that information in any way. This is usually writing about things you have read, done (often as part of reflective writing ) or observed.

Critical writing

When writing critically, you are developing a reasoned argument and participating in academic debate. Essentially you are persuading your reader of your position on the topic at hand. This is about taking the information you have described and using it in some way. This could be writing things like:

• why it is relevant to your argument,
• how it relates to other literature,
• how it relates to the focus of your assignment
• how a theory can be put into practice,
• why it is significant,
• why you are not persuaded by it,
• how it leads you to reach your conclusion.

The University of Leeds gives some good examples of descriptive vs critical writing on their website: Critical writing .

Table comparing functions of descriptive and critical writing

The table below gives more examples of the difference between descriptive and critical writing 

Persuade don't inform

To summarise, when you are writing critically you are persuading the reader of your position on something whereas when you are writing descriptively you are just informing them of something you have read, observed or done. We take you through the process of deciding on, and demonstrating your position in your writing on the next page: Deciding your position .

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