NOTES

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

Difference Between Narrative and Descriptive 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.