Descriptive

A descriptive rhetorical style is one that uses the five senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, smell) and other details to provide the reader with a vivid idea or picture of what is being represented. Your professors may ask you to write short, descriptive essays in some classes, but, most often, you'll want to add a descriptive style to different types of essays. Narrative essays should generally be quite descriptive, for example. Still, you may encounter assignments in which you are asked to maintain a descriptive style for most of the essay.

A descriptive essay can be compared to a piece of artwork; the goal of the essay is to give enough details (often through the senses) to provide the reader with a “picture” of what is being discussed. 

NOTE: Sometimes, students rely too much on the sense of sight and neglect the other senses in a description essay. Also, students often tell by explaining, rather than show, through details, what is being described (to be discussed further).