How to Describe a Place in English

Haven’t you ever been asked by someone to describe a place you loved visiting? Or didn’t you ever feel like talking with your friend about a lovely place you visited? Whether a place is exciting or dull, you can draw a picture of the place with a vivid description. An accurate description can help your audience to experience that place through your eyes.

In this post, I’ll help you with some useful adjectives and other expressions to describe a place in English.  

Use descriptive adjectives and visual & auditory imageries to describe a place in English. You may also share your feelings (good or bad) and give recommendations on whether to visit the place or not. If you have been to a place more than once, you can talk about the changes you noticed now and then as well as the best time to visit it.

Use Descriptive Adjectives for a General Description

Using descriptive adjectives is the best way to describe anyone or anything. So is a place. From such adjectives, one can get an overall idea of a place. Here I present several descriptive adjectives with their use in sentences to help you to develop your skill in describing a place.

Adjectives to Describe a Place	Example sentences
1. Interesting VS Boring	I visited an interesting place last month.   It was a very boring place for vacation.
2. Bustling VS Deserted	This is a bustling city. So you would never feel bored.   I didn’t enjoy my last vacation. It was like a deserted place.
3. Calm VS Noisy	I really enjoyed this tour. It was a calm and quiet place to relax.   The place is a bit noisy. You may not find it comfortable.
4. Charming VS Disgusting	What a charming place it is!   It was a disgusting place to stay.
5. Temperate VS Cold	The climate is temperate there.   It was too cold there in Darjeeling.
6. Amiable VS Dangerous	People in this area are helpful and friendly. The whole city is amiable.   My bag was hijacked there in the daytime. I found the city really dangerous to live in.
7. Economical VS Expensive	My previous stay at this hotel in Cox’bazar was economical.   Life in this locality is a bit expensive compared to others.
8. Fascinating VS Dull	The countryside is too fascinating.   Life will be dull there. I stayed for a year and left forever.
9. Intriguing VS Tedious	It is a very intriguing place. You would come again and again once you experience the variety of activities there.   I am not interested in going there again. The place seemed tedious to me.
10. Modern VS Antiquated	The city has all the modern facilities.   I really loved visiting the city. It is an antiquated city.
11. Peaceful VS Rough	I wish I could stay in that village for some more days. It was such a peaceful place.   The place was too rough to stay for a long time.
12. Picturesque VS Unsightly	It was a beautiful town with a picturesque harbor.   I wouldn’t say I liked the city. It was unsightly.
13. Fresh VS Polluted	I breathed in some fresh air there. I would love to go there with you again.   The area was too polluted. The government should take good care of it.
14. Quiet VS Loud	To get a quiet place to write your next novel, go to the bungalow I have in the countryside.   The place is too loud to relax.
15. Scenic VS Unattractive	I was mesmerized by the scenic beauty of the countryside.   The place was unattractive. I couldn’t enjoy myself there.
16. Serene VS Turbulent	What a serene garden it is!   I found the place turbulent, not serene, as you said.
17. Stimulating VS Uninspiring	The city is very stimulating. I don’t find comfort here.   It is an uninspiring place for me to write poetry.
18. Stunning VS Ordinary	I was amazed by the stunning beauty of nature in Bangladesh.   I think there is nothing to mention about the place. It’s an ordinary city.
19. Traditional VS Rare	It’s a traditional village. But still, you will love it, I guess.   I think this is a rare type of orchard. You will hardly find such a place in the city.

 

Use Vivid Visual Imagery to Describe a Place

Visual imagery can play a significant role in describing a place, no matter whether you talk or write about it. It helps you to share what you have experienced through your sense of sight. If you can use visual imagery well, you can make your audience visualize the place, even without visiting it in person.

Your vivid description of a place with visual imagery can even take someone to the place for a moment through their visualization.

Here, let me give you some examples of how you can create visual imagery through your words.

Example 1: I loved the green paddy fields beside the river. The boats of different designs, shapes, and colors made a mesmerizing picturesque. On a moonlit night, you can spend hours after hours sitting by the river’s shore, looking at the moon’s reflection on the water.

Example 2: The landscape with a snowy mountain and a sun setting behind it will let you forget all the odds of your life.

Describe Places with Auditory Imagery

Like visual imagery, auditory imagery can be crucial while describing a place. It appeals to your sense of hearing. Every place has its sound. For example, suppose you were at a big car factory a few days ago. While describing the place, you can talk about the sounds of the machines to help your audience to get a good idea about the place.

Now, imagine you are sitting on a seashore in the evening. It’s usually a very calm and quiet place, except for the sounds of the wave. So if you tell someone that you were sitting at a place where there were sounds of waves, people will be able to guess where the place is.

Here comes the power of auditory imagery. If you can describe the sounds well with your words, your audience may be able to get the feeling of hearing that sound without being there.

Now, let’s see some examples of the description of sounds while describing a place in English.

Example 1: in the bungalow, in the morning, you will wake up with birds chirping, while at night, you will go to sleep listening to the rhythmic sound of crickets.  

Example 2: The sound of the waves will outdo all the other noises around the beach.

Talk about Your Feelings about the Place

Wherever you go, you get a feeling, which can be good or bad. A place may seem fascinating, while another place may seem dull. It’s just a general feeling of you about the place. However, the different elements of the place can influence your sense and emotions.

Suppose you love to stay close to nature. In that case, it’s obvious that you would love to go to places full of greenery, hills, seas, etc. such sites will give you a good vibe. But, on the other hand, if you go to a very crowdy and clumsy city where everything seems deserted, you may not like it.

Below are some examples of how you can share your feelings about a place.

Example 1: I felt relaxed for the whole vacation staying here. The place helped me to rejuvenate myself.  

Example 2: I didn’t enjoy the stay here at all. The rooms are very clumsy.   

Describe the Changes You Noticed Now and Then

If you like a place, you may visit it again and again. Whenever you get some time, you go there to feel different and relaxed. However, the place you went to three years ago may not remain the same this year. So, if you describe a place you visit frequently, you can talk about the changes you notice now and then.

For example, suppose someone asks you about your hometown. In that case, you can talk about the changes since you have experienced the changes your town went through. For example, maybe your hometown was calm and quiet in your childhood, but now it has become a noisy place.  

Now, let me share some examples that show how to talk about changes that occurred in a place.

Example 1: I visited my hometown last month after twelve years. In my childhood, there were so many playgrounds and open fields there. But now, most playgrounds are converted to parks, while mills and factories have occupied most open places.

Example 2: Though the city was historically primarily horizontal, you will see that most places have become horizontal in recent years. There are multi-storied buildings here and there.  

Make Recommendations about the Place

Suppose someone new to your city has asked you about the places they would visit here. First, you should recommend places with short descriptions. Then, you can talk about their beauty, specialty, culture, and history.

You may also share with your friends the beauty and good things about any place you have visited. Then, you can recommend to them when to visit that place and what they would do and experience there.

The following examples show some words and phrases you can use to recommend a place while describing it in English.

Example 1: You must visit the longest natural seabeach in the world if you ever visit Bangladesh. This is a fantastic place to enjoy your vacation.

Example 2: Have you ever been to Sundarban? This is the most extensive mangrove forest in the world. I recommend you to visit this forest if you want to explore the true natural beauty.

In Conclusion

While describing a place, you are expected to talk about every minute detail of the place. You can talk about anything associated with that place, such as the history, scenery, people, facilities, and whatnot!  

Thank you!

Happy learning!