Describing pictures

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams/describe-photo-or-picture

1. Introduction

• The photo/picture shows ...
• It was taken by/in ...
• It's a black-and-white/coloured photo.

2. What is where?

• In the foreground/background you can see ...
• In the foreground/background there is ...
• In the middle/centre there are ...
• At the top/At the bottom there is ...
• On the left/right there are ...
• Behind/In front of ... you can see ...
• Between ... there is ...

3. Who is doing what?

Here you decribe the persons in the picture or you say what is happening just now. Use the Present Progressive.

4. What I think about the picture

• It seems as if ...
• The lady seems to ...
• Maybe ...
• I think ...
• ... might be a symbol of ...
• The atmosphere is peaceful/depressing ...
• I (don't) like the picture because ...
• It makes me think of ...

 USEFUL LANGUAGE:

• GIVE A GENERAL INTRODUCTION e.g. 'This picture shows …' or 'In this picture I can see...' or 'This is a picture of …'

• TALK ABOUT PLACES e.g. 'They’re driving in the country/in a city/in the mountains' or 'She’s sitting inside/outside a cafe' or 'I can see a street market/old building/square/ street/restaurant/beach …'
  

• DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S AGE e.g. 'He’s about 50 years old' or 'They’re in their twenties' or 'She’s a teenager/a young child/a middle-aged woman'
  

• DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S CLOTHES e.g. 'She’s wearing a pair of shorts and a red T-shirt' or 'They’re wearing quite casual/smart clothes' or 'He’s wearing a uniform'
  

• DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S ACTIONS e.g. 'He’s sitting at a desk' or 'She’s standing in a queue' or 'They’re having a meal' or 'Some people are sunbathing and others are swimming in the sea'
  

• DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S ROLES IN A PICTURE e.g. 'He’s probably a shop assistant and she’s a customer' or 'This person on the left seems to be a tourist guide – he’s pointing to a building' or 'The man serving the drinks is a waiter'
  

• DESCRIBE PEOPLE’S FEELINGS IN A PICTURE e.g. 'You can tell they are enjoying themselves because they are smiling' or 'He seems a bit frightened. Maybe this is the first time he’s tried this' or 'She looks very interested in this activity – she’s concentrating very hard'
  

• PARAPHRASE (use these phrases to describe words you don’t know) e.g. 'It’s something you fry food in' (frying pan) or 'It’s a kind of container for flowers' (a vase) or 'It’s a cupboard for keeping clothes in' (a wardrobe).
  

• MAKE GUESSES e.g. 'It might be summer because some people are wearing sunglasses' or 'It’s probably in the country, because …' or 'This picture could be in Northern Europe because of the buildings...'
  

• DESCRIBE POSITION e.g. 'In the middle of the picture there is a group of people, probably tourists because …' or 'In the background there is a church …' or 'There’s a bookshelf next to/near/behind/in front of the door'.
  

REMEMBER!

∙ Talk in sentences – don’t produce lists of items you can see

∙ Organise your description – don’t describe the same thing more than once

∙ Start with a general idea of the subject of the picture before going into details

∙ Give reasons (related to the picture) for your ideas

∙ Talk about the situation as well as the physical things you can see in the picture

∙ Give some personal reaction to the picture

∙ Listen quietly when your partner describes his/her photo – don’t give help or comment