HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE
Structure
It's not easy to follow a picture description if the speaker jumps from one point to
another, so make sure that it's logically structured. For example:
• From left to right
• From the background to the foreground (or vice versa)
• From general impressions to details
Content
• Introduce the picture: The photo / picture shows...
It’s a black and white / colour photo
• Set the scene: season, weather, place, event, number of people...
• Locate different items in the photo using:
In the foreground / background you can see.... / there is...
In the middle / At the top / On the left/ right there is....
Behind/ In front of... you can see...
• Give details: Describe the people. What are they doing? Physical description, clothes,
feelings...
For feelings: to be + adjective OR look + adjective. e.g. "She's happy" - "She looks
happy"
• You can add your opinion: I think… / The lady looks… / Maybe… / I like the
picture because… / I don’t like the picture because…
Some example sentences you can use:
tall/short man/men (optional) walking in the street
W a British family sitting at a table
H I can see a couple people with a bag running in a restaurant
E There is/are two buildings with short hair playing in the park
R This picture shows three red/blue cars with a dog standing in a hotel
E some children going to the hospital
a lot of young/old woman eating a sandwich
/women drinking soft drinks/wine
animals / dogs shopping for clothes
Nota: penseu que si us atureu després de la cinquena columna, haureu de fer una frase
completa: e.g. "There's a tall man with a bag. He's walking in the street."
Common errors:
• Problems with age: A woman is not a girl. A man is not a boy. Check the Quizlet
vocabulary to help you with this!
• Problems with articles: a/an for singular countable only. No article in these
sentences: He has black hair. He has green eyes. He’s wearing jeans.
