Picture description is an important task for English language learners. It is a part of many English Proficiency Tests around the world as well including the Duolingo English Test. Describing an image is best learned with examples.Here are some tips and main points to know for describing a picture in English.
How to describe an Image / Photo, Main Points
- Start with the general summary/ first impression of the picture in the first sentence. E.g,“ The picture shows two sports cars racing on the road.”
- After writing about the general content of the picture, you can write about other details you can find in the picture.
- Use adjectives to describe the pictures.
- Add your own opinion about the picture in the last sentence. E.g. “ I believe the picture has been taken by a professional photographer”, or “ It looks like the people in the picture are enjoying themselves a lot.” , “ I suppose the picture is a form of abstract art.”
- Use Connectors/ connecting phrases to make a connection between sentences. Examples( In the background, Beside, in the foreground, further back, Far away, on the right/left side etc.)
- Use the word list of phrases on the next slide to give an idea of the location in the picture.
Useful Phrases for describing the positions of objects in a picture…
| At the top | At the bottom | On the right | On the left |
| In the top right/left | In the bottom right/left | In the centre/ middle | In the background |
| In the foreground | in front of | At/in the back | At the front |
| In the middle ground | Almost halfway from | at regular/equal distance from | Close by |
| nearby | Beside | Adjacent to | On top of |
| Opposite of | On the same side | Halfway across | Further down/up |
Duolingo Picture Description Example 1
The picture shows a tall cliff in the foreground and a small settlement of houses at its bottom. A man is sitting dangerously at the protruding part of the cliff. On the right side of the picture, another dark mountain can be seen. Beyond the small houses, a blue sea is stretched out far ahead in the middle of the picture. Interestingly, it is mostly covered with clouds which are seen under the cliff. A clear blue sky lies parallel to the top of the cliff. This photo might have been taken by a tourist.
Picture Description Example 2
The picture shows three old women sitting on a beige sofa against a light grey background. The woman on the left is showing the other two women something on her cellphone. She seems to be saying something while others are listening to her. There is also a table with a cake and cups of tea on it. It looks like the women are friends and having a good time talking about something interesting while taking tea. The photo might have been taken by a family member, a friend or a stock photographer.
Image Description Example 3
The picture shows an astronaut in his spacesuit. Most of the foreground is covered with the body of the astronaut while we can also view the blue sky behind his head with some traces of clouds. It looks like he is pressing something on a machine, probably his spaceship. He might be out in space on another planet when the photo was taken.
Image Description Example 4
The picture appears to be from a warehouse. There are multiple cardboard boxes of packed goods arranged on open shelves. The shelves cover the left side and the upper-middle portion of the picture. Besides, we can also see two people discussing something about the goods beside the shelved boxes while a workman is pulling some boxes on a hydraulic cart.
Picture Description Example 5
The picture shows a scene from a clothing manufacturing factory. We can see a room with sewing machines arranged in a sequence. Three women with brown uniforms and face masks are sewing something. It looks like they are working on the same project since they are all using white threads and white cloth.
These were some describing images examples. Find more here: Picture Description