Picture description (monologue)

In the beginning it can seem very difficult to describe and interpret pictures. But after you learn a step-by-step formula for looking and talking about the picture it becomes very easy. The guidelines below can be used to describe any picture and the steps can be memorised. You will never run out of things to say about a picture again. {Some of the following information was sourced from: www.studymode.com}

Analysing the picture

1)  Introduction (i) Give a general overview of what the picture is about (WHERE + WHAT) (ii) “This picture was probably taken at _________. It shows ________.” 2)  Description / Interpretation (i)  Be organised and systematic. Focus on the most important part of the picture first and move around the picture. (a)  “The central focus of this picture is….” (b)  “In the foreground / middleground / background…” (c)  “On the left / right of the picture…” (d)  “In the top left corner / bottom right corner of the picture, a man…” (ii)  Use a wide and suitable range of vocabulary. Age – infant, toddler, pre-school boy/girl, young boy/girl, teenage boy/girl, young man/woman, yuppie-looking man/lady, middle-aged man/woman, elderly man/woman Facial expressions - Sad: insipid, sombre, glum, sullen, downcast Lifeliness: animated, beaming, wide-eyed – Happy smiles: bel air, graceful, gleeful, smiling like a Cheshire cat – Shy smiles: coy, demure, pinched – Laughter: hearty, bubbly, hilarious, convulsing with glee Briefly describe the clothes and hairstyle of the characters (iii)  Interpretation of People What do the facial expression and body language of a character tell you about: a.      how he is feeling or thinking? b.      what he intends to do? c.      his relationship with the others in the picture? (iv)  Interpretation of Place and Objects What kind of place is this? Why are the people there? What do the objects tell you about a.      what had happened earlier? b.      what is happening now? c.      what will happen later? d.      the weather and the time of the day? What is the atmosphere? Happy ? busy? Calm? Exciting? Boring? (v)      Interpretation – Some useful structures “From her facial expression, I can assume that…” “From the wrappers on the floor, I can tell that…” “I believe…” “Perhaps this man is about to…”

Perspectives

picture, image	foreground	indoors
painting	background	outdoors
photograph / photo	in the upper part	artificial light
portrait	in the lower part	subdued light
landscape painting	in the left part	loud colours
worm’s eye view	in the right part	daylight
bird’s eye view	in the central part	at night
in front of	on the right	in the evening
behind	on the left	light colours
next to …	in the middle	dark colours
from above	from below	high contrast colours

Describing the scene

The picture was taken in … (place). The photo was taken at … (party). The picture shows a scene from … It’s an image of … (place, person, scene). The picture describes … (scene). The picture shows … (place, person, scene) from a distance. … (place, person, scene) is shown from … (a bird’s eye view/…). You look at … (place, person, scene) from … (above/behind/…). What can you see? In the picture you can see … … (position: on the left/right/…) there is / are … … (position: on the left/right/…) you can see … … is … (position: on the left/right/…)

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Practice websites

For more practice describing pictures visit these 2 excellent websites.
www.writefix.com, it is an excellent website.  Click on the ‘PET speaking’ on the top  menu bar. Choose a picture from the menu and and try to describe it, then click on the example description to read and compare with your answer.
www.autoenglish.org is another excellent website.  Click on the left menu – Part2 / Key phrases / Example descriptions / Gallery 1 & 2.
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The following descriptions were sourced from: www.writefix.com

Picture 1

The picture shows three astronauts waiting for takeoff. The astronauts are wearing bright orange uniforms or flight suits. Two of them have US flags on their shoulders so they must be American, but I can’t see where the other one is from. The astronaut nearest the camera looks nervous. I think he is worried or anxious about the flight. Maybe he is thinking about what he has to do on this mission, or maybe he is thinking about his family. Behind him there is a scientist or an official. They could be waiting for the space shuttle to get ready, or perhaps there is a problem with the weather and their lift-off has been delayed.

Picture 2

This is a funny picture. It shows three old ladies picking apples in an orchard or a garden. They are having a good old time! One of the ladies is high up on a ladder, picking the apples at the top of the tree. Her hair is still dark, so I think she is the youngest of the three. The other two are on the ground. One lady, the oldest, is holding a bucket or a pail full of red apples. The other woman is also wearing a hat, so it must be hot. The three of them are smiling at the camera. I don’t know who is taking the picture, but perhaps it is someone in their family. I think after they are finished they will use the apples for baking or cooking.

Sometimes you might need to critically describe a historical painting. The information below will help you do that.

Information on artist and year of origin

… (image) is a painting by … (artist), painted in … (year). … (image), painted in … (year), is a work by … (artist) … (artist) painted … (image) in … (year). … (image) is a famous painting by … (artist).

Impression

… gives the impression of depth. … (person) seems to look at the viewer. His / Her eyes seem to follow the viewer. The figures look as if they exist in three dimensions. The viewer has the impression that the people in the picture are alive. The viewer’s attention is focused on … To the alert eye it will become apparent … The viewer finds it difficult to withdraw his eyes from … The painting is vivid / happy / expressive. The picture makes the viewer feel … (sad/happy) The picture inspires the viewer to think about …

Intention

The artist mainly uses … (colours/forms/…) Important elements are highlighted. The artist / photographer / painter uses … to express … He / She (probably) wants to criticise / express / show … It is obvious that the artist wants to criticise / express / show … What the artist / photographer / painter wants to criticise / express / show is … What the artist / photographer / painter wants to point out is … I think / believe / am sure that … It seems / appears to me that … The problem illustrated here is … … symbolises … … is typical of …

Source:  http://www.jigglish.com/listening-questions-and-answers/how-to-describe-pictures-clearly-english-speaking-tests/