picture assignment english

50 Picture Description Examples with High-Scoring Answers

On the Duolingo English Test, there are three "Write About the Photo" questions and one "Speak About the Photo" question. This means picture description questions are a big part of the DET.

In this article, you can see 50 examples of picture description questions with high-scoring answers .

If you want to practice picture description questions, then you should check out Arno . With a free account, you get access to an unlimited number of picture description practice questions.

If you upgrade to one of our paid plans, you can get an instant estimated score as well as instant feedback on your grammar and vocabulary. Arno will even rewrite your answer to make it sound like a native speaker wrote it! With Arno's feedback, you can improve at picture description faster than any other method.

To get started just click here to create your free account!

Table of Contents

How to prepare for picture description questions, 50 picture description samples with high-scoring answers.

Improving at picture description questions is one of the easiest things you can do to raise your score on the DET. With just a few strategies, tips, and tricks, you can easily score much higher.

First, you should watch our guide to picture description questions:

Then, I would recommend watching this video, which will give you a bunch of useful vocabulary:

Finally, for advanced tips, you should check out this article: 9 Best Tips for Picture Description on the Duolingo English Test .

The image captures a sweet moment between a young girl and a small gray rabbit. The girl, who has long blonde hair and striking blue eyes, is lying on her stomach, resting her chin on her hand. She is gently holding the rabbit beside her, smiling softly at the camera. The background is light and airy, creating a calm and happy atmosphere. Presumably, the bunny is the girl's pet.

The image captures a moment from a women's basketball game. Two players are in focus, one wearing a white uniform and the other in a black uniform" The player in white is on defense, closely guarding the player in black who has the ball. The player in black appears to be looking for a teammate to pass the ball to. The gymnasium's floor is shiny and reflective, and other players can be seen in the background.

The image shows a man in a business suit checking his watch while walking on a city street. He wears sunglasses and is carrying a briefcase, suggesting he might be on his way to work or an important meeting. The background includes a tram and a clear blue sky, indicating it's a bright day. The man appears to be in a hurry, suggesting he is running late.

The image features a cheerful scene in a modern kitchen, where a young mother with short curly hair and a light grey cardigan kneels to help her son with his backpack. The boy, who has curly blonde hair, is wearing a grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. The kitchen is stylish, with minimalist decor and a touch of greenery on the counter.

The image captures a dynamic and joyful moment of a group of people striking playful poses against the backdrop of a stunning sunset. The silhouettes of about ten individuals, some holding hiking poles, create a lively and adventurous atmosphere. They are on a hilltop, and the sky behind them glows with vibrant shades of orange and yellow, suggesting the close of a day spent outdoors.

The image features a woman sitting cross-legged and spreading her arms wide in a small wooden boat, exuding a sense of joy and freedom. She is surrounded by a breathtaking natural setting with emerald-green waters and rugged limestone cliffs that rise steeply in the background. The sunlight illuminates her and the scenic landscape, highlighting the serene and picturesque environment, perfect for an adventurous outing.

The image portrays a young girl running joyfully toward the camera through a forest path. The trees form a natural archway around her, creating a striking, symmetrical frame. The forest is bathed in rich autumn hues, with leaves ranging from deep red to golden yellow, casting a warm glow over the scene. The girl, in a light, flowing dress, appears carefree and exuberant, embodying a sense of freedom and delight in the enchanting woodland setting.

The image captures two Buddhist monks in vibrant orange robes walking along a shaded forest path. They appear engaged in conversation, looking at each other while strolling. The surrounding forest is lush and tranquil, with tall pine trees lining the path and casting shadows. This serene setting evokes a sense of peaceful contemplation and spiritual connection.

The image shows a young woman walking with a large husky dog by a dock. She wears a yellow raincoat and a plaid shirt. The background features a big boat. It looks like a cold and gray day. The woman holds the dog's leash firmly as they walk side by side.

The image shows a happy woman playing with a large black and white dog in a field. They are surrounded by a beautiful mountain landscape with snowy peaks. The woman, wearing a winter hat and a light pink sweater, smiles as she reaches out to the playful dog. It's a sunny, joyful day outdoors.

This image shows a group of people working together. Three people are seated. Two are writing something while the third is working on some kind of tablet. It is not clear what they are working on, but judging by their age, this picture was taken in a work setting as opposed to a school setting. The room they are in looks pleasant. Sunlight is coming in from some windows and they are in short sleeves and dresses, suggesting that the temperature is warm.

The image captures a dramatic black and white scene of a person diving off a high arch bridge into a river. The bridge, constructed of stone, gracefully curves over the water, connecting historic buildings that cling to the riverbank. The diver is caught in mid-air, creating a moment of thrilling action against the backdrop of an old, picturesque town.

The image shows a group of five people around a table, working together. They seem focused and seem to be discussing something important. There’s a woman standing and leading the meeting. Everyone is looking at papers and a digital tablet that shows colorful charts. The room is bright, and it looks like a friendly and busy workspace.

The image shows people in a modern office building with large windows that look out over a city with tall buildings. Some people are walking and others are talking in small groups. The man walking in the foreground is wearing a suit. The scene is busy, and it feels like a typical day in a big city office.

The image shows a man focused on his work at a table. He is wearing glasses and a red and black checked shirt. The table is covered with papers, a ruler, and a hard hat, suggesting he is doing some sort of technical or engineering work. He looks serious and concentrated as he leans over his work.

The image shows a woman and a man working together in an office. The woman is in front, and she is writing on a sticky note. Behind her, a man is looking at what she is writing. Both are wearing business suits. Hers is grey while his is black or blue. They both seem focused on their work, and the whole scene gives the impression that they are discussing something important.

The image shows a woman sitting on the floor at a small table in a cozy room with brick walls. She is playing a game, I think it is called jenga, and there are wine glasses on the table as well. A man is sitting across from her, but only his legs are visible. The room has a warm, inviting glow from the lights.

The image shows a man sitting at a desk with a laptop in front of him. He is wearing a blue shirt and a tie. He looks serious and is looking directly at the camera. There is a coffee cup next to his laptop. The background is an office space with glass partitions.

The image shows a couple spending a quiet evening together in a stylish living room. The woman is comfortably seated in a modern chair, deeply engaged in reading a book. The man is sitting on a sofa, focused on his laptop. The room is warmly lit with large round lights hanging from the ceiling, creating a cozy atmosphere. The walls are made of brick, adding a rustic touch to the modern decor. They seem relaxed in each other's company, each absorbed in their own activity.

The image shows a group of four people having a lively discussion in a modern office lounge. Two men and two women are sitting around on plush armchairs and a couch. They are all high-fiving. They all seem happy and engaged, wearing smart casual and business attire. The room is bright with natural light coming through large windows.

The image captures a thrilling moment of a person doing a flip into the water. It's not clear if it is a man or a woman, but they are wearing light blue swim trucks. The background is mostly a cloudy sky, with a blurred outline of some kind of equipment, like a dock, but it isn't clear either. The water below is calm.

The image shows a young woman walking down a narrow street in a charming old town. The walls of the buildings on either side of the street are painted a bright blue, creating a picturesque setting. The street is adorned with hanging textiles and lamps, adding to the cultural atmosphere. The woman, wearing a long beige dress and carrying a bag, seems to be exploring the area alone, immersed in the beauty of her surroundings.

The image shows two people enjoying an adventure in the woods, seated on the hood of an old-fashioned black vehicle, possibly a jeep. They are surrounded by tall, dense pine trees, creating a peaceful and natural setting. The woman is holding a map and pointing something out to the man, suggesting they are planning their route or exploring the area. The atmosphere is casual and adventurous, perfect for a day out in nature.

The image captures a thrilling moment of a surfer riding a wave during a beautiful sunset. The sky is ablaze with orange and yellow colors, contrasting with the cool blue of the ocean waves. The surfer is expertly maneuvering atop the crest of the wave, surrounded by splashes of water. The vibrant colors and dynamic action create a scene full of energy and excitement.

The image shows two people sitting on the roof of a classic orange van, enjoying a sunset at the beach. The van is parked near the ocean. The people seem relaxed and are likely friends having a good time. The sunset casts a warm, golden light on them and the scene, making it look peaceful and inviting. This picture captures a moment of friendship and adventure in a beautiful setting.

The image captures a group of five friends sitting on a log in the middle of a lush forest. They are surrounded by greenery and a small stream flows underneath them. The friends appear relaxed and happy, and some of them are holding their hands towards the sky. Perhaps it is a group of friends who are on a hiking trip and who sat for a moment to rest.

The image shows an elderly woman standing next to a white llama. She is dressed in traditional clothing, including a bright red skirt and a large, pointed hat. She holds the llama’s lead and carries a colorful woven bag on her back. They are beside a stone house with a small window. The scene suggests a rural or mountainous setting.

The image shows a group of cyclists racing closely together on a sunny day. They are wearing tight, colorful cycling outfits and helmets. The focus is on two riders in the front, wearing blue and black jerseys, who are intensely pedaling and looking ahead. Just behind them are two other riders in matching red and black jerseys. The scene gives the impression that they are in an intense competition.

The image shows two people kayaking in a serene lake. They are in a yellow kayak, paddling together with green forest surrounding them. Both individuals are wearing red life jackets and look focused on their activity. The water is calm and a beautiful turquoise color, reflecting the tranquility of the natural setting. This peaceful scene highlights the enjoyment and adventure of outdoor activities like kayaking.

The image shows a young woman with curly red hair, wearing a casual outfit of a yellow top and ripped jeans, walking a Shiba Inu dog on a leash. She is in a lush park with a paved path and is looking at her smartphone while walking. The scene is tranquil, highlighted by abundant greenery and a serene atmosphere.

The image shows a group of women participating in a fitness class inside a bright room with brick walls and large windows. The focus is on a young woman in the foreground, wearing a white sports bra and black leggings. She stands confidently with her hands on her hips, possibly preparing for a yoga or aerobics session. The other participants in the background are seated on purple mats, stretching or getting ready to start the workout.

The image captures a joyful children's birthday party scene in a cozy living room. A young child in a party hat is dancing or playing in the foreground, while other children sit on a sofa in the background, watching or waiting for their turn. The room is decorated with colorful banners and balloons, creating a festive atmosphere.

The image shows a young woman sleeping peacefully in a bright, serene bedroom. She is lying on a bed covered with a white quilt and surrounded by fluffy pillows. Her hair is spread out on the pillow, and she appears to be in a deep sleep. The room has a clean, minimalistic design with light colors, enhancing the calm and restful environment. Perhaps she is taking a nap on a Sunday afternoon.

The image features a young woman resting her head on a stack of books at a wooden desk, appearing to be asleep or taking a break. She is wearing a light blue sweater, and she sitting on a teal chair that looks quite comfortable. The background is a simple pink wall, which adds a soft and calm feel to the scene. It could be the case that young woman is tired after doing a bunch of reading or studying.

The image shows two children having fun with books in a playful manner. They are sitting on a wide windowsill with large windows behind them, letting in plenty of light. The children, a boy and a girl, are using their books as pretend roofs over their heads, mimicking houses or shelters. Both are smiling, enjoying their imaginative play.

The image captures a classroom scene where a teacher is interacting with her students. The teacher, standing by a whiteboard filled with diagrams and notes, holds a book and seems to be explaining something related to biology. Two students enthusiastically raise their hands, eager to answer or ask a question. The classroom seems simple but clean and comfortable.

The image shows two young men sitting outside, likely on a university campus or public space. In the background, there are tall buildings, so presumably this picture was taken in a city. One man is holding a notebook and writing something on it, while the other looks on intently with a laptop on his lap. Both are dressed casually. The setting suggests they are students or professionals working together in a relaxed, informal environment.

The image shows a family scene with a father, mother, and daughter in a bright room. There are large windows with beige curtains. The father is seated at a table, handing a small, colorful backpack to the daughter. The mother stands behind the daughter, smiling and watching the exchange. The setting suggests a loving and supportive family preparing for an outing or school day.

The image shows a young woman walking down a city street, pulling a white suitcase. She is wearing a hat, a white shirt, and a long black skirt, with a tan backpack. The street is lined with various buildings, including shops and offices, with cars parked along the side. The setting appears to be an urban area, and the traveler seems to be heading towards their destination, for example their hotel or hostel.

The image shows a mother and her young child in a cozy kitchen. The mother is helping the child, who is seated on a high chair, to make something, maybe a cake. The mother is whisking something that looks like icing. The kitchen counter is filled with ingredients and a cookbook is open on the table. The scene is warm and homey, reflecting a shared moment of baking and bonding between them.

The image shows a woman in a kitchen, wearing a beige headscarf and a black top. The kitchen background is modern and clean. She is carefully leaning over a frying pan on the stove, using a wooden spoon to stir or taste the food. Her expression suggests she is concentrating on the dish she is preparing.  Perhaps she is preparing a special meal or is cooking with a recipe that she is perfecting.

The black and white image shows a man sitting at a picnic table on a beach, with his back to the camera. Beside him, on the table, sits a shaggy dog, who is looking at the camera. The beach is empty, creating a peaceful, solitary atmosphere. In the background, there are calm waters and distant hills. The scene suggests a quiet moment shared between the man and his dog, possibly reflecting on their surroundings.

The image shows a cute baby dressed in a chef's outfit, complete with a large white chef's hat and a yellow apron. The baby is sitting in a bright, cheerful kitchen, holding a small yellow toy or piece of food. The background is filled with kitchen items and decorations, creating a playful and adorable scene. The baby looks curious and focused, as if they are about to start a fun cooking adventure.

The image shows a lively gathering of friends in a modern kitchen, preparing and sharing a meal together. Several people are engaged in conversation, while others focus on cooking tasks. The countertop is filled with various ingredients, utensils, and bottles of wine. Overhead, large lights shine down, filling the table with light. It looks like a casual and enjoyable evening, where friends come together to cook, eat, and enjoy each other's company.

The image shows two young children running down a wide, tree-lined path in a park. The child in the foreground is wearing overalls and a white shirt, while the child ahead is dressed in a light blue shirt. The park is peaceful, with neatly trimmed grass and trees on either side of the path. The children appear joyful and carefree, enjoying their playtime outdoors in a safe and beautiful environment.

The image shows a beautiful bride in a white wedding gown, seated by a picturesque fountain, surrounded by three young children. Two boys, dressed in black tuxedos, and a girl in a white dress stand beside her. The elegant building in the background has arches and lush greenery, adding to the serene and joyous atmosphere. The bride looks lovingly at the children, suggesting a family celebration or wedding day filled with love and happiness.

The image shows a small boat with several people, floating on crystal-clear water. The water is so clear that the rocks and stones on the bottom are visible. The people in the boat appear to be relaxed, enjoying their ride. One person is rowing, guiding the boat gently through the water.

The image shows a cup of hot tea or coffee in a decorative brown cup and saucer. Beside it, there is a plate of chocolate sandwich cookies neatly stacked. The setting appears warm and inviting, suggesting a perfect moment for a relaxing tea or coffee break in the afternoon or early evening. This looks like it would be a nice treat on a cold, winter day.

The image shows a young woman standing in front of a chalkboard filled with complex drawings, equations, and notes. She is wearing glasses and a red blouse, holding a book in one hand and pointing to the chalkboard with a pointer in the other. She appears to be teaching or explaining something detailed and technical. The scene suggests a classroom or lecture setting where the woman is an engaged and knowledgeable instructor.

The image shows a couple brushing their teeth together in front of a bathroom mirror. Both are wearing white t-shirts and seem to be preparing for the day or getting ready for bed. They appear to be sharing a quiet, routine moment, reflecting their closeness and comfort with each other. The lighting is soft, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere in the bathroom.

10 free picture description worksheets

Printable picture description worksheets.

Here are 10 free printable picture description worksheets downloadable in PDF form. The images are a combination of interesting photographs and beautiful surreal/fantasy artwork.

The sheets have been designed as writing tasks but there is no reason why you can’t project the images and get your students to describe them orally.

There is a lot to describe in each picture which is great for students. A short list of suggested vocabulary has also been added to each worksheet to help your class get started.

These activities are great for learning new vocabulary, practicing prepositions of place, and forming grammatically correct sentences.

Preparing your students for describing pictures

First of all, it is a good idea to get your class familiar with different parts of a photograph. Words such as foreground, background, center, in the distance, left, right, top, bottom, and corners are essential for this.

Draw a rectangle on the board with some basic pictures and label these different areas. It is also handy to leave it on the board so they can use it for reference when doing their own picture descriptions.

Hopefully, your students are already quite competent with prepositions of place but if they are not there are some suitable worksheets to practice this here .

Next, check the suggested vocabulary on the worksheets and make sure they know these words. Be sure to add more vocabulary where you see fit.

Finally, do a demonstration and describe a picture yourself for the class to see. This way they know clearly what their objectives are.

Completing the task

Once your students have finished their picture description worksheets it is time to check what they wrote. This is the time to correct and grammar or punctuation errors.

It is also often a good idea to get them to read their descriptions aloud to also get in some speaking and pronunciation practice during the class.

Further related activities

A fun activity to follow up with is the pair work drawing activities which also require describing pictures with the added excitement of listening and drawing.

For more pair work on the topic of prepositions, have a look at the prepositions drawing worksheets .

You might also like these

4 silly sentence worksheets

11 printable funny picture writing prompts

Free ESL  and English teaching resources, no sign up required. Just find what you like, download it and head to class!

Privacy Policy

Share ESL Vault with your friends!

• Writing Worksheets
• Vocabulary Worksheets
• Pronunciation
• Kids worksheets
• Idioms and Expressions
• ESL Puzzles
• ESL Pair Work Activities
• ESL Conversation Questions
• Coloring Pages
• Articles, Lists and Ideas
• Art and Craft Activities

Search form

• Speaking exams
• Typical speaking tasks

Describe a photo or picture

In some speaking exams you have to talk about photos or pictures. The video and tips below will help you to do really well in this type of speaking exam.

Instructions

Watch the video of two students describing photos as part of a speaking exam. Then read the tips below.

Examiner : OK. You each have a picture. You’ve got one minute to look at your picture. Describe all that you can see in the picture and explain what you think is happening.

Melissa : In the picture there is a man lying in the middle of the road and there is a car and a motorbike there. I believe there is a car accident and that guy is almost dying. And people are trying to save his life and in the bottom-right of the picture there’s a reporter holding a camera. And there is a policewoman or policeman and he’s trying to tell his partner to come, I think.

Kelvin : So, in my picture there are three men. They’re holding water guns and shooting at each other. And they are laughing and I think they’re very excited about this. I think they could be celebrating some kind of festival because you know in Thailand they celebrate their New Year by splashing water on each other, so I think the two men in the photo are tourists. They have gone to Thailand to celebrate this festival. Yes.

Here are our top tips for describing a photo or a picture in an exam.

• Look at your picture carefully and take a few moments to think before you start talking.
• Talk for all the time you are given. If you have one minute to do the task, use every second.
• Practise the useful language below so you can explain which part of the picture you are talking about.
• Panic if you don’t know the words for all the things in the picture. You don’t need to know all the words for everything in the picture if you know what to say when you don't know an exact word.  
• Get distracted and start talking about something else. Focus on the photo or picture.
• Panic if your mind goes blank. Take a deep breath, look at the picture and start again.

If you are asked to describe a photo or a picture in the exam, here is some language you can use:

What is in the picture?

In the picture I can see ... There ’ s / There are ... There isn’t a ... / There aren’t any ...

Say what is happening with the present continuous

The man is ...ing The people are ...ing It’s raining.

Where in the picture?

At the top/bottom of the picture ... In the middle of the picture ... On the left/right of the picture ... next to in front of behind near on top of under

If something isn’t clear

It looks like a ... It might be a ... He could be ...ing Maybe it’s a ...

Check your understanding: gap fill - prepositions

Check your understanding: multiple choice - describing the photo, worksheets and downloads.

You can practise this at home with any picture or family photo. Tell us if this advice was helpful to you.

Sign up to our newsletter for LearnEnglish Teens

We will process your data to send you our newsletter and updates based on your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. Read our privacy policy for more information.

How to Describe an Image with Examples | Picture Description

Picture description is an important task in English Proficiency tests such as Duolingo English Test as well as in general writing and speaking tasks in English Language. Describing images can be an interesting activity if you focus on the simple rules of describing a photo . Here are some general rules you must consider while completing a picture description task.

General Rules of Describing an Image

While writing the description of a photo, first you need to introduce the main point of focus. Let’s see how:

Introduction:

In Picture description tasks, your first sentence should be the general impression on the photo . Talk about the main point of focus of the photo. For example, think about “What is the main focus of this photo?” Here is a picture description example:

First, let’s write an introduction of the photo:

” The picture shows a woman sitting on the first step of a stone staircase which is filled with autumn leaves.”

Add significant details and location of objects in Picture Description

In your following sentences, write other specific details and what object is found where in the picture. For example:” She has a camera in her lap and is holding an autumn leaf in her hand. She is wearing a white pants and a checked shirt with a sweater on her shoulders.”

Add a speculation to conclude picture Description

In your last sentences, add a speculation; for Example: “I guess the woman is a tourist who is visiting a particular destination ” or ” I think the autumn season at this place is at peak.” or ” I believe this photo has been taken by a stock photographer. “

Don’t forget to include adjectives

The use of adjectives or descriptive phrases make a writing more descriptive, vivid and interesting.

The use of adjectives in the above description has been highlighted in bold.

Picture Description Examples

Image description example 1.

The picture shows a wooden hut or cabin under the shade of trees. There is a woman dressed in white tee and jeans standing outside the door. The wooden doors of the hut are wide open and there is dark inside. Some foliage is covering the slanting roof and surrounding area of the hut.It looks like the hut is the part of a public park.

Picture Description Example 2

This image shows a row of tall, green evergreen trees neatly aligned in front of a concrete barrier. Behind the trees, there is a large glass structure shaped like a pyramid, with a blue sky in the background. The foreground features a well-maintained grassy lawn with visible mowing lines. The overall scene is bright and outdoors, suggesting a sunny day.

Picture Description Example 3

The picture shows some stone structures raised on pedestals in a gallery.Most structures in the background appear to be stone sculptures of human figures. The foreground illustrates the floor with blocked grey pattern. The roof of the gallery covers a large part of the picture and has a square pattern. I believe this photo has been taken in an art gallery and all the sculptures are carved by famous sculptors from the history.

Picture Description Example 4

The picture Shows a fancy white cake with floral decorations. The cake is on the table surrounded by some illuminated candles and other eatables in the background. The cake has some burning candles on top with sparkles coming out. It is the main focus of the photo although some people can be seen in the blurred background. It seems like it is a wedding cake.

Picture Description Example 5

The picture depicts a beautiful scene of a man rowing a boat through the water with oar. The man is facing opposite to the camera.The golden water is creating ripples under the boat and there are golden brown trees on both side of the lake against the blue summer sky. The red colour of the boat and man’s hat create a beautiful contrast with the golden brown colour of the trees and water.

These were simple image description examples for English language learners and English Proficiency test takers. Find more here: Picture Description

Don't miss these posts...

How to describe an image | picture description in english.

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…

Read More »

Cue Card Questions Examples for English Proficiency Tests IELTS / Duolingo

Cue card questions, used in speaking tests like the IELTS or Duolingo English exam, are prompts that guide individuals to speak on a specific topic…

How to Write on a Topic: Writing 150 to 200 words Examples

Writing on a topic is a part of all English proficiency tests.Writing a 150-200 word essay or paragraph on a topic in English requires effective…

Copyright © 2024 www.englishforlearners.org

A Step-by-step Guide to Describing a Picture in English

This article covers the following areas –

Sample description of a picture in english, step 1: ask yourself wh questions & answer them, step 2: describe what the picture is about, step 3: describe the setting of the picture, step 4: describe the positions of the subjects in the picture, step 5: describe the objects in the picture, step 6: describe the characters in the picture, step 7: describe what the characters are doing, 7 tips to make picture description more comprehensive, sample conversation: describing a picture in english, final words, let’s practice now – quiz, frequently asked questions.

Describing a picture, an image, or a photo can be helpful for people with visual impairments to see it through you. Also, in many English exams (FCE, TOEIC, PTE, etc.), you may need to describe pictures in English. Finally, and most importantly, as an ESL learner, describing pictures in English can be a great way to practice and develop your general English skills.

To describe a picture in English, start with a general overview, identifying the main subject. Detail key elements like objects, colors, and people. Describe the mood, atmosphere, and composition. Use specific adjectives and, if relevant, similes or metaphors for vivid imagery.

Live 1-to-1 Classes!

Get personalized guidance to learn English.

Let’s try to describe the following picture.

Description: This picture shows a peaceful place that looks like a park. One person sits on a bench on the left side, reading a book. It looks like a quiet spot where someone can enjoy some alone time.

The park has lots of grass, and it’s very green, which makes it look fresh and pretty. It’s probably late in the day because the light is soft and warm like it is before the sun goes down. There are trees with lots of leaves and some without any, which might be around when seasons change, like when spring starts or fall ends.

The person with the book is near us, and we can see what other people are doing in the park. Everyone looks relaxed and happy to be there. Behind them, the park stretches out with different kinds of trees that make the place look like a little green world of its own.

In the back, a small hill goes up gently, and the light makes it look nice and gentle. The hill looks far away, making you think the park is big and open.

The whole picture feels calm, like a quiet break from a noisy day. It makes you think of the sound of the wind in the trees and birds singing somewhere far away. The picture tells us that relaxing in nature can be a lovely way to relax.

Well! Now, we’ll learn how to describe a picture step by step. In the following sections, I’ll provide you with some guidelines, phrases, and tips to make a good picture description. Before that, you may take a look at English Made Easy Volume One: A New ESL Approach: Learning English Through Pictures (Amazon Link) . This book creatively uses pictures and text together to revolutionize English language learning, making it easier to understand and more effective overall.

To describe a picture in English, you may ask yourself a few WH questions and then try to answer them. If you can arrange the answers in a logical structure, the full description will sound like a story. Here are some sample questions.

1. What is this picture about?

This question sets the stage for the description, helping to identify the main subject or theme of the picture. Is it a serene landscape, a bustling city scene, a portrait of an individual, or perhaps a moment captured at a social event?

2. What is the setting of the picture?

Determining the setting involves looking for clues that indicate the location and the time of day or season. It could be indoors or outdoors, day or night, and in any weather or season.

3. What are the positions of the characters or the objects in the picture?

Describing where things are in the picture helps the listener visualize the layout. Use directions like left, right, center, foreground, and background to explain the placement of significant elements.

4. What are the characters doing in the picture?

This involves looking at the characters’ actions or any movement within the picture. It brings the scene to life by explaining what each character or object is doing.

Look at the above picture and observe minutely. Now, Answer the above WH questions, collect all the information, and organize it logically. You may also share your description in the comment box. I’ll surely provide you with feedback.

However, throughout the next part of the post, We’ll learn to describe a picture step by step. To do so, we’ll take the above picture as a sample. To get the full description of the above picture (Sample Picture), read the post till the end.

Imagine you are describing a picture to a person who has visual impairments. How would you start?

The best way to start describing a picture is by giving an idea of what the picture is about. Give a concise general description that you see apparently at a glance. You don’t need to go into details at the beginning of a picture description.

Here are some example sentences that can help you start the description of the picture.

• The picture shows some people buying clothes from a clothes shop.
• In the picture, four people are standing in a clothing store; one is a salesperson, and three are customers.     
• The picture is about a clothes shop. Some customers are checking different items.
• This is a picture of a clothing store with three customers and one salesperson.
• The picture tells us it’s a clothing store, and a salesperson is talking to a customer. And some other customers are checking different items.
• There are four people in the picture. One of them is a salesperson, and the other three are customers.

Setting refers to the time and place of a picture. However, you may not always understand the time. But it’s pretty obvious that you can have an idea of a place.

To describe the setting of a picture, detail the location, time, and atmosphere. Note the physical environment, architectural elements, natural landscapes, lighting, weather conditions, and any cultural or historical contexts that define and give character to the picture’s background.

While describing a place, you first give a general idea and then point out every minute detail. Let’s describe the setting of the sample picture above. Generally, you can say this is a clothing store.

But you can also give some specific information about the store by using descriptive adjectives to give someone a clear idea. For example, you can say “a small clothing store” or “a well-decorated boutique.”

To describe the setting, especially the place, you should try to draw the same picture with words so that one can clearly see the picture through your eyes with the help of your comments.

By using vivid visual imagery , your description of the place in the picture can be recognized or understood even if someone has never seen it before.  

To describe the positions of subjects in a picture, specify their orientation, arrangement, and interaction. Detail whether they are central, peripheral, foreground, or background, their posture, the direction they face, and their relation to other subjects or elements in the composition.

Use specific words/phrases, such as left, right, up, down, top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, center/middle, etc., to give a precise, detailed position of something in the picture. Remember! There are uses of prepositions before those words. The following photo shows how to use correct prepositions while giving details about a picture.

Now, let’s see some example sentences using the preposition.

• In the center of the picture is a counter where a salesperson is talking to a customer.
• At the top , there are some scarves on the hangers.
• On the left is a collection of dresses, and a customer is checking them.
• On the right is a collection of dresses, and a lady thinks about what she can pick.

While describing a picture, there can be so many objects. You are expected to describe just the most important things. You don’t need to go for detailed descriptions for every object you see.

To describe objects in a picture, detail their shape, size, color, and texture. Mention their location, relation to other elements, and any symbolic significance. Focus on prominent features that contribute to the overall theme or narrative of the image.

Suppose in the sample picture there is a collection of dresses. Instead of discussing every dress, you can say that dresses are kept on hangers on the left.

Yet, you can talk about the category of the dresses as a whole, but it’s not necessary to talk about the color and type of each dress.

To describe characters in a picture, focus on their appearance, expressions, posture, and attire. Note their positions and interactions with each other or the setting. Highlight any distinctive features or attributes that contribute to the overall narrative or theme of the image.

Characters can be of different types: a person or other animals. To describe a person in the picture, you may talk about their sex and appearance.

While discussing their appearance , mention the dresses and some notable physical features like height, overall build, hair, etc. You can also talk about their age.     

Now, look at the sample picture. What can you see about the characters? Here are some example sentences.

• One of the customers is a blonde. She is wearing white pants and a blue top.
• The salesperson is wearing glasses.
• The other customer is wearing a T-shirt.

To describe what characters are doing in a picture, observe their actions, gestures, and expressions. Detail their interactions with each other or their environment, and note any significant movements or activities that contribute to the scene’s narrative or emotional tone.

It would be best to discuss what is happening in the picture and what the characters are doing in it. All these must be in the present continuous tense.

Let’s see some examples.

• In the picture, a salesperson is talking to a customer.
• The other customer is probably looking for a suitable dress.
• A customer is probably trying to negotiate the price.

Describing a picture well means you help someone “see” it without looking. It’s like telling a story that paints the picture with words. You want to capture everything: the big stuff, the tiny details, and the feelings it stirs up. Let’s walk through some tips to make your descriptions stand out.

#1 Use “Might” and “Could” When You’re Not Sure

When a part of the picture isn’t clear, it’s okay to use words like “might” and “could” to guess what it is without being too sure. It’s like saying, “This could be a cat, but it’s a bit fuzzy, so I’m not 100% sure.” This way, you’re honest about what you see and leave some room for the imagination.

#2 Use Words That Show How Sure You Are

Sometimes, you know what’s in the picture, but not completely. Words like “probably” or “maybe” help here. They let you guess a little, like saying, “This probably is a birthday party,” when you see balloons and a cake. It’s like making an educated guess.

#3 Stick to What You See

Keep it real by just talking about what’s actually in the picture. Try not to let your likes or dislikes change what you’re saying. If a big red ball is in the middle, say that. It’s like being a news reporter for the picture—just the facts.

#4 Connect It to Your Life

If something in the picture reminds you of a story from your own life, share that. It makes the description more personal and interesting. Like, “This garden scene takes me back to my grandma’s backyard where I played as a kid.” It gives a personal touch to the picture.

#5 Compare to Something Familiar

If there’s something in the picture you don’t know how to describe, think of something it reminds you of. It could be as simple as saying, “This weird fruit looks like a mix between a pineapple and a melon.” It’s like using a shortcut to help explain what you’re seeing.

#6 Point Out the Differences

If there are two things to compare in the picture, go ahead and show how they’re different. It can be simple, like, “The first dog is huge and fluffy, but the second one is small and has short hair.” It’s like playing Spot the Difference, which can be really fun.

#7 Guess the Story

It’s cool to tell a story about what’s happening in the picture. If you see a boat on a river, you can imagine it’s on a long adventure. It’s a bit like writing a story based on just one scene, and it makes everything more exciting and alive.

So, when you use these tips, you’re not just listing stuff that’s in the picture. You’re making it pop out of the page with words that turn the picture into a vivid scene in the reader’s mind. Keep it playful, honest, and creative; your picture descriptions will be special.

Situation: Jake and Zoe are sitting in a café, and Jake is showing Zoe a photograph he took during his recent trip to the mountains.

Jake: Zoe, check out this picture I took during my trip to the Himalayas!

Zoe: Wow, Jake! This is breathtaking . The snow-capped mountains in the background create such a majestic view. And the crystal-clear blue sky contrasts beautifully with them.

Jake: Thanks! I was lucky to capture the golden rays of the sunrise hitting the peaks. It gives the whole scene an ethereal glow .

Zoe: I can see that! And the meadow in the foreground with those wildflowers adds so much vibrancy to the composition. It’s like nature’s own palette of colors.

Jake: I’m glad you noticed! And there’s a small wooden cabin to the right. Can you see it?

Zoe: Oh yes, it looks so quaint and cozy . It must be amazing to wake up to such a spectacular view every day. Your picture truly captures the essence of the place.

Describe a picture in English. It is a skill that combines observation and expression. By asking the right ‘WH’ questions, we start to unlock the story and the details within an image. We begin to understand not just what the picture is about but also the setting, the positions of subjects and objects, and the actions taking place. It is a methodical approach that ensures we cover all aspects of the picture, allowing us to share a comprehensive and vivid description.

As we refine this skill, we learn to add depth to our descriptions with comparisons, speculations, and personal associations. We become adept at painting a picture with words, even when our knowledge is incomplete, using modal verbs and adverbials to express possibilities and probabilities. This approach to describing images is not just about relaying what we see; it’s about bringing a static image to life for the listener or reader.

Every picture has a story, whether it’s a snapshot of a busy street, a serene landscape, or a moment of human interaction. By applying these steps and tips, we can narrate that story effectively. This guide is not just about the mechanical process of description; it’s about developing an eye for detail and a way with words that can transport others into the world captured by the lens. In doing so, we enhance our linguistic skills and deepen our appreciation for the moments, big and small, that photographs immortalize.

Welcome to the Describing a Picture in English Quiz! This quiz will test your understanding of key phrases and strategies used to describe a picture in English. Suitable for learners of all levels, these questions will help you improve your communication skills and ensure you can describe pictures effectively and confidently.

Before starting, make sure to read the related article on How to Describe a Picture in English . This will help you get the most out of the quiz.

Great job done! For more practice, open the Quiz Bank .

Time's up

Start by giving a brief overview of the picture, such as “This picture shows…” or “In this image, there is…” This provides context for your description.

Describe the setting with phrases like, “The picture is set in…” or “In the background, you can see…” These phrases help detail where the picture takes place.

Describe people by mentioning their actions, appearance, and expressions. For example, “There is a man wearing a blue shirt, smiling and looking at the camera.”

Describe the mood with phrases like, “The atmosphere seems…” or “The picture conveys a feeling of…” This helps convey the emotional tone of the image.

Describe actions by saying, “The people are…” or “You can see someone doing…” These phrases focus on what is happening in the picture.

Provide detailed descriptions by mentioning colors, shapes, positions, and other specific elements. Use phrases like, “To the left, there is a tall tree with green leaves.”

Describe the focus by saying, “The main subject of the picture is…” or “The picture highlights…” This directs attention to the key elements.

Describe the background with phrases like, “In the background, there is…” or “Behind the main subjects, you can see…” This adds depth to your description.

Describe emotions by saying, “The person looks happy/sad/excited,” or “You can see joy/anger/peace on their face.” This helps convey the emotional content.

Conclude with phrases like, “Overall, the picture captures…” or “In summary, this image shows…” This provides a neat ending to your description.

Related Posts

How to Express Concern in English: Tips and Phrases

Sharing Your Achievements in English: A Complete Guide

Breaking Bad News: A Guide to Doing It Kindly and Clearly

Making a Promise in English: Expressions and Tips

Niaj A A Khan

Niaj A A Khan is an ESL Instructor with over 8 years of experience in teaching & developing resources at different universities and institutes. Mr. Khan is also a passionate writer working on his 2nd book, "Learn English at Ease."

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Looking for study materials?

Log In   0 The website uses cookies for functionality and the collection of anonymised analytics data. We do not set cookies for marketing or advertising purposes. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies and our privacy policy . We're sorry, but you cannot use our site without agreeing to our cookie usage and privacy policy . You can change your mind and continue to use our site by clicking the button below. This confirms that you accept our cookie usage and privacy policy.

Free English Lessons

How to describe a picture in english – video.

Download PDF

In this lesson, you can learn how to describe a picture in English.

Describing a picture is useful in many english exams; you need to describe a picture in english for exams like fce , toeic or pte., it’s also a good way to practise your general english skills. take an interesting picture, and try to describe it in english. you can practise your speaking and learn some new english vocabulary, in this lesson, you can learn how to describe a picture in english in clear, detailed language. we’ll show you how to build an answer step-by-step., quiz: how to describe a picture.

Test your knowledge of the vocabulary for describing pictures.

This quiz has ten questions reviewing the language from the lesson, followed by four descriptions of photographs, which you need to complete, with a total of ten gaps to fill.

You’ll get your score out of 20 at the end, when you click ‘Finish Quiz’. Then, click ‘Restart Quiz’ to have another go, or ‘View Questions’ to see the correct answers.

Quiz Summary

0 of 14 Questions completed

Information

You have already completed the quiz before. Hence you can not start it again.

Quiz is loading…

You must sign in or sign up to start the quiz.

You must first complete the following:

0 of 14 Questions answered correctly

Time has elapsed

You have reached 0 of 0 point(s), ( 0 )

Earned Point(s): 0 of 0 , ( 0 ) 0 Essay(s) Pending (Possible Point(s): 0 )

• Not categorized 0%

Well done! You’ve finished!

That’s an excellent score! Congratulations!

A perfect score! Congratulations!

1 . Question

Which is correct?

• There are several people having a picnic.
• There is several people having a picnic..

Is ‘people’ singular or plural?

2 . Question

The picture _________ a village in the mountains.

Which word goes in the gap?

• demonstrates

3 . Question

There are some cows in a field _______ the grass.

Which form of the verb goes in the gap?

4 . Question

In the ________, there’s a man reading a newspaper.

Which two options can go in the gap?

5 . Question

_____ the bottom, we can see a table with some cakes on it.

Which preposition goes in the gap?

6 . Question

There’s someone else _____ the right, but they’ve got their back to the camera.

7 . Question

In the ______ left, we can see a flock of birds.

8 . Question

I _________ they’ve had an argument, because they both look quite angry.

Which verb is not possible in the gap?

The option you need to choose is for expressing certainty, not speculating, which is what the other three verbs are used for.

9 . Question

There are a lot of damaged trees, so _________ there’s been a storm.

Which words are possible in the gap? Choose as many as you think are right.

Only adverbs are grammatically correct in the gap, not verbs.

10 . Question

It _________ be a very cold place, because they’re all wearing hats and scarves.

Which option is correct in the gap?

This time, you need a modal verb that speculates about something that’s certain – the evidence is the hats and scarves, so there’s no doubt that it’s cold.

11 . Question

Complete the sentence using a word from the box in each gap. There are two words that you don’t need to use.

There’s an elephant on the right, and a man who we can’t quite see on the left, her some bananas. In fact, there are three people there, which we can tell from the shadows at the .

12 . Question

There’s a huge building in the middle of the picture, with some beautiful flower beds in the . We can also see a crane in the background, and a large unfinished building in the right.

13 . Question

We can see a church in the middle and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa on the . There’s also a bicycle in the bottom , but the surprising thing is there’s nobody in the picture, so it was taken very early in the morning.

14 . Question

Complete the sentence using a word from the box in each gap. There are three words that you don’t need to use.

The picture a man skiing and one other person is visible in the on the right. The man in the centre be quite experienced, because the slope’s very steep.

1. Summarize What You See

What’s the best way to start your description?

Start with a summary, giving a general description of what’s in the picture and what you can see.

It’s useful to imagine that the person you’re talking to can’t see the picture. Think: what does the other person need to know? What do you need to say so that other people can understand what’s in the picture?

Let’s do an example.

You want to summarize what you see in one or two simple sentences. How could you do that?

You could say:

• There are several small boats next to a beach.
• The picture shows a beach, with many small boats in the water nearby.

Simple summaries like this make it easy to understand the general contents of the picture.

Let’s do one more:

What could you say here?

Here are some possible answers:

• There are three people cooking in a kitchen.
• The picture shows three young friends cooking together.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Here’s another picture:

You need to make a summary of what you see.

You can use these phrases:

• The picture shows…

Pause the video, and make one or two sentences. You can write down your answers if you want.

Okay, after your summary, you can start giving more detail about what you see in the picture.

2. Talking About Where Things Are

To start giving detail, you can talk about where things are in the picture.

Here’s some useful language to help you do this:

• On the left, there’s a girl with dark, curly hair. She’s holding half a cauliflower .
• In the middle, there’s a man who’s chopping vegetables.
• At the bottom, we can see a counter with many different vegetables on it.

When talking about photos, you might also need the phrases:

• In the background…
• In the foreground…

For example:

• In the foreground, there’s a sandy beach with three metal anchors on it.
• In the middle, there are several small boats, which are close to the beach.
• In the background, we can see the blue sea stretching to the horizon.

Let’s put all of this language together in another example:

Think first: what could you say about this picture?

Okay, let’s look at what you could say:

• On the left, there’s a cat sitting on a table.
• On the right, there’s a man standing, though we can’t see his face.
• In the background, we can see blue sky and snowy mountains.

Now it’s your turn! Here’s a picture:

Pause the video, and make at least three sentences. Use the useful language you saw in this section.

Again, you can write your sentences down if you want to!

Okay? What’s next?

3. Adding More Detail to Your Description

Now, the person you’re talking to should have a good general idea about what’s in the picture you’re describing, and where things are.

Next, you should start describing your picture in more detail.

Let’s look at a picture you’ve seen before:

When adding detail, don’t try to describe everything in the picture. It’s not necessary or useful. You should add detail to the most important parts of the picture.

So, for this picture, what do you think the most important parts are?

Probably, the person who took this photo took it because of the people. So, you should focus your description on the two people.

Think: what do they look like, and what are they doing?

• The two people both look unhappy or irritated.
• They’re sitting at the kitchen table together, but they aren’t talking to each other.
• The man is staring down at the table, while the woman is stirring her tea with a spoon.

That’s just three sentences, but they add a lot of detail to your description.

Let’s try one more:

In this picture, what do you think you should focus on in your description? Fairly obviously, you should talk about the horses.

• The horses are running through the grass.
• Two of them are black, but the one in the middle is white and grey.
• They don’t have saddles or anything, so they could be wild horses.

Again, you can see that you can do a lot with just a few sentences.

Alright, now it’s your turn!

Let’s take a picture you’ve already seen:

Pause the video and make at least three sentences to describe the picture in detail. Try to include as much important information as you can.

How was that? If you want more practice, you can do the same exercise with other pictures from this lesson, or you could use your own pictures!

At this point, you’ve described the picture in detail. So, what else can you do?

4. Speculating About the Picture

Speculating … What does that mean?

Speculating means talking about possibilities.

For example, look at this picture:

Think about some questions:

Why are the umbrellas there? Who put them there?

By trying to answer questions like this, you are speculating; you’re talking about possibilities and giving your opinion about the picture.

Speculating can help you to make a longer, more detailed answer when talking about a picture.

Let’s do an example:

• I suppose it might be some kind of art project.
• Maybe one person put an umbrella up there as a joke, and then other people started doing it, too.

Let’s look at one more picture:

Think, if you wanted to speculate about this picture, what could you say?

Another way to think about it: what questions could you ask yourself about this picture?

Possible ideas are: who made the footprints, and why? Where were they going? Where is the person who made the footprints now?

There are other possibilities, of course, so feel free to use your own ideas, too!

Okay, so what could you say to speculate about this picture?

Here are some examples:

• The footprints must have been made by a climber or a mountaineer .
• The person who made the footprints might be standing on top of the mountain now.

In our examples, you’ve seen some useful language which you can use to speculate about a picture. Do you remember?

You can use language like:

• [He] might…

Let’s practise using these once more with another picture:

Could you make four sentences, using the useful language we just saw?

Let’s do an example together:

• I suppose the guy is a climber, or he’s on an adventure holiday.
• Maybe he climbed something, and now he’s on the way down.
• He must have a lot of experience, because his body language is quite relaxed.
• He might be focusing on what he’s doing, but he might just be enjoying the view!

Okay, now it’s your turn. Let’s take another of our pictures:

Can you make four sentences to speculate about this picture, using the language you’ve learned in this section? Pause the video and think about your answers!

Now, you have one more thing to do.

5. Speculating About the Context of the Picture

When you speculate, you can speculate about what you can see in the picture. However, you can—and should—speculate about what you can’t see, too.

How’s this possible? Well, think about this picture:

You can think about questions like: where and when was the picture taken? Who took the picture? What was the photographer doing there?

• I think this could be in the USA, or maybe Russia.
• It’s a good photo, so perhaps it was taken by a professional nature photographer.

You see? Talking about what you can’t see in the picture can be very useful, and can help to add details to your answer.

Let’s do one more example:

What could you say about this picture?

Let’s do this one together. You could say:

• This must be somewhere tropical, like the Caribbean or the Maldives.
• Perhaps it was taken by a tourist who came to the beach on one of those boats.

Okay, one more. This time, you have to do it yourself!

Here’s your picture:

Make at least two sentences to speculate about the context of the picture. Think about where and when it was taken, who took it, and what the photographer was doing there.

How was that? Hopefully you feel more confident describing pictures in English now.

Let’s put everything you’ve learned together and practise making longer, fluent descriptions.

6. Making a Longer Answer

When you describe a picture, you should:

• Give a summary of what you see.
• Talk about where things are in the picture.
• Add details.
• Speculate about what’s in the picture.
• Speculate about the context of the picture.

Let’s make a longer answer together. We’ll start with a picture we’ve used already:

Here’s a possible longer answer:

• In the picture, there are two people sitting at a table, looking unhappy. There’s a woman on the left and a man on the right. In the middle of the picture, we can see some things on the table, like cups of tea, biscuits, milk and so on. The two people look sad or irritated , and they aren’t speaking to each other. They’re both looking down at the table. I suppose they had a fight and now they aren’t talking to each other, or they might just be bored and not have anything to talk about. I guess it’s a stock photo because otherwise, why would the photographer be in the kitchen with them?

Do you think you could make an answer like this? Remember, all the language you need is in this lesson. You just need to take the things you practised in each part, and then put them together.

Let’s do one more example together:

• The picture shows umbrellas hanging in the air. In the foreground, we can see a streetlight, and the umbrellas fill the picture from left to right. The umbrellas are of many different colours, mostly bright colours like pink, yellow or green. They’re hanging from wires. I can see at least four lines of umbrellas hanging down in this way, but there could be even more. Maybe this is some sort of art project. It might also be a festival or tradition, that people decorate the street with colourful umbrellas like this. I suppose the picture was taken in a city or town, though I can’t tell where exactly. Perhaps the photographer was a tourist, and was just walking around the city when he saw this amazing and strange scene.

Alright, now it’s your turn. We’ll give you a new picture:

Pause the video and try to make a longer answer, like we just did. Follow the same structure.

Finished? I don’t think so! You should practise as much as you can. Take the other pictures from the lesson, and make longer answers about them, too.

Practise your answers several times, until you can do it fluently and comfortably. Post your responses on the Oxford Online English YouTube channel and we’ll give you feedback!

Do you want more practice with vocabulary? Watch our lesson to get advice on keeping a vocabulary notebook .

Thanks for watching!

We Offer Video Licensing and Production

Use our videos in your own materials or corporate training, videos edited to your specifications, scripts written to reflect your training needs, bulk pricing available.

Interested?

More English Lessons

English vocabulary lessons.

Spoken English Lessons

• Facebook 159
• Odnoklassniki icon Odnoklassniki 3
• Twitter 196
• VKontakte 38
• Pinterest 34
• LinkedIn 78

Level Up Your English

Master Picture Description: Unlock Your English Fluency

Leverage topics to uplift english writing.

Picture description for English Speaking Skills is a grossly under-tapped area. Picture description for kids is often perceived as a fun, effective methodology but gets the short shrift when it comes to being used for adults. EnglishGeni presents a series of posts on picture descriptions with multiple varied themes that are scaled for beginner, intermediate, and advanced speakers of English.

Table of Contents

However, Duolingo and Pearson Test of English , two highly regarded overseas college entrance testing organizations, use picture description for speaking and writing evaluations. American universities at undergraduate level use picture description even for a subject like American History! So why do they use picture description? Let’s find out!

Picture Description & English Fluency

Firstly, most picture description tests are super short! You get anything like 30 seconds or under to have a look at a picture before you are asked to describe it. The themes are just things you see in regular life, nothing utterly peculiar ever! How you describe is taken as a direct reflection of your English language skills. Unsurprisingly, your score on the picture description task becomes a measure your English skills!

EnglishGeni Picture Description Posts

If you are looking for immediate practice and well-versed with how to score high on picture description, feel free to jump right ahead to the section listing all picture descriptions in English on this pillar post.

Dictionary Meaning of ‘Description’

Let’s take a cursory look at how two different dictionaries provide the meaning of ‘description’. Collins defines it as “A  description  of someone or something is an account which  explains  what they are or what they  look  like.” Merriam-Websters offers a more refined meaning: “ discourse  intended to give a mental image of something experienced”.

Picture description aims for an accurate verbal interpretation of a visual representation of the elements in an image.

We can sum up a “ description ” as doing a thorough job of explaining what something is. A good description is like storytelling – it brings things to life to the listener or the reader! A bad description is one that fails to do justice to the state of something.

Description Meaning in Hindi

आइए एक सरसरी नज़र डालें कि दो अलग-अलग शब्दकोष ‘description’ का अर्थ कैसे प्रदान करते हैं। कॉलिन्स इसे इस प्रकार परिभाषित करते हैं, “किसी व्यक्ति या वस्तु का description एक विवरण है जो बताता है कि वे क्या हैं या वे कैसे दिखते हैं।” मरियम-वेबस्टर्स एक अधिक परिष्कृत अर्थ प्रदान करता है: “प्रवचन का उद्देश्य किसी अनुभवी चीज़ की मानसिक छवि देना है”।

हम “विवरण” को यह समझाने के लिए संक्षेप में कह सकते हैं कि कोई चीज़ क्या है। एक अच्छा वर्णन कहानी कहने जैसा है – यह श्रोता या पाठक के लिए चीज़ों को जीवंत बना देता है! ख़राब विवरण वह है जो किसी चीज़ की स्थिति के साथ न्याय करने में विफल रहता है।

‘Picture Description ‘का हिंदी में अर्थ किसी छवि में तत्वों के दृश्य प्रतिनिधित्व की मौखिक व्याख्या है।

What is Picture Description Writing

Continuing from the consummate meaning of description, picture description writing at its basic function must cover the 5 W’s well. Here they are:

To expand out on the hints, here’s how it goes:

This covers the central theme of the picture, what you immediately think of when you see the picture! It’s that 2 to 5 word thing that pops in your mind. You’d be surprised to know how many people actually miss saying the most obvious thing. Not because they missed noticing it, but they assume it’s so obvious, it’s okay to skip mentioning. NOT!

Sample 1: Basic Writing : State the Obvious

A common starter sentence for this would be: “ This picture represents Diwali celebrations ,” if there are multiple elements in the image like little lamps-diyas, flower and fruit prayer offerings, a festive message, a couple dressed up, some graphics of fireworks.

Sample 2: Nuanced Writing : Read the Clues

However if the image shows two people burning fire crackers, you’d say: “ We can see two people, perhaps a husband and wife, (or, who seem to be good friends, or, who look like co-workers as they’re in uniforms) celebrating Diwali.

Analysis of Difference in Sample 1 & 2:

Notice the jump in complexity from saying: “ Two people are burning fire crackers “: an obvious statement! In sample 2, your writing is more nuanced where you are attempting to ‘ read ‘ the image for its clues rather than just state the obvious, bringing in your ability to analyze , guess , be reasonable , and getting to the ‘depth of information hidden in the image’.

So, when you approach a picture description, you scan for details , you scan the ambience , the wealth of information that might be available there. The more you notice, the more advanced and analytical your writing will seem.

2. WHERE & 3. WHEN

The setting in the images for picture description may not always be obvious. Try taking a reasonable guess, or there might actually be a little ‘2022’ written at one corner of the image that tells you that the picture was clicked in 2022!

Snow outside the window will tell you how the weather was or that it was not taken in India maybe! A clock in the picture might give away the time or a desk or wall calender even, give away the month and/or year. An air conditioner on a low setting tells you it’s a hot day.

Here again, it’s your ability to ‘read’ the picture beyond just ‘seeing’ the obvious.

4. WHY & 5. HOW

The picture of an accident scene can reveal some clues about why it happened (vehicle is in the ditch off the road! Careless driving? A motorbike is flung to the slide: He caused it maybe?) Or, a big pothole in the road can be seen and you guess that is how the accident happened!

Links to All Posts on Picture Descriptions

For your convenience, this pillar page presents you with easy navigation to all the posts on picture descriptions in English for adults.

Uplift Picture Writing Beyond the 5 W’s

While these 5 W’s are the main and obvious components , do include comments about objects , colors , textures , symmetry or order of placement as in a store shelf, merchandize, parking lots, emotional cues, and lastly, better vocabulary surely uplifts your writing!

Make connections or guesses when possible, and reasonable analysis from elements in the fore and background. Events at a shopping mall can be distinctly different from that on a ship yard. Be attentive and analytical. Your presence of mind and observation will reflect in your score. With this, a complete breakdown of the picture description writing process has been presented!

EnglishGeni’s Picture Descriptions English Level

While our “Picture Composition” series focuses on school children from class 1 and above, this pillar post enlists picture description posts tailored to scale up to Intermediate to Advanced Speakers of English . Also, these posts cater to picture description for adults.

However, beginners are helped with instructions, word meanings and sample sentences in Hindi and skill enhancing drills to quickly power up to the Intermediate level for the task.

Here is how to go about with picture composition task. Firstly, the tasks for intermediate speakers, thematically speaking, are nothing like those at A1-A2 level. So, get ready for some intense English language practice.

Picture Description Enabled for All English Levels

Here’s how EnglishGeni’s description tasks work commonly for all levels:

• Each picture description task will serve you an image or a sequence of images.
• Each image has a suggested vocabulary set consisting between 10 and 20 words, depending on the level.

While the image itself serves the vocabulary in most instances in English, the section below will provide help for English vocabulary with Hindi meanings. Like so!

Sections in Each Picture Description Lesson

These are the sections that you are highly likely to find across all picture description lessons. However the slant, theme, associated English language drills and exercises can vary widely. Yet, it’s safe to say that each post has all these core areas well-covered.

• 1. Image for Picture Description
• 2. VOCABULARY SET + (हिंदी अनुवाद)
• 3. Word Meanings and Sample Sentences + (हिंदी अनुवाद)
• 4. Vocabulary Set Testing Q&A or FIBs + (हिंदी अनुवाद )
• 5. MODEL SPEECH in English + (हिंदी अनुवाद )
• 6. English Mastery Bonus Tips

Firstly, all images are carefully chosen to be the right fit as picture description images. Many have elements we leave for the learners to explore and find out their own.

EXAMPLE VOCABULARY SET:

• You may take a look at the vocabulary set and decide to either first review the vocabulary or practice right away.
• The vocabulary set will feature the meanings of words along with a sample sentence or two.

Take a look at these words being introduced with the parts of speech, the meaning, and a sample sentence explained in Hindi too. So each word is introduced with:

• parts of speech
• dictionary meaning
• Sample sentence in English
• Hindi translation of English sentence

The table below demonstrates this procedure:

EXAMPLE VOCABULARY TRAINING MODEL:

• Intermediate Level users who are comfortable with the suggested words are prompted to use all or as many words in the vocabulary set as possible to describe the image.
• For Beginner Level users, there is a testing picture description worksheets on the vocabulary set to ensure they grasp the right meanings and usage of the vocabulary set.

SAMPLE PICTURE DESCRIPTION WORKSHEETS

There are multiple formats for picture description worksheets that we employ. Here’s one of them, in part. Answers are provided but not before the learner has had to employ some thinking in English!

Now, a model speech is served to assist all levels of users. Each set mentions the total words in the speech and the total time it takes to deliver it. Like this:

A SAMPLE PICTURE DESCRIPTION MODEL SPEECH

Refer and improve further, speaking time: 45 seconds total words: 137.

We can see three people in this picture, all of whom seem to be glued to their smartphones . The third person is actually hidden from our view . We can see three Styrofoam cups on the table in front of them. Maybe they are friends , or just strangers waiting at a lounge. I really can’t tell from the picture. ….[Continues till end of topic]

• Once the learners practice on their own (if capable of doing so), next learners check the sample script and work on their language skills. They can refer back to the Hindi translation if required. It is always provided. Picture description with answers provided ensure that every learner can scale up from even the most basic level of English.

Bonus Tips on English Skills

Most lessons also carry critical bonus tips to build better English skills! The tips also have their grounding practice exercises. This is how each picture description lesson concludes.

FAQs on Picture Composition

Are picture assignments good for young kids too.

Yes, they are! Check out the posts under picture composition in the vocabulary category or via the link here. It will lead you to about 40 image activities split across 6 different levels in 6 posts catering to kids of different school ages.

This concludes our post on providing you complete insight into what picture description in English is, how it works, what is expected out of a learner or test taker, and how to do it the effective way. EnglishGeni gives you lessons to provide you with intense practice to make your newly acquired vocabulary stay in your memory long-term! it’s about time you benefitted from these lesson!

EnglishGeni picture description writing lessons are well scoped out and prepare you in measured steps till you gain the proficiency required for a language task. We would certainly value your feedback on the picture description in English exercises. Happy English Learning!

For your convenience, the set of picture description post links are presented here as well.

Or, try some other posts to continue your English learning!

Degrees of Comparison: 250 Simplified Examples for 6 Rules 35 Degrees of Comparison Worksheet Sets for Intense Practice

Related Posts

Indian Culture: Skill Up with 2 Essay Levels

Picture Description for Kids with 15 Targeted Vocabulary

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

{{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Learn More {{/message}}

{{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Learn More {{/message}}

Submitting…