Today, on Facebook, we asked a short but difficult question…
We can describe a picture in many ways, but here is one way....
In the picture, there
are many stars. They are shining.
Below the stars, there is a village.
There is a church. It is in the middle of the village.
There aren’t any people in the village, but the lights are shining in the houses, just like the stars. It is very quiet and still.
Below the stars, there is a village.
There is a church. It is in the middle of the village.
There aren’t any people in the village, but the lights are shining in the houses, just like the stars. It is very quiet and still.
To describe a picture, we use three phrases:
1. There is / There are (describes
what is in the picture)
English speakers use “There
is” / “There are” all the time.
These words describe things that exist in a place.
In the painting…
These words describe things that exist in a place.
In the painting…
- · There is a (one) church.
- · There are many (more than one) stars.
- · There aren’t any people.
Use “There is” for 1 thing, or an uncountable noun.
(“There is a beach in Rio.” / “There is a lot of water in the sea.”)
Use “There are” for many things.
(“There are 10 students in my class.” / “There are 11 players on a soccer team.”)
(“There is a beach in Rio.” / “There is a lot of water in the sea.”)
Use “There are” for many things.
(“There are 10 students in my class.” / “There are 11 players on a soccer team.”)
Present continuous (describes activity and events in a picture)
The present continuous (with “-ing”) is great for describing
pictures. It’s difficult to use this tense, but it’s better than the present
simple.
This tense describes what is happening in the picture.
This tense describes what is happening in the picture.
In the painting…
- ·
The stars shine.The stars are shining.
Prepositions of place (describes
where people/objects are in the picture)
Where is everything in the picture? Use prepositions of place to put things together in space.
In the painting…
- · The village is below the stars.
- · A church is in the middle of the village.
Here are other prepositions of place to use in pictures…
- · on the left/right
- · to the left/right
- · above
- · below
- · in the corner o in the top-left / top-right corner o in the bottom-left / bottom-right corner
- · in the background
- · in the foreground
- · on
- · in
Can you try to describe these three works of art?
