Here is some picture description vocabulary that can be very useful for beginner and intermediate students.
Describing pictures: Important steps to follow
Picture Description Vocabulary (STEP 1): Identification (Say if the picture is…)
- A photo/ a photograph
- A drawing
- A painting
- A poster
- A comic strip
- An ad/ advert/ an advertisement
- A cartoon
- A strip cartoon
- A map
- A chart
- A still from a film
More expressions to use
- This is a drawing by…
- This is a painting by…
- This photograph was taken by…
- This photo dates from…
Picture Description Vocabulary (STEP 2): Describe the Document
| What do you see? | Where are the elements? |
| Objects? | On the left/right of the picture? |
| Children? (People) | On the left /right side of the picture? |
| Adults? (People) | In the middle of the picture? |
| Buildings? | In the background? |
| Text? | In the foreground? |
| A caption? | In the bottom right-hand corner? |
| A slogan? | In the bottom left-hand corner |
| Symbols or signs? | In the top right-hand corner |
| Numbers? | In the top left-hand corner? |
More Expressions
- This photo shows…
- This advert depicts…
- This cartoon describes…
- This painting represents…
Picture Description Vocabulary (STEP 3): Find the Message (Give the possible interpretation)
- This photo may/might be…
- This painting could mean that…
- Maybe/perhaps the author wanted to show that…
- This cartoon highlights…
- In my opinion, this is an illustration of…
- I think that the author’s intentions were…
- This symbolizes…/This is a symbol of…
Find the targeted audience
- The targeted audience of this photo could be…(men; women; children; teenagers, etc)
- The message is directed towards…
- The message is meant for …
- The aim of the picture is to…
Picture Description Vocabulary (STEP 4): Give your Opinion: What do you think about the image or picture?
- I think that…
- In my opinion…
- As far as I’m concerned…
- I might say that…
- I’d say that…
- I’d suggest that…
- I strongly believe that…
If you want the PDF version of this lesson, you can download it here. The picture that was used is a pictorial view of the Mlowe lakeshore area in Rumphi, Malawi.
Further Exploration:
Interactive Games