Let's have a look to the videos where there is a brief explanation about how you should describe a picture. Pay attention to the words or phrases used to describe it.
Here you have many tips to do a good description:
1.-Say where people and things are in the picture
In the top/bottom right/left-hand corner…
On the left-hand side…On the right/left.
At the top/bottom…
In the distance…In the middle…
In the foreground/background…In the front/ back
Between/ beside/next to/near/ close to/far from/over/above/underneath/below…
Between/among
Opposite/ in front of
2.-Describe people and things
The scene/picture shows/depicts/ portrays…
I can see…There is/are…In this picture I can clearly see/ I think I can see…
This is a picture of…This picture is a representation of…
They look excited /look like tourists/
This one could be...
Perhaps it's... Maybe it's... It's difficult to say, but...
It must be winter, it must be spring
You can also describe what is happening, what has just happened, what is going to happen next…
3.-Physical Description
Hair
He is going bald. His hair is receding. He has got a receding hairline.
He wears his hair in a ponytail
He has got a ponytail/a beard/a moustache/ a goatee/some stubble/ dreadlocks/ sideburns
He has got cropped hair
He has got a crew cut
She wears her hair in a plait/a braid/ a french plait/a french braid/pigtails/ a bun/cornrows
She has got a plait/braid/ a french plait/a french braid/pigtails/ a bun/cornrows
She has got layered/ permed hair. Her hair is permed/layered
She wears her hair in a bob.
She has got ginger hair
She has got curly/ straight/ wavy/ thick/ thin /dyed hair
He has got greasy, unkempt hair
She has got a fringe
She has highlights in her hair
Height and Weight
He is rather tall/ fairly short/medium height.
He is quite plump/stout/ slim/skinny/bony/wiry/strong/hefty
Clothes
He is wearing .....
He is wearing a striped/ check(ed) shirt
He is wearing a pinstriped suit/ a business suit/ a two-piece suit/a three-piece suit (with waistcoat/vest)
He is wearing a jogging suit/ tracksuit/ a sweatsuit/ a sweatshirt/ sweatpants
He is wearing a baggy/loose/tight/ a tight-fitting T-shirt
She is wearing high-heeled shoes/ flat shoes/ high heels
He is wearing trainers/ wellingtons/ lace-ups/ loafers/ slippers/ flip-flops/cowboy boots
He looks a little scruffy. He is wearing a scruffy pair of jeans.
She is wearing shabby old jeans and a T-shirt.
A wrinkled suit. The suit has wrinkles.
She is wearing a sober/bright dress
A bleached/stonewashed pair of jeans
He is wearing a polo neck/turtleneck/ V-neck/ crew neck sweater
He is wearing tapering/ tapered/flared jeans
Swimming suit/ swimsuit/ swimming costume/bathing suit/ swimming trunks/ trunks
A short-sleeved shirt/ a long-sleeved shirt
a dress with short / long sleeves. He rolled up his sleeves
To judge from the clothes he is wearing…
4.- Speculate. Make deductions about the people/things/place.
They must be…They can’t be…she may be…On the other hand she might be… She might simply be looking at something outside.
It might/could be…
These people could be…
They seem to be…She appears to be…
I imagine it’s very satisfying to…
I suppose…I guess…It seems to me that… As far as I am concerned…I tend to think that… my personal view is that…
I’m fairly sure…
I’d say they are probably…One possibility is that…It’s also possible that he...
If I were him, I’d probably feel…
The room/landscape might make me feel.
Apparently,…Perhaps he feels…
Judging by the fact that…
To judge from his posture,…
Similarly,…
As far as I can gather, he is involved in a fight. From what I can gather, there’s been some kind of problem.
When you can’t tell:I can’t tell who/where/what… I can’t tell you whether the person is a man or a woman
I can’t see the expression on his face, but I think he must be…
I’m not sure whether this photo is meant to illustrate new technologies in general or the internet in particular.
Advantages and disadvantages
There are a number of advantages/ disadvantages of working in an office/living with your parents…One advantage/disadvantage would be…
The benefits/ drawbacks of ….are obvious, I think.
It’s easy to see the benefits of laptop computers, don’t you think?
I’m not sure whether there are any health risks associated with heating food in a microwave oven.
I would find it difficult to think of any disadvantages connected with electricity.
Perhaps we have to distinguish between electricity itself and the means of generating it
Now it's your turn, take some pictures and try to describe them using these prompts as in the examples above.
