Useful Phrases for describing pictures

When describing a picture think about the:

When, where, who, which, what, whose, why, how?

The top picture shows...

The bottom picture shows...

[The top picture shows a man riding a bicycle,

while the bottom picture shows a man riding a
motorbike.]

In one photo there are...

In the other photo there are...

[In one photo there are some wonderful, snow-

covered trees while in the other photo there are
cars in the background.]
In the picture above it looks as if...
In the one below it looks like...

[In the picture above, it looks as if a bear is chasing

the man while in the one below it looks like the
man is chasing somebody else.]

Both pictures show...

In both pictures there are...
They're both quite similar because they both
show...

[Both pictures show men traveling on their own.]

There are... in both photographs.

This picture shows... but that one...

In one respect the pictures are quite similar because...

[In one respect the pictures are quite similar because the men look very fit and sporty.]

One difference between the pictures is that...

[One difference between the pictures is that we can see other cars and people in this
picture.]
The biggest difference between them is that this one... but the other one...

[The biggest difference between them is that this one has a bear in it but the other one
doesn't have any bears.]

This one looks more ... than that.

[This one looks more fun than that.]

In my opinion...
I'd say that...
I think...
It seems to me...
My view is that...

[My view is that this bear has been photoshopped into that picture. There's no way
that's a real picture. It seems to me that the maker of FCE Exam Tips tried to make this
more interesting by putting a bear in the photo.]

Another thing that's different is...

Something else that's different is...

[This is a cold place, whereas this place looks hot. Another thing that's different is that
this motorbike looks quite old and cheap, while the bike seems quite expensive.]

They're alike in another way, too.

[Both men look strong and healthy. They're alike in another way, too - they are both
adventurous and don't mind traveling alone.]

More expressions

It looks like… / It looks as if…

It might be …

He/She/ It could be…

Practice (with possible answers)

Look at the pictures below:

Compare and contrast the two photographs

• Give a brief description

• Say what the pictures have in common
• Talk about possible differences
• Say which of the activities presented in the pictures you’d prefer (and explain
why)

The first photo shows a group of people hiking on what seems to be a countryside
road. They carry big and heavy backpacks so I think they must be planning to walk a
long way. It’s a sunny and clear day so they might even plan to have a picnic with
nice views. In the second pictures, there are three people sitting on a deck over the
water. It looks as if they are thinking about getting into the water.
The photos are similar, both show people doing outdoor activities. Another similarity
is that the people in the photos look like they are on holiday. It might even be
summer in both of them.

In terms of the differences between them, the first photo was taken in an area
somewhere in the mountains or the countryside, whereas the second photo must
have been taken in a place near the sea/lake. Another important difference is that the
people in the second photo are clearly having a day of relaxation, while the people in
the first picture have a long’s day walk ahead of them.

As to which of the activities I would prefer, I would say it depends…

1.Both activities are something that I enjoy doing. However, swimming is one of my
favourite hobbies so I’m going to choose the activity in the second photo, especially
on a summer day.

2. Swimming is not my cup of tea since I’m not a very good swimmer. Therefore, I
would choose the hiking activity which also allows me to discover new beautiful
corners and to disconnect from the city life.