More than once I have come to the aid of
university students who, when taking their oral comprehension
exams, have to describe a photo.
It is a good idea to familiarize your students
with this type of conversation because they will surely find it
useful if they intend to take a college entrance exam.
I try to tell the students that it’s best to start
off their description by talking about who is in the photo:
There is someone in the photo… There’s a man
\woman in the photo…
There are two people… There are a lot of people..
Then they can go on to tell what the people are
doing:
The woman is sitting at the table.
The man is drinking a cup of coffee.
The boys are playing a game.
Now they can talk about what they appear to be
doing:
It looks like she’s reading. (cooking,
talking on the phone)
He seems to be writing, (talking to someone,
eating)
They can also say what they appear to be:
He looks like he’s a …businessman, a
student.
She looks like she’s a …housewife, a teacher.
Probably they are …students, managers.
They can place them in a location:
He seems to be … at home, at the train
station
She looks like she’s …..at the supermarket, in a
bookshop
They can talk about what they are wearing:
He’s wearing a ….blue ski jacket, a beige
raincoat.
She’s wearing …. a red blouse, black boots.
They can form an opinion about their emotions:
I think she’s ….angry, bored, late.
I believe he’s …hungry, busy, tired of waiting.
They can talk about the position of
furniture, objects etc:
There’s a computer on the desk.
There’s a bookcase behind the woman.
There’s a glass on the table.
Next to the desk, there are two chairs.
In front of the sofa there is a small table.
Last of all they can refer in general to the
situation that the photo depicts:
There seems to be a …..traffic jam.
It looks like they are at…a birthday party.
I can see that there is a ….grand opening of a store.
It seems I’m simplifying all this but from my
experience with students who must pass this type of exam, it’s a
good way to make them start talking. They all seemed to
appreciate these suggestions, because generally they are afraid
of not saying enough or worse yet, not being able to say
anything!
I’m not insinuating they didn‘t know how to go
about describing a photo, I believe they just needed some help
and self-assurance, to get them going. I always feel so happy
when they phone me to say they passed the exam!!!
A Nice Thought:
“If you play at being a genius, you will become one.”
Salvador Dalì
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