Описание фотографий. Пособие для учащихся.
учебно-методический материал (английский язык, 9 класс) по теме

Plan of the description 1.

1. Attract the listener’s attention.
2. Describe the situation in the photo, where it was taken. If it is a painting, say if it is a portrait, a landscape, a seascape, a still life.
3. Describe the atmosphere (romantic, tense…)
4. Describe the foreground, the background, interesting details, the main characters.
5. Express your attitude.

Expressions.

1. The first time I set eyes on this painting/ photo t found it quite breath taking.
2. The first thing that caught my eye was/were the colours because they were so vivid and powerful.
3. The painting / photo shows…
4. The canvas is divided into two parts…
5. As I gaze at the picture I feel a sense of peace and calm.
6. The painter expressed…
7. In the background we can just make out…but the picture as a whole is full of light, peace and harmony.
8. It gives the viewer the feeling of…
9. Notice how clearly the object are painted; a perfect balance between light and dark.
10. Just looking at the … makes you feel…
11. …add to the stillness of the picture.
12. The picture is dominated by…
13. The picture is painted in bright colours.
14. The painter … has portrayed…
15.  This picture is very realistic and lively.
16. The artist has painted the nature / the people with great accuracy.
17. The object do not have a clear outline.
18. It gives the work a joyful, optimistic feel.
19. The details are drawn skillfully.

Plan of the description 2.

1. Attract the attention.

• The picture I am going to describe is sure to make you laugh/smile/sad/think about…
• What a beautiful ( exiting, amazing, shocking, funny) picture!
• This is one of the (most)… pictures I’ve ever seen.
• If you look at this picture you will feel/understand/be surprised/be stuck/be shocked/calmness/ romanticism/energy

    2.Describe foreground, the background, some interesting details.

• The details in the foreground prompt us/give us a hint that…
• When you look at this picture your attention is immediately captured by …
• The thing that captured my attention at once was…
• You can not avoid / help looking at….

3.Describe the situation on the whole (typical, unusual, extraordinary)

• The situation in the picture seems to be quite…at first sight, but if you take a closer look at it you will notice/understand that…

• Situations: conversation, argument, quarrel, wedding, party, business, seascape, landscape, meeting, picnic, fight…

• The people seem to be…happy/depressed/aggressive/ delighted…

• The expression on their/her/his… face(s) show(s) that…

   4.Atmosphere of the picture.

       Atmosphere: romantic, lyrical, calm, relaxing, depressive, negative, natural, peaceful, charming, dynamic.

  5.Attitude to this picture.

       Attitude: dynamic, energetic, disgusting, terrific, frightening, charming, fascinating, outstanding, extraordinary, pleasant to look at, usual.

Useful language 1:

This picture shows...

There seems to be...

It is probably...

This photo was probably taken...

On the left/right...

It looks like there is...

Comparing and contrasting photographs:

Both photos are on the subject of...

Both photos show...

The photos show different...

In comparison to photo A, photo B is...

In this picture... while in the other picture…

Giving advice:

One thing you should remember..

If you want to...

Be careful not to...

You had better...

Remember to...

A golden rule is ...

Generalizing:

 Most people tend to...

 It is common...

 Generally speaking...

People generally ...

 On the whole ...

In my opinion/view...

Some people claim/say/believe...

Other people, however, disagree/have a different point of view

It is true ...

It is the case that...

One possibility is...

We could...

The government needs to...

We should...

For example ...

Lets take ...

For instance...

If we take ...

To sum up ...

In conclusion ...

In the foreground ...

In the background ...

In the top right hand corner...

In the bottom left hand corner...

On the right       On the left...

At the top ...      At  the   bottom...

In the middle ... Just above ...

Describing: He is obviously...

She might/could be ...

From what I can see ...

 Its difficult to say, but I would guess that...

She might be...

He looks as if he ..

Comparing:They are both photos of...

Both photos are connected with...

In this photo... whereas in the other one...

The biggest difference between the 2 pictures is….

Picture B is very different because ...

Use this dialogue as an example.

I = Interlocutor C = Carola S = Silvina

I: Carola, photographs 1 and 2 show groups of friends. Silvina, you can look at them too. We'll look at your photographs in a minute. Carola, I'd like you to compare and contrast these photographs, saying why you think the people in them are friends. Remember, you have only about a minute for this so don't worry if I interrupt you.

C: Well, in the first photograph I can see a group of women, whereas in the second photograph it's a group of men. The women seem to be having a meal together, perhaps to celebrate a birthday, so they're inside a restaurant, but in the second photograph the men are outside. Umm I think it's a pub. The young men in the second photograph are all wearing the same kind of clothes, so I suppose this is one reason that they are friends? They like the same clothes and probably music, but although the women are also all roughly the same age, they're all dressed differently. I don't exactly know why they are friends. Perhaps they studied together at school or university or they could even be members of a club of some kind. Anyway, one important difference between the two photographs is that in one it's clear why the group of people are friends, while in the other it's not so obvious.

I: Thank you. Silvina, which group of people do you think is having more fun?

S: I think the women look like they're having more fun than the young men. The young men look a bit self-conscious? As if they expected the photo to be taken but the women look very relaxed as if they are really enjoying being together.

I: Thank you. Now Silvina, photographs 3 and 4 show couples getting married. Carola you can look at them too. Silvina, I'd like you to compare and contrast these photographs, and say how you think the couples are feeling. Remember, you have only about a minute for this so don't worry if I interrupt you.

S: Right. They're both photographs of weddings, as you said, but that's really where the similarity ends. In the first one, it's a very formal church wedding. Perhaps, the couple are famous? Or were famous because it seems to have been taken quite a long time ago? The second photograph is more recent but again not the kind of thing you see today so much. They're hippies and they're getting married outside in a field or garden somewhere. The guests are all dressed very casually and so are the couple. In the church wedding, on the other hand, the bride is wearing white and the groom is dressed in a very formal suit. I think the first couple are probably feeling rather nervous. There are a lot of people in the church watching them and they might be a little worried about making a mistake when they say their vows. The hippy couple seem very happy and relaxed and they've probably written the service themselves. I'm sure both couples ...

I: Thank you. Carola, which of the two weddings looks more familiar to you?

C: Oh definitely the first one. Most people in my country like to get married in a church and to have a white wedding like that. I'd hate to get married like the second couple. I think your wedding should be ...

I: Thank you. That's great. Thank you.

Useful language 2

Describing photographs

This picture shows ...       On the left/right... There seems to be ...       It looks like there's . It's probably... This photo was probably taken in/at...

Comparing and contrasting photographs

Both photos are on the subject of...

Both photos show...

The photos show different...

In comparison to photo A, photo B is ...

In this picture ... while in the other picture

Describing photographs

He is obviously...                She must be ...

She might/could be ...                He looks as if he ..

From what I can see ...         It's difficult to say, but I'd guess that...

Comparing and contrasting photographs

They are both photos of...

Both photos are connected to ...

In this photo ..., whereas in the other one ...

The biggest difference between the two photos is .

Picture B is very different because ...

Useful language 3

In the background ...           At the top of the picture
In the foreground...            At the bottom of the picture...
Just above the ...               Next to ...
Just below the ...               Near the .
On the right...                        In the middle...

On the left...

In the top left hand comer...

In the bottom right hand corner...

Picture description 3.

PLAN.

1. attract the attention
2. describe the foreground\background\interesting details
3. actions\situation\atmosphere
4. attitude

Glossary

1. This is the (most)…picture I’ve ever seen.

What a beautiful/awful/exciting picture. The picture I’m going to describe is sure to make you laugh/smile/sad/think about.

2. The thing which captured my attention at once was…in/near/above/behind/in front of…

The …in the fore/background prompt(s)/give(s) us an idea that the photo was taken in…

3. The people seem to be happy/depressed/aggressive/delighted.

The expression of their/his/her face(s) show(s) that she(he) is  / they are…

Situations:

Conversation, fight, argument, quarrel, wedding, party, picnic, landscape, seascape.

Atmosphere:

Peaceful, calm, relaxing, romantic, energetic, dynamic, charming, lyrical.

4. From my point of view this man is self-confident/pleasant to look at/ disgusting/terrific/frightening/charming/usual/typical.
5. When you look at this picture, your attention is immediately captured by…

Useful language 4

What an amazing picture it is!

I suppose/from my point of view/in my view.

I can’t help admiring…

In spite of this…

More over…

Furthermore…

However…

Thus…

That’s more

The theme that connects…

The atmosphere awaked…

On the one hand…, but on the other…

That’s the similarity ends.

There’s the biggest difference between them.

Apart from it…

Just below the….

In the first picture…is the quite opposite than in the second.

This was probably pointed.

It shows/depicts

It is connected/deals with…

It represents…

At the top of the picture
At the bottom of the picture...

In the center of the picture

In the middle...

In the foreground

In the background

At the right/left

…is represented

On the right...                        

On the left...

In the top left hand comer...

In the bottom right hand corner...

The picture makes me indifferent

                   doesn’t arouse feelings/emotions

I see nothing special in this picture

Bright/dark colours

The picture inspires me/attracts my attention/enriches me with new emotions (feelings)/ broadens my overlook

Description of the picture (example).

        No doubt, this picture shows the most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen. This picture was probably taken somewhere in Norway or Sweden, because the landscape is similar to landscapes in these northern countries.

       From my point of view, this is the place, where a river makes a sudden deep drop and the water is falling straight down over rocks from a great height.

   In the middle of the picture we see that the river is winding through the mountains and seems to be endless.         From what I can see, I come to conclusion that it’s the best place for people who dare risky activities, such as rafting and mountaineering. This river divides the landscape into two parts.

  On the left there are high rocks covered with green woods. In the left hand corner on the top of the rock there is a tiny house. It’s probably the place where people put up for weekends.

  The prevailing colors of the picture are green, white and various shades of blue, that contribute to the optimistic tone of the landscape.

   In the background there are snow-capped mountains that have a mysterious view. And we can imagine that a snowman lives there and probably having a walk now enjoying the sun and the beautiful landscape.

  At the top of the picture there is blue sky without any clouds. There seems to be wonderful warm weather, when people can relax, breathing fresh air and admiring the landscape.

     As far as I’m concerned, I want to say if I had a chance to spend a weekend in the place like this one, I’d be the happiest person in the world.