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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
In the picture is a dog
Hello, in our country students are required to describe and compare pictures as one of tasks done during their school-leaving exams.
Some of my students argue that they don't need to use the there is/are expression when talking about pictures.
For example, they say the sentence: "In the picture is a dog." is correct and natural in their opinion.
I try to teach them "In the picture, there is a dog."
Another such pair:
"On the left are red butterflies."
vs.
"On the left there are red butterflies."
Are the students right? Or shall I insist on the use of there is/are.
Thank you.
Some of my students argue that they don't need to use the there is/are expression when talking about pictures.
For example, they say the sentence: "In the picture is a dog." is correct and natural in their opinion.
I try to teach them "In the picture, there is a dog."
Another such pair:
"On the left are red butterflies."
vs.
"On the left there are red butterflies."
Are the students right? Or shall I insist on the use of there is/are.
Thank you.
Top answer
Anonymous Are the students right? Yes. Anonymous Or shall I insist on the use of there is/are.
- Anonymous Are the students right?
- Yes.
- Anonymous Or shall I insist on the use of there is/are.
- No.
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6 Answers
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AnonymousAre the students right?Yes.
Anonymous Or shall I insist on the use of there is/are.No.
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Sometimes your way sounds a bit better - certainly it's more formal - but it's no more or less natural to me than your students' version. Both are perfectly acceptable.
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Thank you. Would you be so kind as to specify when exactly "my way" sounds a bit better? Any practical example please?
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Anonymous"In the picture is a dog."It seems to me that it's a structure copied from the Polish language. Anyway, in my opinion, the locative "There" is somewhat implied in the PP "In the picture". [Where?---->There----> In the picture.]
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This is the order of frequency that I would expect.
There is a dog in the picture. Conversational. Describe the picture.
A dog is in the picture. Answers the question - what is in the picture?
In the picture is a dog. In poetry or literature, but not in conversation.
There is a dog in the picture. Conversational. Describe the picture.
A dog is in the picture. Answers the question - what is in the picture?
In the picture is a dog. In poetry or literature, but not in conversation.
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When asked 'What is there in the picture?' I would not expect someone to necessarily reply with 'There is...' unless writing. Colloquially it is more common to say 'There's a...' or simply 'A ...' When instructing children to write good answers to comprehension questions I would suggest using 'There is a...' because it sounds more formal and correct, although it is probably no more correct than
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