my classroom layout

Question

Hi, this picture shows you my classroom layout. this class contains 11 desks. each desk for three students. Please tell me the name of coloured arrows in the picture? 1. What do red arrows indicate? 2. What do blue arrows indicate?

GPY · Accepted Answer

Is there no more context to explain what kind of answer is expected?

A straight line of desks would be called a "row" of desks. I have no idea if that is the expected answer.

CalifJim · Answer

sunny1231. What do red arrows indicate?

Rows of desks from front to back. Rows of desks from the front to the back of the classroom.

sunny1232. What do blue arrows indicate?

Rows of desks from left to right. Rows of desks from side to side. Rows of desks across the classroom.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

The left red arrow indicates the four desks in the row (note that the word "row" means either a vertical or horizontal alignment of desks, the context determining which one you're talking about; the word "column" would not be used in the context of desks in a classroom) of desks nearest my desk, looking from the back of the classroom towards the front.

The middle red arrow indicates the middle row of desks in the classroom, looking from the back of the classroom towards the front. This is the only row with three desks.

The right red arrow indicates the four desks in the row of desks farthest from my desk, looking from the back of the classroom towards the front.

The top blue arrow indicates the alignment of the two desks that are nearest my desk, looking from the left of the classroom towards the right.

The middle blue arrow indicates the alignment of the three desks that are the second farthest from my desk, looking from the left of the classroom towards the right.

The lower blue arrow indicates the alignment of the three desks that are the farthest from my desk, looking from the left of the classroom towards the right.

Sunny123 · Answer

Mr Anonymous, you wrote and typed a lot of sentences to answer my question. I appreciate for that. I didnt mean to explain for each of the arrows one by one. just two types of arrows, horizontal and vertcal. I thought that "horizontal arrows are showing the "ROWs" and vertical arrows are called "columns. but as you explained I think English people do not call the vertical arrangement of desks "a column". probably you mean in both directions they are called "ROWS"
rows from left to right and "rows from the front to the back". Is this what you tried to say. Do I understand properly?
Sunny

Sunny123 · Answer

oh, CalifJim. Your answer is exactly what i was looking for. I thought the desks from left to right are called ROWS and the desks from front to back are called "COLUMNS". Then as you answered I was wrong and you call the desks in both directions as "ROWS" not "COLUMNS" at all. Right?

Sunny123 · Answer

GPY , a straight line of desks in both directions are called "ROWS" even in vertical direction?
You mean this?

GPY · Answer

sunny123GPY , a straight line of desks in both directions are called "ROWS" even in vertical direction?You mean this?

With no further context or explanation, a "row of desks" would most likely be interpreted as a line in the "horizontal" direction (blue arrows). However, if there is extra information to show that you mean a front-to-back row, then the word "row" can also be used for the red arrows.

In some other contexts (e.g. a table), horizontal lines are "rows" and vertical lines are "columns". It is not impossible in your situation to refer to a "column of desks" for the "vertical" direction (red arrows), but it is not a description that I would very naturally use.

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