What did the writing under the picture say?

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learning54

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Oct 16, 2011
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Hi teachers,
It is a doctor who speaks. This is the text.
'I read the writing under the picture. It said:
'Come in and see the Elephant Man'.

Could you tell me a more challenging one?
What did the writing under the picture say?
It said, 'Come in and see the Elephant Man'.

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
To test their tenses, try "What was written under the picture?" That way they won't recognise "writing" and "say" from the original text. To challenge further, change "under" to "below" in the question.
 
To test their tenses, try "What was written under the picture?" That way they won't recognise "writing" and "say" from the original text. To challenge further, change "under" to "below" in the question.
Hi magician,:scatter:
Thank you very much for your reply. I know that under and below both mean at a lower level and can often be used interchangeably. This is one of those cases, isn't it?

L.
 
Hi magician,:scatter:
Thank you very much for your reply. I know that under and below both mean at a lower level and can often be used interchangeably. This is one of those cases, isn't it?

L.

In this context, yes.

- The writing under the picture
- The writing below the picture
- The writing beneath the picture (possible but I should say that I don't like the usage)
 
NOT A TEACHER


Hello, Learning:

May I add my two cents' worth?

1. I think that your adult students would appreciate it if you eventually teach them the word caption.

2. For ordinary speakers, "caption" is generally accepted as meaning "the words under a photograph" in, for example,

a newspaper.

3. I am looking at a photo in my local newspaper. In the picture, there are a man and a bull. The caption reads:

"A reveler is tossed in a bullring in Pamploma, Spain."

4. If your students learn the word "caption," they will not have to use the five words of "the writing under the picture."


HAVE A NICE DAY!
 
Hello, Learning:
May I add my two cents' worth?
If your students learn the word "caption," they will not have to use the five words of "the writing under the picture."

Hi TheParser,
Thank you so much for your two cents. Your advice is very worth. I'll tell my students for sure.:up:

Best,
Learning
 
If it's a caption under a photo in a magazine, newspaper or website then "caption" is appropriate. However, if there is a painting or a photograph hanging on a wall in a gallery, for example, then the writing under/beside it, giving the title and name of the artist etc is not a "caption". I actually don't know what that is called!
 
if there is a painting or a photograph hanging on a wall in a gallery, for example, then the writing under/beside it, giving the title and name of the artist etc is not a "caption". I actually don't know what that is called!

NOT A TEACHER

1. I am sure that an art lover will soon give us all the answer.

2. Being a very lowbrow person who never visits museums, I -- of course -- did not know, so I asked "Professor

Google." She (!) told me that one term is a museum wall label.

It often contains the following:

a. name of artist.
b. his/her nationality.
c. birth date and/or date of death.
d. title of the work.
e. year it was made.
f. materials used.
g. name of people who helped the museum get this work.
 
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