Meaning & use
a photo
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Meanings
nouncountable
A picture made with a camera, showing a person, place, or thing.
Grammar: Countable: one photo, two photos. Use 'a photo of' someone or something to say who or what is in the picture.
Patterns
- a photo of someone/something
- take a photo
- in a photo
She took a photo of the sunset with her phone.
This is a photo of my grandparents when they were young.
He showed me a photo from his trip to Japan.
noununcountable
The art or process of taking pictures with a camera; photography as a hobby or job.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the activity in general: 'Photo is my hobby' is wrong; say 'Photography is my hobby' or 'Taking photos is my hobby.'
Patterns
- do photo
- photo shoot
She works in photo and video editing.
He is interested in photo and design.
Word forms
| plural | photos |
|---|
Common combinations
- take a photo
- Can you take a photo of us?
- a photo of
- I have a photo of the Eiffel Tower.
- in a photo
- She looks happy in that photo.
- photo album
- They keep old family photos in a photo album.
Synonyms and how they differ
- photograph
- More formal; 'photo' is the usual word in everyday speech.
- picture
- Wider: a picture can be a drawing or painting, not just a camera image.
- snapshot
- An informal photo taken quickly, often without careful planning.
Word family
- photograph noun
- A formal word for a photo.
- photographer noun
- A person who takes photos, especially as a job.
- photographic adjective
- Relating to photos or the process of taking them.
Commonly confused: a photo or photo?
a photo vs photo
Short for 'photograph'; not the same as 'photocopy', which is a copy of a document.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
We say 'a photo of' something to show what is in the picture. 'To' and 'for' do not fit here; 'at' would mean the photo was taken near the tower, not that the tower is in the picture.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a photo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.