picturing

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Forming a mental image of someone or something in your mind.

   Grammar: Takes an object: picture a scene. The -ing form 'picturing' is used in continuous tenses or after prepositions.

   Patterns

   • picturing someone/something
   • picturing yourself doing something
   • can't picture something

   She sat by the window, picturing her family back home.

   I keep picturing what the beach will look like at sunset.

   He had trouble picturing himself living in a big city.

2. 2verbtransitive

   Showing something in a photograph or drawing; representing visually.

   Grammar: Usually passive or in the -ing form when describing how something is shown.

   Patterns

   • be pictured in something
   • picturing someone as something

   The article pictured the mayor as a hero.

   The brochure pictured the hotel as a quiet, relaxing place.

Word forms

Common combinations

picturing yourself

She had a hard time picturing herself as a doctor.

keep picturing

I keep picturing the look on his face when he heard the news.

can't picture

I can't picture living anywhere else.

picturing a scene

The author is good at picturing a scene in just a few words.

Synonyms and how they differ

imagining

Imagining is broader and can include sounds, feelings, etc.; picturing specifically means forming a visual image.

visualizing

Visualizing is more formal and often used for deliberately creating a clear mental image, as in sports training.

Word family

picture noun

A painting, drawing, or photograph; also a mental image.

picturesque adjective

Attractive like a picture, especially of a place.

Commonly confused: picturing or pictorial?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “picturing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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