1.picture用作动词的意思为“绘画”“描绘”,引申可表示“想象”。
2.picture通常只用作及物动词,可接名词、代词、that或疑问词引导的从句作宾语,还可接以as短语或现在分词充当补足语的复合宾语。
3.picture还常用于picture to oneself结构中,表示“给(自己)想象出”,其后可接名词或代词作宾语,也可接以现在分词充当补足语的复合宾语。

picture to oneself
给自己想象出 imagine (sth) to oneself
▲picture to oneself sth/wh-clause
You should picture to yourself the brilliant future ahead of us.你该想象一下我们光明灿烂的未来。
She pictured to herself what it might be like to live in England.她想象生活在英国的情况。
▲picture to oneself sb v-ing
He pictured to himself the family sitting out to the lawn.他想象家里人坐在草坪上。

用作及物动词
▲S+～+n./pron.
The painter pictured the general sitting on a horse.那位画家把骑在马上的将军画了下来。
The soldier pictured the battle.那个士兵生动地描述了战役情况。
Picture yourself in that suit.想想你穿上那件西装的样子。
Picture yourself in her situation!你站在她的位置上想一想吧!
▲S+～+that-clause
I can picture that he will come.我猜他一定会来的。
▲S+～+wh-clause
Please picture what you have seen at the park for me.请为我描述你在公园里看到的景象。
Can't you picture how she must feel?你难道想象不出她会有什么样的感受吗?
用作宾补动词
▲S+～+n./pron.+as n./adj.
The artist pictured her as a girl.艺术家把她画成一个女孩子。
The artist pictured him as a young man in riding dress.画家将他画成身穿骑装的年轻人。
I can't quite picture him as a family man.我很难想象他是个有家室的人。
I cannot picture her as an actress.我无法想象她竟是一名演员。
He can't quite picture himself as a father.他不能想象自己做了爸爸。
▲S+～+n./pron.+v-ing
Can you picture them leading a demonstration?你能想象他们领导一次示威游行吗?
Can you picture her riding a bicycle?你能想象她骑自行车的样子吗?
Can you picture her working as a diplomat?你能想象她作为一个外交官的样子吗?

picture oneself, picture to oneself
这两个短语的区别在于前者中oneself是picture的宾语,而后者中to oneself是picture的状语。另外,前者的意思是“想自己的情况”; 后者的意思是“想自己或别人的情况”。

［同义词］ n.  drawing, painting v.  imagine
［词源］  ＜拉丁语pictùra ＜pingere(画,绘画)

1.picture的基本意思是“画,图画”,可指各种图片及照片,是可数名词。
2.picture可作“(生动的)描述,写照”解,通常指语言文字的生动描述,常用作单数形式,与不定冠词连用。
3.picture在口语中可作“影片,电影”解,是可数名词。
4.picture作“美景,景色”解时,既可指人,也可指物,常用作单数,与冠词连用。
5.picture还可作“情况,事态,局势”解,常用作单数,与不定冠词连用。

get the picture
了解(形势、情况等) understand a (situation)
There is quite a lot of rivalry between the people who work here, if you get the picture.如果你了解一下的话,你就能发现在这儿工作的人中间有着很大的竞争性。


in〔out〕 of the picture
1.知道〔不知道〕详情,熟悉〔不熟悉〕一切 in〔not in〕 the position of knowing all the facts
I haven't heard about the latest developments; perhaps you could put me in the picture.我没有听到最新的发展情况,也许你能告诉我详情。
Since you are going there, let me put you in the picture about the situation there.既然你要到那里去,我就把那里的基本情况给你介绍一下。
I've been away for a few weeks so I'm rather out of the picture.我外出了几个星期,所以对这件事情不太清楚。
He's been away from the country for many years, so he's rather out of the picture.他离开那个国家许多年了,所以不太了解那里的情况。
2.引起〔不引起〕他人注意 receiving〔not receiving〕 sb's share of attention
She always wants to be in the picture.她总是希望引人注目。

The beautiful picture caught her attention. 这张美丽的画引起了她的注意。
The picture was painted in broad masses of colour.那幅画用大幅面的色彩画成。
The pictures gripped my imagination.这些绘画吸引着我,使我浮想联翩。
I bid ten dollars for that picture.我对那幅画出价10美元。
Mary colored her picture with pencils.玛丽用彩色铅笔给她的图画上色。
You may be only an amateur painter, but your pictures can knock mine into a cocked hat.虽然你只是个业余画家,可你的画却远胜于我的。
Her letters paint a wonderful picture of her life in Burma.她的书信描绘了她在缅甸生活的一幅绝妙图画。
All the pictures should be faced forward.所有的图片都应朝前摆。
He cut out the picture from the newspaper.他从报上剪下这图片。
She likes to collect stories and pictures of Dr. Bethune.她喜欢搜集白求恩大夫的故事和图片。
Do you approve of the pictures in the book?你对这本书中的插图满意吗?
The stamp bears the picture of George Washington.这张邮票上印有乔治·华盛顿的肖像。
The photographer grouped the family together so that he could get them all in the same picture.摄影师把全家人聚拢在一起,以便把他们摄入同一张相片。
Since many people want to get his autographed picture, the famous football player cannot get away.很多人想得到这位球星亲笔签字的照片,因此他一时脱不开身。
His picture has been incorporated without his permission into an advertisement.未经他本人同意,他的照片就被使用在广告上。
She said good-bye and added that she would send us some pictures.她先道了再见,接着又说她会给我们寄些照片来。
We wanted to see some old family pictures so Jenny brought them out and showed them to us.我们想看些过去的生活照,所以珍妮把它们都摆了出来给我们看。
May I take a picture of you?我给你拍张照片好吗?
Shall we have a few pictures taken?我们照几张相好吗?
The author of the book painted a dismal picture of the future.本书的作者描述了未来的凄凉景象。
The report gave a detailed picture of what was happening.这篇报道详细描述了当时发生的事情。
Can you form a picture in your mind of what I described to you?你能想象我给你描述的情景吗?
This picture attracts a large audience.这部影片吸引了大量的观众。
Movie pictures are projected onto the screen.电影被放映在银幕上。
Have you seen her latest picture?你看过她最近演的电影吗?
The movie company spent much money building up its new picture.电影公司花了大量的钱给新片子做广告宣传。
The attention of all the audience converged on the screen as soon as the motion picture started.电影一开始,所有观众的注意力就都集中在屏幕上。
She looked a picture in her new dress.她穿上新衣服看起来很漂亮。
The park is a picture when flowers are in bloom.当鲜花盛开时,这个公园的景色美极了。
The lake was a picture as we skirted it at dusk.黄昏我们绕湖而行时,湖上景色如画。
After long study there emerged an overall picture of conditions that were extremely disheartening.经过长期研究,总的情况明朗了,这些情况叫人丧失信心。

picture, drawing, painting, photo, portrait
参见drawing条。
下列各组中两个句子意思不同:
I like pictures.
我喜欢画片。
I like the pictures.
我喜欢电影。
This is a picture of the President.
这是总统的画像。
This is a picture of the President's.
这是总统收藏的画。

1.画上是什么?
［误］  What is on the picture?
［正］  What is in the picture?
［析］  强调内容时picture前的介词通常用in,不用on。
2.那位画家两天就完成了这幅画。
［误］  The artist finished the photograph in two days.
［正］  The artist finished the picture in two days.
［析］  “画”一般用picture来表示,而不用photograph。

picture有时可作“美人”或“形成的看法”解。例如:
She still looked a picture if she made herself up a little bit.只要她稍加打扮,仍然十分漂亮。
Do you think you could change his picture of Iran?你以为你可以改变他对伊朗的看法吗?