2.2 Object Identification & Spatial Prepositions
Key Takeaways
Some Part 1 prompts name objects and positions (Books on a shelf; A lamp next to a bed) instead of actions.
When the four pictures show the same objects, a preposition such as on, under, next to, or against usually decides the answer.
Numbers, is versus are, and the final plural -s separate pictures that show one object from pictures that show several.
'The chairs are stacked' describes a finished result, while 'The chairs are being stacked' requires a person doing the action now.
Silently naming each object during the preview makes its word easier to catch in the audio.
2.2 Object Identification & Spatial Prepositions
Quick Answer: Some Four Pictures prompts name things and places rather than actions: Books on a shelf, A lamp next to a bed, There are two cups on the table. When the four pictures show the same objects, the deciding words are usually a preposition of place, a number or plural ending, or a state word such as open, full or stacked. Name the objects in each picture before the prompt plays, then check every word you hear against one picture.
Pictures of Things and Places
The ETS handbook says the Listening test measures whether learners understand "simple descriptions of people, places, objects, and actions." In Part 1 some prompts focus on objects and where they are, not on what a person is doing. A prompt might be a phrase (A bicycle leaning against a wall) or a sentence (The chairs are stacked in the corner.). The four pictures will usually contain the same kinds of objects, so recognizing the nouns is only the first step. The picture is decided by position, number or condition.
Nouns to Recognize Instantly
Part 1 uses everyday vocabulary. Make sure you can say these words in English the moment you see the object:
- Home: bed, sofa, lamp, window, door, shelf, rug, stairs, plant
- Kitchen and dining: cup, plate, bowl, bottle, glass, fork, knife, table, chair
- Office and school: desk, computer, screen, printer, notebook, pen, bag, clock, board
- Street and travel: car, bus, bicycle, sign, bench, traffic light, suitcase, ticket
- Shops and food: fruit, vegetables, bread, box, basket, price tag, shopping cart
When you preview a set of pictures, silently name what you see. If you cannot name an object, you will not recognize its word in the audio.
Core Prepositions of Place
A wrong preposition makes an otherwise correct description false. These are the position words you will hear most:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example prompt |
|---|---|---|
| on | touching the top of a surface | Books on a shelf |
| under | below something | A cat under a chair |
| above / over | higher than something, not touching | A clock above the door |
| next to / beside | at the side of | A lamp next to a bed |
| between | in the space separating two things | A table between two sofas |
| against | touching a wall or upright surface for support | A ladder leaning against a wall |
| in front of | before the front of something | A car in front of a house |
| behind | at the back of something | A garden behind the house |
| in / inside | within an enclosed space | Shoes in a box |
The four pictures often contain the same two objects in different positions. If all four show a cat and a chair, only one will show a cat under a chair; the others might show the cat on, next to or behind the chair. Keep the preposition in mind until you have checked it.
Numbers, Plurals and "There Is / There Are"
Numbers and plural endings are short sounds that change the picture:
- There's a cup on the table. → one cup
- There are two cups on the table. → exactly two cups
- Three people are waiting. → count the people
Plural endings have three sounds: /s/ (cups), /z/ (chairs), and /ɪz/ (boxes). The verb helps too: is goes with one thing and are with more than one. When two pictures show one object and two show several, the difference between is and are, or the final -s, is the whole answer.
Describing a Result or Condition
When nobody is in the picture, prompts describe a state or result:
- Adjectives after be: The door is open. / The shelves are full. / The lights are on.
- Passive forms that describe a finished result: The chairs are stacked. / The table is set for dinner. / The boxes are piled up.
Compare a sentence with being: The chairs are being stacked. The word being means someone is doing the action right now. The matching picture must show a person stacking chairs, not a finished stack in an empty room. If one picture shows a worker moving chairs and another shows the chairs already stacked, are stacked and are being stacked point to different pictures.
Reversed Positions
Sometimes every noun in the prompt appears in all four pictures, but only one picture has them in the right relationship. A map above a bench and a bench below a map describe the same scene; a bench in front of a map does not. Listen for which object is named first and which preposition connects them.
Worked Example
You see: (A) A bicycle lying on the grass. (B) A man riding a bicycle past a wall. (C) A bicycle leaning against a wall. (D) Two bicycles parked next to a tree.
You hear: "A bicycle leaning against a wall."
- (A) One bicycle, but it is lying on the grass, not leaning against a wall.
- (B) There is a wall, but the bicycle is moving with a rider.
- (C) matches. One bicycle, leaning, touching a wall for support.
- (D) The number is wrong (two) and a tree is not a wall.
Three words decide this item: the article a (one bicycle), the verb leaning and the phrase against a wall. Each wrong picture breaks at least one of them.
Quick Drill
Look around the room you are in and make ten phrases in the Part 1 style: a phone on the desk, two pens next to a notebook, a jacket behind the door. Then change one word in each phrase (the preposition, the number or the noun) and ask yourself which picture the new phrase would describe.
You hear: "There are two cups on the table." Which picture matches?
One cup on a table
Two cups on a table
Two cups on a shelf
Three cups on a table
Four pictures show the same room. You hear: "The chairs are being stacked." Which picture matches?
Chairs already stacked in an empty room
Chairs arranged around a table
A worker placing one chair on top of another
A person sitting on a chair near some boxes
You hear: "A lamp next to a bed." All four pictures contain a lamp and a bed. What should decide your answer?
Whether the lamp is switched on
The color of the bed
Whether a person is in the room
The position phrase next to, which requires the lamp to be beside the bed
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.