caption

Everyday

1. A caption is a short piece of text next to a picture, photo or cartoon that explains it. tree →
2. Captions are words shown on a screen that write down what people say, for people who cannot hear well. tree →
3. To caption a picture is to write a caption for it. tree →

In the lessons

In literacy and non-fiction writing pupils add captions to diagrams, photos and posters; captions are a feature of information texts. In everyday life captions appear in newspapers, comics and on social media; closed captions or subtitles help deaf viewers. Online safety: captions can be misleading, so check where the picture came from.

Examples

• Write a caption under each photo. tree →
• The caption said «A baby elephant at the zoo». tree →
• Turn on the captions so Grandad can follow the film. tree →
• The comic had funny captions. tree →
• Caption your diagram: «The water cycle». tree →
• The picture was real, but the caption was false. tree →

Note

Countable: captions. Regular verb: captioned. Captions describe pictures; headings go above a section of text. Subtitles usually translate speech; captions can also include sounds like «[door slams]».