perspective

Everyday

1. A perspective is a way of thinking about or seeing something, a point of view («from my perspective»). tree →
2. In art, perspective is a way of drawing so that things look solid and far away, with far things smaller and lines meeting at a vanishing point. tree →
3. To keep things in perspective is to understand how important or unimportant something really is. tree →
4. An old word for a telescope: a tube with glass in it that makes faraway things look closer and bigger. tree →

In the lessons

In English and history lessons, pupils look at events from different perspectives, such as a soldier's and a child's. In art lessons, children draw roads and railways with one-point perspective. In everyday life, «put it into perspective» means: it's not as bad as it seems. In stories, «first-person perspective» means told by «I».

Examples

• From my perspective, the rule is unfair. tree →
• Write the story from the dog's perspective. tree →
• In art, we drew a road using perspective. tree →
• The lines meet at the vanishing point. tree →
• Losing a game is sad, but keep it in perspective. tree →
• Travelling gave her a new perspective on life. tree →
• Each witness had a different perspective on the accident. tree →
• He therefore took the crier with him to the khan where he lodged, and counted him out the money, and received the perspective glass. tree →

Note

Countable for points of view (different perspectives), uncountable for the drawing method. Trap: «perspective» (point of view) vs «prospective» (likely, future: «prospective students»).