DIFFERENCES IN ENGLISH WORDS

The words see, look, and watch all have to do with perceiving something with your

eyes. Listen and hear have to do with perceiving something with your ears. However, they are used in
different ways.
First, let's read their definitions:

 see means to notice or become aware of (someone or something) by using your eyes

 look means to direct your eyes in a particular direction
 watch means to look at (someone or something) for an amount of time and pay attention to what
is happening
 hear means to be aware of (sound) through the ear
 listen means to pay attention to someone or something in order to hear what is being said, sung,
played, etc.

 
The differences in the definitions tell us something about how each word is used. See and hear are usually
used when you are talking about using the senses of sight and sound. On the other hand, look, watch,
and listen are usually used when you are talking about paying attention to what you see or hear. Look is
used to say something about where you are directing your attention. Watch is used to say that you are
paying attention to something by looking at it for a period of time.
 
Now let's look at some example sentences using see, look, and watch:

 Janet sees the sun coming in through the window and knows it is morning. [=she notices the
sunlight with her eyes]
 Janet looks towards the window because she wants to know if it is morning yet. [=she directs her
attention towards the window]
 Janet watches the sun come up in the morning. [=she pays attention to the rising sun for a period of
time]
 Janet sees that the game is on TV but she does not watch it with her sister. [=she notices the game
on TV but she does not sit down and pay attention to it for a period of time]
 Look up there! Do you see that airplane? [=direct your attention up there; do you notice that
airplane?]

 
Now let's look at some example sentences using hear and listen:

 Anthony hears music coming from his neighbor's house. [=he notices the music with his ears]
 Anthony listens to music on his drive to work. [=he pays attention to the music coming from the
radio]
 The child hears his mother talking but he isn't listening to her. [=the child perceives the sound of his
mother's voice but he is not paying attention to what she is saying]
 We were listening for the sound of Amy's car in the driveway but we didn’t hear it. [=we were
paying attention with our ears to notice if Amy pulled her car in the driveway but we didn't perceive
that sound]

 
Use see and hear when you are talking about noticing something using the senses of sight and sound.
Use look, watch, and listen when you are talking about directing your attention to, paying attention to, or
focusing your mind on someone or something that is happening.
 DIFFERENCES IN ENGLISH WORDS

Say, tell, speak and talk

Say: Say is most used without a personal object. If we want to put a personal object after say, we use to.

- She said that it was my last chance.

-He said “Good morning”

-And I say to all the people of this great country …

Tell: -Used with direct and indirect speech after tell, we usually say who is told, i.e., tell someone something.
Only used to mean “instruct” or “inform”. Tell is used to tell someone to do something. Tell is not used
before objects like a word, a name, a sentence, a phrase.

- She told me that she would be late.

- She told me that was my last chance.

- I don't want to tell you again to get your homework done.

Talk: - There is not very much difference between speak and talk. Talk is the more usual word to refer to
conversational exchanges and informal situations.

- When she walked into the room everybody stopped talking.

Speak: Is often used for one-way communication and for exchanges in more serious or formal situations.
Speak is the usual word to refer knowledge and use of languages.

- I'll have to speak to that boy- he's getting really lazy.

- After she had finished reading the letter, nobody spoke.

- She speaks three languages fluently