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When we look, we try to see. We make a special effort. We concentrate our eyes on something.
• Look! It's snowing!
• Look at this photo! Isn't it beautiful?
• I'm looking but I don't see it.
When we use look with an object, we say look + at + object, for example:
John looked at Mary.
see
We use see to mean simply that an image comes into our eyes. It may not be deliberate. As soon as
we open our eyes, we see things.
• I can see a cloud in the sky.
• I suddenly saw a bird fly in front of me.
• Didn't you see Ram? He was waving at you.
watch
With the verb watch, we are much more active. Watch is like look, but requires more effort from us.
We watch things that are going to move or change in some way. And we watch the movements and
changes.
• The police decided to watch the suspected murderer rather than arrest him immediately.
They hoped he would lead them to the body.
• I like watching motor racing on TV.
• If you watch that egg for long enough you'll see it hatch.
watch or see for movies, concerts, TV etc?
In general, we use see for public performances and watch for television at home.
• We're going to see George Clooney's latest movie at the cinema tonight.
• We saw the All Blacks beat Wales in Cardiff last year.
• Did you ever see Michael Jackson live on stage?
• Have you seen that Gaddafi video on YouTube?
• Last night we stayed home and watched some films on TV.
• When I'm bored I play a few DVDs and watch them on my computer.
1. I can _____ a fly in your eye.
see
look
watch
2. I can't _____ any stars. It's too cloudy.
see
look at
watch
3. My kids like _____ movies at home.
seeing
looking at
watching
4. We couldn't _____ the TV news. It was too gruesome.
see
look at
watch
5. The two of us _____ the sun set while we drank our coffee.
saw
looked
watched
6. Do you want to _____ the photos from my holiday?
look
look at
watch
7. Stop _____ the clock.
seeing
looking
watching
8. Didn't you _____ that guy wink at you?
see
look at
watch
9. They _____ the house all night but nobody entered or left.
saw
looked
watched
10. John! _____ this part, just coming up! It's really funny.
See
Look
Watch
To look. Czasownik ten używany jest, gdy kierujemy na coś swoje gały, poświęcając
temu swoją uwagę. Jeśli przyjmuje dopełnienie, rządzi nim przyimek at; to zresztą ten
czasownik wybierzemy, gdy zechcemy, by ktoś gdzieś spojrzał.
• Look! Here they come.
• Don’t look at me!
• Look inside the drawer and try to find the keys.
Jeśli po tym czasowniku postawimy rzeczownik bądź przymiotnik, to będziemy
sugerować, że coś lub ktoś wygląda w taki lub inny sposób. Pamiętajcie jednak, że w
odróżnieniu od języka polskiego po czasowniku to look stawiamy przymiotnik właśnie,
a nie przysłówek, bo to tak zwany czasownik łączący.
• He looks really handsome in that jacket.
• He looks like an asshole.
• You look tired. Why don’t you lie down?
• She looks just like her mother.
• Mm… the chicken looks terrific!
To see. Ten czasownik używany jest wtedy, gdy zauważamy istnienie czegoś (zwykle
przez przypadek) oraz gdy chodzi o nasz zmysł wzroku.
• Have you seen my mobile? I can’t find it.
• We saw Mark at the mall on Saturday.
• She can’t see well in dim light. She needs to have her eyes checked.
• I can’t see a thing, because the lady in front of me is wearing a hat!
Trzeba pamiętać, że czasownik to see (i kilka innych) przyjmuje różne znaczenie ze
względu na aspekt, w jakim wystąpi.
To watch. Czasownik bardzo podobny do to look, ale z tą zasadniczą różnicą, że o
ile to look używamy do krótkich, przelotnych spojrzeń, o tyle to watch oznacza
oglądanie czegoś przez dłuższy okres; w szczególności czegoś, co się rusza lub
zmienia.
• He hardly ever watches television.
• We like to sit on the porch to watch the street.
• I watched that new series yesterday.
Należy zwrócić uwagę, że niekiedy można zastosować i to watch, i to see, ale
znaczenie ulegnie zmianie. To watch oznacza bowiem, że oglądamy coś w telewizji,
a to see stosujemy do publicznych wydarzeń, kin, teatrów, oper, koncertów, itd.