look / see / watch

Preview　（腕試し）

Which of the following sentences are natural?

（次の文章の中では、どれが自然でしょうか？　チェックボックスも利用できます。）

1. Do you ever look at TV?

2. Kumi sometimes watches my home page. (Thanks, Kumi!)

3. Have you seen the new Pixar movie called Monsters, Inc.?

4. Did you see the new variety program on TV last night?

5. Fumiko doesn't watch TV very much, but she often watches videos.

A. 1 & 2

B. 3, 4 & 5

C. 1, 2 & 3

D. all

　

Quick Glossary （用語辞典）

verb = 動詞

perceive = 知覚する

imply = 含意する

squirrel = リス

Explanation （説明）

These verbs can be used in many different ways. Here are the very general ways they are used.

see

See is the most basic of these words. It is usually used to mean that something can be perceived with our eyes, and it is often used when we don't think deeply about the thing we see.

I saw a lot of nice flowers near the river when I was riding my bicycle this morning.

If you look closely, you can see Osaka Castle from the upper floors of some buildings in Umeda.

look (at)

Look (at) is usually used for things that are not moving. Look is different from see: using look implies that we are thinking a little more deeply about the thing we see.

Charlene spent over an hour looking at flowers in the flower shop.

When I have spare time, I like to stop by the local computer store and look at the newest computers.

Look (at) is sometimes used for things--moving or not moving--when we want to draw someone's attention to something.

Look at that man over there! Isn't he acting strangely?

See is often used in this kind of situation when we use a question instead of a statement.

See that man over there? He's my brother's boss.

watch

Watch is usually used for things that are moving. Like the verb look, watch implies that we are thinking about what we see.

Yoshie likes to watch videos on weekends.

Joe sometimes watches football on TV.

watch vs. see

See is sometimes used for things that are moving (such as sporting events, movies, and TV programs), but the nuance is different from watch.

See is often used to imply that we have had the experience.

I saw a great movie last weekend. (= I had the experience of seeing a great movie.)

Have you ever seen Gone With the Wind?

Watch usually doesn't imply anything special.

Aiko fell asleep while watching TV last night.

In many cases either see or watch can be used, but the nuance, as noted above, is different.

Have you watched/seen any good movies lately?

Exercises（練習）Choose the most natural answer for each sentence. Important Note: In some cases both answers are OK, but one answer is perhaps more natural than the other.

1. Do you see watch TV very often?

2. I watched looked at a really funny movie on DVD last week.

3. I'm very glad to know that some of my students look at watch my home page every week!

4. When I'm back in Georgia, I like to watch look at the squirrels climbing the trees and running around in my parents' backyard.

5. If the sky is very clear, you can see watch Mt. Fuji from many different places in Tokyo.

6. see look at that small kitten! Isn't it cute?

7. Sanae said she watched saw a very cute dog in the window of a house while she was walking home from the station last night.

8. If you have time, you should drop into Yukie's poster shop and look at watch some of the great vintage posters she has there.

9. I never look at watch TV at home, so I don't know much about the latest programs or TV stars.

10. Have you ever watched seen Casablanca?

Answers:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.