Happy Halloween~! Also see/watch/look...

Hey everyone, Happy Halloween~!

Here in Kyoto, it is a pretty dreary rainy evening but I want to post at least 5 blogs this month so I am taking the time from my studies to write up a mini-lesson about watch/see/look.

Look is often used to called attention to something, you want someone to focus on something. Usually, just for a short time...

Look at that~! It's a UFO.

UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object.

I feel like that painting is looking/watching at me.

See is simply the physical action, something happens in front of you and you see it... BUT you may not be paying attention. It isn't always all that important what you saw...

I saw a black cat on my way to work today.

Did you see the chair move by itself??? Watch the chair to see if it happens again~!

Watch is where you focus your attention on something for a longer period of time than look.

I feel like someone is watching/looking me. But no one is here, maybe it's a ghost...

Can you watch my bag? (meaning look AFTER, keep an eye on)

So as you can see look and watch are pretty close in meaning. BUT be careful we never say look TV~! It's always watch TV.

We often use see to emphasize GOING somewhere to see something(ex: a play, a movie, etc.)

I saw a movie.

Probably means he saw a movie at a theater, and:

I watched a movie.

Probably means he watched a movie at home. This is just general usage, it isn't a rule so sometimes people say watched a movie at the theater or saw a movie on my new flatscreen TV.

For more on see/watch/look check out these past posts:

http://phils-english.blogspot.com/2008/07/see-look-watch-and-stare-part.html

http://phils-english.blogspot.com/2008/07/see-look-watch-and-stare-part-b.html

http://phils-english.blogspot.com/2010/07/look-vs-look-like.html

Have a good weekend,

Phi

See, look, watch and stare... Part B

Today, I will finish up this two part series explaining the differences between see, stare, look and watch. I will go over the verbs see and watch. If anything isn't clear, please ask me a question or if you just want to say hello, leave me a post!

See

This is simply the physical act of using your eyes. You are not really paying attention or focusing on anything.

ex:

1. Did you see that? A UFO!!! (did you notice the UFO)
2. He's blind, he can't see. (his eyes don't work)
3. I saw you kissing another girl! (I saw you kissing her with my own eyes)
4. I'm nearsighted, so I can't see things that are far away. (my eyes don't focus well on things that are far away)

See is used in the same way as watch to talk about movies, sporting events and, TV shows or movies in the PAST or FUTURE TENSE.

ex:

1. I saw a movie yesterday = I watched a movie yesterday
2. I'm gonna see a hockey game tomorrow= I'm gonna watch a hockey game tomorrow
3. Did you see the Hanshin Tigers game? = Did you watch the Hanshin Tigers game?

Be careful, when you use see to talk about meeting a specific person or group(like a sports team) then you can ONLY use SEE.

ex:

1. I saw a play NOT I watched a play (group of people)
2. I saw my friend Jill yesterday. (specific person)
3. I saw the Hanshin Tigers last weekend (group of people)
4. I'm gonna see Tom tomorrow NOT I'm gonna watch Tom (specific person)

You'll notice that the 3rd sentence "I saw the Hanshin Tigers last weekend" is similar to "Did you see/watch the Hanshin Tigers game?" BUT there is a difference. For "I saw", we are talking about the TEAM(group of people) but for "Did you see/watch?", we are talking about the Hanshin Tigers GAME not the team.

Also SEE is usually NOT USED in the progressive tenses. It is ALWAYS:

I'm watching a movie.

NOT

I'm seeing a movie.

"I'm seeing Sarah" means I am dating Sarah...

WATCH

Watch means you are looking at something or someone and PAYING ATTENTION to what happens. Your brain is keeping track of what your eyes are showing you. This is why it is the preferred verb for the progressive tenses. It can also be used in the past or present tenses.

ex:

1. I watch TV everyday. (present)
2. I'm gonna watch TV tomorrow. (future)
3. I watched TV yesterday. (past)
4. I'm watching TV. (present progressive)

It can be used for BOTH specific or general movies or TV shows.

ex:

1. I watched a movie yesterday. (general)
2. I watched Speed racer yesterday. (specific)
3. I watched Zettai Kareshi last night. (specific)
4. I watched TV last night. (general)

BE CAREFUL watch is ALWAYS used with TV and see is NEVER used with TV.

I watch TV every night.

I watched a TV show this morning.

NOT

I see TV.

If you say "I see a TV" it means that you see the physical object, not what is playing on the TV.

Ok I think that is enough, let me know if everything is clear to you~!

Phil