SEE


Meaning of SEE in English

verb

1

BAD : He sat there all morning seeing the planes taking off.

GOOD : He sat there all morning watching the planes taking off.

BAD : The teacher told us to see what he was doing.

GOOD : The teacher told us to watch what he was doing.

◆◆◆

see = notice something with your eyes, especially without concentrating or paying attention: 'Did you see anyone go out?' 'Turn the light on if you can't see.'

watch = look at someone or something and pay careful attention, especially for a long time: 'She watched the man with interest as he made his way through the crowd.' 'After dinner we usually sit down and watch the news.'

2

BAD : I'm sending you the magazine so you can see by yourself how beautiful the country is.

GOOD : I'm sending you the magazine so you can see for yourself how beautiful the country is.

◆◆◆

see sth for yourself (NOT by ) = check that something is really true,correct, as described etc by seeing it with your own eyes: 'If you think I'm exaggerating, come and see for yourself.'

Longman Common Errors English vocabulary.      Английский словарь распространенных ошибок Longman.