look、see、watch、observe与witness这些动词均有“看”之意。
look : 侧重“看”的动作。
- Look! There's grandma.
瞧！奶奶在那里。 - They looked at the picture and laughed.
他们看了看那幅画，笑了起来。
see : 指看见。
- Turn the light on so I can see.
打开灯，这样我才能看见。 - I can see you!
“我能看到你！”
watch : 指用眼睛跟随某物，以便对每一个变化、运动等进行观察。
- I had dinner and watched TV for a couple of hours.
我吃了饭，然后看了几个小时电视。 - He spent the entire afternoon watching a cricket match.
他整个下午都在看一场板球比赛。
observe : 侧重以客观的态度进行观察。
- The role of scientists is to observe and describe the world, not to try to control it.
科学家的任务是观察和描述这个世界，而不是试图控制它。 - He spent a year in the jungle, observing how deforestation is affecting local tribes.
他在丛林里住了一年，考察滥伐森林对当地部落造成了何种影响。
witness : 指当场看见，亲眼看见。
- Did anyone witness the attack?
有人看到那次袭击了吗？ - They were staying in the capital at the time of the riots and witnessed several street battles.
暴乱期间他们在首都，目击了好几起巷战。
