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"To Look Over," "To Oversee," and "To Overlook"

The three verbs above are very similar, but they actually have completely different meanings. Luckily, with a few examples from Yabla English, we can quickly clarify the difference. 

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The verb "to oversee" is synonymous with "to supervise," and means to watch over what someone is doing or something that is happening. 

 

Lee oversees the four restoration technicians we have in the museum. 

Caption 19, Motorcycle Masters: Birmingham Alabama

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The verb "to overlook," on the other hand, means to fail to see or notice something. It's almost the opposite of "to oversee"!

 

A gem of a park, it's often overlooked.

Caption 4, America's National Parks: Saguaro

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Cinderella was delighted, but there was still a small detail that the Fairy had apparently overlooked.

Captions 47-48, Yabla Fairy Tales: Cinderella

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And overlook this supposed crime

Caption 8, Alanis Morissette: Hands Clean

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The phrase "to look over" means to examine, review, check, or inspect something. 

 

There is nothing out of the ordinary, but we always recommend that you look over it closely.

Captions 30-31, The Company: Starting on a New Job

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Further Learning
Try writing your own sentences in different tenses. If you get stuck, look for examples with the root verbs "to see" and "to look" on Yabla English, as these can be used as a guideline.

English Grammar: Pronouns

A personal pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun representing people, animals or objects.

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The first person singular pronoun "I" usually refers to yourself (or the speaker). In the plural form it is "we."

 

I really am passionate about this.

Caption 24, Business English - The Job Interview

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Well, we are very excited to have you with us!

Caption 16, Business English - Starting on a New Job

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The second person pronoun "you" can be singular or plural and usually refers to the person or persons you are addressing.

 

What will you have for lunch?

Caption 23, Caralie and Annie - Get To Know Each Other

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The third person pronoun refers to someone other than the person you are speaking to, and is "he" (male) or "she" (female) or "it" (object) in singular, "they" in plural:

 

She is elegant and we wish her luck this weekend.

Caption 32, Taylor Swift - Prom Party

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They thought it was a hoax.

Caption 7, Soccer World Cup - Australia

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Further Learning
Read the personal pronoun article in English and in your native language to help you understand the basics. Write a simple sentence in your native language for each of the personal pronouns, then translate them to English. Search for some personal pronouns on Yabla English and see some different examples of how they are used in context.