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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.

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