watch/see

[abcdeflearn1]

Hi,

I watched a movie last night.

I saw a movie last night.


I think we should use" watched", but many native English speakers would go for " saw a movie".

How come we say " I watched TV last night", but we don't say" I saw TV last night"?


Thanks

[Marius Hancu]

http://www.englishpage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5918&highlight=watch

[Bridget]

From Marius' link:

Rusty. See is usually used for a movie. Watch is usually used for TV.

COCA:

see a movie - 209 hits per 1 million words
watch a movie - 106 hits per 1 million words

see TV - 28
watch TV - 776

http://www.americancorpus.org/

[QiQi]

A professor told me that "look at TV" (meaning "watch TV") is also possible. I feel it surprising, for I have been thinging that "look at TV" equals "look at the TV set."

Is "look at TV" correct?

[Marius Hancu]

Yes, correct.

----
Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Hearings ...‎ - Page 71 (http://books.google.com/books?id=-4dAAAAAIAAJ&q=%22he+was+looking+at+TV%22&dq=%22he+was+looking+at+TV%22)

by United States Warren Commission - Biography & Autobiography (http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22Biography+%26+Autobiography%22 ) - 1964

He was looking at TV by himself. I was busy in the kitchen. At one time when we
were — when I was together with him they showed some sort of war films, ...
-----
Ward 13: A Story of an Abused Teenager‎ - Page 240 (http://books.google.com/books?id=VCTkGlqc1CAC&pg=PA240&dq=%22he+was+looking+at+TV%22)

by N. Vardy - Fiction (http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22Fiction%22) - 2002 - 260 pages

He used to keep me on his lap when he was looking at TV. "When you were fourteen
years old," Dr. de Wolfe continued,
----

but it's much less frequent:

17 on "he was looking at TV"
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22he+was+looking+at+TV%22+&btnG=Search+Books

617 on "he was watching TV"
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22he+was+watching+TV%22&btnG=Search+Books

[Marius Hancu]

>I have been thinking that "look at TV" equals "look at the TV set."

Wrong.

[Bridget]

but it's much less frequent:

17 on "he was looking at TV"
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22h...G=Search+Books (http://books.google.com/books?q=%22he+was+looking+at+TV%22+&btnG=Search+Books)

617 on "he was watching TV"
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22h...G=Search+Books
You wouldn't call that a rout, Marius?

[QiQi]

Thank you, Marius! :)

[Bridget]

"Looking at TV" often has the meaning of watching nothing special, zapping to find something to watch, browsing, etc.

[OddThomas]

abcdef..., If you want to know what to say, say watch for TV shows, videos, and movies, and see for videos and movies. In my mind, see usually means I got up off the couch and went to the theater; watch means the movie or video was on my TV or computer.

We watched Ironman on cable last night.
Have you been to see Star Trek?
I don't know if I can watch Gunsmoke reruns again tonight.If you want to know know what to understand, watch or see, know that people say anything. :)

[abcdeflearn1]

Thanks a lot.:)

[MrPedantic]

Cf.

1. I was looking at that programme about XYZ last night...

MrP

[OddThomas]

Yes, of course. Look at is also very versatile.

I suppose that abcdef... will just have to become a native speaker. Nothing less will do. :D

[Bridget]

Cf.

1. I was looking at that programme about XYZ last night...

MrP

Why were you looking at it and not watching it? There's a slight difference in those actions, isn't there?

[MrPedantic]

Why were you looking at it and not watching it? There's a slight difference in those actions, isn't there?

There is no difference at all in the actions. There is a difference in the implications, however.

"Look at", used as in my example, tends to suggest "conscious scrutiny"; the speaker is about to comment on some aspect of the programme that struck him as interesting.

"Watch" can be used in the same context, but does not have the same implication.

MrP

[Bridget]

There is no difference at all in the actions.

According to you, one action is looking with continuos scrutiny and the other action is looking without continuous scrutiny. I'd say they are different actions.

[MrPedantic]

No, you've misunderstood entirely. The degree of conscious scrutiny at the time of watching is not relevant to the choice of verb.

MrP

[Bridget]

No, you've misunderstood entirely. The degree of conscious scrutiny at the time of watching is not relevant to the choice of verb.

MrP

Then could you go through it again in a clearer way?

[MrPedantic]

If a non-native speaker asks, naturally, old boy.

MrP

[Bridget]

If a non-native speaker asks, naturally, old boy.

MrP

Yawn! So you think all native speakers should understand your every word, do you?

[MrPedantic]

Yawn! So you think all native speakers should understand your every word, do you?

Well, I'll look at it again next time I'm here and see if I can explain it in a different way.

MrP