look
Primary: verbCan function as: verb, noun
Zero derivation from verb to noun (e.g., 'to look' โ 'a look')
๐ Pronunciation
/lสk/
Syllables: look
Stress: single syllable
Short 'oo' sound as in 'book'
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | look, looks, looked, looking |
| Nouns | look, looks, looking |
| Adjectives | looking |
Many phrasal verbs form additional vocabulary items
๐ Noun Forms
| Singular: | look |
| Plural: | looks |
Compound Forms
looking-glass, outlook, lookout
Derived Forms
With suffixes: looking (-ing)
๐ฏ Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to look |
| Base form: | look |
| 3rd person singular: | looks |
| Past simple: | looked |
| Past participle: | looked |
| Present participle: | looking |
| Gerund: | looking |
๐ Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
an act of directing one's gaze
Countability: countable
“She gave him a quick look”
“Take a look at this”
Common collocations: quick look, careful look, take a look
Synonyms: glance, glimpse
neutralgeneral
2
appearance or style
Countability: countable
“The new look suits you”
“They're going for a modern look”
Common collocations: new look, fresh look, classic look
Synonyms: appearance, style
neutralfashion/design
Verb Meanings
1
direct one's gaze in a particular direction
“Look at the sky”
“She looked out the window”
Synonyms: gaze, stare
neutral
2
appear or seem
“You look tired”
“The future looks bright”
Synonyms: appear, seem
neutral
3
search for
“I'm looking for my keys”
“Look for a solution”
Synonyms: search, seek
neutral
๐ง Verb Patterns
look + preposition (at/for/after/into)
“Look at the picture”
Note: Most common pattern
look + adjective
“She looks happy”
Note: Copular use
look + like + noun/pronoun
“He looks like his father”
Note: For comparisons
look + as if/though + clause
“It looks as if it might rain”
Note: For hypothetical comparisons
Transitivity
Type: intransitive
Passive possible: No
๐ค Collocations
โ ๏ธ Common Errors
โ I look youโโ I look at you
Missing preposition 'at'
Common for: Languages where 'look' is transitive
High impact
โ She is looking tiredโโ She looks tired
Incorrect use of continuous with stative meaning
โ Look to the windowโโ Look at the window
Wrong preposition
๐ Register & Frequency
Frequency: top 1000 words
Spoken: very common
Written: very common
Academic: common
Business: common
Formality: neutral
๐ Semantic Relations
Synonyms
Near: appear, seem, gaze, watch
Contextual: search, seek, examine
Antonyms
Complementary: ignore, overlook