observe
part of speech
verb (observe, observes, observed, observing)
meaning for a pupil
1) To observe is to watch something carefully to learn about it. tree →
2) To observe can mean to notice or see something. tree →
3) (formal) To observe a rule or law is to obey it. tree →
4) (formal) To observe a special day is to keep or celebrate it. tree →
5) (formal) To observe can mean to say or remark. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Torah, to observe is to keep and follow a law or special day, such as the Sabbath, carefully. Interpretation: "Observe" (shamor) is paired with "remember" (zachor) for the Sabbath. Tradition reads these as the two sides of keeping it: guarding it by avoiding forbidden work, and marking it with words and joy. In the primary lessons: In science lessons pupils observe an experiment, plants or the weather and write what they notice; an observation is what you see or measure. In everyday life we observe birds, the night sky or how people behave. In formal language one observes a minute's silence or observes the speed limit. Phrases: observe closely, observe the rules.
examples
- Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. (Torah DEU.5.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. (Torah EXO.12.24, JPS 1917) tree →
- And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD. (Torah LEV.19.37, JPS 1917) tree →
- That they might keep His statutes, and observe His laws. (Writings PSA.105.45, JPS 1917) tree →
- Oh that my ways were directed to observe Thy statutes! (Writings PSA.119.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- I will observe Thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly. (Writings PSA.119.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- We observed the caterpillar every day for two weeks. tree →
- Observe what happens when you add vinegar to the baking soda. tree →
- Did you observe anything strange? tree →
- Drivers must observe the speed limit near schools. tree →
- The whole school observed a minute's silence. tree →
- «It looks like rain,» she observed. tree →
- Astronomers observe the stars through telescopes. tree →
- Write down everything you observe in your science book. tree →
- The lamp burnt out, but he did not observe it. tree →
note
Regular verb: observed, observing. Noun forms: observation (what you notice), observer (the person watching), observatory (a building for watching the sky). «Observe» is more careful than «see» or «look»: it means watching with attention. Do not confuse with «obey»; only in the formal sense do they mean the same.
In the corpora
- And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
- Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
- And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD.
- And when ye shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses,
- Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «observe» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.