observe

«observe» in Mova's school dictionary: to watch something carefully to learn about it — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

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 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

• 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

• Hawking's leaking, called Hawking radiation, has never been directly observed, because it is far too faint.
• Evidence is what you observe and measure, not what you hope or believe.
• 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.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «observe» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.