
look,seem,appear三個詞都可以表示“看起來、好像”,但有所區別。
首先,在意義上,三者的側重點不同。
look意為“看來好像、似乎、顯得”,強調直觀感受,是“根據視覺印象作出的判斷”,這種判斷有可能與事實相符,也有可能與事實不符。
seem意為“好像、似乎”,強調主觀印象,是說話人“主觀上根據某種跡象得出的看法、結論或判斷”,并暗含了“這種判斷有一定根據,接近于實際情況”的意思。
appear意為“顯得、看來好像、似乎”,是“根據外表作出的判斷”,含有“實質上并非如此”的意味。
例1 Miss Lucy looks quite pretty. 露茜小姐看上去很漂亮。(客觀地指出Lucy的外表給人的直觀印象很漂亮)
例2Miss Lucy seems quite pretty. 露茜小姐看起來很漂亮。(強調自己覺得Lucy很漂亮)
例3Miss Lucy appears quite pretty. 露茜小姐顯得很漂亮。(暗指Lucy貌似很漂亮,實際上不怎么漂亮)
除了意義不同,在用法上,look, seem, appear也有區別。
(1) look可用于進行時(盡管也不多見),而seem,appear均不能。
例4You are looking very unhappy. What’s the matter? 你看來不高興,怎么啦?
(2) 與動詞不定式連用時,seem和appear后既可以接to be(常可省去),也可接to do sth. 或to have done sth.;而look只能接to be。
例5They don’t seem/appear to have known about the secret. 他們似乎還不知道這個秘密。
例6He looks/seems/appears to be a rich man. 他看上去像個有錢人。
(3) look和seem能與介詞like構成習語,表示“看上去好像……”之意;而appear不能,因為它本身就有此含義了。
例7He looks/seems like a fool. 他看起來像個大傻瓜。
例8The weather does not look like clearing up. 天氣不像會晴朗起來。
(4) seem和appear可用于“It seems/appears that...”和“There seems/
appears to be...”的結構中,而look不能。
例9 It seemed/appeared that he had a taste for music. 看來他對音樂有一定的鑒賞力。
例10There seems/appears to be no difficulties to be discussed. 看來沒有什么難題要討論。
(5) look,seem,appear三者都可接as if引導的表語從句,但當as if后的從句采用虛擬語氣時,不能用appear。
例11It seems/looks/appears as if it is going to snow. 天好像要下雪。
例12It seems/looks as if it might/should have a thunder-storm. 好像會有雷雨天氣。(句中采用虛擬語氣,所以這里不能用appear)
【牛刀小試】
1. Wearing a snow-white skirt, shelike an angel.
A. appearedB. lookedC. seemed
2. Last week, Peter had got ill, but he iswell today.
A. seemingB. appearing C. looking
3.that the problem is too difficult for us to work out.
A. It seemsB. It looksC. There appears
4. His sister is fifty but sheyoung.
A. looks B. appears C. seems
5. He paid so much money for the worthless thing that helike a fool.
A. seemedB. appeared C. looked
6. When a pencil is partly in a glass of water,as if it were broken.
A. there seemsB. it appearsC. it looks
7.to have been a mistake in your plan.
A. There appearsB. There looks C. It seems
8. The girl said that she felt terrible andto have caught a cold.
A. looked B. seemedC. was appeared
【參考答案】
1. B (句意為“穿著一條雪