Look after meaning in English
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Definition
to look after (sbdy, sthg): to take care of, to be in charge of, to attend to (sbdy, sthg)
Can you look after my dog while I'm away? Please take care of him, it's only for a week.
The nurse looked after my grandfather during his illness. She took care of all his needs.
Examples
- "Hannah looks after Delavigne's interests in retail outlets and points of sale."
- "Edward : Ok, so apparently, we're hiring a janitor – someone to clean and look after the Delavigne premises."
- "You don't mind looking after her?"
- "As Horatio is still away from the office doing God knows what God knows where, you have been selected at random to look after his monkeys this week."
- "Doesn't the US look after its senior citizens?"
- "The doctor has ordered her to rest in bed, which means I have to look after her for a few days."
- "Horatio is still in Tibet with Bruno and Brian, so you have been chosen at random to look after his test monkeys this week."
Exercise 1
Kevin asks Jean to him a favor. He wants Jean to his phone calls while he is away. Kevin asks Jean to "keep an eye on things", or to things while Kevin is gone.
Kevin asks Jean to do 1 him a favor. He wants Jean to take 2 his phone calls while he is away. Kevin asks Jean to "keep an eye on things", or to look after 3 things while Kevin is gone.
1 do: In English, one "does a favor". This construction requires the verb "to do". "To do a favor for someone" or "to do someone a favor" is to do a service for them or help them in some way.
1 make: We cannot use the verb "to make" to complete this construction.
1 take: We cannot use the verb "to take" to complete this construction.
1 give: "To give a favor" is an awkward construction, and does not make sense in this context. We must use the verb "to do" to complete this construction correctly.
2 take: To express the idea of answering or responding to phone calls, we often use the expression "to take a phone call". When Kevin asks Jean to "answer his phone calls" he is asking him to "take his calls".
2 make: "To make a phone call" is to telephone or call someone. Kevin is not asking Jean to do this, rather he is asking him to answer his phone calls.
2 hold: "Holding a call" refers either to "placing someone on hold" or asking them to wait, or "stopping all calls". For example, one can ask someone to wait by saying "please hold". Or Bruno might tell Polly "hold my calls please", which means Bruno doesn't want to receive any phone calls. In either case, this is not what Kevin is asking Jean to do.
2 transfer: Kevin is not asking Jean to "transfer his calls", but rather to answer them.
3 look after: The idiom "to keep an eye on something" means to look after, or watch after it. Kevin is asking Jean to answer phone calls and in general look after things while Kevin is away for the afternoon.
3 look over: "To look over something" is to review it or make sure that it is acceptable or correct. Kevin is not asking Jean to look over anything, rather he is asking him to "look after things" which means to take care of things, or to make sure everything is okay.
3 glance at: "To glance at something" is to look at something briefly. The verb generally indicates that someone is physically looking at something. Kevin is not asking Jean to look at anything, but rather to look after things while he is away.
3 read up on: "To read up on something" is to research it or investigate it. Kevin is not asking Jean to read up on anything, but rather to look after things while he is away.
Exercise 2
Select the TRUE statement(s) from the list below, according to the text.
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
Select the TRUE statement(s) from the list below, according to the text.
There may be more than one correct answer!
There may be more than one correct answer!
This statement is false. Icarus's mother has already seen the doctor, and has "ordered her to rest in bed".
This is a true statement. Icarus writes that he has to "look after" his mother for a few days, and that he is "attending to" her at home. The terms "to attend to (someone)", "to look after (someone)", and "to take care (of someone)" mean "to be responsible for" someone or to ensure that they are in a good condition.
This statement is false. There is no suggestion that Icarus's mother is in hospital. Icarus writes that the doctor has ordered his mother "to rest in bed".
This is a true statement. Icarus writes that his "elderly mother slipped in a puddle of apple juice in the local supermarket". "To slip" is to lose balance and slide, especially after walking on water, ice or a banana. Icarus says that his mother "injured her hip" which means that she hurt her side in the fall. "To fall (over)" is to drop suddenly to the ground.
This is a true statement. Icarus writes that he "won't be able to come in to work today" and that he "will be working on those financial projections Bruno asked for, at home". Both sentences imply that Icarus is working at home.
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