2020-11-22
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด O – overlook & oversee
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้องนี้ เป็นไปตามมาตรฐานการใช้ภาษา
การใช้คำอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง overlook – verb = ‘oh-ver-LOOK’ – noun = ‘OH-ver-look’
ออกเสียง oversee = ‘oh-ver-SEE’
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for overlook
Verb
NEGLECT, DISREGARD, IGNORE, OVERLOOK, SLIGHT, FORGET
mean to pass over without giving due attention.
NEGLECT implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention. habitually neglected his studies
DISREGARD suggests voluntary inattention. disregarded the wishes of his family
IGNORE implies a failure to regard something obvious. ignored the snide remark
OVERLOOK suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care. in my rush I overlooked a key example
SLIGHT implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting. slighted several major authors in her survey
FORGET may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind. forget what others say
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
An Overview of the Contronym 'Overlook'
If you're overlooking, are you watching or missing something?
What to Know
Overlook is a contronym,
as it has two meanings that seem to contradict each other.
Relating to the notion of looking over orbeyond something,
the most common meaning of overlook
is "to fail to notice (something)."
However, overlook can also mean "to supervise or oversee."
In British English, for example,
an overlooker is synonymous with a foreman.
A glance inany dictionary will show that the entry for the verb overlook hasmany senses,
includingone in which it is synonymous with supervise.
Usage of this sense appears to be declining—and for obvious reasons. Consider thissentence:
The operators "overlook" the machines. — Anglo-American Council on Productivity, Packaging, 1950
Take awaythe quotation marks and most readers will
get animpression of distracted operators neglecting, or perhaps tripping over their machines,
since"to fail to notice; to ignore" has long been
established as the principal sense of overlook.
Nevertheless, the "supervise" sense is active in the language:
For him, it's been easy transitioning into the leader. He overlooks the underclassmen and tries to help everyone to the best of his ability.— Mallory Merda, The Sentinel (Carlisle, Pennsylvania), 15 Feb. 2019
It also has presence in the noun overlooker, a British synonym of foreman (as in a "mill overlooker") as well as supervisor:
Speaking to Free Radio's Adam Wilbourn about her newfound friendship with Cheryl, the singer [Rita Ora] said: "Being on a panel with another female is amazing, especially with Cheryl being such a girls' girl, me and her really kicked it off straight away. … I’m really happy that I just get to have a laugh with someone that gets it. Obviously I have a good dear friend of mine already on there (Nick), and then Simon [Cowell] is just the overlooker!" — Robyn Munson, Look, 18 Aug. 2015
Anothersense of overlook is "to look over or through (something),"
"to inspect." Like the word's "supervise" sense, this sense is only occasionally used due to the possibility of confusion with the much more common "not see" sense.
"You're not taking my digging stick?" Mrs. Vanderberg demanded with matriarchal pride when I had overlooked it. "Yes I am," was the quick reply. These sticks are used to dig bitterroot (the state flower of Montana), the fleshy roots of which are considered an Indian delicacy.
— Ralph T. Coe, Lost and Found Traditions, 1986
It canalso be said that a person is "overlooking" something fromabove—that is, they are looking at something from a high position:
Paul Greene … got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Kate Austin, in May. He popped the question during a romantic trip to Italy as they overlooked the city of Matera. — Megan Stein, Country Living, 29 May 2019
The ubiquitous "to fail to notice" sense
of overlook developedfrom the notion of looking over and beyond something,
asopposed to looking at it.
A person may overlook something intentionally (that is, ignore it);
a person may also overlook something accidentally (that is, simply miss something that they were looking for).
'Overlook' is a Contronym
The "watch" and "fail to notice" meanings of overlook
make the verb a contronym
(which is also spelled contranym)
—or a Janus word, antagonym or autoantonym,
all ofwhich are synonymous.
Somecontronyms (such as peruse, which can mean "to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner") can be difficult to decipher,
but wedon't see overlook as being one of them.
If you look over the context, you should be able to figure out how overlook is being used.
However, if you are a learner of the English language, you might be momentarily puzzled as to the meaning of the word in the sentence you're analyzing.
Otherchallenging contronyms are ravel, which can mean "disentangle" or "entangle," and dust, meaning "to make free of dust" or "to cover with fine particles."
Looking upthe contronym in a Merriam-Webster dictionary (for those learning English, our website learnersdictionary.com is a great language resource) and substituting definitions in the context is our advice to grasping the meaning of the word. Just please don't overlook the word—look it up in our dictionary and build up your vocabulary. It'll help you prevent any oversight.
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
When you oversee the preparation of dinner,
you take control and manage the operation closely.
But if you overlook the preparation ofdinner
you forget to prepare the meal entirely—better order pizza.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
overlook & oversee
Overlook means
- (1) “to fail to notice,”
- (2) “to disregard or ignore,”
- (3) “to rise above,”
- (4) “to excuse”:
“He overlooked my mistakes.”
“Robin is a girl who overlooks such minor matters.”
“My window overlooks a park.”
“The foreman will overlookyour tardiness.”
Oversee means
(1) “to observe secretly or unintentionally;
(2) “to direct, supervise, or manage”:
“Bert just happened to overseethe stolen kiss.”
“The superintendent is expected to oversee the performance of the entire staff.”
