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Pructus Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Look away at

Hello...

He looked away at the scene.

Does the sentence have two meanings?

1. He looked at the scene.

2. He looked away from the scene.
  

Top answer

pructus He looked away at the scene. Does the sentence have two meanings? It doesn't even have one meaning for me.

— CalifJim

  • pructus He looked away at the scene.
  • Does the sentence have two meanings?
  • It doesn't even have one meaning for me.
  • Where did you get it?
  • CJ
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9 Answers
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pructusHe looked away at the scene. Does the sentence have two meanings?
It doesn't even have one meaning for me.
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Thanks CJ, the following examples seem to be different in meaning...

#1 seems to mean "look away from" and the rest seem to mean "look at"...

......

1.

I look away at car crashes, and I know people who look ...

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pructusI look away at car crashes
When a car crash occurs, I turn my head so I don't have to look at it.
pructusshe looked away at the ships.
She turned her head away from the person she was talking to and looked toward the ships.
pructusHe looked away at the gentle waves
There is less con
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Thanks so much, CJ...!!

Reading your explanations, I can understand #2 and #3, but it's difficult to understand #1 meaning.

Your explanations are clear enough but to a non-native of English, it feels like that it has to be "look away from" not "look away at".

So, the difference is "event" and "non-event"....

It feels like it will take some long time to be able t
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pructusit's difficult to understand #1 meaning.Your explanations are clear enough but to a non-native of English, it feels like that it has to be "look away from" not "look away at".
If I wrote the sentence, it would be "look away from".
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#1 is more like
"When I am at a car crash, I look away from the crash because"

or

"I look away (from the crash, when I am) at car crashes"
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pructusHello...He looked away at the scene.Does the sentence have two meanings?1. He looked at the scene.2. He looked away from the scene.
Do you have context for this? What is "the scene?"

#2 is more correct, but there's an additional layer of meaning.
As it stands, I would explain it more like "He looked away because of the scene"
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I see.... I see....
Thanks so much, CJ..!!

Even though still a little vague, but now the structure "V away at NP" makes a lot more sense to me.

And your rule of "event" and "non-event" seems to be giving some good hints, on which I think I need to take some more time to fully understand.

Even when, as you said, it may be hasty to make a general rule of it.
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Thanks so much, skittyoung!!

He looked away at the scene. is a sentence that I made up as an example of V away at NP.

I find your explanations to be a very helpful addition to CJ's explanations.

Your explanations made me more fully understand what CJ was saying.
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