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Vincent Teo Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

watching / watching over

Can I say,

John, a goatherd, was watching / watching over his goats.
  

Top answer

You can say either one, but the meanings are slightly different. If John was watching his goats, he was looking directly at them. If he was watching over his goats, he was supervising and protecting them, but not necessarily looking directly at them.

— Khoff

  • You can say either one, but the meanings are slightly different.
  • If John was watching his goats, he was looking directly at them.
  • If he was watching over his goats, he was supervising and protecting them, but not necessarily looking directly at them.
  • )
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1 Answers
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You can say either one, but the meanings are slightly different. If John was watching his goats, he was looking directly at them. If he was watching over his goats, he was supervising and protecting them, but not necessarily looking directly at them. (Maybe he was looking around to see if any predators were in the area.)
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