区别辨析appear、look与seem

appear、look与seem这些动词均有“看起来、好像是”之意。

appear :指从感观印象看似乎是如此,但有时着重指因视野、观点限制而产生的歪曲印象。

  • She appeared to be in her late thirties.
    看样子她快四十岁了。
  • They appeared not to know what was happening.
    他们似乎不知道正在发生的事。

look :指从样子看起来,侧重通过视觉而建立的印象。

  • That book looks interesting.
    那本书好像很有趣。
  • You made me look a complete fool!
    你弄得我像个十足的个傻瓜!

seem :多指从主观印象或个反应得出的看法。

  • It seemed like a good idea at the time.
    当时这主意好像不错。
  • It always seemed as though they would get married.
    他们一直仿佛是要结婚似的。