{"id":273,"date":"2021-02-05T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/?p=273"},"modified":"2021-06-16T11:07:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-16T02:07:33","slug":"keep-an-eye-out-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/keep-an-eye-out-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Keep an Eye Out&#8221; Meaning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does the expression, &#8220;<em><strong>keep an eye out<\/strong><\/em>&#8221; mean? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, it doesn\u2019t mean removing one of your eyes! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you know, there are many expressions in English which shouldn\u2019t be taken literally. <em>&#8220;It\u2019s raining cats and dogs&#8221;<\/em> is possibly the most famous example, which means it's raining a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re probably also familiar with the fact that there are many phrases that are very similar, but very different at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, we\u2019ll look at two of them &#8211; the difference between<strong> <\/strong><em><strong>&#8220;keep an eye on<\/strong>&#8221; <\/em>and<em> &#8220;keep an eye out for.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep an eye on <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Keep an eye on<\/em> <em>someone or something<\/em> means to <em>look after<\/em> someone or something. It means to keep something under careful observation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you're asking someone to look after your child, you might say,  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"dialogue-block\">\n<div id=\"dialogue-block_6027c7a6fc711\" class=\"dialogue-repeater \">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"dialogue left small\">\n\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/christie.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Can you keep an eye on my child while I go to the bathroom? <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43cf12502.49260657\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43cf12502.49260657','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/Can+you+keep+an+eye+on+my+child+while+I+go+to+the+bathroom.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43cf12502.49260657');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43cf12502.49260657\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43cf12502.49260657','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43cf12502.49260657');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t \t<div class=\"dialogue right small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/joseph.jpg\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Of course. Don't worry.  <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 400<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t \t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t#dialogue-block_6027c7a6fc711 {\n\t\tbackground: ;\n\t\tcolor: ;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n\n<p><em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you're studying at a university library, you might ask a friend to make sure no one steals your computer while you're away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"dialogue-block\">\n<div id=\"dialogue-block_6027c8b3fc719\" class=\"dialogue-repeater \">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"dialogue left small\">\n\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/joanne.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Could you keep an eye on my laptop while I grab a coffee?<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43da1c854.57300068\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43da1c854.57300068','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/Could+you+keep+an+eye+on+my+laptop+while+I+grab+a+coffee.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43da1c854.57300068');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43da1c854.57300068\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43da1c854.57300068','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43da1c854.57300068');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t \t<div class=\"dialogue right small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/juno.jpg\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Sure. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43e03adb7.74019803\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43e03adb7.74019803','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/Sure.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43e03adb7.74019803');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43e03adb7.74019803\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43e03adb7.74019803','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43e03adb7.74019803');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t \t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t#dialogue-block_6027c8b3fc719 {\n\t\tbackground: ;\n\t\tcolor: ;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n\n<p>So, to <em>keep an eye on<\/em> something or someone means to look after it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eye or Eyes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You might have noticed that it's <em>an eye<\/em> not <em>eyes. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why only one eye, not two? Well, usually if you\u2019re <em>keeping an eye on something or someone, <\/em>you\u2019ll be doing something else at the same time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"601\" height=\"511\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/spongebob.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-415\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>With the examples above, you might be looking after your own children while keeping an eye on someone else\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019d probably be doing your own work while keeping an eye on someone\u2019s laptop computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could also say \u201cplease look after someone or something\u201d but this comes across much more formal, and as a much bigger responsibility. It's more conversational to say, &#8220;please keep an eye on someone or something.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re <em>keeping an eye on something<\/em>, you don\u2019t really need to do anything other than glance at it every now and again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you're <em>looking after<\/em> something, you\u2019d have to be a little more proactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep an eye out for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Keep an eye out for<\/em> someone or something means to <strong>look for it <\/strong>or <strong>watch out for it. <\/strong>It also means to <strong>spy on<\/strong> something. You're watching carefully for something or someone to appear. When you keep an eye out for something, you're on alert! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you're supposed to meet someone at a conference. But there are a lot of people at a conference so it's not easy to spot him or her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In that case, this is what you might say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"dialogue-block\">\n<div id=\"dialogue-block_6027ca51fc71d\" class=\"dialogue-repeater \">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"dialogue left small\">\n\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/joanne.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">We are supposed to meet Mr. Jones here. Do you know what he looks like? <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43e5572f9.31420830\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43e5572f9.31420830','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/We+are+supposed+to+meet+Mr.+Jones+here.+Do+you+know+what+he+looks+like.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43e5572f9.31420830');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43e5572f9.31420830\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43e5572f9.31420830','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43e5572f9.31420830');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t \t<div class=\"dialogue right small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/hajeong.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">He said he'll be wearing a red jacket today. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 400<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t \t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"dialogue left small\">\n\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/joanne.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">I see. Let's keep an eye out for someone with a red jacket then. That might be him! <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">An HTTP error occurred during file retrieval. Error Code: 400<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t \t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t#dialogue-block_6027ca51fc71d {\n\t\tbackground: ;\n\t\tcolor: ;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n\n<p>You are in a taxi and you might be giving the driver some directions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"dialogue-block\">\n<div id=\"dialogue-block_6027cc3ffc723\" class=\"dialogue-repeater \">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\n\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"dialogue left small\">\n\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/jose.png\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Where should I make the right turn? <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43f576f12.48763491\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43f576f12.48763491','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/Where+should+I+make+the+right+turn.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43f576f12.48763491');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43f576f12.48763491\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43f576f12.48763491','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43f576f12.48763491');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t \t<div class=\"dialogue right small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    \t<div class=\"speaker-icon\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/speaker\/juno.jpg\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-bubble\">Please make a right turn at the next yellow sign. The sign is a bit small, so please keep an eye out for it! <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"speech-audio\"><div class=\"compact_audio_player_wrapper\"><div class=\"sc_player_container1\"><input type=\"button\" id=\"btnplay_662da43fa98749.24154847\" class=\"myButton_play\" onClick=\"play_mp3('play','662da43fa98749.24154847','https:\/\/f000.backblazeb2.com\/file\/nativeintonation\/dialogue\/Please+make+a+right+turn+at+the+next+yellow+sign.+The+sign+is+a+bit+small%2C+so+please+keep+an+eye+out+for+it.mp3','80','false');show_hide('play','662da43fa98749.24154847');\" \/><input type=\"button\"  id=\"btnstop_662da43fa98749.24154847\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"myButton_stop\" onClick=\"play_mp3('stop','662da43fa98749.24154847','','80','false');show_hide('stop','662da43fa98749.24154847');\" \/><div id=\"sm2-container\"><!-- flash movie ends up here --><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t \t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\n\t \t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t \t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t#dialogue-block_6027cc3ffc723 {\n\t\tbackground: ;\n\t\tcolor: ;\n\t}\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKeep an eye on\u201d and \u201cKeep an eye out for\u201d sound similar but have a huge difference in meaning! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;Keep an eye on&#8221; vs &#8220;Keep an eye out for&#8221; Difference<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You want to <em>keep an eye out <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">on<\/span> a child<\/em> because you want to check on her and make sure she doesn't hurt herself.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mi-pham-xtd3zYWxEs4-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mi-pham-xtd3zYWxEs4-unsplash.jpg 800w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mi-pham-xtd3zYWxEs4-unsplash-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mi-pham-xtd3zYWxEs4-unsplash-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/mi-pham-xtd3zYWxEs4-unsplash-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You <em>keep an eye <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">out for<\/span><\/em><strong> <\/strong>someone if you're <strong>looking for<\/strong> them.  You wouldn't <em>keep an eye <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">out for<\/span><\/em> someone else's child unless you're a secret agent and you're <strong>spying on<\/strong> a child with dangerous supernatural abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While driving, you want to <em>keep an eye <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">out for<\/span> a sign<\/em> because when you see it, you want to make the turn at the right junction. You do not want to miss the sign and make a wrong turn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/stop-sign.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/stop-sign.jpg 800w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/stop-sign-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/stop-sign-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/stop-sign-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you say, <em>&#8220;Please<\/em> <em>keep an eye <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">on<\/span> a sign&#8221; <\/em>it would mean, <em>&#8220;Please keep staring at the sign&#8221; <\/em>which sounds odd. You wouldn't ask someone to <em>keep an eye <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">on<\/span> a sign <\/em>unless you're worried that someone might steal the sign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Luckily, the addition of \u201cfor\u201d should help you differentiate. Just remember to keep the meaning clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wrap-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, next time you\u2019re talking with a friend in English, see if you can use one of these phrases in a conversation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And don\u2019t forget to <strong>keep an eye out for<\/strong> more great blog posts from us in the future! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the meaning of the expression, &#8220;keep an eye out&#8221;? Does it mean removing one of your eyes? Find out in this post! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/june-o-Zi-Ll3Csdns-unsplash-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/june-o-Zi-Ll3Csdns-unsplash-600x533.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Rose Lewis","author_link":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/author\/rose-l\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nativeintonation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}