student asking question

What's the difference between "take a look" and just "look"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Take a look at" and "look at" are usually interchangeable and have the same meaning, however they have slightly different nuances. "Look at" is more formal and sound like a command. "Take a look at" is more casual and sounds like you are requesting for someone to look at something rather than commanding them to look at it. "Look" would be appropriate to use in this sentence. Ex: Look at page 119 to see what you need to study for the test. ("Look at" here sounds formal and like a command) Ex: Take a look at these pants, do you think they suit me? ("Take a loot at" here sounds casual and like a request)

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