phrasal verb · neutral
keep an eye on
UK/kiːp ən aɪ ɒn/US/kip ən aɪ ɑn/keep·an·EYE·on
speakingtask2
to watch someone or something carefully, often for a short time, to make sure nothing bad happens
Examples
“Can you keep an eye on the soup while I answer the phone?”
“Parents often keep an eye on their children at busy parks.”
“The manager keeps an eye on sales trends every week.”
Band 8 sentence
“Could you keep an eye on my laptop while I grab a coffee?”
Collocations
- keep an eye on the children
- keep a close eye on prices
- keep an eye on developments
Word family
keep an eye on verbkeeping an eye on gerund / continuouskept an eye on past
Common mistakes
look after→keep an eye on
watch over (always)→keep an eye on (for a short time)
Say it for a higher band
5watch→6look after→7+keep an eye on
Synonyms
monitor
watch over
Easily confused
watch over
“The grandmother watched over the children while they played in the garden.”
Related words
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In keep …
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