word choice - Correct usage of "see" vs. "watch"




  1. I have seen them grow up.

  2. I have watched them grow up.



Though the intended meaning is conveyed in both sentences, I want to know which in this case is a better fit, see or watch.



Answer



(text lifted from John Lawler's comment - he probably won't post it himself, but it's solid stuff)


The basic semantic difference between see and watch (and for that matter, look) is that see is non-volitional, while look and watch are volitional; additionally, watch is durative, i.e, it means that the looking went on for a while. In this context, the best fit is a matter of what you want to imply, and what you want to state, and that's up to the speaker in context.


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