Glance vs. Glimpse: Subtle Differences and Deep Exploration.
When we talk about "glance" or "quick look", we may think of two very similar English words: glance and glimpse. Although the two words are somewhat close in meaning, there are subtle differences in their practical use.
First of all, etymology and definition, glance mainly refers to a rough, rapid, or even unconscious look. It is often used to describe a rapid, saccade-like behavior, with a multi-finger action, and does not emphasize seeing the full picture or going deep. This behavior is usually done to get a general impression or confirm something. glance can be used as a verb to mean "to look hurriedly" or "to browse" or as a noun to mean "to glance" or "to glance at hurriedly".
Glimpse, on the other hand, emphasizes more on an unconscious, ephemeral look. The word is more associated with visual perception and impression, and it describes a deeper, more detailed look. Compared to glance, glimpse focuses more on visual sensations or experiences rather than simple saccades. glimpse is often used as a transitive verb that can take a noun or pronoun as an object, or a present participle as a compound object of a complement.
From the perspective of usage, glance is more related to the process of action, and it emphasizes the action itself rather than the result of looking. For example, when we say "I picked up the phone book and glanced through it.", we're describing an action of picking up a ** book and taking a quick look at it. Glimpse, on the other hand, is more related to the outcome of the action, and it emphasizes the result or feeling of seeing. For example, when we say "she glimpsed a group of people standing on the bank of a river."When we were describing a result, she saw a group of people standing by the river.
In addition, glance is often associated with actions such as browsing, saccades, etc., while glimpse is more associated with short, in-depth visual experiences. For example, we can say "he glanced over the news***looking for any important news."(He hurriedly skimmed through the newspapers, looking for any important news.) And to say, "She glimpsed a fleeting moment of happiness on his face."(She caught a glimpse of a brief moment of happiness on his face.) ) emphasizes more of a brief and deep visual experience.
To sum up, glance and glimpse, although both superficially involve the act of looking, have subtle differences in etymology, definition, usage, and emphasis. Glance is more associated with quick, coarse saccades, while Glimpse is more associated with short, in-depth visual experiences. In practice, we need to choose the right vocabulary according to the specific context and needs.
Materials** on the Internet.