Look through means to read something quickly (a text, documents, photos), or to search through things to find something. In the first meaning you read fast without studying every line: look through the report. In the second you are searching: look through your bag for the keys.
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look through + documents/notes/photos; look through + a bag/drawers (for + something); look through it
- I looked through the menu twice but still couldn't decide what to order.
- I looked through all my pockets, but the ticket wasn't there.
- We spent the evening looking through old family photos with my grandmother.
What changed
First versionCould you overlook my essay before I submit it?
RevisionCould you look through my essay before I submit it?
Overlook may seem to mean the same as look over, but it means almost the opposite: to fail to notice something. Could you overlook my essay sounds like a request to ignore the essay. To ask someone to read your text quickly, use look through.
Look through means to check something quickly; look into means to investigate it carefully: The manager promised to look into my complaint. A pronoun goes after through: I looked through it.
Your turn
I can't find my passport anywhere. I've ___ every drawer in the flat twice.
Show the answer
looked through — The passport is missing, so the drawers were opened and searched: looked through. Looked at only means looking at the drawers from the outside, and that won't find a passport.
Describe how you prepare for an important meeting or exam. Say what exactly you look through and how long before it starts.
About an hour before an exam, I look through my notes and the list of main formulas.
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