They look (to be) defeated soldiers.

[sitifan]

John: How do they look?
Mary: ________________________________
(A) They look defeated.
(B) They look like defeated soldiers. [American English]
(C)They look to be defeated soldiers. [American English]
(D) They look defeated soldiers. [British English]
Source: Ting-chi Tang, A Guide to Teaching Junior High School English, pp517-518.

According to the author, the four options are all correct answers.
Do native speakers agree with him?

 

[Tarheel]

In my humble opinion only the first one is a response to the question. (Others may disagree.)

Is that the same book you've been talking about?

 

[William McNeice]

John: How do they look?
Mary: ________________________________
(A) They look defeated.
(B) They look like defeated soldiers. [American English]
(C)They look to be defeated soldiers. [American English]
(D) They look defeated soldiers. [British English]
Source: Ting-chi Tang, A Guide to Teaching Junior High School English, pp517-518.

According to the author, the four options are all correct answers.
Do native speakers agree with him?

A, B and C are definitely correct. I disagree with D, because I feel that C is British English, and D is missing something.

 

[Tarheel]

John: How do they look?
Mary. They look defeated. And tired-- very tired.
John: What about them being soldiers?
Mary: Don't the uniforms give that away? I mean, there's no mystery about that, is there?

 

[sitifan]

Is that the same book you've been talking about?

A different book by the same author.

 

[Tarheel]

OK.

 

[sitifan]

A, B and C are definitely correct. I disagree with D, because I feel that C is British English, and D is missing something.

He looked (like) a friendly sort of person.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/look

look to be (something)​

To seem or appear to be something.
This looks to be a situation you can't talk your way out of.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/look+to+be

 

[William McNeice]

He looked (like) a friendly sort of person.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/look

look to be (something)​

To seem or appear to be something.
This looks to be a situation you can't talk your way out of.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/look+to+be

Okay, so this follows the same rule as "They look defeated soldiers", and it is definitely correct, but "they looked defeated soldiers" still sounds incorrect to me. I suspect that dropping the word "like" is only possible in certain well-known phrases. I can't think of another example. If you find any, post them here and we can look at them together.

 

[emsr2d2]

"They look defeated soldiers" is ungrammatical.

 

[sitifan]

Okay, so this follows the same rule as "They look defeated soldiers", and it is definitely correct, but "they looked defeated soldiers" still sounds incorrect to me. I suspect that dropping the word "like" is only possible in certain well-known phrases. I can't think of another example. If you find any, post them here and we can look at them together.

Look can mean 'seem' or 'appear'. In this case it is a link verb and can be followed by adjectives or nouns.
You look angry - what's the matter.
I looked a real fool when I fell in the river.
The garden looks a mess.
Source: Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, Third Edition, page 311.

 

[5jj]

@sitifan, They look defeated soldiers is not natural British English. I don't know how many more of us you want to tell you this.

 

[sitifan]

I don't know how many more of us you want to tell you this.

?

 

[5jj]

?

I think you forgot the question.

 

[sitifan]

I think you forgot the question.

Is there a typo in post #11?

 

[Tarheel]

Is there a typo in post #11?

What would that be?

 

[sitifan]

What would that be?

I don't know how many more of us you want to tell you this.

I don't know what the above sentence means.

 

[5jj]

Then why didn't you say so instead of just posting a meaningless question mark?

Please do not delete posts we are talking about. i have undeleted them.

I don't know how many more of us you want to tell you this.

I do not know the answer to this question;

How many more of us members do you, sitifan, want to tell you, sitifan, this?

Is that any clearer?