[Grammar] What's the difference between Looking at/into his eyes?

[saloom2]

Hello everyone,

I would like to know what's the difference between into/at in these sentences?


I was looking into/at his eyes.
I was looking at/into him.

 

[Rover_KE]

Can't you make a reasonable attempt for yourself first?

 

[saloom2]

I asked if there's any difference because I feel there's a subtle difference between them.

 

[emsr2d2]

In my opinion, there's no difference. I asked if there's any difference because I feel there's a subtle difference between them.

Your two statements are contradictory. In your first, you say that your opinion is "there's no difference". In the second, you said you feel "there's a subtle difference". Which one is your actual opinion?

 

[saloom2]

Second one. Sorry I've forgotten to remove the first one.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hello everyone,

I would like to know what's the difference between into/at in these sentences?


I was looking into/at his eyes.
I was looking at/into him.

I was looking at his eyes = I might be looking at a photograph of his eyes, or he may have two glass eyes and has put them on the table and I am staring at them.
I was looking into his eyes = We were looking at each other, both staring into the other person's eyes.

I was looking at him = My vision/sight was directed at him. It is not clear where he was looking.
I was looking into him = I was investigating him (perhaps a criminal matter).

 

[Raymott]

I was looking at him = I'm a dermatologist.
I was looking into him = I'm a colonoscopist.