look after — take care of
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcore
To care for someone or something and make sure they are safe, healthy, or in good condition.
Say it like a native
Textbook Could you supervise the children this evening?
Native Could you look after the kids tonight?
'Look after' is the warm, everyday verb for caring for someone. 'Supervise' sounds official, like a job duty.
Pattern: look after + noun/pronoun
In use
- Could you look after my dog while I'm on holiday?daily life
- In my culture, it is common for grandparents to look after their grandchildren while the parents are at work.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ She looks after of her parents.
✓ She looks after her parents.
No 'of' — 'look after' takes its object directly.
Common collocations
look after + person/thing— the kids, your health, the house, a pet
Don't confuse it
'Look after' is about caring; 'look for' is about searching.