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Question I stopped to observe the flower carefully.

hirashin

Sempai
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8 Apr 2004
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Dear native English speakers,

Which one would be used?
(1a) I stooped to look at the flower carefully.
(1b) I stooped to look carefully at the flower.
(1c) I stooped to carefully look at the flower.
(1d) I stooped to have a careful look at the flower.

(2a) I stopped to observe the flower carefully.
(2b) I stopped to carefully observe the flower.
(3a) I stooped to stare at the flower carefully.
(3b) I stooped to carefully stare at the flower.
(4a) I stooped to glance at the flower carefully.
(4b) I stooped to carefully glance at the flower.
(5a) I stooped to gaze at/into the flower carefully.
(5b) I stooped to carefully gaze at/into the flower.
(6a) I stooped to check out the flower carefully.
(6b) I stooped to carefully check out the flower.

Thanks in advance.
Hirashin
 
"Stoop" is not a commonly used word outside of the expression, "stoop so low". In fact I don't even know the meaning of the word.

Looking up what it means on Merriam-Webster, I don't think you can use it the way you're using it here, though again, I've had no exposure to it so I'm not sure.

If that was just a typo and you meant "stopped" in every case, then they're all grammatically fine, though it seems a bit anachronistic to talk about "carefully" looking at a flower, since that implies you could possibly cause a problem by doing so incorrectly (and you don't tend to think of looking at something as capable of doing anything bad). Exactly what kind of idea are you trying to express here?
 
The first four sentences are all fine.
In the specific context being written about here (i.e., carefully looking at something), using "observe" (i.e., 2a and 2b) is fine, but most of the other verbs you propose (3a through 6b) are not completely natural, and so should not be used. For example, you do not "carefully glance" at something; that makes no sense. "check out" is too colloquial in this context.
 
They are all ok in my opinion. However as the others have said stoop is not very much used in American English these days.
 
Oops, I accidentally wrote "stoop" instead of "stop". I'm sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the help, Julimaruchan, joadbres, and mdchachi.
 
No problems with the positions of the adverbs but as joadbres says, some of the verbs do not sound natural with 'carefully'. In this context, 'carefully' sounds like the sort of verb to describe a scientist carefully observing a flower to make sure that they haven't missed any important detail, so glance (a very quick look), gaze (a look often with used in association with adoration), stare (a fixed look, usually at a scene where something his happening) sound unnatural to me. And check out sounds too casual as mentioned above.
 
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