Words / B1

uh-TENSHUN/əˈtenʃn/

Attention is careful watching, listening, or thinking: pay attention to the details; attract / catch / hold someone’s attention. Notice is often a quick seeing; concentration is keeping the mind on one task. Draw attention to a problem is a useful exam phrase. Attention span is how long you can focus. “Give attention” is usually wrong — pay attention.

Meaning

The act of watching, listening, or thinking about something carefully.

Examples

• “Please pay attention to the instructions.”
• “The warning on the bottle deserves attention.”
• “A bright title will catch the reader’s attention.”

Good to know

pay attention to. attract / catch / hold attention. draw attention to. Not “give attention.”

Near in meaning

notice

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