ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pay attention to sb/sth

idiom.
A2 Elementary Oxford

idiom. To watch, listen to, or think about someone or something carefully. You use it when you need to focus your mind on something specific.

idiom. A verbal idiom meaning to direct one's cognitive focus towards a specific stimulus, person, or task.


SIMPLE

You must pay attention to the teacher.

CONTEXTUAL

If you don't pay attention to the road while driving, you might have an accident.

COMPLEX

The diplomat paid scrupulous attention to the nuances of the translation, knowing a single mistake could jeopardize the entire treaty.

Usage

Often modified by adverbs like 'close', 'careful', or 'little' to indicate the degree of focus.

Teaching tip

Contrast with 'notice' (a brief, often passive perception) versus 'pay attention to' (a sustained, active effort of concentration).

Pitfall

Please pay attention on the lesson.Please pay attention to the lesson.The fixed preposition for this idiom is 'to', not 'on'.

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