What is Pay attention to? The structures and usage of Pay attention to in English

What is Pay attention to in English? How is this English structure used? Pay attention to is a phrase commonly encountered in both academic and communicative contexts. To fully grasp the usage of Pay attention to, let's explore it in the following article with PREP.

I. What is Pay attention to in English?

What is Pay attention to in English? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the phrase Pay attention to means to direct one's focus or concentration toward a specific object, task, or person. For example:

• I’m paying attention to my homework. Don’t bother me. 
• Nam always pays attention to his career. 

II. The usage of Pay attention to in English

Pay attention to has a simple and easy-to-remember usage. It is used to express the action of focusing or paying high attention to an object, event, or person. The structure is as follows:

Pay attention to something/somebody/V-ing

For example:

• Don’t pay attention to the cat because it often acts spoiled when given attention. 
• Jack paid too much attention to Joe, making her feel uncomfortable.
• Please pay attention to the roadside prohibition signs to avoid violations. 

Please refer to the following article: 

• What are In order to and So as to? How are In order to and So as to in English?

III. Equivalent phrases to Pay attention to in English

Below are some similar structures to Pay attention to in English that you should know and can use as alternatives when needed!

1. Pay close/careful/full/undivided attention to

2. Take notice of

‘Take notice of' expresses the act of paying attention to something or someone, similar to 'Pay attention to'. The structure is as follows:

Take notice of something/somebody/Ving

For example: 

• You should take notice of the instructions when installing tables and chairs. 
• You should take notice of the ratio of flour and water when making cakes. 

3. Concentrate/Focus on

'Concentrate/Focus on' also has a similar meaning to 'Pay attention to', which is to focus on something or someone. The structure is as follows:

Concentrate/focus on something/somebody/V-ing

For example:

• Focus on your career, don’t let love get in the way. 
• You need to concentrate on solving your personal finances. 

IV. Exercises on Pay attention to in English

To become fluent in using Pay attention to, let's practice with the following basic exercises!

Arrange the words in the sentence to form a correct and complete sentence.

• He couldn’t/to the lecture/pay attention/he was daydreaming/because. 
• It’s important/to the road/to pay close attention/when you’re driving.
• My teacher told me/attention/to pay careful/to the instructions. 
• Nam couldn’t/the movie because/pay full attention to/he kept checking his phone.
• The researcher needs/attention to the details in/to pay undivided/order to make accurate observations. 
• During the examination,/carefully/it’s crucial to/the questions/concentrate on/and read them.
• The mentor/ to focus/ told the team/ the plan for the upcoming match/on. 
• When studying, it’s important/attention to/to pay close/the lesson and distractions/avoid.
• The detective/ to the details of the crime scene/needed to pay careful attention/ in order to solve the case.
• In order to succeed, it’s essential/your breathing /and clear/to pay undivided attention to/ your mind.

Answer keys

• He couldn’t pay attention to the lecture because he was daydreaming. 
• It’s important to pay close attention to the road when you’re driving.
• My teacher told me to pay careful attention to the instructions. 
• Nam couldn’t pay full attention to the movie because he kept checking his phone.
• The researcher needs to pay undivided attention to the details in order to make accurate observations. 
• During the examination, it’s crucial to concentrate on the questions and read them carefully.
• The mentor told the team to focus on the plan for the upcoming match. 
• When studying, it’s important to pay close attention to the lesson and avoid distractions.
• The detective needed to pay careful attention to the details of the crime scene in order to solve the case.
• In order to succeed, it’s essential to pay undivided attention to your breathing and clear your mind.

This article has provided complete knowledge about the definition, structure, usage, and examples of Pay attention to in English. Practice extensively to apply it effectively in solving exams as well as in daily communication.