Grammar and Attention
2022-09-09
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1News reports and everyday discussions increasingly involve the term "attention," as in the "attention economy" - the idea that human attention is a limited resource.
2If you wanted to talk about "attention," how would you do so? What terms and structures would you use?
3In today's report, we will explore the noun, attention, and some terms that connect to it.
4You will learn about the most common ways Americans talk about "attention."
5The Online Etymology Dictionary describes the history and meaning of many words.
6It suggests that the noun "attention" dates to the late 1300s, with the meaning of "active direction of the mind upon some object or topic."
7The Online Etymology Dictionary also suggests that the term "is used with a remarkable diversity of verbs."
8One of the most commonly used verbs with the noun "attention" is "pay."
9You might link the verb "pay" with money. You "pay money" for something.
10For example, you could say "I paid $100 for this phone."
11But in modern times, the most common kind of "paying," Google's Ngram suggests, is with attention.
12The most common way this structure appears is as this: pay attention to.
13Google's Ngram shows "pay attention to" becoming more common during the 1980s.
14That growth has continued up to the present (or at least up to 2019, the latest year included in the data).
15This change suggests an increasing concern about attention.
16Here are a few ways you might hear Americans use "pay attention to..."
17A daily reader of news or social media might say:
18I pay attention to the news.
19Or
20I pay attention to trends on social media.
21In the negative form, a person might use the auxiliary verb "do," as in:
22I don't pay attention to social media.
23In the case of regret, a person might use the modal "should," as in:
24I should have paid attention to my parents.
25But we do not only "pay attention." We can also "draw attention," meaning to cause attention to be given to someone or something.
26Google's Ngram suggests that the structure "draw attention" has become more common in recent years.
27And while English speakers might use the verb "draw" with other nouns, the most common use of the verb "draw" is with "attention."
28For example, a teacher might say "I would like to draw your attention to the image on page 37."
29Sometimes Americans use modifiers before the noun "attention."
30For example, a person might say,
31That social media post drew a lot of attention.
32In this case, "a lot of" appears in between the main verb, draw, and the noun, attention.
33We also use "attention" with several other verbs - "attract," "receive," "deserve," "get" and "give."
34There are differences in the way these terms are used.
35"Receive attention" describes a fact.
36For example, a person might say that an event "received a lot of attention."
37Or, a person might say that the event "received very little attention."
38Other structures make a claim about value.
39The structure "deserves attention," for example, could suggest that something has not been the subject of attention - but it should be.
40For example, a person might say:
41This problem deserves attention.
42Or:
43This issue deserves more attention.
44An important idea related to "attention" is the verb (and noun) "focus."
45The verb form of "focus" means to direct your attention or effort at something.
46As with other structures that use the noun "attention," "focus" has become more common over the past thirty years, Google's Ngram suggests.
47"Pay attention to" and "focus" have very similar meanings.
48But in everyday situations, we sometimes use them in slightly different ways.
49Still, if you use one in place of the other, your meaning will probably be understood.
50The idea of this report was to draw your attention to the term "attention" - and some related ideas, such as "focus."
51In the future, consider how debates about "attention" play out in the news or everyday discussions.
52For example, you might read a news story about companies trying to "attract attention to" their social media services by using advertising.
53You might hear a person suggest that too many people are "paying too much attention to" social media.
54Or, critics of the "attention economy" might "draw attention to" problems that it creates.
55They might say "people cannot focus on what matters," for example.
56Let's end this report with a chance to use the ideas described today.
57Write a short response to one of the following questions:
581. What do you pay attention to? Why do you pay attention to it?
592. What should people pay attention to? Why should people pay attention it?
60Write us in the comments section of our website, learningenglish.voanews.com, or write us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
61I'm John Russell.
1News reports and everyday discussions increasingly involve the term "attention," as in the "attention economy" - the idea that human attention is a limited resource. 2If you wanted to talk about "attention," how would you do so? What terms and structures would you use? 3In today's report, we will explore the noun, attention, and some terms that connect to it. You will learn about the most common ways Americans talk about "attention." 4History 5The Online Etymology Dictionary describes the history and meaning of many words. 6It suggests that the noun "attention" dates to the late 1300s, with the meaning of "active direction of the mind upon some object or topic." 7The Online Etymology Dictionary also suggests that the term "is used with a remarkable diversity of verbs." 8Pay attention (or pay attention to...) 9One of the most commonly used verbs with the noun "attention" is "pay." 10You might link the verb "pay" with money. You "pay money" for something. For example, you could say "I paid $100 for this phone." 11But in modern times, the most common kind of "paying," Google's Ngram suggests, is with attention. 12The most common way this structure appears is as this: pay attention to. 13Google's Ngram shows "pay attention to" becoming more common during the 1980s. That growth has continued up to the present (or at least up to 2019, the latest year included in the data). 14This change suggests an increasing concern about attention. 15Here are a few ways you might hear Americans use "pay attention to..." 16A daily reader of news or social media might say: 17I pay attention to the news. 18Or 19I pay attention to trends on social media. 20In the negative form, a person might use the auxiliary verb "do," as in: 21I don't pay attention to social media. 22In the case of regret, a person might use the modal "should," as in: 23I should have paid attention to my parents. 24Draw attention (or draw attention to) 25But we do not only "pay attention." We can also "draw attention," meaning to cause attention to be given to someone or something. 26Google's Ngram suggests that the structure "draw attention" has become more common in recent years. 27And while English speakers might use the verb "draw" with other nouns, the most common use of the verb "draw" is with "attention." 28For example, a teacher might say "I would like to draw your attention to the image on page 37." 29Sometimes Americans use modifiers before the noun "attention." For example, a person might say, 30That social media post drew a lot of attention. 31In this case, "a lot of" appears in between the main verb, draw, and the noun, attention. 32Other verbs 33We also use "attention" with several other verbs - "attract," "receive," "deserve," "get" and "give." 34There are differences in the way these terms are used. "Receive attention" describes a fact. For example, a person might say that an event "received a lot of attention." Or, a person might say that the event "received very little attention." 35Other structures make a claim about value. The structure "deserves attention," for example, could suggest that something has not been the subject of attention - but it should be. 36For example, a person might say: 37This problem deserves attention. 38Or: 39This issue deserves more attention. 40Focus 41An important idea related to "attention" is the verb (and noun) "focus." 42The verb form of "focus" means to direct your attention or effort at something. 43As with other structures that use the noun "attention," "focus" has become more common over the past thirty years, Google's Ngram suggests. 44"Pay attention to" and "focus" have very similar meanings. But in everyday situations, we sometimes use them in slightly different ways. 45Still, if you use one in place of the other, your meaning will probably be understood. 46Putting it all together 47The idea of this report was to draw your attention to the term "attention" - and some related ideas, such as "focus." 48In the future, consider how debates about "attention" play out in the news or everyday discussions. 49For example, you might read a news story about companies trying to "attract attention to" their social media services by using advertising. You might hear a person suggest that too many people are "paying too much attention to" social media. 50Or, critics of the "attention economy" might "draw attention to" problems that it creates. They might say "people cannot focus on what matters," for example. 51Let's end this report with a chance to use the ideas described today. Write a short response to one of the following questions: 521. What do you pay attention to? Why do you pay attention to it? 532. What should people pay attention to? Why should people pay attention it? 54Write us in the comments section of our website, learningenglish.voanews.com, or write us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 55I'm John Russell. 56John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 57_________________________________________________________________ 58Words in This Story 59remarkable - adj. unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed 60modifier - n. a word (such as an adjective or adverb) or phrase that describes another word or group of words