Focusing on what matters

The idea

Pay attention to means focus on someone or something. The verb changes with time: pay, paid, or paying.

Examples

• Please pay attention to the road when you cycle.
• Mina paid attention to the teacher’s instructions.
• The doctor pays attention to small changes in sleep.
• We should pay attention to the signs at the station.
• Leo is paying attention to the birds in the garden.
• The children paid attention to the story until the end.

Watch out

Avoid do attention: the natural combination is pay attention.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the missing word. Please ___ attention to the map. (pay / do)

   Show answer or example answer

   pay

   pay follows the request in its base form.

2. Choose the missing word. They ___ attention to the guide yesterday. (paid / pay)

   Show answer or example answer

   paid

   paid fits the finished time yesterday.

3. Choose the missing word. Pay attention ___ the cooking time. (to / at)

   Show answer or example answer

   to

   to introduces the cooking time as the focus.

Use it today

Describe something you need to pay attention to today.