attend
attend — verb
1. to physically join a one-off event such as a meeting, wedding, concert, or class
to physically join a one-off event such as a meeting, wedding, concert, or class as one of the people taking part.
About 200 guests attended Marco and Sofia's wedding last Saturday.
transitive: attend + [event noun]
The mayor will attend the opening of the new public library on Friday morning.
future event with named subject
Yael was sick, so she could not attend yesterday's team meeting.
Around 5,000 people attended the climate rally outside the city hall.
Reporters from twelve countries attended the press conference in Tokyo.
- go to
more everyday wording; less formal
- be present at
phrase emphasising physical presence; slightly formal
- show up at
informal; suggests arriving rather than full participation
文法句型
attend + [event/place]
用法筆記
Always transitive in this sense; the event word follows directly with no preposition. Distinguish from sense 4 (attend to), which adds 'to' and means deal with or care for someone.
常見錯誤
2. to go to a school, church, or similar place repeatedly over a period as part of
to go to a school, church, or similar place repeatedly over a period as part of your normal life.
Hiroshi attended a small primary school in the mountains until he was twelve.
object is a school the subject went to over years
My grandmother has attended the same church on Pine Street for forty years.
present perfect with long-term object
Around 800 students attend Riverside High School this year.
Paloma attends evening classes at the community college twice a week.
Children from three nearby villages attend the new dance academy.
- go to
neutral everyday phrasing for school/church
- be enrolled at
stresses formal registration; school/university only
- drop out of
leave the institution before finishing
文法句型
attend + [school/church/clinic]
用法筆記
Object is usually an institution (school, church, university, clinic) rather than a one-off event. Distinguish from sense 1 by the long-term, repeated nature of the visiting.
常見錯誤
3. (in the form 'attend to') to deal with a task, problem, or customer, or to look
(in the form 'attend to') to deal with a task, problem, or customer, or to look after someone who needs help.
A nurse attended to the injured cyclist while we waited for the ambulance.
attend to + [person needing help]
Could you attend to this email before lunch? The client is waiting for an answer.
attend to + [task/matter]
Two assistants were attending to customers at the perfume counter when I walked in.
Mr. Park apologised, saying he had urgent family matters to attend to.
Please attend to the broken window before it rains tonight.
- deal with
neutral and more everyday
- look after
stresses caring for a person or pet
- see to
informal British equivalent of 'attend to'
- tend to
often used for the sick or wounded
文法句型
attend to + [person/matter]
用法筆記
ALWAYS used with 'to' in this sense — 'attend' alone (sense 1/2) means be present, not deal with. Object after 'to' is a person needing service, a customer, or a task.
常見錯誤
4. to go alongside an important person in order to help or serve them, usually with
to go alongside an important person in order to help or serve them, usually within an official or ceremonial role.
Two royal guards attended the queen as she walked through the gardens.
subject = staff/guards; object = important person
Dr. Dimitri attended the prime minister on his three-day trip to Berlin.
professional accompaniment on travel
The bride was attended by four young cousins carrying flowers.
Ladies-in-waiting attended the duchess at every public ceremony.
文法句型
attend + [important person]
用法筆記
Frequently passive (be attended by). Subject is usually a servant, guard, doctor, or junior staff; object is a high-status person. Mostly literary, historical, or ceremonial contexts.
常見錯誤
5. (of a result, risk, or feeling) to come together with an action or event, often
(of a result, risk, or feeling) to come together with an action or event, often as something it produces or brings.
Long nights of paperwork and constant phone calls attended Mayor Okafor's first month in office.
[abstract noun] attends + [role/event]
Frostbite and sudden snowstorms attended Reiko's solo climb up the north face of Mount Hamilton.
subject = risk; object = activity
A wave of relief attended the news that all the miners were safe.
Angry rallies and broken shop windows attended the Mayor's decision to raise the bus fare.
文法句型
[outcome] attend + [action/event]
用法筆記
Subject is an abstract outcome (risk, danger, success, emotion, criticism); object is the action or event it goes with. Mainly written and formal — in speech, prefer 'come with' or 'go along with'.