attend

attend — 動詞

1. to physically join a one-off event such as a meeting, wedding, concert, or class

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

出席；參加

親自到場參加某個活動或場合

to physically join a one-off event such as a meeting, wedding, concert, or class as one of the people taking part.

例句

About 200 guests attended Marco and Sofia's wedding last Saturday.

上週六大約有兩百位賓客出席了 Marco 和 Sofia 的婚禮。

transitive: attend + [event noun]

The mayor will attend the opening of the new public library on Friday morning.

市長星期五早上會出席新公立圖書館的開幕。

future event with named subject

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • miss

    fail to be present at the event

  • skip

    informal; choose not to go

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

❌I attended in the meeting.
✅I attended the meeting.
💡'attend' takes the event directly; never add 'in' or 'at'.
❌She attended to her cousin's wedding.
✅She attended her cousin's wedding.
💡'attend to' means look after or deal with, not be present at.

2. to go to a school, church, or similar place repeatedly over a period as part of

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

就讀；定期上

長期固定到某學校或教會等地方

to go to a school, church, or similar place repeatedly over a period as part of your normal life.

例句

Hiroshi attended a small primary school in the mountains until he was twelve.

Hiroshi 一直就讀山區的一所小型小學，直到十二歲為止。

object is a school the subject went to over years

My grandmother has attended the same church on Pine Street for forty years.

我祖母去 Pine Street 上同一間教會已經四十年了。

present perfect with long-term object

同義詞
  • go to

    neutral everyday phrasing for school/church

  • be enrolled at

    stresses formal registration; school/university only

反義詞

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

❌My son attends to a bilingual school.
✅My son attends a bilingual school.
💡drop the 'to'; 'attend to' would change the meaning to caring for the school.

3. (in the form 'attend to') to deal with a task, problem, or customer, or to look

3.動詞不及物B2
釋義

處理；照料

attend to：處理事務或照料人

(in the form 'attend to') to deal with a task, problem, or customer, or to look after someone who needs help.

例句

A nurse attended to the injured cyclist while we waited for the ambulance.

我們等救護車來的時候，一位護士先照料了那位受傷的單車騎士。

attend to + [person needing help]

Could you attend to this email before lunch? The client is waiting for an answer.

你能在午餐前處理一下這封電子郵件嗎？客戶在等回覆。

attend to + [task/matter]

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • ignore

    deliberately fail to deal with

  • neglect

    fail to give needed care or attention

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

❌The doctor attended the patient.' (when meaning treated)
✅The doctor attended to the patient.
💡without 'to', it sounds like the doctor was a guest at the patient's event.
❌I will attend your request soon.
✅I will attend to your request soon.
💡handling a task requires 'attend to'.

4. to go alongside an important person in order to help or serve them, usually with

4.動詞及物C1
釋義

隨侍；陪同

正式場合中陪同並服侍重要人物

to go alongside an important person in order to help or serve them, usually within an official or ceremonial role.

例句

Two royal guards attended the queen as she walked through the gardens.

女王走過花園時，有兩位皇家衛兵隨侍在側。

subject = staff/guards; object = important person

Dr. Dimitri attended the prime minister on his three-day trip to Berlin.

Dimitri 醫師在首相為期三天的柏林行程中隨行照料。

professional accompaniment on travel

同義詞
  • accompany

    neutral; works for any companion, not only important figures

  • escort

    stresses guiding or guarding the person

  • wait on

    stresses serving rather than walking with

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

❌My friend attended me to the airport.
✅My friend went with me to the airport.
💡for ordinary company, use 'go with' or 'come with', not 'attend'.

5. (of a result, risk, or feeling) to come together with an action or event, often

5.動詞及物C1
釋義

伴隨而來

某結果或情緒伴隨某行動而出現

(of a result, risk, or feeling) to come together with an action or event, often as something it produces or brings.

例句

Long nights of paperwork and constant phone calls attended Mayor Okafor's first month in office.

Okafor 市長上任的第一個月，伴隨而來的是無數熬夜處理文件與不斷響起的電話。

[abstract noun] attends + [role/event]

Frostbite and sudden snowstorms attended Reiko's solo climb up the north face of Mount Hamilton.

Reiko 獨自攀登 Hamilton 山北壁時，伴隨而來的是凍傷與突如其來的暴風雪。

subject = risk; object = activity

同義詞
  • accompany

    neutral; can replace 'attend' here in most cases

  • go with

    everyday equivalent for spoken English

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'.

常見錯誤

❌I attended a lot of stress when I changed jobs.
✅A lot of stress attended my job change.
💡the abstract outcome is the subject, not the object.