attention

attention — 名詞

1. the curiosity or thought that many people give to a subject, event, or person, o

1.名詞B1
釋義

關注；矚目

大眾或媒體對某事的興趣

the curiosity or thought that many people give to a subject, event, or person, often through news coverage or word of mouth.

例句

The young pianist's recital drew nationwide attention after a video went viral.

那位年輕鋼琴家的演奏影片爆紅後，引起全國的關注。

draw attention — public interest

Mayor Lopez wants more attention on the city's housing shortage.

Lopez 市長希望大家更關注市內的住房短缺問題。

attention on [issue]

同義詞
  • publicity

    stronger media-driven exposure

  • interest

    broader curiosity, not always shared widely

  • notice

    the moment of being seen, briefer than sustained attention

反義詞

文法句型

attention to/towards [topic]

attract/get attention

用法筆記

Subject is usually a topic, event, or public figure rather than a single private listener; distinguish from sense 3 (one person's focused mental effort).

常見錯誤

❌The book paid much attention.
✅The book received much attention.
💡books don't give attention; they receive it from readers.

2. the act of doing something so that another person sees you, hears you, or starts

2.名詞B2
釋義

引起注意

讓特定對象注意到自己的舉動

the act of doing something so that another person sees you, hears you, or starts watching what you are doing.

例句

Esme waved his menu to attract the waiter's attention.

Esme 揮著菜單，想引起服務生的注意。

attract someone's attention

A bright red dress caught the photographer's attention from across the hall.

一件鮮紅色的洋裝，從大廳對面就吸引了攝影師的注意。

catch someone's attention

同義詞
  • notice

    shorter, less effortful glance

  • eye

    informal: 'catch someone's eye'

文法句型

attract someone's attention

catch someone's attention

用法筆記

Almost always appears with a possessive (someone's attention) and a verb of getting/attracting/catching/grabbing. Distinguish from sense 1: here a single addressee is being signalled, not the public at large.

常見錯誤

❌I made his attention to call me.
✅I got his attention so he would call me.
💡use get/catch/attract, not 'make'.

3. the mental effort of watching, listening, or thinking about one thing without le

3.名詞B1
釋義

專注；注意力

把心思集中在一件事上

the mental effort of watching, listening, or thinking about one thing without letting your mind wander.

例句

Pay attention to the road, Uri — that truck is changing lanes.

Uri，專心看路，那輛卡車正在切換車道。

pay attention to [object]

After lunch, the children's attention started to drift.

午餐過後，孩子們的注意力開始飄走。

attention drifts/wanders

同義詞
  • concentration

    longer, more sustained mental effort

  • focus

    narrower target, often visual or strategic

  • heed

    formal: paying serious attention to a warning

反義詞

文法句型

pay attention to [something]

focus/concentrate one's attention on

用法筆記

This is the core 'concentration' sense and combines most freely with verbs like pay, focus, hold, lose. Distinguish from sense 1 (group interest) — here the agent is a single mind directed at a single object.

常見錯誤

❌Please pay attention on what I say.
✅Please pay attention to what I say.
💡the fixed preposition with 'pay attention' is 'to', not 'on'.

4. the person or thing that almost everyone in a place is looking at or talking abo

4.名詞B2
釋義

焦點人物

全場目光集中的對象

the person or thing that almost everyone in a place is looking at or talking about — for example, the bride at a wedding or a winning goal in a match.

例句

In her glittering dress, Priya was the centre of attention at the gala.

穿著閃亮禮服的 Priya，是整場晚會的焦點人物。

be the centre of attention

The new puppy quickly became the focus of attention at the family picnic.

新來的小狗很快就成了家庭野餐的焦點。

become the focus of attention

同義詞
反義詞
  • wallflower

    informal: someone deliberately on the edge of a social scene

文法句型

the centre of attention

the focus/object of attention

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by 'the' and a noun like centre, focus, object — rarely standalone. The British spelling is 'centre'; American is 'center'.

常見錯誤

❌She was attention at the party.
✅She was the centre of attention at the party.
💡the meaning requires the full phrase, not the bare noun.

5. polite or affectionate behaviour shown to someone you are attracted to — gifts,

5.名詞C1
釋義

殷勤示愛

對心儀對象的追求或獻殷勤

polite or affectionate behaviour shown to someone you are attracted to — gifts, compliments, visits — and sometimes the unwelcome version of the same.

例句

Elena was flattered by the young officer's attentions during the summer ball.

夏季舞會上，那位年輕軍官的殷勤讓 Elena 感到受寵若驚。

plural 'attentions' for courtship

She quietly complained to HR about a colleague's unwanted attentions.

她私下向人資投訴一位同事不受歡迎的追求行為。

unwanted attentions — negative use

同義詞
  • advances

    often unwanted; more clearly sexual

  • courtship

    more old-fashioned, the whole process

反義詞

文法句型

someone's attentions

unwanted attentions from [person]

用法筆記

Almost always plural in this sense; the singular 'attention' rarely carries the courtship meaning on its own. Often paired with 'unwanted' or 'unwelcome' to describe harassment-adjacent behaviour.

常見錯誤

❌He gave her his attention every weekend with flowers.
✅He paid her his attentions every weekend with flowers.
💡courtship meaning needs the plural form.

6. the moment when a person stops working on one matter and begins to think serious

6.名詞C1
釋義

轉而關注

把心思從一件事轉到另一件事

the moment when a person stops working on one matter and begins to think seriously about another — used mainly in the fixed phrase 'turn one's attention to'.

例句

After finishing the budget, the committee turned its attention to next year's hiring plan.

預算處理完後，委員會轉而關注明年的招募計畫。

turn attention to [next topic]

Once the children were asleep, Hannah turned her attention to the dishes.

孩子們睡著後，Hannah 才把心思轉到碗盤上。

turn attention to [pending task]

同義詞

文法句型

turn one's attention to [topic]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 is about sustained focus, while this one names the transition between topics. Almost always with the verb 'turn' and the preposition 'to'.

常見錯誤

❌We turned attention on the next problem.
✅We turned our attention to the next problem.
💡the pattern needs a possessive and 'to'.

7. a polite phrase used by a speaker at the start of an announcement to request tha

7.名詞B2
釋義

請聽我說

公開廣播時請大家安靜聆聽的開場語

a polite phrase used by a speaker at the start of an announcement to request that everyone present stop talking and listen.

例句

May I have your attention, please? The 8:15 train to Hsinchu has been delayed.

請大家注意，往新竹的八點十五分列車已經誤點。

fixed phrase: May I have your attention, please?

Mr. Lin tapped his glass and said, "Could I have your attention for a moment?"

林先生輕敲玻璃杯說：「可以請大家聽我說一下嗎？」

variant: Could I have your attention?

同義詞

文法句型

May I have your attention, please?

用法筆記

Almost always the fixed phrase 'May/Could I have your attention?' or the opener 'Attention, [group]:' before a public announcement. Distinguish from sense 1 (general notice or interest), which is not a request and takes no audience.

常見錯誤

❌Please give me your attentions, everyone.
✅May I have your attention, everyone?
💡uncountable in this sense, no plural.
❌I want your attention to the screen.
✅May I have your attention? Please look at the screen.
💡the request is a fixed phrase, not a 'want + to' structure.

8. the practical work of looking after someone or something — for example, treating

8.名詞B2
釋義

處理；照料

對人或物所提供的實際照顧或修繕

the practical work of looking after someone or something — for example, treating a wound, fixing a fault, or dealing with a problem that needs to be solved.

例句

The cut on Nadia's hand was deep and needed medical attention straight away.

瑪雅手上的傷口很深，必須立即接受醫療處理。

collocation: need + medical attention

The old wooden roof has not had any attention for nearly twenty years.

那座老舊的木造屋頂將近二十年沒有人整修過。

pattern: have + attention (passive sense)

同義詞
  • care

    broader; covers emotional support too, not only repair or treatment

  • treatment

    narrower; mainly medical or chemical processes

  • maintenance

    for machines or buildings, planned and routine

反義詞
  • neglect

    the failure to give needed care

文法句型

need attention

require medical attention

in need of attention

用法筆記

Subject is usually a thing or body part that has gone wrong (a wound, a roof, an engine, a patient). Often appears with adjectives like 'medical', 'urgent', 'professional', 'expert'. Distinguish from sense 1 (mental notice): here the focus is on hands-on action, not just thinking.

常見錯誤

❌My broken phone needs an attention.
✅My broken phone needs attention.
💡uncountable; no article 'a' or 'an'.
❌She gave attentions to the patient.
✅She gave attention to the patient.
💡no plural form.

9. a stiff, upright way of standing used by soldiers, with heels touching, body str

9.名詞C1
釋義

立正姿勢

軍人雙腳併攏抬頭挺胸的站姿

a stiff, upright way of standing used by soldiers, with heels touching, body straight, arms held flat against the legs, and the gaze fixed forward.

例句

The cadets snapped to attention the moment Sergeant Diaz walked into the hall.

迪亞茲士官一走進大廳，學員們立刻站得筆直。

collocation: snap to attention

Eight young soldiers stood to attention beside the flag throughout the ceremony.

整場儀式中，八名年輕士兵在國旗旁立正站好。

collocation: stand to attention

同義詞
反義詞
  • at ease

    the relaxed standing position soldiers move into when 'attention' is dismissed

  • stand down

    command releasing soldiers from attention

文法句型

stand to attention

come to attention

snap to attention

用法筆記

Almost always inside a fixed verb phrase: 'stand/come/snap to attention'. The bare noun rarely appears alone. Domain is military, ceremonial, or scouts. Distinguish from sense 1 by context: a parade ground, uniforms, or a senior officer.

常見錯誤

❌The soldiers stood at attentions.
✅The soldiers stood at/to attention.
💡no plural; the standard preposition is 'to' (BrE) or 'at' (AmE).
❌He made attention when the captain entered.
✅He came to attention when the captain entered.
💡the verb is 'come/snap/stand', not 'make'.

attention — 感嘆詞