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VOA日常语法2022--Grammar and Attention

时间:2022-09-20 02:04:59

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Grammar and Attention

News reports and everyday discussions1 increasingly2 involve the term "attention," as in the "attention economy" - the idea that human attention is a limited resource.

If you wanted to talk about "attention," how would you do so? What terms and structures would you use?

In today's report, we will explore the noun3, attention, and some terms that connect to it. You will learn about the most common ways Americans talk about "attention."

History

The Online Etymology4 Dictionary describes the history and meaning of many words.

It suggests that the noun "attention" dates to the late 1300s, with the meaning of "active direction of the mind upon some object or topic."

The Online Etymology Dictionary also suggests that the term "is used with a remarkable5 diversity of verbs."

Pay attention (or pay attention to...)

One of the most commonly used verbs with the noun "attention" is "pay."

You might link the verb "pay" with money. You "pay money" for something. For example, you could say "I paid $100 for this phone."

But in modern times, the most common kind of "paying," Google's Ngram suggests, is with attention.

The most common way this structure appears is as this: pay attention to.

Google'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).

This change suggests an increasing concern about attention.

Here are a few ways you might hear Americans use "pay attention to..."

A daily reader of news or social media might say:

I pay attention to the news.

Or

I pay attention to trends on social media.

In the negative form, a person might use the auxiliary6 verb "do," as in:

I don't pay attention to social media.

In the case of regret, a person might use the modal "should," as in:

I should have paid attention to my parents.

Draw attention (or draw attention to)

But we do not only "pay attention." We can also "draw attention," meaning to cause attention to be given to someone or something.

Google's Ngram suggests that the structure "draw attention" has become more common in recent years.

And while English speakers might use the verb "draw" with other nouns7, the most common use of the verb "draw" is with "attention."

For example, a teacher might say "I would like to draw your attention to the image on page 37."

Sometimes Americans use modifiers before the noun "attention." For example, a person might say,

That social media post drew a lot of attention.

In this case, "a lot of" appears in between the main verb, draw, and the noun, attention.

Other verbs

We also use "attention" with several other verbs - "attract," "receive," "deserve," "get" and "give."

There 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."

Other structures make a claim about value. The structure "deserves8 attention," for example, could suggest that something has not been the subject of attention - but it should be.

For example, a person might say:

This problem deserves attention.

Or:

This issue deserves more attention.

Focus

An important idea related9 to "attention" is the verb (and noun) "focus."

The verb form of "focus" means to direct your attention or effort at something.

As with other structures that use the noun "attention," "focus" has become more common over the past thirty years, Google's Ngram suggests.

"Pay attention to" and "focus" have very similar meanings. But in everyday situations, we sometimes use them in slightly different ways.

Still, if you use one in place of the other, your meaning will probably be understood.

Putting it all together

The idea of this report was to draw your attention to the term "attention" - and some related ideas, such as "focus."

In the future, consider how debates about "attention" play out in the news or everyday discussions.

For example, you might read a news story about companies trying to "attract attention to" their social media services by using advertising10. You might hear a person suggest that too many people are "paying too much attention to" social media.

Or, critics of the "attention economy" might "draw attention to" problems that it creates. They might say "people cannot focus on what matters," for example.

Let's end this report with a chance to use the ideas described today. Write a short response to one of the following questions:

1. What do you pay attention to? Why do you pay attention to it?

2. What should people pay attention to? Why should people pay attention it?

Words in This Story

remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed

modifier – n. a word (such as an adjective or adverb) or phrase that describes another word or group of words


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1 discussions 48ee344d9a540894650ce4af27e169dd     
n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 );商讨;详述;论述
参考例句:
  • Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
  • Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。
2 increasingly z8ix8     
adv.逐渐地,日益地,逐渐增加地
参考例句:
  • Rivers are being increasingly made use of by man. 河流正在日益为人类所利用。
  • I find it increasingly difficult to live within my income.我发现靠收入过日子越来越难了。
3 noun JHux3     
n.名词
参考例句:
  • What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词?
  • This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。
4 etymology jiMzC     
n.语源;字源学
参考例句:
  • The hippies' etymology is contentious.关于嬉皮士的语源是有争议的。
  • The origin of OK became the Holy Grail of etymology.OK的出典成了词源学梦寐以求的圣杯。
5 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
6 auxiliary RuKzm     
adj.辅助的,备用的
参考例句:
  • I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
  • The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。
7 nouns 8412c0b251e0c60f78bfaf0a44ac3206     
n.名词;名词( noun的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语,所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 deserves 059397100c3816785bce3cb425520171     
v.应受,应得,值得( deserve的第三人称单数 );应受报答;应得报酬;应得赔偿
参考例句:
  • A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
9 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
10 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

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