The verb form of “focus” means to direct your attention or effort at something.Īs with other structures that use the noun “attention,” “focus” has become more common over the past thirty years, Google’s Ngram suggests. The structure “deserves attention,” for example, could suggest that something has not been the subject of attention - but it should be.Īn important idea related to “attention” is the verb (and noun) “focus.” Other structures make a claim about value. 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.” There are differences in the way these terms are used. We also use “attention” with several other verbs - “attract,” “receive,” “deserve,” “get” and “give.” In this case, “a lot of” appears in between the main verb, draw, and the noun, attention.

That social media post drew a lot of attention. Sometimes Americans use modifiers before the noun “attention.” For example, a person might say,

This screenshot from Google's Ngram Viewer shows frequency changes over time with the structure 'draw + noun.'įor example, a teacher might say “I would like to draw your attention to the image on page 37.” For example, you could say “I paid $100 for this phone.”īut in modern times, the most common kind of “paying,” Google’s Ngram suggests, is with attention. You might link the verb “pay” with money. One of the most commonly used verbs with the noun “attention” is “pay.” The Online Etymology Dictionary also suggests that the term “is used with a remarkable diversity of verbs.” 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 describes the history and meaning of many words. You will learn about the most common ways Americans talk about “attention.” In today’s report, we will explore the noun, attention, and some terms that connect to it.

If you wanted to talk about “attention,” how would you do so? What terms and structures would you use? News reports and everyday discussions increasingly involve the term “attention,” as in the “attention economy” - the idea that human attention is a limited resource.

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