Pay attention to means to watch, listen to or think about something carefully. It is used both for concentrating in class and for noticing details: pay attention to details. You can make it stronger with close or more: pay close attention.
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pay attention to + noun/-ing; pay close/more/no attention to + noun
- Please pay attention to the safety instructions before we start the tour.
- When you check your essay, pay close attention to articles and prepositions.
- Nobody paid attention to the warning light until the car stopped on the motorway.
What changed
First versionYou should pay attention on the small print in the contract.
RevisionYou should pay attention to the small print in the contract.
On may seem natural here, but in this expression attention always takes to: pay attention to the small print.
Pay attention to means to watch or focus on something yourself. Draw attention to means to make other people notice something: The article draws attention to the problem of food waste. The first is what a listener does; the second is what an author or speaker does.
Your turn
I wasn't ___ attention to the road signs and drove past my exit.
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paying — The speaker wasn't watching the road signs, so paying attention fits. Drawing attention would mean pointing the signs out to someone else, but the point is that the speaker simply didn't notice them.
Give advice to someone preparing for an exam or a job interview. Name one thing they should pay attention to and explain why.
Before the interview, pay attention to the company's latest news, because the manager may ask what you think about it.
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