Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

What's the difference between "attend sbd" and "attend to sbd"?

My father is attended by a nurse.

Is the above sentence correct?

Thank you,

Nawee

[CP]

"To attend" means to wait for or to be present at. I am attending the postman, waiting for him to show up. Yesterday I attended a meeting, that is, I was present at the meeting. If the nurse is attending your father, he or she is waiting for him.

"To attend to" means to take care of, to see to someone or something. While waiting for the postman, I am attending to other business, like reading my e-mails. If the nurse is attending to your father, he or she is taking care of him.

So your sentence really should read, "My father is attended to by a nurse." However, the passive voice is weak, and the sentence is just not as good as, "A nurse attends to my father."
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