Literary notes about Attend (AI summary)
In literature, the word "attend" takes on a variety of nuances ranging from physical presence to the act of caring for or addressing matters. In some instances it denotes accompaniment or service, as when someone is sent to "attend us" in a courteous or formal capacity [1] or to "attend your wedding" as a gesture of participation [2]. At times it conveys the idea of taking charge or looking after an issue, seen in phrases like "attend to your wants" [3] and being summoned "to attend a conference" [4], while other texts use it to imply that certain consequences or qualities naturally follow an action, such as the misfortunes that may "attend" a deed [5] or the attention given to a particular business [6]. This multifaceted usage reflects the word’s evolution over time, appearing in both poetic epics and modern narratives alike, and emphasizing its flexibility as a tool for both literal and metaphorical expression [7][8].
- The Queen of the Country appointed two Men to attend us, that had enough of our Language to make themselves understood in some few Particulars.
— from The Spectator, Volume 1 by Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele - Well, I’ve come in from the provinces to attend your wedding.”
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal - “You shall do so, and my mother shall attend to your wants.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - On the morning of the 15th I was summoned by the chief to Yokohama in a great hurry to attend a conference between Iwakura and the foreign colleagues.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - The king said to Aslak, "May all ill luck attend thee for that stroke; for thou hast struck Norway out of my hands.
— from Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway by Snorri Sturluson - If necessary, no doubt I could attend to the matter; be so kind as to let me know—— UNKNOWN.
— from The Silver Box: A Comedy in Three Acts by John Galsworthy - There's just one thing left for us to do, and it's your only chance, so attend very carefully to what I tell you.
— from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - [123] No doubt such a pursuit may be justified to self-love by dwelling on the pleasures of hope and anticipation which attend it.
— from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick
