only pay attention to vs pay attention to only

Both "only pay attention to" and "pay attention to only" are correct, but they have slightly different meanings. "Only pay attention to" emphasizes that the attention should be exclusive to the specified thing, while "pay attention to only" suggests that the focus should be limited to that particular thing. The choice between them depends on the emphasis you want to convey.

Last updated: April 01, 2024 • 840 views

only pay attention to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to emphasize that the attention should be exclusively directed towards a specific thing or person.

Examples:

You should only pay attention to the details in the first paragraph.
I will only pay attention to the main points of the presentation.

Show examples from the web [+]

It really does look like we only pay attention to the interests of financial institutions, to speculators and to big business.
Everyone stop what you're doing and only pay attention to me!
You only pay attention to Tanya.
It would be so much easier to only pay attention when I needed to.
So you want to go to that board meeting, but you only want to pay attention to the bits that interest you.
Of course not, only the things he pays attention to.
Only products which pay proper attention to food safety, animal welfare and the environment should be considered for subsidy.
They only pay attention if they win or lose money.
I pay attention only when something happens...
Only nobody pays any attention till they pull out sawed-off shotguns and start shooting at everybody.
Only way I could get someone to pay attention to me.
When answering verbal analogies pay attention to the verb tense.
Don't really pay attention to them.
Dad, pay attention to your children.
Please pay attention to these instructions.
Pay attention to not only how fun this thing is, but also how the portability that comes with this can totally change the way you interact with a city like San Francisco.
The Commission must understand that a sustainable and viable fisheries sector is only possible if it has the trust and cooperation of the fishermen and pays attention to the points of view of the parties concerned.
If you consider that my region in the Alps, with only 450000 inhabitants, earmarks ECU 1 m more than what the Union as a whole was allocating, you will realize just how vital it is to pay attention to tourism.
It is important that it is not only today that we discuss and pay attention to children but that we do this every day of the year.
If only I can stay awake, pay attention to where I'm going, where I've been, and get out of here.

Alternatives:

solely pay attention to
exclusively pay attention to
focus only on
concentrate solely on
direct attention only to

pay attention to only

This phrase is correct and can be used to suggest limiting the focus to a specific thing.

This phrase is used to indicate that the focus should be restricted to a particular thing or person.

Examples:

Please pay attention to only the highlighted sections of the document.
We should pay attention to only the relevant information.

Show examples from the web [+]

Pay attention to not only how fun this thing is, but also how the portability that comes with this can totally change the way you interact with a city like San Francisco.
I would also very much recommend that we pay greater attention not only to working with the energy producers, but also to establishing dialogue with consumers.
I pay attention only when something happens...
It really does look like we only pay attention to the interests of financial institutions, to speculators and to big business.
It would be so much easier to only pay attention when I needed to.
Everyone stop what you're doing and only pay attention to me!
They only pay attention if they win or lose money.
Of course not, only the things he pays attention to.
Only way I could get someone to pay attention to me.
When answering verbal analogies pay attention to the verb tense.
Don't really pay attention to them.
Dad, pay attention to your children.
Please pay attention to these instructions.
So you want to go to that board meeting, but you only want to pay attention to the bits that interest you.
The Commission must understand that a sustainable and viable fisheries sector is only possible if it has the trust and cooperation of the fishermen and pays attention to the points of view of the parties concerned.
If you consider that my region in the Alps, with only 450000 inhabitants, earmarks ECU 1 m more than what the Union as a whole was allocating, you will realize just how vital it is to pay attention to tourism.
It is important that it is not only today that we discuss and pay attention to children but that we do this every day of the year.
If only I can stay awake, pay attention to where I'm going, where I've been, and get out of here.
When optimising capacity, it is important to pay attention to airport facilities, vehicles that transport passengers and ensuring that disabled people can approach aircraft, since this is the only way to ensure equality in air transport.
Look, I knew the storm was coming because I'm the only one in the house who pays attention to the news, so I stocked up on essentials.

Alternatives:

focus on only
concentrate on only
attend to only
give attention to only
direct attention to only

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only pay attention to vs pay attention to only