close attention — careful focus
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To look at or think about something very carefully, noticing all the details.
Say it like a native
Textbook Kindly direct your meticulous and undivided concentration to this.
Native Pay close attention to this part.
'Meticulous undivided concentration' is overblown; 'pay close attention to' is the natural phrase.
Pattern: pay/give close attention to [something]
In use
- You need to pay close attention to the instructions if you want to do the job correctly.study
- In my opinion, teachers should give close attention to students who are struggling in class.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Pay a close attention to the details.
✓ Pay close attention to the details.
'Pay close attention' — no 'a'.
Common collocations
pay close attention to— pay, to, detail, with
Don't confuse it
Compare with 'general attention', which means not focusing on details.