attending to tasks

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'attending to tasks' is a perfectly valid phrase that can be used in written English.
It is typically used to mean that someone is engaging in activities that must be done or accomplished. For example, "John was spending the day attending to tasks around the house, such as mowing the lawn and organizing the garage."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

The rapid growth in data centers, some with hundreds of thousands of computer servers attending to tasks as diverse as managing complex physics problems and posting pictures to Facebook, has led to a lot of worries about power consumption.

The New York Times

This may be due to the logistical and ethical issues that may arise when working with more severely impaired individuals, including difficulties with communication, giving informed consent, attending to tasks and following instructions.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Life requires that we deal with not getting our way, work with people we don't enjoy and attend to tasks we dislike.

The New York Times

The developers considered the addition of terrain deformation and manipulation, combined with "smart" villagers who automatically attended to tasks, to add an entirely new dimension to the series.

Wikipedia

As early childhood educators we need to balance this zest with the ability to listen, follow directions, attend to tasks and participate in group activities to develop the critical life skill of concentration.

Huffington Post

11 15 Everyday functioning relies on executive skills and deficits in EF may manifest as disorganisation and poor planning, inability to focus and attend to tasks, carelessness in responding to tasks, reduced self-control and taking longer to complete tasks.

BMJ Open

For instance, informal caregivers are perhaps relieved of some of their more demanding and time-consuming tasks, while enabling them to attend to tasks that are more compatible with their own wishes, their physical abilities and personal lives.

BMC Geriatrics

Moreover, adolescents are often asked to attend to tasks at a time much closer to their circadian nadir than adults because of early school start times and a delayed sleep phase [ 1].

Behavioral and Brain Functions

When asked to describe the locomotion patterns of swimming fish from a video, experts attended to task-relevant features more than novices and remained focussed on these areas.

Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning

Compromising the ability to selectively attend to task-relevant stimuli would reduce the Nd area amplitude (see also the Discussion section).

Plosone

Behavioral tasks force the perceivers to selectively attend to task-relevant critical features of the speech sounds and make decisions.

Cerebral Cortex

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "attending to tasks" when you want to convey a sense of active engagement and responsibility in handling specific duties. It is suitable for both formal and informal contexts.

Common error

Avoid phrasing sentences with "attending to tasks" in a passive voice (e.g., "Tasks were being attended to"). Instead, use an active voice to emphasize who is performing the tasks (e.g., "The team is attending to the tasks").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "attending to tasks" functions as a gerund phrase acting as a verbal, often used to describe an ongoing action or process of actively managing and handling responsibilities. Ludwig confirms its correct usage and wide applicability.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

60%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "attending to tasks" is a grammatically sound and widely used expression that describes the act of actively managing and handling responsibilities. As indicated by Ludwig, it is versatile and fits various contexts, from academic and scientific writing to news reports and general discussions. While alternatives such as "handling duties" or "managing assignments" exist, the choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey. It is crucial to avoid passive voice constructions to maintain clarity and emphasis on who is performing the tasks.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Handling duties

Replaces "attending" with "handling" and "tasks" with "duties", emphasizing management and responsibility.

Addressing responsibilities

Uses "addressing" instead of "attending", suggesting a more direct approach to dealing with responsibilities.

Managing assignments

Focuses on the management aspect, replacing "tasks" with "assignments", which is suitable for academic or professional contexts.

Dealing with obligations

Emphasizes the obligatory nature of the tasks, using "dealing with" instead of "attending to".

Taking care of business

An idiomatic expression implying the handling of necessary tasks, generally in a professional or serious context.

Working on projects

Focuses specifically on project-related tasks, suitable when the tasks are part of a larger project.

Tackling chores

More informal, suggesting routine or domestic tasks, using "tackling" to imply addressing them directly.

Undertaking activities

More formal, suitable for describing a range of activities that are being performed.

Executing operations

Emphasizes the execution or performance of operational tasks, suitable for business or military contexts.

Completing actions

Focuses on the completion aspect, implying that the tasks are being finished or brought to a conclusion.

FAQs

How can I use "attending to tasks" in a sentence?

You can use "attending to tasks" to describe the act of actively managing or handling responsibilities. For instance, "The data center is "attending to tasks" as diverse as managing complex physics problems and posting pictures to Facebook."

What are some alternatives to "attending to tasks"?

Alternatives include "handling duties", "addressing responsibilities", or "managing assignments", depending on the specific context and nuance you wish to convey.

Is "attending to tasks" formal or informal?

"Attending to tasks" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness largely depends on the surrounding language and the specific nature of the tasks being discussed.

How does "attending to tasks" differ from "completing tasks"?

"Attending to tasks" implies an ongoing engagement with the tasks, whereas "completing tasks" focuses on the act of finishing them. "Attending" suggests managing and dealing with, while "completing" emphasizes accomplishment.