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Sasha
Professional Teacherconcentrate on vs focus on
Hello!
Could you tell me what is the difference between "concentrate on" and "focus on"?
I used to think they are interchangable. It appears they aren't. Take look at this question please.
Which one should I choose?
Why?
Use the words in their correct form to complete the gaps.
concentrate / focus
10 The judge told the young offender to ........... on his studies and not shoplift again.
11 Police are .......................... on the north of the city in an effort to catch the bank robber. (On Screen B2 be Virginia Evans)
Thank you very much!
May 12, 2019 12:06 PM
Answers · 10
4
Sorry, but I think you could actually use either one in your sentences, especially for #1. So if you have to choose one or the other, I would use "concentrate" for #1 and "focus" for #2
(This is one of those types of questions that "nit-pick" - finding some small grammatical or lexical difference that the tests use to "catch" people. I think these questions are unfair and make me angry)
May 12, 2019
3
You could use either word in either sentence.
(I'm beginning to have my doubts about this Virginia Evans. If I'm not mistaken, she is Greek businesswoman who's made a fortune by pretending to be a native English speaker. She's been publishing coursebooks for years under this name. There are literally hundreds of 'Express Publishing' books with the name 'Virginia Evans' on the front. I suspect that most of them are written by amateurs. If I were you, I'd stick with a more reputable publisher. )
May 12, 2019
3
They are often used interchangeably, but you might think of
concentrate as using your brain while
focus as using your eyes
I agree with Rena, "concentrate" for #1 and "focus" for #2
May 12, 2019
2
In my opinion, in Canada, they are interchangeable in these examples.
In other regions, there may be a difference in usage.
Notice the definitions below:
New Oxford American Dictionary
FOCUS | ˈfoʊkəs |
noun (plural focuses or foci | ˈfōˌsī, -ˌkī | )
1 the center of interest or activity: this generation has made the environment a focus of attention.
• an act of CONCENTRATING interest or activity on something: our focus on the customer's requirements.
CONCENTRATE | ˈkɑnsənˌtreɪt |
verb
1 [no object] FOCUS one's attention or mental effort on a particular object or activity: she couldn't concentrate on the movie.
• (concentrate on/upon) do or deal with (one particular thing) above all others: Luke wants to concentrate on his film career.
May 12, 2019
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Sasha
Language Skills
English, French, Russian, Ukrainian
Learning Language
English, French, Russian, Ukrainian
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