0
Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Is "attend on" correct?

I have read several books by Lois MacMasters Bujold in which she uses the verb "attend on." She seems to use it to mean that a subordinate should attend his or her superior: for instance, "Lord Williston, attend on me in my chambers!" And she seems to use it in situations where she wants to set a somewhat archaic mood.

My question, was "attend on" ever used in this way, or is this something that Bujold made up as a kind of variation on "Wait on," — as in, "Lady Braknell is not available, she waits on the queen today."
  

Top answer

html (see #4, and the first "phrasal verb") I don't know if it's strictly a British usage, but it seems to me to be a natural alternative to "wait on," in the sense of what a servant does.

— Avangi

  • html (see #4, and the first "phrasal verb") I don't know if it's strictly a British usage, but it seems to me to be a natural alternative to "wait on," in the sense of what a servant does.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
There are over two million Google hits for the collocation "attend on."

http://www.writersevents.com/Words_Starting_with_A/atone_attractive/attend_on_someone_definition.html

(see #4, and the first "phrasal verb")

I don't know
0

Related Questions