Listen vs Listens - What's the difference?
listen | listens |
(lb) To pay attention to a sound or speech.
:
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 (lb) To expect or wait for a sound, such as a signal.
:
*
*:It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street.. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
*
*:He reined Wrangle to a walk, halted now and then to listen , and then proceeded cautiously with shifting and alert gaze.
(lb) To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
:
*
*:Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest.
To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.
*1485 , Sir (Thomas Malory), (w, Le Morte d'Arthur) , Book XX:
*:‘But, sir, lyars ye have lystened , and that hath caused grete debate betwyxte you and me.’
*1592 , (William Shakespeare), : v 3
*:Lady, vouchsafe to listen what I say.
(listen)
(lb) To pay attention to a sound or speech.
:
*{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 (lb) To expect or wait for a sound, such as a signal.
:
*
*:It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street.. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
*
*:He reined Wrangle to a walk, halted now and then to listen , and then proceeded cautiously with shifting and alert gaze.
(lb) To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
:
*
*:Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest.
To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.
*1485 , Sir (Thomas Malory), (w, Le Morte d'Arthur) , Book XX:
*:‘But, sir, lyars ye have lystened , and that hath caused grete debate betwyxte you and me.’
*1592 , (William Shakespeare), : v 3
*:Lady, vouchsafe to listen what I say.
As verbs the difference between listen and listens
is that listen is to pay attention to a sound or speech while listens is third-person singular of listen.listen
English
Verb
(en verb)citation, passage=He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.}}
Usage notes
In English, listen'' and ''hear'' are two primary verbs relating to audial perception. To (hear) represents automatic, unconscious, or passive perception of sound, while ''listen generally represents intentional, conscious, or purposeful use of the sense of hearing. The difference is expressed in the following quotation: : As the silence took hold in the darkness, Sam realized that she had been hearing', though not '''listening to, various low-level sounds—the hum of air conditioning and life support, the pulse of some faraway oxygen pump, the faint buzz of the electrical and lighting systems. —Justin Richards (1999) ''Demontage , chapter 5, page 92. A similar distinction exists between see'' and ''watch in English.Quotations
* (English Citations of "listen")Synonyms
* (to pay attention) attend, behear, give ear, hark, hear, heed, list, mind, note, pay attention * (to expect or wait for a sound) await, anticipate, expect, wait for * (to accept advice or instruction) agree, assent, mind, obey * (to hear) hear, mind, heed * See alsoAntonyms
* (to pay attention) ignore * (to accept advice or instruction) disobey, disregardCoordinate terms
* speak * talkDerived terms
* listenability * listenable * listener * listenership * listening * listen in * listen up * listening post * listening station * relisten * unlistenableSee also
* hearlistens
English
Verb
(head)Anagrams
* * * ----listen
English
Verb
(en verb)citation, passage=He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.}}