ASSIST vs. ATTEND

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend!

Today we are going to look at two words that are often confused in English: assist and attend.

(See the Daily Vitamin from March 26th, 2004 for more information.)

TO ASSIST means: to help

TO ATTEND means: to be present at an event.

Example 1
We're organising a big conference in March, and we need people to assist with the publicity. If we don't get this mailing out this week, no one will come.

Example 2
You're doing a fantastic job; let me know if I can assist you in any way.

Example 3
Barcelona's hotels were full in February, when thousands of visitors attended the GSM conference.

Example 4
She was unable to attend the gala dinner because she had to assist with the final preparations.

As you can see, the meanings of these words are the exact opposite of their meanings in Spanish (atender and asistir).

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Have a good day!