The students listened attentively to the teacher.

Meaning: The students were paying close attention to what the person who teaches students in a school was saying.

Choice of Words: Listened means to pay attention to what someone is saying. Attentively means paying close attention. Teacher is a person who teaches students in a school. In this sentence, the students are listening attentively to the teacher, which means the students are paying close attention to what the teacher is saying.

Alternative Expressions

The students were all ears for the teacher.

Meaning: This means that the students were paying very close attention to what the teacher was saying. They were so focused that they were like all ears.

Choice of Words: Students are people who are learning, usually in a school or classroom. Were is a verb that means to be or exist. All ears is an idiom that means to be paying very close attention. Teacher is a person who teaches students in a school or classroom.

The students hung on the teacher's every word.

Meaning: This means that the students were paying very close attention to what the teacher was saying. They were so focused that they were like hanging on every word the teacher said.

Choice of Words: Students are people who are learning, usually in a school or classroom. Hung means to be suspended or attached to something. On is a preposition that means in contact with or supported by something. Teacher's is a possessive form of the word teacher, which means a person who teaches students in a school or classroom. Every means all or each one of. Word is a single unit of language that has meaning.

Related Expressions