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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

How to Use 'Tend' Correctly: Meanings & Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：have a tendency (tend)

tend 🔊

/tend/

To usually or often do something, or to be likely to happen in a particular way.

have a tendency 🔊

➕

/hæv ə ˈten.dən.si/

Describes a common pattern or probability.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'tendere' meaning 'to stretch, extend', leading to senses of 'incline' or 'attend to'.

💡 Mnemonic

TEND rhymes with BEND; things that TEND to bend are likely to move in a certain direction.

📖 Example

Young children in the afternoon tend to get sleepy and need a short nap. 🔊 Young children in the afternoon often feel sleepy and need a short nap.

🔗 Collocations

tend to do something – often does a particular thing

tend towards something – have a general inclination in a specific direction

tend to be – is usually a certain way

🔄 Synonyms

incline (v.) – to have a tendency or preference

lean (v.) – to show a tendency or preference

be prone to (phrase) – having a tendency, especially to something undesirable

🚫 Antonyms

avoid (v.) – to stay away from or not do something

resist (v.) – to withstand the action or effect of something

🌱 Derivatives

tendency (n.) – an inclination towards a particular characteristic or action

trend (n.) – a general direction in which something is developing or changing

📖 Cultural Story

The verb 'tend' entered English via Old French from Latin 'tendere' (to stretch). Its core idea of 'stretching toward' something evolved into two main modern meanings: the inclination toward a state (tend to be sleepy) and the act of stretching one's attention to care for something (tend a garden).

Meaning 2：care for (tend)

tend 🔊

/tend/

To take care of or look after someone or something, like a garden, a shop, or a person who needs help.

care for 🔊

➕

/keər fɔːr/

To provide care and attention.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Her grandmother loves to tend the small vegetable garden behind her house every morning. 🔊 Her grandmother enjoys caring for the small vegetable garden behind her house every morning.

🔗 Collocations

tend a garden – take care of a garden by watering, weeding, etc.

tend the sick – look after people who are ill

tend bar – serve drinks at a bar

🔄 Synonyms

nurture (v.) – to care for and encourage growth or development

cultivate (v.) – to prepare and use land for crops; to try to develop a skill or quality

look after (phrasal v.) – to take care of someone or something

🚫 Antonyms

neglect (v.) – to fail to care for properly

ignore (v.) – to refuse to take notice of

🌱 Derivatives

attendant (n.) – a person employed to provide a service or look after a place

tending (n.) – the act of caring for or looking after