Catch somebody's attention

 

Q:

Some days ago I was watching a TV program on Discovery channel. It was an episode of "The Medical Detectives." The narrator said, "There was a fact that caught the inspector's attention..."

I am aware of the verbal expressions "draw attention," "call attention" and "pay attention." I don't know whether it is correct or not to say "caught my attention."

Horacio Abud
sienct@movi.com.ar

A:

Yes, to catch someone's attention is a very good phrase. It means to "attract or to capture someone's attention."

You might use it in sentences like these:

We tried to catch the waiter's attention.
If you want to catch the child's attention, call his name in a pleasant way.
Advertisers always want to catch their readers' attention.