suprunp
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2011
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Ukrainian
- Home Country
- Ukraine
- Current Location
- Ukraine
American Heritage Dictionary
v. tr.
1. To gain as an objective; achieve:
attain a diploma by hard work.
v. intr.
To succeed in a directed effort, process, or progression:
eventually attained to wisdom. (He who has attained to only some degree of freedom of mind... [I've just read this in one book and it was actually the cause of my posting this question])
Collins
1. (tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc.)
2. (intr; often foll by to) to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
Q: I just can't quite put my finger on the difference between the transitive and intransitive usage of the verb "attain". Can it be that the former lays stress on my achievement/accomplishment of something, whereas the latter accentuates my efforts/energy I had to put in while achieving/accomplishing something?
Thanks.
v. tr.
1. To gain as an objective; achieve:
attain a diploma by hard work.
v. intr.
To succeed in a directed effort, process, or progression:
eventually attained to wisdom. (He who has attained to only some degree of freedom of mind... [I've just read this in one book and it was actually the cause of my posting this question])
Collins
1. (tr) to achieve or accomplish (a task, goal, aim, etc.)
2. (intr; often foll by to) to arrive (at) with effort or exertion
Q: I just can't quite put my finger on the difference between the transitive and intransitive usage of the verb "attain". Can it be that the former lays stress on my achievement/accomplishment of something, whereas the latter accentuates my efforts/energy I had to put in while achieving/accomplishing something?
Thanks.