等 vs 等待 vs 等候（近义词）

1)The three verbs all mean "to remain till sb.expected comes or sth.happens":
2)The object of 等 is usually concrete,while that of 等待 can be abstract:
3)In examples①and②等 is preferred because it is concrete and colloquial.In example③and④等待 is better because the objects are abstract things.Owing to syllabic collocaton,one can say 等人(wait for someone),等信 (look forward to a letter),等票 (wait for a ticket),等车(wait for a bus),等船(wait for a ship),等钱（用）(expect some money)and 久等(a long wait),etc.,but 等待 cannot be used in such a way.

1)等候 takes a more concrete obiect (not as concrete as 等)，is more literary in style and sounds more formal;therefore,it is often used in phrases such as 等候通知(await notices),等候命令 (await orders),等候处理 (ready to be handled),等候任命 (await appointment),etc.,e.g.:
2)Since 等候 can be used on a formal occasion,it sometimes carries a polite tone:
3）In example①of1 等 in literary style can be replaced by 等候.
4）Viewed from another angle,等候 sounds more active,while 等待 can be passive,so one can say 消极等待 (passive wait),while 等候 is not so used.Besides,in situations like 等人 (wait for someone),等信 (expect a letter),等钱（用）(expect some money),久等 (a long wait),etc.,等候 cannot be used instead.