contingent
part of speech
adjective (contingent on/upon); noun (a contingent, contingents)
meaning for a pupil
1) (adjective, formal) Depending on something else happening first: «The trip is contingent on good weather.» tree →
2) (noun) A group of people who belong to a larger group, sent or gathered together: «a contingent of soldiers», «the Irish contingent». tree →
3) (adjective, formal) Possible but not certain; that may or may not happen. tree →
sense in the lessons
A formal exam word. In maths word problems or rules, «contingent on» means «only if»: the prize is contingent on getting all answers right. In news and sport, «a contingent» is a group: «the school's contingent at the parade». Phrases: «contingent on», «contingent upon», «a large contingent of».
examples
- Our trip to the zoo is contingent on everyone bringing a signed form. tree →
- Your pocket money is contingent upon tidying your room. tree →
- A contingent of firefighters marched in the parade. tree →
- The Scottish contingent cheered loudest at the games. tree →
- His place in the team is contingent on passing his fitness test. tree →
- A small contingent of parents stayed to help clear up. tree →
note
Adjective use goes with «on» or «upon». Noun is countable. Related: «contingency» (a possible future event; «a contingency plan» = a backup plan). Formal; in speech say «depends on» or «a group of». Logic: «A is contingent on B» means no B, no A.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «contingent» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.