responsibility

«responsibility» in Mova's school dictionary: a duty or job you are expected to do or look after… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (responsibility, a responsibility, responsibilities)

meaning for a pupil

1) A responsibility is a duty or job you are expected to do or look after («Feeding the fish is my responsibility»). tree →

2) Responsibility is being trusted to do the right thing and to take care without being watched. tree →

3) Responsibility for something bad means being the one who caused it or should own up to it («take responsibility for the broken window»). tree →

sense in the lessons

In PSHE and everyday life pupils learn responsibilities at home and school (class jobs, homework, pets, looking after belongings) and taking responsibility for mistakes by owning up and putting them right. Rights come with responsibilities. Phrases: «take responsibility», «a sense of responsibility», «responsibility for», «it's your responsibility».

examples

• Looking after the class hamster is a big responsibility. tree →
• It is your responsibility to pack your PE kit. tree →
• He took responsibility for breaking the vase and said sorry. tree →
• Being a prefect comes with responsibilities. tree →
• The lifeguard has responsibility for everyone in the pool. tree →
• Every right comes with a responsibility. tree →
• My sister is showing more responsibility now that she is ten. tree →
• Who has responsibility for locking the door? tree →

note

Plural «responsibilities». Adjective «responsible». Spelling trap: «-sibility», with an i after the s. Taking responsibility is not the same as taking blame for something you did not do.

In the corpora

• A promotion is a move up to a more senior job in the same organisation, usually with more responsibility and more pay.
• It depends on its family every day of its life, so looking after it is a responsibility.
• Looking after a pet is a responsibility for its whole life, even when you are tired of it.
• "Rowing" is a UK word for arguing; "it's not on you" means it is not your responsibility.
• Responsibility means taking care of your duties and owning the results of your actions.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «responsibility» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.