ability to help others

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "ability to help others" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express an individual's willingness and capacity to offer help to others whenever necessary. For example, "Rebecca's willingness to take on extra tasks showed her strong ability to help others."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

28 human-written examples

That gives her the ability to help others to reach for big things".

The Guardian

They have helped me and have given me the ability to help others.

The Guardian

In the Public Theater's production, Mr. Thomas's Timon seemed genuinely heartened by his ability to help others.

The New York Times

I am a very outgoing and compassionate person, and the ability to help others brings energy to my practice.

Cornell University

In addition to their many successful business ventures, Bandi and Susanne cherished their ability to help others in need, especially in Israel where he was a regular visitor.

The New York Times

That ability to help others see from an artist's perspective was the reason Ms. Edwards decided to write her book, she said in an e-mail message.

The New York Times - Tech

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

Participants found the trainings helpful for their own well-being, as well as for their increased ability to help other survivors.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science

The "Grow" part of the Facebook strategy, meanwhile, refers to the company's ability to help other developers scale their businesses on Facebook, the newest aspect to this being Facebook's mobile app install ads.

TechCrunch

"But the sad thing is having the ability to help other people, and most of the time just not doing it.

Huffington Post

The interest we charge and collect is passed on to the next family for the most part, because the money returns to the pool and gives the foundation the ability to help other families.

HuffPost

Not ratifying the treaty would hinder our nation's ability to help other countries improve standards of care for persons with disabilities, and it would adversely affect Americans with disabilities who are working, studying and traveling abroad.

Los Angeles Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing someone's positive qualities, use "ability to help others" to showcase their compassion and willingness to support those in need.

Common error

Avoid using "ability to help others" when referring to actions that primarily benefit oneself; this phrase should denote genuine altruism and support for others.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "ability to help others" functions as a noun phrase. As Ludwig AI points out, it expresses an individual's capacity and readiness to provide assistance, often highlighting positive character traits.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

52%

Academia

28%

Wiki

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Science

6%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "ability to help others" is a widely used and understood expression that highlights someone's capacity and willingness to support others. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and suitable for a range of contexts. Analysis of example sentences reveals that it is commonly used in News & Media and Academia. While closely related phrases such as "capacity to assist others" and "potential to support others" offer nuanced variations, the core meaning remains consistent: the power and inclination to provide aid and support to those in need.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

capacity to assist others

Replaces "ability" with "capacity" and "help" with "assist", emphasizing the potential to provide aid.

potential to support others

Substitutes "ability" with "potential" and "help" with "support", highlighting the possibility of giving assistance.

capability to aid others

Uses "capability" instead of "ability" and "aid" instead of "help", focusing on the inherent power to assist.

skill in assisting others

Replaces "ability" with "skill", emphasizing the learned expertise in aiding others and uses "assisting" instead of "help".

aptitude for helping others

Changes "ability" to "aptitude", focusing on the natural inclination to provide assistance and uses "helping" instead of "help".

talent for assisting others

Substitutes "ability" with "talent", highlighting a natural gift for providing aid and uses "assisting" instead of "help".

power to empower others

Emphasizes the strength to give others power.

strength to support others

Focuses on the resilience needed to assist.

resourcefulness in aiding others

Highlights the clever use of resources to provide assistance and uses "aiding" instead of "help".

effectiveness in assisting others

Focuses on the measure of how well you are doing when giving support and uses "assisting" instead of "help".

FAQs

How can I use "ability to help others" in a sentence?

You can use "ability to help others" to describe someone's capacity for compassion and support, such as, "Her strong sense of empathy demonstrated her remarkable ability to help others".

What is a good alternative to "ability to help others"?

Alternatives include "capacity to assist others", "potential to support others", or "skill in assisting others", depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

Is it better to say "ability to help others" or "ability in helping others"?

"Ability to help others" is generally preferred because it's more concise and direct. "Ability in helping others" isn't incorrect, but it's less common.

How does "ability to help others" differ from "willingness to help others"?

"Ability to help others" refers to the capacity or skill to provide assistance, while "willingness to help others" refers to the readiness or inclination to do so. One focuses on capability, the other on motivation.