apply a penalty

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "apply a penalty" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where a consequence or punishment is being enforced for a violation of rules or regulations. Example: "If the player violates the rules, the referee will apply a penalty to the team."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

Underwood also asked that Trump be banned from leading any other New York nonprofit organization for 10 years — seeking to apply a penalty usually reserved for the operators of small-time charity frauds to the president of the United States.

The Washington Post

Some come with a curfew, and apply a penalty for driving after 11pm.

BBC

As we allow soft-constraints, namely the pairwise constraints could be wrong, we apply a penalty function on each constraint violation.

Smart Learning Environments

To then apply a penalty to punish something that people have varying degrees of control over seems to be not just counterproductive but morally dubious".

BBC

Based on these observations, it is proposed to apply a penalty offset to the perspective mode MAD to ensure that this mode is only selected when it is reasonably better than the translational mode, thus increasing the probability of obtaining better SI quality.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

For domain scientists, this problem is akin to one of fitting a model (e.g., a polynomial of order n) to data in those cases, information criterion approaches allow one to apply a penalty on the polynomials of higher order (due to larger available degrees of freedom) that must be overcome for models with higher n to be preferred over those with lower n.

Advanced Structural and Chemical Imaging

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

The bill says that banks generally must wait until you're 60 days late in making the minimum payment before applying a penalty interest rate to your existing debt.

The New York Times

While the proposed model attempts to minimize the total costs of the relief chain, it implicitly maximizes people's satisfaction level in the affected areas through applying a penalty to shortages of relief commodities.

Applied Mathematical Modelling

The primary intent of this factor is twofold: to encourage the use of "ductile" anchorage systems – defined in ACI 318 provisions – by applying a penalty factor to "non-ductile" anchors, and to increase design forces on "non-ductile" anchors to more representative of design-level loading.

Journal of Building Engineering

Here, authors have applied a reverse approach that applies a penalty if the client does not meet the SLA agreements.

Journal of Cloud Computing

Limiting the influence of proper names is implemented by applying a penalty to the term frequency, according to (13).

EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "apply a penalty", ensure the context clearly defines the rule or standard that was violated and the specific consequence being enforced.

Common error

Avoid using "apply a penalty" in casual conversation or informal writing where simpler terms like "punish" or "give a consequence" would be more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "apply a penalty" functions as a verb phrase, where "apply" is the verb and "a penalty" is the direct object. It indicates the action of imposing a consequence for a violation, as Ludwig AI suggests, this is commonly used for negative consequences. The existing examples highlight its usage in various contexts, from sports to legal or regulatory settings.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

43%

News & Media

43%

Academia

14%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "apply a penalty" is a grammatically correct verb phrase used to describe the act of imposing a consequence for a violation of rules or standards. According to Ludwig AI, it is appropriate for situations where a punishment or sanction is being enforced. While not exceptionally frequent, it is more commonly found in science and news contexts, as demonstrated by Ludwig. Alternatives such as "impose a sanction" or "enforce a punishment" offer similar meanings. When using "apply a penalty", it's best to specify the rule that was broken and the resulting consequence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

enforce a punishment

Highlights the act of making sure a penalty is carried out.

administer consequences

Focuses on the act of giving or managing the results of an action or condition.

impose a sanction

Focuses on a formal punishment or restriction.

levy a fine

Specifically refers to imposing a monetary penalty.

assess a charge

Highlights the act of determining and imposing a fee or cost as a consequence.

place a surcharge

Implies adding an extra fee to an existing cost.

exact retribution

Emphasizes exacting revenge or a punitive measure.

inflict a disadvantage

Stresses causing a drawback or handicap.

decree a forfeit

Refers to ordering the loss of something as a penalty.

mete out justice

Implies dispensing fair or deserved punishment.

FAQs

How can I use "apply a penalty" in a sentence?

The phrase "apply a penalty" is generally used in formal or semi-formal contexts when referring to enforcing consequences for violations. For example: "The referee will "apply a penalty" if the player fouls."

What are some alternatives to "apply a penalty"?

Depending on the specific context, you could use phrases like "impose a sanction", "levy a fine", or "enforce a punishment" as alternatives to "apply a penalty".

Is there a difference between "apply a penalty" and "impose a penalty"?

While both phrases convey the idea of enforcing a consequence, "apply a penalty" is generally used when referring to a specific rule or standard that has been violated, while "impose a penalty" might be used in a broader sense of assigning a punishment.

Which phrase is more appropriate: "apply a penalty" or "give a penalty"?

"Apply a penalty" is more formal and grammatically correct than "give a penalty". "Give a penalty" is less common in formal writing and sounds conversational.