determining responsibility for

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "determining responsibility for" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing the process of identifying who is accountable for a particular action or situation. Example: "The committee is focused on determining responsibility for the recent budget discrepancies."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

In a sport like hockey with brutal competition for roster spots and a culture that punishes players for refusing to play through pain, it is unrealistic and unfair to put the burden of disclosing injuries – particularly brain injuries – in determining responsibility for actions.

The Guardian - Sport

Fan and his colleagues lay out a common-sense approach to determining responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and use a complex formula based on accumulated emissions from 1950 to 2005 to quantify how much responsibility, in China's view, each nation should shoulder.

Forbes

All too often, the process of determining responsibility for cruise passengers becomes an inter-governmental game of hot potato.

Huffington Post

Difficulties were reported to be encountered in monitoring private practitioners (such as community pharmacists and NMPs working in the private sector), deciding how best to govern non-active NMPs or those who seldom prescribed, and determining responsibility for governing NMPs employed in general practice.

BMC Health Services Research

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Ford recommended independent arbitration in Venezuela to determine responsibility for the failures and compensation for accident victims.

The New York Times

Scott Gastel, a spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation, said his agency was working with other agencies to determine responsibility for the holes.

The New York Times

By agreeing to hear the appeal, the court prolonged an already 19-month effort to determine responsibility for the largest trading loss in banking history.

The New York Times

Yugoslavia's new foreign minister said today that the country should set up "truth commissions" to determine responsibility for the war crimes of its recent past.

The New York Times

The mountainous area around the ill-marked border is rife with militant activity and it is rarely possible to determine responsibility for each explosion.

The New York Times

The Energy Department said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been unable to determine responsibility for the June disappearance of the hard drives and found no evidence that the classified information they held had been compromised.

The New York Times

In the mid-1970s, Justice Landau served on the Agranat Commission, convened to determine responsibility for what was seen as Israel's lack of preparedness for the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, known as the Yom Kippur War.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "determining responsibility for", ensure the context clearly indicates the scope and method of the determination. Is it a legal, ethical, or practical determination?

Common error

Avoid using "determining responsibility for" when the intention is solely to assign blame. Responsibility can encompass broader duties and accountabilities beyond fault.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "determining responsibility for" acts as a noun phrase, often functioning as the subject or object of a sentence. It represents the action of finding out who is accountable for something. Ludwig AI confirms its appropriate usage in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Encyclopedias

5%

Academia

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "determining responsibility for" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase in written English, as confirmed by Ludwig. It serves the purpose of identifying who is accountable for a specific action or situation. While its frequency is uncommon, it appears most often in news and media, and scientific contexts, with a register that leans towards neutral to formal. When using this phrase, clarity and avoiding the conflation of responsibility with blame are crucial. Remember to consider alternative expressions like "establishing accountability for" or "identifying the responsible party for" based on your intended meaning. Overall, Ludwig's analysis suggests that "determining responsibility for" is a reliable and effective way to express the process of figuring out accountability.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

establishing accountability for

Focuses more directly on the act of making someone accountable, rather than just the process of determining responsibility.

ascertaining liability for

More legalistic, implying a formal finding of legal responsibility.

identifying the responsible party for

Highlights the identification of a specific person or group.

finding who is at fault for

Implies blame and is less neutral than "determining responsibility".

assessing culpability for

More focused on moral or ethical blameworthiness.

tracing the origins of

Focuses on the cause or source, rather than on who is responsible.

establishing the source of

Similar to tracing, focusing on origins rather than accountability.

pinpointing the cause of

Emphasizes finding the direct cause of an event, not necessarily a responsible party.

investigating accountability in

Focuses on the broader investigation of accountability.

defining the duties regarding

Focuses on the definition of duties instead of the action after a fact.

FAQs

What does "determining responsibility for" mean?

The phrase "determining responsibility for" refers to the process of figuring out who is accountable or answerable for a particular action, decision, or outcome.

What can I say instead of "determining responsibility for"?

You can use alternatives like "establishing accountability for", "ascertaining liability for", or "identifying the responsible party for" depending on the context.

In what contexts is "determining responsibility for" most appropriate?

This phrase is suitable in legal, ethical, and practical contexts where the goal is to identify who is accountable. It's especially useful in formal reports, investigations, and discussions about accountability.

Is there a difference between "determining responsibility for" and "determining liability for"?

Yes, while similar, "determining liability for" is more specific to legal contexts, implying a legal obligation or debt. "Determining responsibility for" is broader and can apply to moral, ethical, or practical obligations.