respective heads of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "respective heads of" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to refer to the leaders or supervisors of two or more distinct groups or teams. For example, "The mayor invited the respective heads of the school district and the police department to a meeting to discuss safety protocols."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

She and Bolton could meet and brandish the respective heads of Boutros Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan to prove their machismo.

The Guardian - Opinion

On 4 July, Fabiola Gianotti and Joe Incandela, the respective heads of the Atlas and CMS groups, described the Higgs boson in back-to-back presentations at Cern, the particle physics lab near Geneva.

The Guardian

The respective heads of the House and Senate Budget Committees, John Spratt, Jr., of South Carolina, and Kent Conrad, of North Dakota, have spent years trying to control the deficit.

The New Yorker

Scientists and engineers at the lab, many exhausted from working round the clock in recent weeks, clapped and whistled as Joe Incandela and Fabiola Gianotti, the respective heads of the Large Hadron Collider detector teams called CMS and Atlas, presented their results for the first time.

The Guardian

TRW named Philip A. Odeen, who was retiring as executive vice president for Washington operations, as its nonexecutive chairman, and pulled Timothy Hannemann and John Plant, the respective heads of TRW's aerospace and automotive businesses, into a makeshift office of the chief executive.

The New York Times

Not only the British, but Dutch and German papers have been examining the pay and perks of the EU's civil servants and commissioners - some of whom earn more than their respective heads of government.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Therefore highly standardized interviews with the respective head of information technology (CIO, IT manager) were conducted for selected hospitals from the different regions.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

In order to answer the research questions, highly standardized interviews with the respective head of information technology (CIO, IT manager) - indicated by the respective organizations - were conducted for the selected hospitals.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

All the institutions were visited and after explaining the study objectives and protocol, due approval was obtained from the respective head of the institution for inclusion in the study.

BMJ Open

Escher would later master these techniques, turning architecture and design on their respective heads with his incredibly ornate, mathematically-inspired body of work.

Vice

The schools were chosen on the basis of individual negotiations with the respective head-teachers, and out of the total number of 42 (= 6 × 7) schools, 41 eventually agreed to take part in the study.

BMC Public Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "respective heads of", ensure it's clear which groups or entities each head is associated with to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "respective heads of" when the groups being referred to have not been clearly defined earlier in the text. Always establish the context first.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "respective heads of" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the subject or object in a sentence. It identifies specific individuals holding leadership positions within different entities. Ludwig shows this phrase in diverse contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "respective heads of" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase that denotes the leaders or supervisors of distinct groups or entities. While not exceedingly common, its usage is appropriate across a variety of contexts, notably in News & Media and Science domains, as evidenced by the Ludwig examples. It’s vital to ensure clarity regarding which groups the heads belong to. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase follows standard grammar rules and provides numerous real-world examples.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

corresponding leaders of

Replaces "respective heads" with "corresponding leaders", emphasizing the parallel nature of leadership.

individual chiefs of

Substitutes "heads" with "chiefs" which changes it with leaders, while retaining the individual focus.

separate supervisors of

Uses "supervisors" instead of "heads", highlighting a supervisory role, and clarifies the distinct nature with "separate".

different managers of

Replaces "heads" with "managers", focusing on a management function within distinct entities.

various directors of

Employs "directors" to indicate a directing role, emphasizing variety among the entities.

each leader of

Focuses on individual leadership within each entity, simplifying the original phrase.

the head of each

Inverts the structure to emphasize the "head" within each separate entity.

leadership of their respective

Emphasizes "leadership" as an abstract concept, rather than the individuals.

authorities in charge of each

Highlights the "authorities" and their responsibility over each entity.

the supervisors for each

Highlights the supervisory role for each group.

FAQs

How can I use "respective heads of" in a sentence?

Use "respective heads of" to refer to the leaders of different groups. For example, "The project was approved by the respective heads of the engineering and marketing departments."

What's an alternative to "respective heads of"?

Alternatives include "corresponding leaders of" or "individual chiefs of", depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "respective head of" instead of "respective heads of"?

No, it's generally incorrect. "Respective heads of" is used when referring to multiple leaders of multiple entities. If you're referring to a single head, the phrasing would change.

How does "respective heads of" differ from "heads of their respective departments"?

While similar, "respective heads of" is more concise and often used when the departments or groups are already clear in the context. "Heads of their respective departments" provides more explicit clarification.