Duty meaning in English
Learn how to use Duty correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
a duty: an obligation, a responsibility, a commitment
Many Americans believe that it is their duty to vote. They feel it is a real obligation.
Examples
- "His duties include photocopying and making tea and coffee."
- "Some clerical duties."
- "Subject: Cleaning Duty"
- "Sigourney : Well Bruno, it's my duty as a journalist to report on the facts."
- "It is my sad duty to inform you that I am resigning from my positions as Head of Research and Development and Most Handsome Man at the Delavigne Corporation, effective immediately."
- "Could you describe your duties at the Delavigne Corporation?"
- "Leonard : Mr. Delavigne, my comrades have need to speak with you, and as a result of the collective bargaining agreement signed three years ago, it's my duty to negotiate workers' rights and grievances with the employer."
- "Some will fulfill their military duties and fight in Vietnam."
- "Miss Bliss does seem more than capable of fulfilling her duties as the director of public relations, and she even gave me a very concise explanation on rudimentary marketing strategies in foreign markets."
Exercise 1
The Delavigne Corporation is looking for a candidate with various qualifications.
They are looking for someone who:
There may be more than one correct choice!
They are looking for someone who:
There may be more than one correct choice!
The Delavigne Corporation is looking for a candidate with various qualifications.
They are looking for someone who:
There may be more than one correct choice!
They are looking for someone who:
There may be more than one correct choice!
The advertisement indicates that "some clerical duties" are required for the position. "Clerical duties" are various office tasks including organization and administration, filing and taking care of correspondence. A "duty" is a "task" or "responsibility".
The advertisement offers "medical benefits" for the manager, however this isn't a requirement, but rather a benefit for whoever gets the job.
There is nothing in the advertisement that suggests the person who applies for this job must have sales experience.
The job advert says "Must be based locally". This means the person they are looking for has to live in (or near to) San Francisco, the city where the Delavigne offices are located. "Must" (without a subject) is often used like this in adverts to say something is obligatory.
The advertisement asks for a "reliable" person. "Reliable" and "dependable" share a similar meaning. Both terms indicate a "trustworthy", "capable" person who can be counted on.
Exercise 2
Complete the sentences below with the following terms, all of which were used in the conversation. You'll need your drag and drop skills here.
At breakfast, Philip was reading The Modern Perfumer, as it is his to keep up to date on the latest industry news. , he does find this task rather boring. In fact, he reads the articles at all: he mostly just looks at the pictures. Later in the day, Bruno tested Philip to check that he had read the latest issue of The Modern Perfumer. He gave Philip a from one of the articles, and asked Philip if he recognised it. "In a situation like this", thought Philip to himself, " are the best tactic".
At breakfast, Philip was reading The Modern Perfumer, as it is his to keep up to date on the latest industry news. , he does find this task rather boring. In fact, he reads the articles at all: he mostly just looks at the pictures. Later in the day, Bruno tested Philip to check that he had read the latest issue of The Modern Perfumer. He gave Philip a from one of the articles, and asked Philip if he recognised it. "In a situation like this", thought Philip to himself, " are the best tactic".
Complete the sentences below with the following terms, all of which were used in the conversation. You'll need your drag and drop skills here.
At breakfast, Philip was reading The Modern Perfumer, as it is his duty 1 to keep up to date on the latest industry news. nonetheless 2, he does find this task rather boring. In fact, he hardly 3 reads the articles at all: he mostly just looks at the pictures. Later in the day, Bruno tested Philip to check that he had read the latest issue of The Modern Perfumer. He gave Philip a quote 4 from one of the articles, and asked Philip if he recognised it. "In a situation like this", thought Philip to himself, "lies 5 are the best tactic".
At breakfast, Philip was reading The Modern Perfumer, as it is his duty 1 to keep up to date on the latest industry news. nonetheless 2, he does find this task rather boring. In fact, he hardly 3 reads the articles at all: he mostly just looks at the pictures. Later in the day, Bruno tested Philip to check that he had read the latest issue of The Modern Perfumer. He gave Philip a quote 4 from one of the articles, and asked Philip if he recognised it. "In a situation like this", thought Philip to himself, "lies 5 are the best tactic".
1 duty: This is the best choice here. The term "duty" shares a similar meaning with "obligation" or "requirement". This requirement can, for example, be moral or legal. Example: "It is my duty to inform you that your husband has a mistress". This is the same use of the term as in the conversation, when Sigourney says "it's my duty as a journalist to report on the facts", meaning that it is her obligation or responsibility to report the facts.
2 nonetheless: This is the best choice here. The term "nonetheless" shares a similar meaning with "however" or "nevertheless". These terms are used to contrast ideas. Example: "I don't enjoy watching football. But thanks for offering me the ticket nonetheless." This is the same usage as in the conversation, when Sigourney says "I can't guarantee anything, but thanks for calling nonetheless".
3 hardly: This is the best choice here. The term "hardly" shares a similar meaning with "barely", "scarcely", or "only just". Example: "I could hardly see because of all the smoke in the air". This is the same usage of the term as in the conversation, when Bruno quotes from Sigourney's article: "Bruno Delavigne is hardly fit to run a company".
4 quote: This is the best choice here. A "quote" is a "quotation" or "citation": words which are taken from elsewhere (e.g. a book, an article), and repeated. Example: "I found a useful Goethe quote online". This is the same usage of the term as in the conversation, when Bruno says "listen to this quote".
5 lies: This is the best choice here. "Lies" is the plural form of the term "lie". A "lie" is a "false statement", an "untruth", or a "deliberate deception". Example: "When I was a child, I used to tell lies to my teacher about my homework". This is the same usage of the term as in the conversation, when Bruno describes Sigourney's article as "slander and lies".
Exercise 3
The Delavigne Corporation is looking for a candidate who:
There may be more than one correct choice here!
There may be more than one correct choice here!
The Delavigne Corporation is looking for a candidate who:
There may be more than one correct choice here!
There may be more than one correct choice here!
The job advert says 'Must be based locally'. This means the person they are looking for has to live in (or near to) San Francisco, the city where the Delavigne offices are located. 'Must' (without a subject) is often used like this in adverts to say something is obligatory.
The advertisement indicates that the position will involve 'some clerical duties'. 'Clerical duties' are various office tasks including organization and administration, filing and taking care of correspondence. A 'duty' is a 'task' or 'responsibility'.
This is the only false statement here. The advertisement states 'no recruiters please'. 'Recruiters' are 'head-hunters' or human resources professionals. 'No recruiters' means that the Delavigne Corporation only wants applications from individual candidates, not companies representing a pool of job-seekers.
The advertisement asks for a 'reliable' person. 'Reliable' and 'dependable' share a similar meaning. Both terms indicate a 'trustworthy', 'capable' person who can be 'counted on' to do their work.
Exercise 4
According to the context of the dialogue, why does Bruno say to Susie: "We're a business"?
According to the context of the dialogue, why does Bruno say to Susie: "We're a business"?
This is incorrect. Although Bruno is stressing that Philip's argument is pertinent, he does not say this to ensure Susie's comprehension. It's obvious that Susie understands what has been said. Bruno's comment illustrates his agreement with Philip's concerns.
This is incorrect. "We're a business" has no relationship to the civic obligations of the Delavigne Corporation.
This is incorrect. If Bruno wanted to remind Susie that "teamwork" is important, he would not say "we're a business". He might simply say: "We're a team".
This is the best choice here. Bruno says: "We're a business" to show his agreement with Philip's concerns regarding the OILS charter. Philip's main argument is that accepting the charter would cause a substantial increase in manufacturing costs and reduce the Delavigne's profit margins. As a sensible and successful businessman, Bruno is aware that a business must make a profit in order to survive.
Exercise 5
According to the letter, McGillicutty's has their products to the public.
According to the letter, McGillicutty's has taken satisfaction in offering their products to the public.
taken satisfaction in offering: This is the best choice here. The letter states: "We here at McGillicutty's pride ourselves on providing the public with the finest soaps and soap products since 1909". To "pride oneself" in an action means to take pleasure, satisfaction or honor in a particular action.
seen it as their duty to offer: The letter states that McGillicutty's "prides themselves" in offering their products to the public, but this expression does not indicate that the company feels that it is their "duty" or "obligation" to do so.
made a lot of money by offering: The letter states that McGillicutty's "prides themselves" on offering their products to the public, but this expression does not carry any financial implications.
become very famous by offering: The letter states that McGillicutty's "prides themselves" on offering their products to the public, but this expression does not indicate anything about the company's "reputation" or "fame".
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