Mandatory meaning in English

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Definition

mandatory: obligatory, necessary, essential, compulsory adjective
Your attendance at the meeting is mandatory. You must go even if you don't want to.

UK: Smart clothes are mandatory for all members of staff.
US: It's mandatory that all students learn a foreign language.

Examples

  • "The trip is funded 100% by the company, including the mandatory bear insurance."
  • "Attendance is mandatory!"
  • "Just to be clear: Mandatory, unpaid holiday."
  • "Anyway, feel free to use the gym at your leisure, though keep in mind that the workouts are mandatory."
  • "Bruno has decided not to take any disciplinary action for this massive error in judgment, however he has decided that you should undergo a mandatory session with me in HR for some pointers."
  • "Voting is mandatory down under, and the law is applied rigorously."
  • "She will be visiting our offices on Friday, September 24 to conduct a Technology Sensitivity Seminar, which will be mandatory for all staff members."
  • "Nothing is mandatory, however she will be holding group therapy sessions once a month."
  • "In fact, I think this movie should really be considered an educational film. Maybe it should be made mandatory for young children."
  • "I repeat, attendance is mandatory!"
Exercise 1
True or False? Being familiar with the cosmetics industry is mandatory for this position.

True or False? Being familiar with the cosmetics industry is mandatory for this position.
This statement is true. In the text, we read "Extensive knowledge of cosmetics industry a must!" which indicates that the person to be hired for this position must know about the cosmetics industry, and that this knowledge is required or "mandatory" for this position. If something is "mandatory", it is "required", "necessary", or "essential".
This statement is not false.
Exercise 2
Choose the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!

Choose the TRUE statement(s) from the list below.

There may be more than one correct answer!
Donna has been hired as the new staff "psychologist". A "psychologist" is not a full medical doctor, but a scientist or clinician who studies psychology. "A nurse" is trained medical professional who generally aids doctors in their work. Donna is not a nurse.
Bruno tells the staff that meetings with Donna are not "mandatory". A "mandatory (meeting)" is required or obligatory. Appointments with Donna are NOT obligatory.
Bruno assures the staff that any information they wish to share with Donna is completely confidential. "Confidential" and "private" are synonymous in this context. Both terms indicate that information will be protected or kept secret from other people.
Exercise 3
One last question!

Wendy says that "voting is mandatory" in Australia. This means that:

One last question!

Wendy says that "voting is mandatory" in Australia. This means that:
This is the best choice here. The term "mandatory" means "obligatory" or "essential": something you must do. Here's another example: "Smart clothing is mandatory in the office: you can't wear jeans".
The term "mandatory" does not refer to the number of people who do something.
The term "mandatory" does not refer to paying people to do something.
The term "mandatory" does not refer to the number of people who do something.
Exercise 4
Choose the TRUE statements according to this letter.

There may be more than one correct answer!

Choose the TRUE statements according to this letter.

There may be more than one correct answer!
This statement is false. The decision to fire Karen is actually more "costly" or "expensive" than it would have been to accept her resignation. Hannah's decision to fire Karen will cost the company two months of salary as well as a "generous severance package".
This statement is true. Instead of taking disciplinary action, Bruno has decided that Hannah must receive (or "undergo") HR training with Luna DeLune. This training is "mandatory" or "obligatory".
There is no indication that this is the case. Management (Bruno) is unhappy because Hannah fired Karen Hughes rather than accepting her resignation.
This statement is not true. There is no indication in this letter that management prefers employees to be fired rather than letting them resign. In fact, in the case of Karen Hughes, Bruno would have preferred that she be allowed to resign.
This statement is true. Luna writes that Hannah's decision to fire Karen "makes no sense whatsoever". She also writes that Bruno will not "take disciplinary action for (Hannah's) massive error in judgment". The purpose of this letter is to explain to Hannah that her decision to fire Karen was a poor one.
Exercise 5
True or False? Being familiar with the cosmetics industry is mandatory for this position.

True or False? Being familiar with the cosmetics industry is mandatory for this position.
This statement is true. In the job advertisement, we read 'Extensive knowledge of cosmetics industry a must!' which indicates that the person 'must' or 'needs to' know about the cosmetics industry. 'A must' is an 'essential', 'crucial', or 'obligatory' item or characteristic. If something is 'mandatory', it is 'required', 'necessary', or 'essential'.
This statement is not false.

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