Oversight meaning in English

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Definition

an oversight: an omission, an error, a mistake, negligence noun
Due to an oversight on my part, we will have to look at the budget proposal again. I made a mistake and forgot to consider an important part of the expenses.

UK: Due to an oversight, we have not paid the bill.
US: The letter was sent unsigned thanks to my unfortunate oversight.

Examples

  • "I am writing to you because I have a bit of a problem. Due to a production oversight in our Paris manufacturing plant, we have an enormous surplus of last year's fragrance "Bordello Breeze"."
  • "Due to an unfortunate oversight on Polly's part (she has since been chastised), this wasn't noticed until today, roughly five and half months since the two of you joined the team. What I'm saying is that you two must visit company physician Dr. Bob Loblaw sometime within the next two weeks."
Exercise 1
An oversight is:

An oversight is:
As a noun, an "oversight" is a mistake or an error caused by inattention or negligence. Kevin writes that the surplus bottles were created as a result of a "production oversight". It is implied that the supervisor in Paris is responsible for this "oversight".
An "oversight" is not actually a piece of equipment, but an error.
An "oversight" can indeed be a problem, but it is never due to sabotage.
An "oversight" is not a person, but an error. An "oversight committee" is a group of people who supervise or survey others. There is a senate oversight committee in the United States whose job is to review the activities of Federal agencies and programs.
Exercise 2
Let's take a look at some of the interesting terms used in Bruno's email!

"Due to an unfortunate oversight..." --> In this context, an oversight is .

"It's been roughly five and half months..." --> In this context, roughly means .

"All new employees... must undergo a physical examination" --> In this context, to undergo is .
Let's take a look at some of the interesting terms used in Bruno's email!

"Due to an unfortunate oversight..." --> In this context, an oversight is a mistake 1.

"It's been roughly five and half months..." --> In this context, roughly means approximately 2.

"All new employees... must undergo a physical examination" --> In this context, to undergo is go through 3.
1 a mistake: An "oversight" is a mistake or error, usually caused by inattention or negligence. Bruno writes that because of Polly's mistake, Brian and Donna weren't informed that they had to visit the doctor.
1 an accident: An "oversight" is not an accident, rather it is caused by inattention or negligence.
1 a vision problem: An "oversight" is unrelated to vision (literally, at least).
1 a poor decision: An "oversight" is a mistake or error, generally involuntary. It can't be considered a poor decision.
2 approximately: The adverb "roughly" has two meanings, but in this context is synonymous with "approximately". This use is very common in English. The literal meaning of "roughly" describes a brusque or violent action, (one which isn't gentle).
2 precisely: The term "roughly" describes something "imprecise" or "approximate", not "precise"!
2 under: The term "roughly" describes something "imprecise" or "approximate", but not necessarily "under" or "less than" a given number or quantity.
2 over: The term "roughly" describes something "imprecise" or "approximate", but not necessarily "over" or "more than" a given number or quantity.
3 go through: The verb "to undergo" is commonly associated with "procedures", "operations" and examinations. It expresses a passive sense of receiving an action (rather than the active sense of a verb like "to undertake"), and is synonymous with "have" or go through in this context. Here the term indicates that Brian and Donna must "have" physical examinations.
3 witness: "To witness" means to observe or see, however the term doesn't share a similar meaning with "to undergo", which in this context indicates participating in an action (a physical examination).
3 schedule: The verb "to undergo" is unrelated to "scheduling" or "programming" an event or action.
3 reschedule: The verb "to undergo" is unrelated to "scheduling" or "programming" an event or action.

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