Responsibility is a duty or obligation that you are expected to fulfil; the state of being accountable for your actions or decisions; or the cause of a particular event or outcome. Example: Taking responsibility for your own learning is the key to making fast progress.
What Does Responsibility Mean?
Responsibility comes from the Latin verb respondere, meaning "to answer" or "to pledge". The deeper root is spondere — "to promise solemnly" — which also gives English the words sponsor, spouse, and respond. The adjective responsible entered English in the 17th century, with the abstract noun responsibility following by the early 18th century.
In modern British English the word carries three distinct senses. First, it describes a specific duty or task assigned to a person: Managing the team's budget is part of her responsibility. Second, it expresses accountability — acknowledging that you are the person who must answer for a result, good or bad: He accepted responsibility for the delay. Third, it can denote causation — identifying who or what brought about an event: The investigation placed responsibility for the fire on faulty wiring.
The word is indispensable in academic writing, professional communication, and ethical discussion. Mastering its collocations and grammar patterns will raise the register of your English significantly at B2 level and above.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & Usage note |
|---|---|
| It is your responsibility to lock the door when you leave. | A2 — basic obligation |
| Taking responsibility for your own learning is the key to making fast progress. | B1 — gerund as subject |
| She accepted full responsibility for the mistake and apologised to the team. | B1 — collocation: accept responsibility |
| The government has a responsibility to ensure that public funds are spent wisely. | B2 — institutional duty + infinitive |
| Corporate social responsibility requires companies to consider their environmental and social impact alongside profit. | C1 — formal compound noun in academic context |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| take responsibility | You must take responsibility for your own choices. |
| accept responsibility | The director accepted responsibility for the error. |
| bear responsibility | All parties bear some responsibility for the breakdown in talks. |
| personal responsibility | Personal responsibility is a core value in many workplaces. |
| sense of responsibility | She shows a remarkable sense of responsibility for her age. |
| moral responsibility | We have a moral responsibility to protect the environment. |
| joint responsibility | Raising children is a joint responsibility. |
| sole responsibility | He cannot bear sole responsibility for what happened. |
| corporate social responsibility | The report outlines the firm's corporate social responsibility targets. |
| responsibility for + noun | She has responsibility for the marketing department. |
Usage Notes
Key Grammar Patterns
- responsibility for + noun/gerund: responsibility for the project / responsibility for managing the budget
- responsibility to + infinitive: a responsibility to act fairly
- take / accept / bear / assume responsibility: all mean to acknowledge accountability, with assume being the most formal
- Countable vs uncountable: use the plural responsibilities when listing specific duties (her managerial responsibilities); use the uncountable form for the abstract concept (a lack of responsibility)
- Register: responsibility is formal to neutral; in very informal speech, speakers often use fault or blame instead
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She is responsible of the project.
She is responsible for the project. (always use for, not of)
He has the responsibility of completing the task on time.
He has the responsibility to complete the task on time. (use a to-infinitive, not of + gerund, after responsibility)
The responsability is shared equally.
The responsibility is shared equally. (note the spelling: no a after respon-)