Task (noun): a piece of work to be done, especially one that is assigned or requires effort. Task (verb, formal): to assign a duty or piece of work to someone. The task was to write a formal email with a complaint and a solution.
What Does Task Mean?
Task comes from Old North French tasque and Medieval Latin tasca, originally meaning an imposed tax or levy of work owed to a lord. It entered English in the 13th century, and over the following centuries the meaning broadened from an obligatory duty to any piece of work that needs to be done. Today it is one of the most frequent words in academic writing, business communication, and everyday conversation alike.
As a noun, a task is a defined, usually time-bound, piece of work. It implies that the work has a clear beginning and end, which makes it useful in professional and instructional contexts: complete the task, set a task, assign a task. As a verb (more formal and common in business or military registers), to task someone with something means to give them a specific responsibility: She was tasked with coordinating the project.
Compared to related words: job is broader and often refers to employment; duty carries a moral or ongoing obligation; assignment is common in educational contexts; chore implies a tedious or routine domestic task. Task sits comfortably across all registers — from a school exercise to a corporate project brief.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| My first task today is to tidy my room. | A2 — simple present, everyday context |
| The teacher gave us a task to complete before the next lesson. | B1 — past simple, classroom setting |
| The task was to write a formal email with a complaint and a solution. | B1 — focus sentence, task + infinitive complement |
| Breaking down a large project into smaller tasks makes it much easier to manage. | B2 — gerund subject, professional advice |
| The committee was tasked with reviewing the existing legislation and proposing amendments where necessary. | C1 — passive verb form, formal/legal register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| complete a task | She completed every task on the list before lunch. |
| carry out a task | The technician carried out the repair task efficiently. |
| assign a task | The manager assigned each team member a specific task. |
| set a task | The teacher set a writing task for homework. |
| undertake a task | We agreed to undertake the task within two weeks. |
| a demanding / difficult task | Leading the negotiation was a demanding task. |
| a routine task | Filing reports is a routine task in most offices. |
| an urgent task | Fixing the server error became an urgent task. |
| be tasked with | I was tasked with writing the project summary. |
| multitask | Good receptionists can multitask under pressure. |
Usage Notes
Key Patterns to Know
Task + infinitive: The noun task is often followed by a to-infinitive that explains the purpose: The task is to summarise the article in 100 words.
Be tasked with + gerund: The verb form always takes a gerund after with: She was tasked with reviewing the data. Never use an infinitive after tasked with.
Task vs. assignment: In academic English, assignment is the more common word for formal coursework; task is preferred in instructions and test rubrics (Reading Task, Listening Task).
Register note: The verb task (as in to task someone) is formal. In informal speech, prefer give someone a job to do or ask someone to do something.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She was tasked to write the report.
She was tasked with writing the report. (tasked with + gerund, not infinitive)
I have a task to do until Friday. (translating "until" from another language)
I have a task to complete by Friday. (use by for deadlines)
It was a very big task work.
It was a very demanding task. (task and work are not used together like this)
Etymology
From Old North French tasque (also tasche), derived from Medieval Latin tasca — a tax or fixed amount of labour owed to a feudal lord. The Latin root is likely from taxare (to assess, to charge), which also gives English tax and taxation. The sense of "a piece of work to be done" is first recorded in English in the 13th century. The compound taskmaster (a person who imposes heavy work on others) appears from the 16th century.