Increase Your IELTS Vocabulary Score – Collocation of Responsibility

Keyword: Responsibility

1. Verb+Responsibility

Use the correct form of these verbs:

1. As a security officer, I ______ the responsibility for ensuring that nothing is stolen from the office.
2. The club does not______ responsibility for loss of or damage to club members’ personal property.
3. No terrorist organisation has yet ______ responsibility for this latest bomb outrage.
4. The problem is out of my hands now that Derek Winton has ______ responsibility for the business. He took over full responsibility for the running of the firm last week.
5. The rail company are trying to evade responsibility for the disaster. I don’t know how they can possibly ______ responsibility for an accident which involved their trains.
6. We must be clear about where the responsibility ______. Personally, I think the responsibility for the present crisis rests squarely on the government.

2. Common Adjective Collocations

Use the following adjectives in these sentences:

1. Being the captain of the team is a ______ responsibility. A lot rests on your shoulders. I think it takes a special kind of person to deal with such a heavy responsibility.
2. I’m only in charge of the lower school. The person with ______ responsibility for the whole school is the headmaster.
3. I don’t feel ready to take on new or   ______ responsibilities at the moment.
4. I think that working parents should take ______ responsibility for their children’s upbringing and education. They need to share the responsibility.
5. I won’t try to make any excuses. I accept responsibility for my mistake.
6. The accused pleaded not guilty on the grounds of ______  responsibility. He claimed that he had been under a lot of stress at the time of the crime.

3. Noun+of+Responsibility

Complete the sentences below with these nouns:

1. The job is a demanding one, involving a wide ______ of responsibilities.
2. For a person in a ______ of such responsibility, the managing director’s conduct at the meeting was unacceptable.
3. We hope that their visit to the retirement home will instill in the children a ______ of responsibility towards the elderly in the community.
4. I’m afraid you’re complaining to the wrong person. This matter is outside my ______ of responsibility.
5. There had been a complete ______ of responsibility in the ferry company. Nobody will accept any responsibility for the disaster in which 350 people lost their lives.
6. A key factor in managing a successful business is the ______ of responsibility.

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

l. have

2. accept

3. claimed

4. assumed

5. deny

6. lies

Exercise 2:

l. huge

2. overall

3. extra

4. equal

5. full

6. diminished

Exercise 3:

1. range

2. position

3. sense

4. area

5. abdication

6. delegation

See also:

• IELTS Vocabulary
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• IELTS Listening Vocabulary
• Sports Vocabulary IELTS
• English Pronunciation in use Intermediate pdf
• Work Vocabulary IELTS
• Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS