Speaking Exam

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Classroom Thoughts

Use of Authority:

/ɔːˈθɒrəti/ 

 

 

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singular	authority
plural	authorities

Related dictionary definitions

• authority figure noun
• certificate authority noun
• local authority noun
• transfer power/authority/responsibility
• a transfer of power/authority

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1. expert in subject
2. people with power
3. organization/institution
4. power to make decisions
5. official permission
6. +phrase

 

1. 1

   [countable] someone who is considered an expert in a particular subject

   authority on:

   Charles was an authority on antique musical instruments.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority

   1. a.

      something such as a book that people respect because it contains a lot of knowledge about a particular subject

      authority on:

      The book is widely acknowledged to be the authority on regional English expressions.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority
2. 2

   the authorities

   [plural] the police or people in other official organizations with legal power to make people obey laws or rules

   The girl told the authorities that she had been kidnapped from her home.

   The French authorities have refused to issue him a visa.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority
3. 3

   [countable] an organization or institution that controls something, often a public service

   She took her complaint to the local health authority.

   The rules are set by the passenger transport authority.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority

   See also  local authority
4. 4

   [uncountable] the power to make decisions or tell people what to do

   In practice it is difficult for the President to exercise his authority.

   have the authority to do something:

   They don’t have the authority to close the canal.

   authority over:

   Parents have legal authority over their children.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority

   1. a.

      the power to influence other people because they respect your opinions or knowledge

      with authority:

      It is a subject on which she can write with authority.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority
   2. b.

      the power to make other people obey you because of a quality in the way you speak or behave

      There was a tone of authority in her voice.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority
5. 5

   [uncountable] formal official permission to do something

   He believed he had authority to ride the bike.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority

phrase

• I have it on good authority (that)

  used for saying that your information comes from someone you trust

  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of authority

Need only

He need only ask and he will receive a response. (Formal - Business setting?)

All he's got to do is ask and he will get an answer. (Neutral setting)

Need

Thanks to Florence who researched the use of Need

As an ordinary verb

As an ordinary verb need is used in the sense of ‘require’. It has the usual forms needs and needed. Ordinary need is followed by an infinitive with to.

• One needs to be punctual.
• Everybody needs to be loved.
• He needed some more time to decide the question.

Questions and negatives are made with do.

• Do you need to go now?
• I don't need to talk to him.

As an auxiliary verb

The auxiliary form of need is used mainly in questions and negatives. It is also used after negative words like hardly and only.

• You need not work today.
• Need I go now?
• Need we reserve seats?
• He need only say what he wants and it will be granted.
• I need hardly add that you are always welcome.

The auxiliary need is followed by an infinitive without to. It has no –s in the third person singular.

• He need not wait. (NOT He needs not wait.)
• You need not come.

Questions and negatives are made without do.

• Need I come again? (NOT Do I need come again?)

Note that the auxiliary form of need is rare in American English.

Points to be noted

The auxiliary need is mainly used to ask for or give permission. It is not used to talk about habitual or general things.

• You need not work today. (Auxiliary - Particular occasion)
• You don't need to work on Sundays. (Ordinary - habitual thing)
• You need not pay for this call. (Auxiliary - Particular occasion)
• In most countries, you don't need to pay for emergency calls. (Ordinary - general thing)

Need is usually used in questions without ‘not’.

• Need I wait any longer?
• Need he come again?

If the answer is in the negative, you should say – ‘No, he need not’ or ‘No, you need not’. But if the answer is in the positive, you should say – ‘Yes, he must’ or ‘Yes, you must’. The opposite of need not in such a context is not need but must.

Need not + perfect infinitive

The structure need not + perfect infinitive can be used to say that somebody did something, but that was unnecessary.

• They need not have come all this way. (= They came all this way, but it was not necessary.)
• We need not have waited for his approval. (= We waited for his approval, but that was not necessary.)
• You need not have bought a new car.
• You need not have paid for that call.

Note that need not have does not mean the same as did not need to. When we say that somebody did not need to do something, we are simply saying that it was not necessary (whether or not it was done).
Compare:

• I need not have bought it. (=I bought it, but it was not necessary.)
• I didn't need to buy it. (=It was not necessary for me to buy it.)

Need + participle

In British English it is possible to use an –ing form after need. It means the same as a passive infinitive.

• Your hair needs washing. (= Your hair needs to be washed.)
• The carpet needs cleaning. (= The carpet needs to be cleaned.)
• The roof needs repairing.

A structure with need + object + present/past participle is also possible in some cases.

• You need your hair cutting/cut.
• You need your car cleaned.