[Grammar] Respective/Respectively

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Snappy

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I learned that the use of respectively in English requires parallelism. In other words, there must be a direct one-to-one correspondence.

Please tell me if my understanding is correct in the following sentences

1. I gave some oranges and apples to Tom and Susie, respectively. (This means I gave some oranges to Tom and some apples to Susie.)

2. I gave some oranges to Tom and Susie, respectively. (This is grammatically wrong.)

3. Tom and Susie gave their respective presents to Bill. (This means Tom gave his present to Bill and Susie gave her present to Bill.)

4. Tom and Susie gave their resents to Bill, respectively. (This is grammatically wrong.)

5. Some oranges and apples were given to Tom and Susie, respectively. (This is okay, too.)
 
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Barb_D

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I don't find #4 to be wrong. It makes it clear that their presents were not joint presents, but each had brought their own.
 
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sarat_106

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I learned that the use of respectively in English requires parallelism. In other words, there must be a direct one-to-one correspondence.Not always. It can be singly to state sequentially.

Please tell me if my understanding is correct in the following sentences

1. I gave some oranges and apples to Tom and Susie, respectively. (This means I gave some oranges to Tom and some apples to Susie.)

2. I gave some oranges to Tom and some oranges to Susie, respectively. (This is grammatically wrong.)Yes. it means you distributed some oranges between Tom and Susie, but with modification it is corrwct

3. Tom and Susie gave their respective presents to Bill. (This means Tom gave his present to Bill and Susie gave her present to Bill.)

4. Tom and Susie gave their resents to Bill, respectively. (This is grammatically wrong.)

5. Some oranges and apples were given to Tom and Susie, respectively. (This is okay, too.)

I do not think 2 and 4(with modification) are grammatically wrong. After all ‘respectively’ is an adverb that can used according to its meaning. As an adverb it has two types of uses.\;

1) to state something or express an action sequentially or in precisely the order given
This is my Mom and Aunt Susie (respectively) (A statement of introduction of two persons made sequentially)
I could not feel the taste of the drink as salty or sour, respectively. (describing two qualities serially)
I gave some oranges to Tom and some orange to Susie, respectively. (An action expressed sequentially)
Of course, you can drop the word in these sentences without losing clarity.

2) referring or applying to in a parallel or sequential way (of two or more things, with reference to two or more things previously mentioned)
The cups and saucers cost $15 and $30 respectively.
The first and second internal conductors are connected to the red and black external electrodes, respectively. (an example from your previous post)
 
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Snappy

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I am still a little confused.

"Japan initiated its Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986 respectively."

In this case, is the use of "respectively" correct?
 

bhaisahab

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I am still a little confused.

"Japan initiated its Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986 respectively."

In this case, is the use of "respectively" correct?

There "respectively" is redundant, it doesn't add anything to the sentence.
 

Snappy

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There "respectively" is redundant, it doesn't add anything to the sentence.

I think the Working Holiday Programmes vary in content more or less with each country to which they are applied. If that was the case, how would you say?

The following sentence without "respectively" does not denote that.

"Japan initiated its Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986."

Should I say, "Japan initiated its Working Holiday Programmes according to the country, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986."
 

Snappy

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Should I say, "Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986." ?
 

bhaisahab

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Should I say, "Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986." ?
Yes, that is clearer.
 

Snappy

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Yes, that is clearer.

Thank you! Is it possible to use "respective" instead of respectively in that case as follows?

"Japan initiated its respective Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and with Canada in March 1986."
 

sarat_106

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Should I say, "Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, first with Australia in December 1980, then with New Zealand in July 1985, and finally with Canada in March 1986." ?

You have used the adverbs 'first' and 'then' to express the action (initiated) sequentially. So use an other adverb 'respectively' is unnecessary. You can say:
Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, with Australia in December 1980, New Zealand in July 1985, and Canada in March 1986, respectively.
 

Snappy

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Thank you everyone.
The following description still confuses me.
http://www.wordforword.se/download/Respect.pdf
"The use of respectively in English requires parallelism. In other words, there must
be a direct one-to-one correspondence.
Examples
The values of X and Y were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.
(NOT: The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.)"


I can't see any reason why "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively." is wrong if the two values have been already mentioned and the reader knows what they are from the context.
 

sarat_106

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Thank you everyone.
The following description still confuses me.
http://www.wordforword.se/download/Respect.pdf
"The use of respectively in English requires parallelism. In other words, there must
be a direct one-to-one correspondence.
Examples
The values of X and Y were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.
(NOT: The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.)"


I can't see any reason why "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively." is wrong if the two values have been already mentioned and the reader knows what they are from the context.

There is nothing wrong but I suppose ‘respectively’ is not necessary here, the meaning is clear without it.. As I have mentioned earlier in instances like this you can drop the word. Use the word in a sentence when it is absolutely necessary, such as to express a comparison; as:

Government expenditure rose from 23 percent of GDP in 1993 to 37.9 percent and 42 percent in 1996 and 2000, respectively.
"respectively" is used here, in order to link the 37.9 percent to 1996 and the 42 percent to 2000, otherwise their might be confusion.
 

Snappy

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There is nothing wrong but I suppose ‘respectively’ is not necessary here, the meaning is clear without it.. As I have mentioned earlier in instances like this you can drop the word. Use the word in a sentence when it is absolutely necessary, such as to express a comparison; as:

Government expenditure rose from 23 percent of GDP in 1993 to 37.9 percent and 42 percent in 1996 and 2000, respectively.
"respectively" is used here, in order to link the 37.9 percent to 1996 and the 42 percent to 2000, otherwise their might be confusion.

The mentioned example says:
"Examples
The values of X and Y were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.
(NOT: The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively.)"

It means "The values of X and Y were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively." is gramatically correct but "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively." is not.

That is why I wrote that I can't see any reason why "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively." is wrong if the two values have been already mentioned and the reader knows what they are from the context.

Then what about the following one?

"The respective two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9."
 

Snappy

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You have used the adverbs 'first' and 'then' to express the action (initiated) sequentially. So use an other adverb 'respectively' is unnecessary. You can say:
Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, with Australia in December 1980, New Zealand in July 1985, and Canada in March 1986, respectively.

Let me confirm again.

Tom gave his souvenirs to Bill and Susie, respectively. In this case, "respectively" is redundant and does not make any sense. "Respectively" should not be used in this way.

Tom gave a guitar and a harmonica to Bill and Susie, respectively. This is OK. This means Tom gave a guitar to Bill, and a harmonica to Susie.

Is my understanding correct?

Then if Tom gave a souvenir to Bill and gave a different souvenir to Susie, can I say, "Tom gave his respective souvenirs to Bill and Susie?" instead of using "respectively" at the end of the sentence. If not, what should I say?
 

sarat_106

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Let me confirm again.

Tom gave his souvenirs to Bill and Susie, respectively. In this case, "respectively" is redundant and does not make any sense. "Respectively" should not be used in this way.

Tom gave a guitar and a harmonica to Bill and Susie, respectively. This is OK. This means Tom gave a guitar to Bill, and a harmonica to Susie.

Is my understanding correct?

Then if Tom gave a souvenir to Bill and gave a different souvenir to Susie, can I say, "Tom gave his respective souvenirs to Bill and Susie?" instead of using "respectively" at the end of the sentence. If not, what should I say?

It has to be presented differently. You can say: Tom gave a souvenir to Bill and a different one to Susie or The red souvenir belongs to Bill and the blue one to Susie. Tom gave to Bill and Susie their respective souvenirs
 
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sarat_106

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Let me confirm again.

Tom gave his souvenirs to Bill and Susie, respectively. In this case, "respectively" is redundant and does not make any sense. "Respectively" should not be used in this way.

Tom gave a guitar and a harmonica to Bill and Susie, respectively. This is OK. This means Tom gave a guitar to Bill, and a harmonica to Susie.

Is my understanding correct?

Then if Tom gave a souvenir to Bill and gave a different souvenir to Susie, can I say, "Tom gave his respective souvenirs to Bill and Susie?" instead of using "respectively" at the end of the sentence. If not, what should I say?

It has to be presented differently.You can say: Tom gave a souvenir to Bill and a different one to Susie. Or The red souvenir belongs to Bill and the blue one to Susie. Tom gave to Bill and Susie their respective souvenirs
 

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You have used the adverbs 'first' and 'then' to express the action (initiated) sequentially. So use an other adverb 'respectively' is unnecessary. You can say:
Japan initiated separate Working Holiday Programmes, with Australia in December 1980, New Zealand in July 1985, and Canada in March 1986, respectively.
I think you're sabotaging your own case with this suggestion. According to your own rules (which I agree with), 'respectively' is not needed here.
 

Raymott

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My advice is to keep 'respectively' for situations where you have two sets of information, one mentioned after the other, in which the (two or more) elements of Set 1 correspond in order to the elements of Set 2.
"I gave A, B and C, to X, Y and Z respectively."
If you don't have this requirement, you don't need 'respectively'.

The reason that "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively" is wrong is that 'respectively' has a linguistic rather than a logical function. It only relates two sets in the same text - not sets that are understood to exist but are not referred to.
So, this would be correct:
A: What were the values of X and Y?
B: The values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9 respectively.
Whereas this, as a discrete text, is not correct:
The values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9 respectively.

[I hope this is consistent with the advice I gave in the thread which prompted this one.]
 
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Snappy

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My advice is to keep 'respectively' for situations where you have two sets of information, one mentioned after the other, in which the (two or more) elements of Set 1 correspond in order to the elements of Set 2.
"I gave A, B and C, to X, Y and Z respectively."
If you don't have this requirement, you don't need 'respectively'.

The reason that "The two values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9, respectively" is wrong is that 'respectively' has a linguistic rather than a logical function. It only relates two sets in the same text - not sets that are understood to exist but are not referred to.
So, this would be correct:
A: What were the values of X and Y?
B: The values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9 respectively.
Whereas this, as a discrete text, is not correct:
The values were found to be 21.7 and 56.9 respectively.

[I hope this is consistent with the advice I gave in the thread which prompted this one.]

I can think of the following sentence patterns that may involve "respectively."
Pattern 1: A does something and something to/for B and C, respectively. (e.g., I gave some oranges and apples to Tom and Bill, respectively. = I gave Tom some oranges to and gave Bill some apples.)
It's obvious that this pattern is OK.
Pattern 2: A does something to/for B and C, respectively. (e.g., I bought some oranges for Tom and Bill, respectively. = I bought Tom and Bill some oranges.)
This usage of respectively is meaningless so I won't use this.
Pattern 3: A and B do something and something to/for C and D, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill gave some oranges and apples to Ann and Susan, respectively. = Tom gave Ann some oranges and Bill gave Susan some apples.)
This pattern may be grammatically OK, but doesn't it sound clumsy?
Pattern 4: A and B do something and something to/for C, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill bought some oranges and apples for Ann, respectively. = Tom bought Ann some oranges and Bill bought Ann some apples.)
Is this pattern acceptable to native speakers of English? Is it acceptable if I say, "Tom and Bill bought some oranges and apples, respectively, for Ann."?
Pattern 5: A and B do something to/for C, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill sent some flowers to Ann, respectively. = Tom sent Ann some flowers and Bill sent Ann some flowers, too, but they did not jointly send the flowers.)
Let me reconfirm whether this pattern is acceptable to native speakers of English.
Pattern 6: A and B do something to/for C and D, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill bought some books for Ann and Susan, respectively = Tom bought Ann some books and Bill bought Susan some books.)
Is this pattern acceptable to native speakers of English?
 

Raymott

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I can think of the following sentence patterns that may involve "respectively."
Pattern 1: A does something and something to/for B and C, respectively. (e.g., I gave some oranges and apples to Tom and Bill, respectively. = I gave Tom some oranges to and gave Bill some apples.)
It's obvious that this pattern is OK. Yes
Pattern 2: A does something to/for B and C, respectively. (e.g., I bought some oranges for Tom and Bill, respectively. = I bought Tom and Bill some oranges.)
This usage of respectively is meaningless so I won't use this.
Yes, it's wrong.

Pattern 3: A and B do something and something to/for C and D, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill gave some oranges and apples to Ann and Susan, respectively. = Tom gave Ann some oranges and Bill gave Susan some apples.)
This pattern may be grammatically OK, but doesn't it sound clumsy?
Yes, it does sound clumsy. 'Respectively' can't distribute the elements of three sets, only two. The number elements in each set can be as many as you want, but you can only have two sets. At least that's the way it's used in practice.


Pattern 4: A and B do something and something to/for C, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill bought some oranges and apples for Ann, respectively. = Tom bought Ann some oranges and Bill bought Ann some apples.)
Is this pattern acceptable to native speakers of English? Is it acceptable if I say, "Tom and Bill bought some oranges and apples, respectively, for Ann."?
Yes, the second sentence would be better.

Pattern 5: A and B do something to/for C, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill sent some flowers to Ann, respectively. = Tom sent Ann some flowers and Bill sent Ann some flowers, too, but they did not jointly send the flowers.)
Let me reconfirm whether this pattern is acceptable to native speakers of English.
No. To me it sounds silly. As I mentioned in my last post, if you don't have two sets with at least two elements in each, then you don't use 'respectively'. Here you have {Tom, Bill}, {flowers}, {Ann}. It doesn't fit the rule.

Pattern 6: A and B do something to/for C and D, respectively. (e.g., Tom and Bill bought some books for Ann and Susan, respectively = Tom bought Ann some books and Bill bought Susan some books.)
Is this pattern acceptable to native speakers of English?
Yes, that fits the rule.
R.
 
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