Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

oldpurist

Member Since

April 21, 2023

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

1

Bio

Latest Comments

About "Respective"

  • April 21, 2023, 7:56am

As an old purist, I believe "corresponding" could replace "respective" here, to keep all other singular references unchanged. When using "respective", the singular references should all become plural. Let's see (ahem)!

When "respective" is used, the text should be:

The Division’s three regional offices - in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco - handle criminal matters arising in their respective areas and serve as the Division’s liaison with U.S. attorneys, state attorneys general, and other regional law enforcement agencies.

When "corresponding" is used, the text would be:

Each of the Division’s three regional offices - in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco - handles criminal matters arising in its corresponding area and serves as the Division’s liaison with U.S. attorneys, state attorneys general, and other regional law enforcement agencies.