irrespective
/,iris'pektiv/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Preposition:
- Without consideration of; regardless of; not taking into account: Used to indicate that something is not affected or influenced by a particular factor or circumstance. It introduces a clause or phrase that names something that is being disregarded.
Usage
- "Irrespective of": This is the standard and almost exclusive grammatical construction. The word "irrespective" is almost always followed by "of" to form a compound preposition.
- It is used to state that a decision, rule, fact, or action applies or happens without being changed by the condition mentioned after "of".
- Example: The scholarship is available to all students, irrespective of their financial background.
- Example: The law applies to everyone, irrespective of their social status.
Examples
- In sentences:
- The park is open to the public irrespective of the day of the week.
- He treats all his employees fairly, irrespective of their age or gender.
- The software will run on your computer irrespective of the operating system you use.
Advanced Usage
- Formal and Academic Tone: "Irrespective of" is more formal than "regardless of" and is commonly found in legal, academic, and official documents.
- Example: All citizens have the right to vote, irrespective of race, religion, or creed.
- Emphasis on Exclusion of a Factor: It strongly emphasizes that the mentioned factor is completely irrelevant to the main point.
- Example: The competition judges entries solely on creativity, irrespective of the artist's professional experience.
Variants and Related Words
- Regardless (adverb/preposition): A more common synonym, often used interchangeably in less formal contexts. ("Regardless of the cost, we must proceed.")
- Disregarding (preposition): Similar in meaning, focusing on the act of ignoring something. ("Disregarding the warnings, he went ahead.")
- Notwithstanding (preposition): A formal synonym meaning "in spite of". ("Notwithstanding the rain, the event continued.")
Synonyms
- Regardless of
- Without regard to
- Disregarding
- Without consideration of
- No matter (followed by a question word like , , , etc. E.g., "No matter what you say, I will go.")
Important Note on Usage
- CRITICAL: The word "irrespective" is almost never used alone. It functions as part of the compound preposition "irrespective of". Using it without "of" is grammatically incorrect and non-standard in modern English.
- Incorrect: He was chosen irrespective his age.
- Correct: He was chosen irrespective of his age.
Adverb
- in spite of everything; without regard to drawbacks
- he carried on regardless of the difficulties