Meaning & use
individual assignment
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Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of work given to one student or employee to complete alone, not as part of a group.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an individual assignment' or 'two individual assignments'.
Patterns
- give someone an individual assignment
- complete an individual assignment
- an individual assignment on something
The teacher gave us an individual assignment on climate change.
Each new employee must finish an individual assignment before joining a team.
I prefer individual assignments because I can work at my own pace.
nouncountable
A task or duty that belongs to one particular person rather than being shared.
Grammar: Often used with 'as': 'as an individual assignment' means as a personal task.
Patterns
- as an individual assignment
- someone's individual assignment
Cleaning the lab is my individual assignment this week.
The manager listed each team member's individual assignment on the board.
Word forms
| plural | individual assignments |
|---|
Common combinations
- individual assignment on
- We had an individual assignment on the history of the city.
- complete an individual assignment
- You must complete the individual assignment by Friday.
- give out individual assignments
- The professor gave out individual assignments instead of a group project.
- an individual assignment for
- This is an individual assignment for each new intern.
Synonyms and how they differ
- solo task
- More informal and general; 'individual assignment' is the standard term in school or workplace settings.
- personal project
- Suggests a longer, self-directed piece of work, while an individual assignment is usually set by a teacher or manager.
Opposites
Word family
- assign verb
- To give someone a task or duty.
- assignment noun
- A task or piece of work given to someone.
- individually adverb
- Separately, one by one.
Commonly confused: individual assignment or group assignment?
individual assignment vs group assignment
A group assignment is done by several people together, while an individual assignment is done alone.
Practice
The professor said, 'This is an individual assignment, so please work ______.'
Choose one answer.
'Individual' means one person, so 'alone' fits. 'Together', 'in pairs', and 'as a team' all suggest more than one person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “individual assignment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.