respective
respective — adjective
1. Used before a noun to show that each person or thing in a group has their own in
Used before a noun to show that each person or thing in a group has their own individual version of that noun — for instance, when two colleagues each go to their own separate offices, or when several teams each give their own separate reports.
After the concert, Zuri and Ryo went back to their respective hotels.
their respective + plural noun (each to their own)
The three candidates presented their respective plans to the board of directors.
Each department submitted its respective budget proposal before the deadline.
Quan and Adina left the station and walked to their respective offices.
The two teams finished their respective projects a week ahead of schedule.
- individual
broader meaning — can be used predicatively (e.g., 'each person is individual'), which respective cannot
- separate
focuses on the idea of being apart or distinct; can be used both attributively and predicatively
- own
simpler and more common (each person's own X); but own requires a possessive pronoun, while respective does not always
- corresponding
more formal; used when things match or pair up in a list or system
- collective
shared by a group, rather than belonging to each member individually
- joint
done or owned together, not separately
- common
belonging to all members equally rather than each having their own
文法句型
possessive + respective + plural noun
the + respective + plural noun
each + noun + possessive + respective + plural noun
用法筆記
Always placed before a noun (attributive) — never used on its own after a verb like 'be' or 'seem'. The noun that follows is almost always plural because the word refers to multiple items belonging to multiple people. A clear group of people or things must already have been mentioned earlier in the sentence or the previous sentence.