Question
Updated on
21 Jul 2015
- Simplified Chinese (China)
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English (US)
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English (UK)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between have the authority to do sth and have the right to do sth ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between have the authority to do sth and have the right to do sth ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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21 Jul 2015
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- English (US)
The slight difference would be the actor in the sentence and the context. Ex: "The police have the authority to arrest citizens who break the law. Citizens have the right to know why they are being arrested."
In this example you could say "police officers have the right" but it would sound very odd to say "citizens have the authority" since authority is generally assumed to have been bestowed on people of position. You also could not say "the authority" for a passive action like "right to know" unless you wish to imply that the information will be seized.
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- English (US)
There's none. They both mean the same thing ^^
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- Simplified Chinese (China)
Have the authority to authorize sth.
Do you think ''right" works too?
Do you think ''right" works too?
- English (US)
The slight difference would be the actor in the sentence and the context. Ex: "The police have the authority to arrest citizens who break the law. Citizens have the right to know why they are being arrested."
In this example you could say "police officers have the right" but it would sound very odd to say "citizens have the authority" since authority is generally assumed to have been bestowed on people of position. You also could not say "the authority" for a passive action like "right to know" unless you wish to imply that the information will be seized.
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- Simplified Chinese (China)
Thank you very much for the thorough and wonderful answer! Great to know!
- English (US)
Authority means to have power over something or someone. For example a police officer has the authority to arrest and search people.
You can also say: the police offer has the right to search people
“Right” is used when someone is entitled to do something because those are the most basic necessities or basic things that need to be done
So the police offer has the right to arrest people because that’s a basic part of his job
The government has an authority over its citizens, but it has no right to treat them unfairly
A customer has the right to demand a refund if he is unsatisfied, but he has no authority over the employees
Protestors have the right to protest, but no authority to change the law.
I have the right to earn and spend money but I have no authority to steal or print my own money
I have the right to say what I want, but I have no authority to control what other people say
My coworker has the right to advise me on how to work, but only my boss holds authority over what I should do
Basically authority is more power than “right.” It mainly goes by the rules. If someone has authority they can enforce something
Right is more for things such as having privilege to do certain things, deserving of materials, and basic necessities. But sometimes there’s not enough power to enforce these rights
I would not say: I have the authority to say what I want ❎
I would say: I have the right to say what I want ✔️
Like the police offer example, sometimes they can be used interchangeably. It will depend on what you are talking about
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