Meaning
to say that someone has done something wrong or committed an illegal/ unethical act
Primary Function
assigns blame or responsibility for a negative action
Communicative Purpose
to make an allegation or express reproach
Pattern
accuse; of
Core Structure
accuse; of
Função primária
assigns blame or responsibility for a negative action
Propósito comunicativo
to make an allegation or express reproach
Situações de gatilho
during arguments, legal proceedings, workplace disputes
Contextos
professional settings, formal/legal environments, personal confrontations
Padrão
accuse; of
Estrutura central
accuse; of
Slots de substituição
person; something illegal/unethical; doing/wrongdoing
Colocados típicos
- falsely
- repeatedly
- publicly
- stand accused of
Substituições comuns
- charge with (more formal/legal)
- allege that
Erros comuns
using *accuse for; using *accuse someone to do; using ‘accuse’ without ‘of’ in informal speech
Similar / contraste
blame for, charge with, indict for, denounce for
Interferências
Spanish learners may mistakenly omit the preposition ‘of’, French uses a different construction, German often omits ‘of’ when using genitive forms
Família do chunk
- blame for
- charge with
- indict for
- denounce for
Nuance
'Accuse of' implies belief and assertion of guilt, stronger than 'suspect of', which conveys uncertainty.
Efeito pragmático
Creates confrontational tone; can be softened by passive constructions (e.g., being accused of).
Dica de memória
“He was accused of cheating.”
Nota
This chunk is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to assign responsibility for a wrongdoing. It is essential to include the preposition 'of' with the verb 'accuse'.
Upgrade path
use ‘levy accusations of’ or ‘charge with’ in legal language
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