How to use "give consideration"

What Does "give consideration" Mean?

• The collocation "give consideration" means to think carefully about something, to take something into account, or to pay attention to something before making a decision or forming an opinion. It implies a deliberate process of weighing factors.
• The meaning is semi-idiomatic. While "give" and "consideration" have their own meanings, their combination creates a specific nuance of thoughtful evaluation.
• Register: Neutral to formal. It's suitable for professional, academic, and journalistic contexts.

How to Use It

• Grammatical pattern: verb + noun. The pattern is "give consideration to + [something/someone]" or "give [something] consideration".
• Typical objects, complements, or prepositions that follow: "to" is the most common preposition. The object is the thing or person being considered (e.g., "give consideration to the proposal," "give consideration to the candidate").
• Can the components be separated? No, "give consideration" functions as a unit and should not be separated by other words, except for adverbs that can sometimes be placed before "consideration" (e.g., "give serious consideration").
• What sounds unnatural: Using synonyms for "give" that don't fit the collocation (e.g., "offer consideration"), omitting "to" when it's required (e.g., "give consideration the proposal"), or using the verb form of consider where the noun is needed.

Real-World Examples

These examples are sourced from give consideration on Ludwig.guru.

"We have to give consideration to any number of circumstances and possibilities." — The Guardian - Opinion

"The Northern Ireland secretary, Paul Murphy, has said he will give consideration to the council's vote." — The Guardian

"We will give consideration to our bid and its structure," a spokesman for AngloGold, Steven Lenahan, said." — The New York Times

"One popular item is the chicken and wild rice soup, but give consideration to the pulled pork sandwich and some of the other smoked meats and chilies." — The New York Times - Travel

"As a party to the proceedings, the president has noted the decision of the court and will give consideration to the judgment and its consequences and the remedies available in terms of our law"." — The Guardian

Examples sourced from https://ludwig.guru/s/give+consideration

Similar Phrases and Alternatives

Phrase	Context
take into account	Emphasizes including something as a factor.
bear in mind	Suggests remembering or not forgetting something important.
think about	More informal and general; less emphasis on formal evaluation.
weigh up	Suggests carefully balancing different factors.
factor in	Similar to 'take into account', emphasizing inclusion as a factor.
look into	Suggests investigating or examining something.
give thought to	Similar in meaning, but can sometimes imply a more casual level of consideration.

Common Mistakes

• Using the wrong verb (e.g., "think consideration" instead of "give consideration").
• Using the verb form "consider" when the noun "consideration" is required (e.g., "consider to the proposal" instead of "give consideration to the proposal").
• Omitting the preposition "to" when it's needed after "give consideration" (e.g., "give consideration the problem" instead of "give consideration to the problem").

Quick-Reference Summary

Expression	Meaning	Grammatical Pattern	Register
give consideration	to think carefully about something; to take something into account	verb + noun + preposition ("to") + object	Neutral to Formal

FAQs

Can the parts of "give consideration" be separated by other words?

No, generally the words "give consideration" should remain together. You can place an adverb between them, like "give serious consideration," but you cannot insert other types of words that would break up the collocation's structure.

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How is "give consideration" different from simply using the verb "consider"?

"Give consideration" is a more formal and often more emphatic way of saying you are thinking about something. Using the verb "consider" directly can be more concise in certain contexts, but "give consideration to [something]" emphasizes the act of weighing factors and taking something seriously.

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What's wrong with saying "think consideration" or "consider to something"?

Saying "think consideration" is incorrect because "consideration" is a noun, and the correct verb to use with it in this collocation is "give". Similarly, "consider to something" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "give consideration to something" when you want to use the noun form of the word.