assigned
/əˈsaɪn/ (bre, ipa) · [əsˈaɪnd] /əˈsaɪn/ (ame, ipa) · [əsˈaɪnd] /ə-ˈsīn How to pronounce assign (audio)/ (ame, mw)
assigned — verb
- assignedpresent simple I / you / we / they
- assigneds3rd person singular
- assigneding-ing form
- assignededpast simple
1. used as the past tense or past participle of 'assign' when a person in authority
used as the past tense or past participle of 'assign' when a person in authority put a job, role, seat, room, or other responsibility in someone's care.
The teacher assigned Chapter 6 for Friday's homework and checked it Monday.
assigned homework for a class
Mira was assigned the window seat on the overnight bus to Taitung.
passive: be assigned + seat
Before the festival, Owen assigned each volunteer a gate to watch.
At the clinic, Shirin was assigned the front desk shift all week.
文法句型
assign + task/role/seat + to + person
be assigned + object
be assigned + to + duty
用法筆記
The object is usually the work, role, or item that someone must deal with. Passive clauses often name the person who receives it. Distinguish from sense 5, which emphasizes being sent to a place or unit.
常見錯誤
2. used when someone fixed a particular day, hour, or time block for an activity or
used when someone fixed a particular day, hour, or time block for an activity or deadline.
The court assigned fifteen minutes to each lawyer's opening statement.
assign + time + to + activity
Two hours were assigned for the written chemistry exam on Saturday.
passive: be assigned for + event
The producer assigned the costume fitting to next Tuesday at the studio.
The committee assigned the first half of May to staff interviews.
- left open
means no specific time was fixed
文法句型
assign + time + to + activity
be assigned + for + event
assign + day/period + for + task
用法筆記
Here the thing assigned is a day, hour, slot, or period rather than the work itself. It appears mostly in formal planning, court, or scheduling contexts. Distinguish from sense 1, where the thing assigned is a task or role.
常見錯誤
3. used when someone decided that a number, label, level, or status belonged to som
used when someone decided that a number, label, level, or status belonged to something.
The survey assigned each answer a score from one to five.
assign + object + score
Engineers assigned a low risk level to the cracked support beam.
assign + level + to + object
The museum assigned no market value to the damaged poster.
After the review, the panel assigned the file urgent status.
- rated
commonly used for giving a grade or level
- classified
stresses putting something into a category
- attributed
more formal and often used for qualities or importance
- left ungraded
means no score or level was given
文法句型
assign + object + value/level
assign + value + to + object
assign + status + to + file/item
用法筆記
The assigned thing is usually a score, value, label, or level, often in grading, research, finance, or classification. Distinguish from sense 4, which explains why something happened rather than what value or status it receives.
常見錯誤
4. used when someone judged that a person, event, or condition was the cause of som
used when someone judged that a person, event, or condition was the cause of something else.
Doctors assigned the sudden rash to a reaction from the new medicine.
assign + problem + to + cause
Police assigned the warehouse fire to faulty wiring in the roof.
The coach assigned the late collapse to tired legs and poor marking.
Many voters assigned the price rise to the mayor's tax plan.
- attributed
the closest formal equivalent in academic or journalistic writing
- ascribed
more literary and formal
- blamed
stronger and more direct, often carrying criticism
- ruled out
means the suggested cause was rejected
文法句型
assign + result/problem + to + cause
assign + change + to + reason
assign + event + to + condition
用法筆記
The result or problem normally comes first, and the supposed reason follows after 'to'. Distinguish from sense 3, where you give something a value or label rather than explaining why it happened.
常見錯誤
5. used when an employer, army, newspaper, or similar authority sent someone to a p
used when an employer, army, newspaper, or similar authority sent someone to a place, post, or unit to work there.
After training, Samir was assigned to the embassy in Manila.
be assigned to + workplace
The newspaper assigned Soraya to the flood zone for three weeks.
assign + reporter + to + area
Two new nurses were assigned to the night clinic outside Taichung.
During the strike, Jack was assigned to the warehouse gate.
- recalled
means the person was called back from the place
文法句型
assign + person + to + place/unit
be assigned + to + base/office/post
assign + reporter/staff + to + area
用法筆記
The direct object is usually the person, and the 'to' phrase names the place or unit where that person must work. Distinguish from sense 1, which can assign duties without moving the person to a new location.
常見錯誤
6. used in computing when a program placed a number, text, or other value into a va
used in computing when a program placed a number, text, or other value into a variable or memory location.
The script assigned 0 to count before the main loop began.
assign + value + to + variable
When you clicked reset, the app assigned false to every alert setting.
The compiler assigned the result to a temporary variable named total.
During setup, the game assigned each player an ID in memory.
- stored
broad technical word for putting data somewhere
- set
common in programming tutorials and documentation
- initialized
used especially when the first value is given
- cleared
means the value was removed or reset
文法句型
assign + value + to + variable
assign + result + to + memory location
be assigned + to + variable
用法筆記
This technical sense usually follows patterns like 'assign X to Y' or 'be assigned to a variable'. It belongs to programming and computing, not to everyday task-giving.
常見錯誤
7. used when money, property, a lease, or another right was passed to someone else
used when money, property, a lease, or another right was passed to someone else through a formal legal action.
Under the will, the farmland was assigned to her two daughters.
be assigned to + heirs
The company assigned its patent rights to a new partner.
assign + rights + to + party
With written consent, the lease was assigned to another tenant.
Future ticket income was assigned to the bank after the debt deal.
- transferred
broad legal and business term for moving ownership or rights
- conveyed
formal legal word, especially for property
- signed over
more informal but common for rights or property
- retained
means the original owner kept the right or property
文法句型
assign + rights/property + to + person
be assigned + to + heir/company
assign + lease/patent + to + party
用法筆記
This is formal legal and business language. The thing transferred is usually the direct object or the subject of a passive clause, and the new owner follows after 'to'. Distinguish from sense 1, which deals with duties rather than ownership or rights.