consultations
consultations — noun
- consultationssingular
- consultationsesplural
1. a formal meeting in which people talk about a particular topic or ask for expert
a formal meeting in which people talk about a particular topic or ask for expert advice, typical in fields such as medicine, law, or business.
Dr. Lin held a consultation with the patient's family to go over the test results.
collocation: hold a consultation with [person]
The law firm scheduled consultations with three independent financial experts.
After two consultations with the architects, the committee chose the final design.
The embassy offers free consultations every Tuesday for visa applicants.
Each patient receives a thirty-minute consultation with a specialist.
- meeting
more general; 'consultation' emphasises the advice-giving purpose
- conference
often larger and more formal, involving many participants
- session
focuses on a block of time set aside for the discussion
文法句型
have/hold + consultations
consultations + with + [person]
用法筆記
Frequently used in the plural form even when referring to a single formal session. 'Consultation' (singular) can also be used for the count-noun meeting sense, but 'consultations' is especially common in professional and institutional contexts.
常見錯誤
2. the process of asking for and considering the opinions of others before making a
the process of asking for and considering the opinions of others before making a decision, especially in official or workplace situations.
The minister announced a period of public consultation on the proposed housing policy.
collocation: public consultation on [topic]
Fatima changed the project timeline in consultation with her team.
pattern: in consultation with + [person/group]
No major decisions were made without proper consultation with local residents.
Kenji drafted the new safety guidelines in close consultation with the factory inspectors.
The school board opened a consultation period for parents on the new curriculum.
- discussion
more general; 'consultation' implies one party is seeking expert or official input
- deliberation
more formal and suggests careful, extended consideration
- input
focuses on the opinions contributed rather than the process of gathering them
文法句型
in consultation with + [person/group]
consultation + about/on + [topic]
用法筆記
This sense is uncountable and describes the activity or principle of seeking input, rather than a specific event. The fixed phrase 'in consultation with' is very common in formal and business writing.