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What preposition should one use with “responsible” when followed by a verb? I have seen that “for” should be used when followed by a noon (except when meaning “answerable to someone”).

I noted that using a gerund works, as it basically transforms the verb into a noon:

this person is responsible for answering the phone

this component is responsible for retrieving the data

But it seems a bit awkward to me.

I have also seen “responsible to” + infinitive but I wonder if it might just be incorrect:

Can I be responsible to pay off the debts of my deceased spouse?

(from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/am-i-responsible-to-pay-off-the-debts-of-my-deceased-spouse-en-1467/)

Didier L
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  • That example of “responsible to” + infinitive is not colloquial. But! Someone _capable of being trusted_ can be described as responsible. So you might say, "I am looking for someone responsible to collect my children from school each day." It means, "I need a responsible person to collect..." When you have found such a person, he/she will be responsible **for** collecting the children. – Old Brixtonian Dec 08 '21 at 16:39
  • @OldBrixtonian in your example “responsible” and “to collect” are part of separate grammatical groups. You could even remove “responsible” which is just a qualifier for “someone”. A similar example I found is “It would have been responsible to help your mother.”. In those examples it just happens that “responsible” is followed by “to” but they are not directly linked together. – Didier L Dec 08 '21 at 17:06
  • It wasn't clear to me from your question that you understood that! You said you had _also seen "responsible to" + infinitive_. I wanted to explain where and why you might have seen those words. – Old Brixtonian Dec 08 '21 at 18:19
  • @OldBrixtonian yes but that’s why I gave a concrete example – Didier L Dec 08 '21 at 18:25
  • Yes. You gave an example of the 'incorrect' use of those words. Seowjooheng Singapore explained that **responsible to + infinitive** was not found in the few dictionaries s/he consulted. I commented that you might, however, see those words in a different context. – Old Brixtonian Dec 08 '21 at 22:36

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The pattern responsible for + gerund is fine, as shown in several dictionaries including Macmillan Dictionary

You can also use the pattern responsible for doing something: He was responsible for ensuring that the organization maintained its independence.

On the other hand, the pattern responsible to + infinitive is not found in the few dictionaries I have consulted.

Also, this is mentioned on this site that though responsible to do something is grammatical, it is unlikely to be used.

Seowjooheng Singapore
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