Pay regard to talent and conventional behaviour (14)
I believe the answer is:
respectability
'pay regard' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't see how they can define each other.
'talent and conventional behaviour' is the wordplay.
'talent' becomes 'ability' (I've seen this in other clues).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'conventional behaviour' becomes 'respect' (respect is a kind of behaviour. I am not sure about the 'conventional' bit.).
'ability' after 'respect' is 'RESPECTABILITY'.
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for respectability that I've seen before include "Decent state" , "bourgeois virtue" , "integrity" .)