1
general::
family
adjectives
the whole family
• We invited the whole family round.
all the family
• This is a game which all the family can enjoy.
somebody's immediate family
(= closest relations )
• What if one of your immediate family were disabled?
somebody's extended family
(= including not only parents and children, but also grandparents, aunts etc )
• She gets a lot of help from her extended family.
a large/small family
• She came from a large family of seven children.
a one-parent/single-parent family
• One in seven families is a one-parent family.
the nuclear family
(= a family consisting of a mother, a father, and their children )
• Not everyone lives in a typical nuclear family.
close/close-knit family
(= spending a lot of time together and supporting each other )
• Laura's family are very close.
the Royal family
(= the king or queen and their family )
• The Royal Family have large estates in Scotland.
the Smith/Jones/Brown etc family
• The Smith family are living in temporary accommodation.
family + NOUN
a family member/a member of the family
• The event was attended by many of his family members, including his children and grandchildren.
somebody's family background
• He comes from a stable family background.
a family history
• Is there a family history of heart disease?
family life
• Some people believe that television is destroying family life.
a family unit
• the breakup of the traditional family unit
somebody's family home
(= where someone's family live and where they lived as a child )
• Her family home is in a village outside Derry.
a family business
(= one run by members of a family )
• My parents expected me to join the family business.
a family car
(= one designed for families with children )
• It's a practical family car that is also fun to drive.
a family holiday
British English , a family vacation AmE:
• Most of our family holidays were spent in the south of France.
a family resemblance
(= when members of the same family look like each other )
• There's a strong family resemblance between all the sisters.
COMMON ERRORS
>>> Do not say 'my family is five' , 'my family is five members/people' , or 'my family is of five members/people' . Say there are five people in my family .
transnet.ir
3
general::
noun group of people related to each other ADJ. large | old, old-established | land-owning, wealthy, well-to-do | hard-up, low-income, poor tax incentives for low-income families | homeless | close, close-knit We are a very close-knit family and support each other through any crises. | immediate We've only told the immediate family (= the closest relations). | conjugal, nuclear the nuclear family of parents and children | extended maintaining contact with members of his extended family | lone-parent, one-parent, single-parent the difficulties faced by one-parent families | two-parent | adoptive helping emotionally damaged children to find placements with adoptive families | patriarchal | middle-class, working-class, etc. | royal | bereaved a counselling agency to help bereaved families VERB + FAMILY belong to, be one/part of, come from He belonged to an old-established family. We all knew her so well that we felt she was almost part of the family. Many of our students come from poor families. | marry into She married into a wealthy family. | run in a medical condition which runs in the family | be in This painting has been in our family for generations. FAMILY + NOUN background, history Do you know anything about her family background? a family history of heart disease | connections, relationships, ties They prefer to stay in their home country because of family ties. | member | life | business | home | commitments The job wouldn't really fit in with my family commitments. | income | doctor | holiday | feud | heirloom | motto | name (= surname) | planning (= controlling the number of children you have by using contraception) PREP. in a/the ~ These problems occur in all families. | within a/the ~ creating conflict within the family PHRASES family and friends The support of family and friends is vital. | a member of a family children ADJ. large, small | young parents with young families VERB + FAMILY have I always wanted to have a large family. | start They got married last year and plan to start a family (= have children) soon. | bring up, raise struggling to bring up a family on a low income | feed, support It is difficult for them to earn enough to feed their families. FAMILY + NOUN size Average family size has decreased since the Victorian era. | man a good family man, completely devoted to his wife and kids
Oxford Collocations Dictionary