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 (=a family that spends a lot of time together and gives each other support)
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 American English:
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► Don't 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.
Comments