families
A2Neutral to formal
Definition
Meaning
The plural of 'family,' referring to multiple groups consisting of parents and their children living together as a unit, or broader groups of related people.
Can refer to any groups sharing common features, origins, or classifications, such as language families, product families (e.g., in business or technology), or taxonomic families in biology.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The plural form typically refers to multiple distinct family units. It can also be used in collective or classificatory senses (e.g., 'families of instruments').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'families' identically. Slight cultural differences in what constitutes a 'typical' family may influence usage in sociological contexts.
Connotations
Neutral in both. In official/administrative contexts, may imply households or dependents.
Frequency
Equally common and high-frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
belong to [number] of familiesprovide for [pronoun] familiesbe one of the [adjective] familiescater to familiesVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Run in the family/families”
- “Like one of the family/families”
- “Start a family/families”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to product lines or brand families (e.g., 'The company manages several software families').
Academic
Used in sociology (family structures), linguistics (language families), biology (taxonomic families).
Everyday
Refers to multiple groups of parents and children or relatives.
Technical
In taxonomy: a principal category ranking above genus and below order. In mathematics: a collection of sets.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- Families-friendly policies are essential.
- A families-oriented event.
American English
- Family-friendly policies are essential.
- A family-oriented event.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Many families live in this neighbourhood.
- The park is for children and their families.
- Several families from our school went on the trip.
- They help families in need every winter.
- Government policies should better support working families.
- The study compared families from different socio-economic backgrounds.
- Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan are two major language families.
- The new tax legislation will disproportionately affect middle-income families.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'FAMILIES' = 'For All My Important Loved Ones, I Eat Supper' – a reminder of multiple family groups sharing meals.
Conceptual Metaphor
A family is a container (for members); families are branches (of a tree); families are foundations (of society).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'families' for a single family's members (use 'family members'). Russian 'семьи' maps directly.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'family' as a countable plural (e.g., 'three family' instead of 'three families'). Confusing 'families' with 'family's' (possessive).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'families' used in a technical, non-social sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, 'families' is only the plural noun form. The related verb is 'to family' which is archaic and not used in modern English.
'Families' is the plural (more than one family). 'Family's' is the possessive singular (belonging to one family), e.g., 'my family's car'.
Yes, in classifying contexts like 'families of languages', 'families of chemical elements', or 'product families'.
Both are correct. 'Large families' is slightly more formal or neutral. 'Big families' is common in everyday speech.