family

常用用法

family的意思是“家庭”,指“家庭全体成员”时,为集合名词,作主语时,谓语动词要用复数形式。作为“家庭整体”看待时,谓语动词要用单数形式。谓语动词无论是单数形式还是复数形式, family都应该用复数代词指代。
family有时可作“子女,孩子”解,此时不含父母,是单数名词,但可与不定冠词a或an连用。
family作先行词时,其关系代词可用who,也可用which。如表示家庭成员,则一般用who;如表示家庭整体,则一般用which。
family表示“家属”时,不包括本人。

这五个词都有“家,家庭,家宅”的意思。其区别在于:home指某人出生以及成长的环境或与某人一起居住的地方; dwelling为文学用语,用以同商店、办公室及其他建筑物相区别的住宅; family指的是家庭成员,与居住地无关; house强调人们居住的建筑物本身; residence常指周围大片土地的宅邸,也可指普通的房屋,尤其是自己的住宅。例如:
There's nothing like home.哪儿也没有家里好。
Their clothes were in rags and their dwellings were small and poorly furnished.他们衣衫褴褛,住房狭小,家具简陋。
Because our family is happy and healthy we reckon ourselves fortunate.因为我们一家人幸福健康,我们认为我们是幸运的。
She offered to help Rose in house keeping when I was not here.我不在时,她主动帮助露丝料理家务。
Buy a house, build a home.买一所房子,安一个家。
The President's residence is the White House in Washington,D.C.总统的官邸是华盛顿特区的白宫。

在英式英语中, in a family way作“不拘小节”解, in the family way作“怀孕”解; 而在美式英语中, in a family way和in the family way都作“怀孕”解。例如:
She spoke to me in a family way.她与我说话不拘礼节。
It makes folks happy to see a girl in the family way.人们看到女孩怀孕了会感到高兴。
Sue and Liz are happy because their mother is in the family way.苏和利兹都很高兴,因为妈妈就要生孩子了。