How IS your family? or How ARE your family? | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

FAQs

How IS your family? or How ARE your family? | Britannica Dictionary? ›

The correct way to word this question is “How is your family?” The reason is that while family refers to a group of people, it refers to the group of people as a single unit, or collection. Nouns like this are called collective nouns, and in American English, collective nouns take singular verbs.

When a collective noun is used, it is as much subjective as it can be and it entirely depends on how you perceive the word. If you think of "family" as individual family members, you should use "are". If you think "family" as a single unit, you should use "is.

Both "How is your family" and "How is the family" are correct, but they have slightly different meanings and contexts. "How is your family?": This question is asking specifically about the well-being or current state of the other person's family.

In American English, "family" will almost always be used with a singular verb. In British English, it may be used with a singular or a plural verb depending on whether the speaker feels that "family" is being described as a unit or as a group of individuals.

noun,plural fam·i·lies. a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family. a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family.

If it's just someone who is generally asking as part of chit chat but doesn't know the ins and outs of family business it will be a standard yes they are fine/ok or doing good thanks.

Family is one of those words that has to drop the y, change to an i and add es when it becomes plural. So you don't ever spell it familys when you are intending more than one. Similarly, with the plural families, you wouldn't add an apostrophe before the s–no familie's.

'Family' is a singular, collective noun. However, when talking about a family, the correct pronoun is 'they'. If you use the word family, the word follows the rules of 'it'.

The plural of 'family' is 'families'. For example: ''There are two new families living in my neighborhood. ''

How do you use family in a sentence? ›

The show is fun for the whole family. a death in the family There are several doctors on his mother's side of the family. She wants to spend more time with her family. After his father's death he became the head of the family.

The house could accommodate two families. The quarrel left a gulf between the two families. All happy families resemble each other, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. There are fifty families in this village.

GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb? • In senses 1 and 2, family is usually followed by a singular verb: The family now lives in London.My family comes from Scotland originally. • In British English, you can also use a plural verb: The family now live in London.My family come from Scotland originally.

The correct way to word this question is “How is your family?” The reason is that while family refers to a group of people, it refers to the group of people as a single unit, or collection. Nouns like this are called collective nouns, and in American English, collective nouns take singular verbs.

The phrase 'hope you and your family is doing well' is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when you are writing to someone and you would like to express that you hope they and their family are doing well. For example, you could write, "Hey John, I hope all is well.

Examples of family in a Sentence

The show is fun for the whole family. a death in the family There are several doctors on his mother's side of the family. She wants to spend more time with her family. After his father's death he became the head of the family.

How have you been? How's everything? How's it going? How are things going?