|
English word |
English Definition |
English Example sentence |
| 1 |
the breadwinner |
the person in a family who makes money an supports the other
members |
My father was the breadwinner in our family; he worked from 7am
until 6pm most days. |
| 2 |
to provide for ~ |
to give money or other helpful things to other family
members |
I will need to provide for my parents when they retire and get
old. |
| 3 |
to have a get-together |
to have a meeting or party |
We had a get-together with our grandparents and aunts and
uncles once a year. |
| 4 |
a matriarch |
a woman who is in total control of a family |
In many African-American families, there is a strong
matriarch. |
| 5 |
a patriarch |
a man who is in total control of a family |
The boy was raised by a single mother, so there was no strong
patriarch in his family. |
| 6 |
to put family first |
to make family your first priority, to see family as very
important |
My mother always put family first; she decided to quit her job
after having children, in order to take care of them
full-time. |
| 7 |
to differ |
to be different, to not be the same |
I differ a lot from my brother; he loves mathematics, and I do
not. |
| 8 |
to settle down |
to decide to live in a certain location for a long time,
usually in order to start a family |
My brother settled down in Seattle after getting married; now
he has two children and he still lives in Seattle. |
| 9 |
to start a family |
to get married and have children |
Many people think starting a family when you are very young is
a bad idea. |
| 10 |
to be elderly |
of a person, to be old |
My father is elderly; he just celebrated his 81st birthday last
year. |
| 11 |
a black sheep |
a member of a family who is much different from the other
members, or who is not accepted by the other members |
My uncle was the black sheep of his family; he liked to drink
all night and race cars, even though he came from a strong
Christian background. |
| 12 |
to get along well with ~ |
to have a smooth and good relationship with someone |
I get along well with my brother; some siblings fight a lot,
but not us. |
| 13 |
a nuclear family |
the family consisting of a man and woman and their
children |
Most Americans live with their nuclear family in small
single-family houses. |
| 14 |
a family unit |
any group of people related by blood who live and socialize
together |
Depending on the culture you come from, your idea of what
constitutes a family unit can be much different. |
| 15 |
a bond |
the feeling of love and loyalty felt by parents and children,
or by siblings |
I have a really strong bond with my brother; he took care of me
when I was a child, and I love him. |
| 16 |
a nanny |
a person who receives wages to help a man and woman care for
their children |
My brother and his wife are so busy, they are thinking about
hiring a nanny to help them with their daughters. |
| 17 |
an au pair |
a nanny from a foreign country |
Many young American girls go to Europe for a few months after
high school to work as an au pair. |
| 18 |
one’s in-laws |
all of the people related to you by law, not by blood |
My brother married a woman from Minnesota; therefore, most of
my in-laws are from Minnesota, too. |
| 19 |
to approve of ~ |
to agree with |
His parents did not approve of his choice to marry the woman
from the shipyard. |
| 20 |
a family tree |
a chart showing all the members of a family and how they are
related |
My family tree is quite small, as our family records are not
very complete. |
| 21 |
to name ~ |
to give a name to a baby after birth |
My parents named me Todd, which means "Fox" in Old
English. |