Meaning & use
basic industry
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusinessspecialist
A single industry that produces essential raw materials or goods which other industries need.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a' or 'the' for one sector: Coal is a basic industry. The plural is 'basic industries'.
Patterns
- a basic industry
- be a basic industry
- basic industry such as ...
Steel is a basic industry because many other businesses depend on it.
Farming is still a basic industry in this region.
The report describes oil as a basic industry of the national economy.
nounsingularbusiness
The whole sector of an economy that supplies raw materials and essential goods, considered as one group.
Grammar: Used with 'the' as a collective term: the basic industry of the north. It can take a singular or plural verb depending on whether you see it as one unit or many businesses.
Patterns
- the basic industry of a country
- invest in basic industry
- the basic industry sector
The basic industry of the area is fishing.
Government policy supports basic industry through tax breaks.
Word forms
| plural | basic industries |
|---|
Common combinations
- a basic industry such as steel
- A basic industry such as steel needs a steady supply of iron ore.
- the basic industry of the region
- Tourism is not the basic industry of the region; fishing is.
- develop basic industry
- The country plans to develop basic industry before services.
- decline of basic industry
- The decline of basic industry left many workers without jobs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- primary industry
- A more technical term for extraction and farming; it is narrower than 'basic industry', which can include manufacturing like steel.
- key industry
- Stresses economic importance rather than the production of essential materials.
Opposites
Word family
- basic industries noun
- The plural form, meaning several such industries.
- industrial adjective
- Connected with industry or factories.
- industrialist noun
- A person who owns or manages a large industry.
Commonly confused: basic industry or basic industries?
basic industry vs basic industries
Use 'basic industry' for one sector and 'basic industries' for more than one: Steel is a basic industry; steel and mining are basic industries.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'basic industry' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Basic industry' is singular and takes a singular verb, so option An is correct. Option B uses a plural verb with a singular noun, option C uses a plural verb with 'a basic industry', and option D uses a plural verb with 'the basic industry'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “basic industry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.