county fair

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableAmerican

   An outdoor public event held once a year in a county, with farm animals, rides, games, and food.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a county fair or two county fairs.

   Patterns

   • go to the county fair
   • at the county fair
   • the county fair opens

   Our family goes to the county fair every August.

   She won a blue ribbon for her jam at the county fair.

   The county fair was canceled this year because of the storm.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   The traveling show itself, with rides and stalls, that sets up for a few days on a field.

   Grammar: Often used with the when the fair is already known to the listener.

   Patterns

   • the county fair comes to town
   • ride at the county fair

   The kids begged to ride the Ferris wheel at the county fair.

   Local farmers sell their produce at the county fair.

Word forms

Common combinations

state fair

The state fair is bigger than the county fair.

fairground

Cars were parked on the fairground all week.

livestock show

He entered his calf in the livestock show at the county fair.

carnival ride

The carnival rides are the loudest part of the fair.

blue ribbon

Her pie took the blue ribbon.

Synonyms and how they differ

fair

Shorter and more general; it can mean any such event, while county fair names the local yearly one.

carnival

Focuses on rides and games rather than farm animals and judging.

festival

Usually about music, food, or culture, not farm competitions.

Word family

fairground noun

The open space where a fair is held.

fairgoer noun

A person who goes to a fair.

fair noun

A general outdoor event with rides and stalls.

Commonly confused: county fair or fair? county fair or fare?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “county fair”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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