Meaning & use
in-law suite
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A separate living space inside or attached to a house, designed for a relative such as a parent to live in.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an in-law suite' or 'two in-law suites'.
Patterns
- an in-law suite in a house
- build an in-law suite
They converted the basement into an in-law suite for her mother.
The house has an in-law suite with its own kitchen and bathroom.
Word forms
| plural | in-law suites |
|---|
Common combinations
- build an in-law suite
- They plan to build an in-law suite above the garage.
- convert something into an in-law suite
- We converted the spare room into an in-law suite.
- an in-law suite with a private entrance
- The in-law suite has a private entrance and a small garden.
Synonyms and how they differ
- granny flat
- Common in British English for a small separate home for an elderly relative, often in the garden.
- accessory dwelling unit
- A more formal American term for a small secondary home on the same property; it may or may not be for a relative.
Commonly confused: in-law suite or in-law?
in-law suite vs in-law
In-law alone means a relative by marriage, such as a mother-in-law. An in-law suite is the living space, not the person.
Practice
They turned the garage into ______ for her father to live in.
Choose one answer.
'An in-law suite' is the correct singular countable form with the article 'an'. 'In-laws suite' is wrong because the modifier is singular. 'An in-law suite' is wrong because 'an' is needed before a vowel sound. 'In-law suites' is plural and does not fit 'a garage into ... for her father'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in-law suite”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.