Meaning & use
one-story house
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
a house that has only one level or floor above the ground
Grammar: The plural is 'one-story houses'. The adjective 'one-story' comes before the noun.
Patterns
- live in a one-story house
- build a one-story house
- a small one-story house
They bought a one-story house with a large garden.
My grandparents prefer a one-story house because stairs are difficult for them.
The neighborhood is full of one-story houses painted in bright colors.
adjectivebefore a nounAmerican
having only one floor
Grammar: Used before a noun: a one-story building. It is not used after a verb.
Patterns
- a one-story building
- a one-story home
- a one-story structure
The school is a one-story building with ramps for wheelchairs.
They added a second floor to what was once a one-story home.
Word forms
| plural | one-story houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- a small one-story house
- They rented a small one-story house near the beach.
- a one-story building
- The library is a one-story building with a flat roof.
- build a one-story house
- It is cheaper to build a one-story house than a two-story one.
- live in a one-story house
- After his accident, he wanted to live in a one-story house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bungalow
- A small one-story house, often with a low roof; 'one-story house' is a plain description, not a style name.
- single-story house
- The same meaning, but 'single-story' is slightly more formal and common in British English as 'single-storey'.
Opposites
Word family
- story noun
- A level or floor of a building (American English).
- two-story adjective
- Having two floors.
- multi-story adjective
- Having several floors.
Commonly confused: one-story house or one-storey?
one-story house vs one-storey
The British spelling of the same word. Use 'storey' in British English and 'story' in American English when talking about floors of a building.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'one-story house' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A one-story house has all its rooms on one level, so bedrooms on the ground floor make sense. The other options describe houses with more than one floor, which contradicts 'one-story'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “one-story house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.