Meaning & use
one strand
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Meanings
nouncountable
A single thin thread, fiber, or lock of hair.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'of' to show what it belongs to.
Patterns
- a strand of something
- one strand of hair
A single strand of hair was left on the pillow.
She pulled one strand of thread from the loose hem.
The rope is made of many strands, but one strand had broken.
nouncountablefigurative
One part or aspect of a larger idea, plan, or story.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of' and a noun like 'argument' or 'thought'.
Patterns
- one strand of something
- a strand of thought
One strand of the argument is that costs are too high.
Her speech had one strand about education and another about jobs.
We need to follow one strand of the story at a time.
Word forms
| plural | one strands |
|---|
Common combinations
- a strand of hair
- He noticed a strand of hair on his jacket.
- a strand of thought
- That's an interesting strand of thought to explore.
- one strand of the argument
- One strand of the argument focuses on fairness.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: one strand or strand?
one strand vs strand
As a verb, 'strand' means to leave someone helpless; as a noun, it's the thin thread.
Practice
The report identified one ______ of the problem: poor communication.
Choose one answer.
After 'one', use the singular noun 'strand'. 'Strands' is plural and would not follow 'one'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “one strand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.