Meaning & use
Schenectady
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A city in eastern New York State, on the Mohawk River, near Albany.
Grammar: A name, so it takes no article and no plural: say 'in Schenectady', not 'in the Schenectady'.
Patterns
- in Schenectady
- live in Schenectady
- Schenectady, New York
Her grandparents settled in Schenectady in the 1920s and never left.
The train from New York City to Schenectady takes about three hours.
He grew up in Schenectady and still supports the local baseball team.
proper nounproper
The county in New York State whose seat is that city.
Grammar: Written with a capital letter and used before 'County': Schenectady County.
Patterns
- Schenectady County
- in Schenectady County
Schenectady County lies just west of Albany County.
Property records for the farm are kept at Schenectady County offices.
The map shows Schenectady County at the meeting point of two rivers.
Common combinations
- a city in New York
- Schenectady is a city in New York State, not far from the state capital.
- on the Mohawk River
- The old factories in Schenectady stood right on the Mohawk River.
- upstate New York
- People often group Schenectady with the other cities of upstate New York.
- the Schenectady area
- Houses in the Schenectady area are cheaper than in nearby Albany.
- move to Schenectady
- They decided to move to Schenectady when his job moved there.
- Schenectady County
- Schenectady County includes the city and several smaller towns.
Word family
- Schenectadian noun
- A person who lives in or comes from Schenectady; a rare, informal label.
Commonly confused: Schenectady or Schenectady County? Schenectady or Saratoga?
Schenectady vs Schenectady County
The county and the city share the name, so 'in Schenectady' may mean either the city itself or the wider county area; add 'city' or 'County' if you need to be exact.
Schenectady vs Saratoga
Saratoga is a different place in the same part of New York State; learners sometimes mix the two names up because both appear in travel writing about upstate New York.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the name correctly.
Choose one answer.
City names are proper nouns and normally take no article and no plural, so 'in Schenectady' is right. 'The Schenectady' wrongly treats the city name like a river or a ship, and 'Schenectadys' invents a plural that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Schenectady”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.