Meaning & use
small thatched cottage
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Meaning
phrasecountable
a little house with a roof made of dried straw or reeds, often in the countryside
Grammar: Countable phrase: say 'a small thatched cottage' or 'two small thatched cottages'; the plural adds -s to 'cottage'.
Patterns
- a small thatched cottage
- live in a small thatched cottage
They spent the weekend in a small thatched cottage near the coast.
The photograph shows a small thatched cottage with roses around the door.
We rented a small thatched cottage for the summer and loved the quiet garden.
Word forms
| plural | small thatched cottages |
|---|
Common combinations
- a small thatched cottage
- A small thatched cottage stood at the end of the lane.
- stay in a small thatched cottage
- Tourists often stay in a small thatched cottage in this village.
- a traditional small thatched cottage
- The guide pointed out a traditional small thatched cottage built in 1780.
- a small thatched cottage with a garden
- She bought a small thatched cottage with a garden full of apple trees.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thatched house
- More general; it can be any size, while 'cottage' suggests a small, old-fashioned home.
- country cottage
- Focuses on the location, not the roof; a country cottage may have tiles or slate.
Word family
Commonly confused: small thatched cottage or cabin?
small thatched cottage vs cabin
A cabin is a simple wooden house, often in a forest or on a ship; a cottage is usually a small permanent home in a village or the countryside.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option An is correct because 'a small thatched cottage' is singular and needs 'a' before the adjective. Option B mixes singular 'a' with plural 'cottages'; option C omits 'a'; option D uses 'thatch' instead of the adjective 'thatched'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “small thatched cottage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.