Meaning & use
speculative building
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Meanings
noununcountablebusiness
The practice or business of constructing buildings without having secured buyers or tenants beforehand, in the hope of selling or renting them later.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: 'Speculative building is risky.' Do not say 'a speculative building' for the activity.
Patterns
- speculative building of something
- engage in speculative building
The developer made a fortune through speculative building during the housing boom.
Speculative building slowed sharply when interest rates rose and buyers disappeared.
Many banks became cautious about financing speculative building in the suburbs.
nouncountablebusiness
A building put up without a confirmed buyer or tenant, built in the hope that one will be found.
Grammar: As a countable noun, it can take 'a' and a plural: 'a speculative building', 'several speculative buildings'.
Patterns
- a speculative building
- speculative buildings
The tower stood empty for two years because it was a speculative building.
Investors toured several speculative buildings before choosing one to lease.
A speculative building in the business park was finally rented to a tech firm.
Word forms
| plural | speculative buildings |
|---|
Common combinations
- speculative building boom
- The speculative building boom ended abruptly when credit tightened.
- finance speculative building
- Local banks were reluctant to finance speculative building after the crash.
- a speculative building project
- The council approved a speculative building project on the edge of town.
- speculative office building
- A speculative office building went up near the station with no tenants signed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spec building
- An informal short form used mainly in the property industry; it means the same but is less suitable for formal writing.
- speculative development
- A broader term that can include land purchase and planning as well as construction, not just the building itself.
Opposites
Word family
- speculate verb
- To take a business risk in the hope of profit.
- speculation noun
- The act of making risky investments hoping for gain.
- speculator noun
- A person who buys property or shares hoping to sell at a profit.
- speculative adjective
- Done in the hope of future profit rather than on a confirmed deal.
Commonly confused: speculative building or speculation?
speculative building vs speculation
Speculation is the general activity of taking financial risks; speculative building is one specific form of it in construction.
Practice
The developer started ______ in the suburbs, hoping to sell the houses once they were finished.
Choose one answer.
The activity is uncountable, so 'speculative building' fits after 'started'. 'A speculative building' would refer to one structure, not the business activity, and 'speculatively building' is not a standard noun phrase here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “speculative building”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.