Meaning & use
the Home Counties
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Meaning
proper nounpluralBritish
The counties around London, in southeast England, traditionally seen as the city's wealthy commuter belt.
Grammar: Always used with 'the' and a plural verb: the Home Counties are...; it is a fixed proper name, so it is normally capitalized.
Patterns
- the Home Counties
- in the Home Counties
- from the Home Counties
They moved out of London and settled in the Home Counties.
House prices in the Home Counties have risen faster than in most of the country.
She commutes into the city from one of the Home Counties.
Common combinations
- live in the Home Counties
- Many families who work in London live in the Home Counties.
- the Home Counties commuter belt
- The train line serves the Home Counties commuter belt.
- a Home Counties town
- Guildford is a well-known Home Counties town.
- move to the Home Counties
- After their second child was born, they moved to the Home Counties.
- house prices in the Home Counties
- House prices in the Home Counties are among the highest in Britain.
Commonly confused: the Home Counties or the Midlands? the Home Counties or Greater London?
the Home Counties vs the Midlands
The Midlands is a large region in central England, not the area around London, so the two names are never interchangeable.
the Home Counties vs Greater London
Greater London is the city itself; the Home Counties are the surrounding counties outside it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the Home Counties' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed name takes 'the' and is plural: 'in the Home Counties'. Dropping 'the' or using the singular 'Home County' is not how the established name is used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the Home Counties”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.