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Mr. Tom Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

Use of household

Hi

Is my understanding of the use of household correct here?

With both parents gone, Leela, only 14 at the time, was looking after the household. (all the people in the house)

With both parents gone, Leela, only 14 at the time, was looking into the household. (all the affairs related to the house)

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

"looking after the household" means taking care of or being responsible for the occupants and maybe also the property itself. Apart from its obvious literal meaning, "looking into" normally means "investigating". It is not clear in what sense Leela would be "looking into" the household.

— GPY

  • "looking after the household" means taking care of or being responsible for the occupants and maybe also the property itself.
  • Apart from its obvious literal meaning, "looking into" normally means "investigating".
  • It is not clear in what sense Leela would be "looking into" the household.
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4 Answers
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"looking after the household" means taking care of or being responsible for the occupants and maybe also the property itself.

Apart from its obvious literal meaning, "looking into" normally means "investigating". It is not clear in what sense Leela would be "looking into" the household.
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Thanks, GPY.

I meant, looking into the household affairs...

Or it doesn't work at all? Should I put after in both sentences? Also, must I put affairs?

A - I was looking into (or after?) the household affairs when my parents were a
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"looking into" and "looking after" mean different things (see previous reply). Your choice depends on what you want to say. In that dialogue, you presumably want "looking after". "looking after the household" and "looking after the household affairs" both make sense, but "looking after the house" may suffice. Few households have "staff salaries", at least where I come from.
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Mr. TomWith both parents gone, Leela, only 14 at the time, was looking after the household. (all the people in the house)
That seems rather old-fashioned. This is more recent:
Leela had to look after the family.

Household is most commonly used as an adjective:
a household cleaner
the household annual income
household waste you can recy
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