We have studied liquid structure for a whole family of methylchloromethane compounds ((CH3)(4-n)CCln), exploiting the interplay of x-ray diffraction measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) computations. To this end we report for the first time x-ray spectra for 1,1,1-trichloroethane (n=3), and 2,2-dichloropropane (n=2), together with a new determination for carbon tetrachloride (n=4). A consistent set of molecular models for MD simulation has also been developed for the full family, providing excellent accord with thermodynamic properties (vaporization enthalpy and density over the full liquid phase), and with diffraction data alike. The theoretical results have allowed the interpretation of the salient features in the experimental spectra and of the trends peculiar to this family of compounds, basically characterized by the suppression of one of the two main peaks in the spectrum as the number of chlorines is diminished. A numerical method that constructs radial correlation functions for ideal dimer geometries has served to explore the most probable structures between nearest neighbors. We have concluded that structure at short intermolecular distances cannot be assigned to any clear-cut geometry. Instead, it can be explained by a combination of corner-to-face and interlocked configurations, with a contribution (dependent on the compound) of face-to-face configurations.