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Mitsuo23 Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

About the word; Half

Hi,

Will you tell me when I need to put "the" before half? Like, why is there no "the" between to and half in the sentence below?

"It is estimated that up to half of the local population may have blah blah blah..."

And one more question. Is there any difference between the two sentences below?
a) It's about half a mile down the road.
b) It's about a half mile down the road.

Thank you,
M
  

Top answer

' And one more question. - - No; just two ways of saying the same thing. a) It's about half a mile down the road.

— Mister Micawber

  • ' And one more question.
  • - - No; just two ways of saying the same thing.
  • a) It's about half a mile down the road.
  • b) It's about a half mile down the road.
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4 Answers
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I don't think we ever put 'the' before 'half' unless it is in phrases like 'Where's the half pint of milk I bought?'

And one more question. Is there any difference between the two sentences below?-- No; just two ways of saying the same thing.

a) It's about half a mile down the road. b) It's about a half mile down the road.
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mitsuwao23Will you tell me when I need to put "the" before half?
As far as I can tell, it's only when half is part of a compound noun.

oysters on the half-shell
the half-life of a radioactive element

And when half is modified by an adjective, usually one like first, second, or other:

the firs
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