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Lucas21c Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

'half' vs 'a half'

How do I read the underlined part in this sentence, "Astronauts grow about 1 and 1/2 inches taller in space?" Is it "one and a half inches" or " one and half inches"?
  

Top answer

" which said quickly can sound a bit like wunnuna(h)arf. d

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  • " which said quickly can sound a bit like wunnuna(h)arf.
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7 Answers
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We say "one and a half..." which said quickly can sound a bit like wunnuna(h)arf.
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Can I also read it as "one and one second inches?"
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lucas21cCan I also read it as "one and one second inches?"
No. 1/2 is never said as "one second." It's "one half" or "a half."
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Then, can "Astronauts grow about 1 and 1/2 inches taller in space" be read as "Astronauts grow about one and one half inches taller in space?" Or, in this case, should the underlined part be read as "one and a half inches"?
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To me "one and a half" is more natural.
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How about 'one and one fourth'? Does it sound natural, or should I say 'one and a quarter'?
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"one and a quarter" sounds more natural, but the other is ok. Numerals should only be used in technical descriptions (e.g. 1.5" taller).
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