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Mr. Tom Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary
"It is a half foot tall." vs "It is half a foot tall."
Hi
Could you please tell me if both of the following expressions are correct and natural?
Could you please tell me if both of the following expressions are correct and natural?
"It is a half foot tall."
"It is half a foot tall."
Top answer
I would be more likely to say "half a foot" but don't find "a half foot" at all wrong.
- I would be more likely to say "half a foot" but don't find "a half foot" at all wrong.
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6 Answers
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I would be more likely to say "half a foot" but don't find "a half foot" at all wrong.
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The proper way would be, "It is a half of a foot tall."
Or, "It is 6 inches tall," to be less confusing.
Or, "It is 6 inches tall," to be less confusing.
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AnonymousThe proper way would be, "It is a half of a foot tall."
No, I can't say that that sounds proper at all.
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"Half a foot tall" sounds fine to me. "A half foot tall" sounds OK but a little awkward. "Half of a foot tall" sounds wrong. But I agree with the poster who suggested "six inches tall."
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Both expressions are extremely unnatural; you ought to use 'six inches' to refer to the length of an object that is six inches long. 'Feet' ought only to be subdivided when given as a remainder of a larger measurement such as, 'four and a half feet'.
PS -- Try to avoid saying 'half a pint' as well, no matter what 'Grammar Geek' says.
PS -- Try to avoid saying 'half a pint' as well, no matter what 'Grammar Geek' says.
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