Questions tagged [measure-expressions]
For questions about expressions that involve length, distance, units, or other terms related to measurement.
42 questions
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Ten minutes walk Vs ten minute walk
ten minutes walk
ten minute walk
Having read a fair bit about it and the different thoughts on it. I'm still puzzled about it. My logic is that ten minutes makes the word minute a plural word.
I kind ...
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"(a/one) hundred percent" — Is "a/one" always optional here?
I'm curious about whether "a/one" in "a/one hundred percent" is always optional or not.
If not, then what's the rule?
To look into it, I found some examples.
All a-variants below ...
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What does "one pound twenty-five" mean?
According to Swan's Practical (British English),
We can use a(n) or one with measurement words. The rules are similar
to those with numerals:
a/one pound
vs
one/✱a pound twenty-five
What does one ...
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"20 minutes cooking time" — Why is this phrase correct? I think it must have an apostrophe after "minutes"
collinsdictionary.com:
(1) Leave the vegetables to steam over the rice for the 20 minutes cooking time.
As far as I understand:
"Time" is a head noun.
"Cooking" is an adjective.
&...
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Is there a context where the sentence "She ran in ten minutes." is correct?
the textbook "The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language", page 668:
(1) She ran in ten minutes. — incorrect
I'm curious about whether there is a context where (1) is correct. For ...
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"He went to New York for two weeks" is correct. But "She drove to Berlin for eight hours" is incorrect. Why? They look the same
CGEL, page 706:
(1) He went to New York for two weeks. — correct
CGEL, page 684:
(2) She drove to Berlin for eight hours. — incorrect
To me, (1) and (2) look the same.
Why is one incorrect, ...
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"Ten minutes is all it takes." — "Ten minutes" is plural, but "is" singular. What if we use "a few"?: "A few minutes is all it takes."
I know the rule that if "number + measure" is perceived as one whole, we use a singular verb.
Here are some examples [(1a-5a) are from the internet; (6a) is mine]:
(1a) Ten minutes is all it ...
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Is it correct to say that any adjective consisting of "number + noun" cannot be used predicatively? E.g.: "The waist is thirty-inch" is unnatural
my conclusion from an answer on ell.stackexchange.com:
(1a) It is a five-story building. — natural
(1b) The building is five-story. — unnatural
(2a) It is a five-person tent. — natural
(2b) The tent ...
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1) "Six and a quarter of a mile" — Is this correct?; 2) "Six and a quarter of a million" — Is this correct?
As far as I understand, "a quarter of something" is correct.
But I'm interested in whether we can add a number to the beginning of this phrase or not.
For example, is "six and a quarter ...
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1) "A ten-thousand-dollar profit" — Can we say this without "dollar"? 2) "A ten-thousand-head growth" — Can we say this without "head"?
All examples below are mine.
(1a) a ten-thousand-dollar profit — I think this is correct.
(1b) a ten-thousand profit — Is this correct?
(2a) a ten-thousand-head growth — I think this is correct.
(2b) ...
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"imprisonment for ten years" VS "imprisonment of ten years" VS "ten years' imprisonment"
my own examples:
(1) imprisonment for ten years
(2) imprisonment of ten years
(3) ten years' imprisonment
As far as I understand, they are all correct.
What's the difference between them?
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Right usage of 'large' ("The windows in the front room are 10 m × 12 m large")
Is it correct to say 'this is x cm large'?
For example, is it O.K to say
The windows in the front room are 10 m × 12 m large.
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Uses Of a piece of and a slice of
What's the difference between a piece of and a slice of, and when we use a piece of and a slice of for food and objects?
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What time are the "Wee Hours"? [closed]
What period of time is considered Wee Hours?
From 12:00am to 05:00am?
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Sculptures measured in area
What is the correct way to say how many square centimetres of sculptures someone created in total?
"Created a total of 65,000 suqare centimetres of sculptures" or "Created sculptures ...
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to the gallon or by the gallon?
Why is the preposition "to," rather than "by" used in the following?
This car does about 40 miles to the gallon.
Consider also this:
He is paid 20 dollars by the hour.
Why is &...
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Numbers, Units, and Measurements
When it comes to measuring quantities, we say 1 L of water, 1 gallon of gasoline, or 1 kW of power.
Is it correct if I rearrange the words by exchanging the position of the unit and their quantities?
...
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A geometrical shape
I am looking for a specific name of a geometrical shape if there is any.
It is a cylinder.
The height is very short relative to it’s large radius.
It’s very flat, but much thicker than a coin.
Like a ...
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proper time span expressions between two-day work and two days of work
Which one of the following time span expressions is proper "two-day work" or "two days of work"?
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Arithmetic expressions in words
Consider the following sentences, which I know are correct, as example;
Two multiplied by two gives four. OR Two times two gives four. OR Two by two gives four.
Two divided by two is one.
Q1: ...
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"of" with measurement expressions
I'd like to know whether "of" is properly used in the following sentences:
John bought a rope of between 10 and 20 cm.
John bought a rope between 10 and 20 cm.
John bought a rope of between ...
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"6-foot tall" or "6-feet tall"?
I have heard/seen people say/write "She is 5 feet 10 inches tall" and "She is 5-foot-10." But in formal writing, is there a convention? I found both "8-foot-tall" and "nine-feet tall" in online ...
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Describing a group of children - year or years, old or olds [duplicate]
Is this sentence correct if I describe a group of children?
Children 6-7 years olds.
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How to say a file is very small?
Is there a way saying a file doesn't have a lot of bytes?
If I want to say: "The smallest app", when small is regarding file size, how would i say that?
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How I say I work on a project that existed for 10 years?
I was thinking about
I worked on a 10 year duration project
Is there any mistake or awkward construction on this phrase? I don't how to search about this type of phrase, where you state a number, a ...
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100 apples are/is considered as a large number of apples
Should I use is or are in this sentence?
100 apples are/is considered as a large number of apples.
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Two cups of coffee is too much / is too many / are too many
My understanding is that depending on whether we consider two cups of coffee as a whole/unit or counting them individually we could say either:
1.1 Two cups of coffee is too much (the quantity ...
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How many square meters "twenty feet square" is?
One would assume it to be about 2 square meters, but this is obviously not the case. In fact, I'm reading Illium by Dan Simmons. A quote follows:
Much like the room they had faxed into, this space ...
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Singular pronoun "it" working as a plural one
Why in time expressions the singular pronoun "it" is able to replace "they"?:
It is twenty to five in the afternoon.
This rule also is used in quantity of people or things:
John: How many ...
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in ten minutes vs within ten minutes [duplicate]
The machine will start automatically in ten minutes.
The machine will start automatically within ten minutes.
What's the difference between the two sentences?
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Why is "letter" not plural in "two letter words"?
Why is "letter" not plural in "two letter words"?
For me it's very strange as the equivalent in French would be plural but my English friend finds it totally normal.
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"Five foot ten" or "five feet ten"?
I'm not sure if this sort of question has ever been asked, and it's surprisingly difficult to do a productive generic search for this contextual expression (contextual as in involving numbers). I ...
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Simple vs Complex: are there better (more scientific) terms?
For instance:
Speed is a complex (?) measure: it is a combination of simple (?) measures (or concepts), i.e. time and distance.
Energy is treated as a complex (?) concept in physics: it is a ...
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What is a better way of saying "I am in right way?"
I am in group conversation and I want say if I'm on the right track. If I'm going in this "direction", I will have a good results. Which can be the expression that resumes this thought?
"I am in ...
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Why does this sentence need a prepositon [in]?
Whatever is wholly deprived of light is in complete darkness.
Why not 'wholly deprived of light is complete darkness' ?
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Year/Years in 'an x-year degree' (x>1)? [duplicate]
What is the exact rule regarding the plural/singular 'year'?
Which one is correct and why:
A five-year degree
A five-years degree
As in a degree that takes five years to complete, of course.
...
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Adjective order/plural form of "ninety", "story/stories", and "tall."
I was doing some multiple choice exercises. One of them was:-
A fire in the ..... building could be a problem for firefighters
1- Ninety-story-tall
2-ninety-tall-story
3-ninety-stories-tall
4-ninety ...
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what is the function of "a foot" in this sentence?
"Tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high."
Does "a foot" function as an adverbial phrase or subject complement?
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Time expression plus has/have [duplicate]
Ten minutes have passed. Let's wait five more.
Is using have here correct?
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Why "was" not "were" in "Nearly £20 was taken from my bank account"
I've always said "$100 were taken" not "$100 was taken" because I thought $100 is plural. Could you explain why "was" not "were"? Any other helpful notes about the issue would be appreciated.
Nearly ...
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Why do you say "Fifty miles IS ......"? [duplicate]
Fifty miles is a long way to ride a motorbike.
Why use is with miles which looks like a plural noun? Can you explain me what the rule is?
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