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Sat 12 Jan, 2008 06:07 pm
OK, this is a very simple question that I always had. Maybe someone can help me clarify this.
Do I say "I am 6 feet tall" or "I am 6 foot tall"?
Do I say "I am 6 feet 2" or "I am 6 foot 2"?
You are 6 feet, two inches tall. You are a 6 foot two inch person.
A wall that is six feet tall is a six foot wall. A stone that weighs three tons is a three ton weight. A jar that holds two gallons is a two gallon jar.
Many people say "I am six foot two". It is not wrong in ordinary speech.
Thank you very much for your explanations and examples, Roger and Contrex. No wonder I was all mixed up.
It is a very odd language, cello.
I agree, Roger. I always thought English was an easy language to learn until I had to teach it to someone else. It does not have any logic at all and I find it very difficult to teach.
My mother used to insist that the distinction was perfectly clear until 1940 when this song was released:
Quote:Five foot two, eyes of blue
But oh! what those five foot could do
Has anybody seen my girl?
Turned up nose, turned down hose
Flapper, yes sir, one of those
Has anybody seen my girl?
Now if you run into a five foot two
Covered with fur
Diamond rings and all those things
You can betcha' life it isn't her
But could she love, could she woo?
Could she, could she, could she coo?
Has anybody seen my girl?
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