The English word “FOOT” has more
than one meaning. In the United
States, one meaning is a unit of
measurement equal to 12 inches, or
.3 meters. We use FEET to measure
height, length and short distances.
Today’s question is about when to
use the plural
or singular form.
meaning: significado; unit
of measurement: unidad de medida;
height, length and short distances:
altura, longitud y distancias cortas;
For the unit of measurement, we
often use the singular form even
when we are talking about more than
one foot. This can make things
confusing for learners.
even when: aún cuando; can
make things confusing: puede
resultar confuso; for learners:
para los principiantes o estudiantes
en general;
Luckily, there are three easy rules
that can help:
luckily: afortunadamente;
easy rules: reglas gramaticales
fáciles;
FOOT (adjective)
(1) When used as an adjective, we
use “foot,” which is the singular
form. Let’s hear some examples:
The children climbed a 15-FOOT
tree.
Here, the adjective is
“15-foot” and it describes the noun
“tree.”
when used as: cuando se lo
utiliza como; let's hear:
escuchemos; a 15-foot tree:
un árbol de 15 pies (15-foot
no lleva plural porque delante de un
sustantivo (tree) dicha frase
hace las veces de adjetivo y -como
recordarás- los adjetivos en inglés
nunca se pluralizan)
(10-feet tree no es correcto);
Here’s another:
I have a 10-FOOT
ladder that you can
borrow.
Here, the adjective “10-foot”
describes the noun “ladder.”
here's another: aquí va otro
(ejemplo); a 10-foot ladder:
una escalera de 10 pies
(10-feet ladder no es correcto);
Notice that both 15-foot and 10-foot
come before the noun and there is a
hyphen
between the words. A hyphen is
needed when a unit of measurement
acts as an adjective.
notice that both: observa que
ambos; there is a hyphen:
existe un guión (el guión debe
usarse cuando se usa una unidad de
medida como adjetivo);
FEET (noun)
When used as a noun, we use the
plural
form: feet. Take a
listen:
The tree is 15 FEET high.
Here, the noun is “15 feet” and the
adjective is “high.”
The ladder is 10 FEET tall.
Here, the noun is “10 feet” and the
adjective is “tall.” Notice that the
noun form does not use a hyphen.
take a listen: presta
atención al audio; is 15 feet
high: tiene 5 pies de altura
(aquí no se usa guión porque 15
feet es el sustantivo y high
es el adjetivo); is 10 feet tall:
mide 10 pies de alto (aquí no se usa
guión porque 10 feet es el
sustantivo y tall es el
adjetivo);
These two rules also apply to many
other units of measurement.
also apply to: también se
aplican a;
FOOT (singular)
Lastly, we usually use the
singular form when talking about
a person’s height. This is an
exception to the plural noun rule in
#2. Here’s an example:
I am 5-FOOT-6.
This is a common way of saying, “I
am 5 feet 6 inches tall”.
However, when the person’s height is
an exact number of feet --without
inches -- we use the plural
form.
I am 5 FEET.
He is 6 FEET tall.
The addition of “tall” is not
required in everyday conversation.
lastly: finalmente; I am
5-foot-6 (formato informal) = I am 5
feet 6 inches tall (formato formal):
Mido 5 pies 6 pulgadas (cuando se
habla informalmente de altura de una
persona suele usarse foot
no
feet)
pero en forma completa se prefiere
usar feet no
foot).
Sin embargo, si la altura de la
persona es un número exacto o
"redondo" (sin pulgadas), se usa la
forma plural; He is 6 feet tall:
Él mide 6 pies (informalmente puede
eliminarse el adjetivo tall);
OTHER MEANINGS:
For all other meanings of “foot,” we
use “foot” for the singular form and
“feet” for the plural.
for all other meanings: para
los restantes significados.
I’m Alice Bryant. |