Forum newsfeeds |  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
27-Nov-2006, 07:15
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Country: China
Posts: 1,882
Current Location: China First Language: Chinese Thanks: 175
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | flight and stairs Dear teachers,
'flight' means ' a set of stairs between one floor and the next'. 'stairs' means 'thought of as a group esp. as forming a flight or a series of flights'. As far as I understand when 'stair' is in plural it means 'flight'.
Please read the sentence:
He ran down the four ________ and through the wide doors of the ground floor entrance.
a. flights b. stairs
The key is 'a'. My question is: why isn't 'b' correct?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang | 
27-Nov-2006, 07:54
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,095
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Thanks: 0
Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang Dear teachers,
'flight' means ' a set of stairs between one floor and the next'. 'stairs' means 'thought of as a group esp. as forming a flight or a series of flights'. As far as I understand when 'stair' is in plural it means 'flight'.
Please read the sentence:
He ran down the four ________ and through the wide doors of the ground floor entrance.
a. flights b. stairs
The key is 'a'. My question is: why isn't 'b' correct?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang | It could easily be "stairs" there. BTW, "stairs" in the plural doesn't always mean "flight". | 
27-Nov-2006, 08:18
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,285
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 73
Thanked 808 Times in 721 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs It seems to me that when a specific number is used we are more likely to use flight(s). Example: "He walked down four flights of stairs." Also, we would say 20 steps rather than 20 stairs. ~R | 
27-Nov-2006, 12:27
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Country: China
Posts: 1,882
Current Location: China First Language: Chinese Thanks: 175
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs
Dear Mike,
Thank you very much for your explanation. I have two questions to ask:
No.1
Could you please tell me if you mean here we should use 'stairs'? Then why did you say "stairs" in the plural doesn't always mean "flight"?
No.2
Could you please tell me what this 'BTW' mean?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork It could easily be "stairs" there. BTW, "stairs" in the plural doesn't always mean "flight". | | 
27-Nov-2006, 12:32
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Country: China
Posts: 1,882
Current Location: China First Language: Chinese Thanks: 175
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs  &
Dear RonBee,
Thank you very much for your explanation.
I feel confused by this part of your explanation:
Also, we would say 20 steps rather than 20 stairs.
'step' can also mean to walk on a rode. Could you please tell me how I can know it refers to 'stairs' if somebody use 'step' to mean 'stairs'? I think context should be provided. Is that right?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang Quote:
Originally Posted by RonBee It seems to me that when a specific number is used we are more likely to use flight(s). Example: "He walked down four flights of stairs." Also, we would say 20 steps rather than 20 stairs. ~R | | 
27-Nov-2006, 13:47
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Country: USA
Posts: 6,095
Current Location: New York First Language: American English Thanks: 0
Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang
Dear Mike,
Thank you very much for your explanation. I have two questions to ask:
No.1
Could you please tell me if you mean here we should use 'stairs'? Then why did you say "stairs" in the plural doesn't always mean "flight"?
No.2
Could you please tell me what this 'BTW' mean?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang | A "flight" of stairs is a large number of stairs that takes one up or down an entire building floor (sometimes with a landing in the middle). If there are two or three steps/stairs leading out from a building, it is not a flight, IMO.
BTW = by the way.
IMO = in my opinion | 
27-Nov-2006, 13:54
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Country: USA
Posts: 13,285
Current Location: North Carolina First Language: English Thanks: 73
Thanked 808 Times in 721 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs The word s tep can be either a noun or a verb. When referring to individual stairs we usually say steps. Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang 'step' can also mean to walk on a rode. | Step can also mean to walk on a road. The word step can refer to walking, especially an individual stride, for example: "He stepped off of the sidewalk onto the road."
~R | 
27-Nov-2006, 14:14
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Country: England (South East)
Posts: 5,151
Current Location: England (South East) First Language: English Thanks: 47
Thanked 497 Times in 435 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang Dear teachers,
'flight' means ' a set of stairs between one floor and the next'. 'stairs' means 'thought of as a group esp. as forming a flight or a series of flights'. As far as I understand when 'stair' is in plural it means 'flight'.
Please read the sentence:
He ran down the four ________ and through the wide doors of the ground floor entrance.
a. flights b. stairs
The key is 'a'. My question is: why isn't 'b' correct?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang | Answer (a) would be right, if he started four flights up. I agree with RonBee that steps would be more likely if it was one short flight. [Besides, if 'he' was running, and it had only been four steps, he'd've jumped  ]
b | 
27-Nov-2006, 23:00
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Country: China
Posts: 1,882
Current Location: China First Language: Chinese Thanks: 175
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs
Dear Mike,
Thank heavens the website works again. I guess it broke down early this morning.
Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.
Jiang Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork A "flight" of stairs is a large number of stairs that takes one up or down an entire building floor (sometimes with a landing in the middle). If there are two or three steps/stairs leading out from a building, it is not a flight, IMO.
BTW = by the way.
IMO = in my opinion | | 
27-Nov-2006, 23:04
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2003 Country: China
Posts: 1,882
Current Location: China First Language: Chinese Thanks: 175
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
| | Re: flight and stairs Dear Mike,
Thank heavens the website starts to work again. I guess it broke down early this morning.
Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.
Jiang Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork A "flight" of stairs is a large number of stairs that takes one up or down an entire building floor (sometimes with a landing in the middle). If there are two or three steps/stairs leading out from a building, it is not a flight, IMO.
BTW = by the way.
IMO = in my opinion | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 04:07. |  |