Zero degrees?

[Ismaeltohari]

Hi there,

I hope you find the time to reply.

The weathermen say:

eg It is 1 degree in Rome zero degrees in London.

Why do they say "zero degrees" not "zero degree" though "ZERO" is less than one?

[Neillythere]

Hi Ismaeltohari

As a Brit, but not a teacher, I would provide equivalent examples:

"I have no photographs of my Grandfather", or
"I don't have any photographs of my Grandfather",

which are equivalent to saying:

"I have zero photographs of my Grandfather".

The case where we would use the singular form would be:
" I don't have a single photograph of my Grandfather"

Hope this helps
Best regards
NT

[Ismaeltohari]

Thanks a lot.

You mean that Zero means No, right?

But please have a look at this discussion regarding the same topic. Please tell me what your take on that.

zero degrees or degree - Topic Powered by eve community

[Neillythere]

Hi Ismaeltohari

Zero doesn't always translate as "no".

If a thermometer registered "no degrees" then it would be faulty. The mercury would not have left the bulb.

Regards
NT

PS Please see my private message for my comments on the referenced thread. It's not appropriate to comment on other sites in a public forum.