Keep distance

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

I could find some results on the internet but not the ones I am interested in. Are these correct?

1. "Keep distance."
2. "Keep a safe distance."
3. "Keep social distance."
4. "Keep two meters distance."
5. "Keep a two-meter distance."

 

[Tarheel]

I guess you're talking about so-called social distancing.

Try:

Keep at a safe distance (from somebody).

Or:

Keep two meters distance (from somebody).

Or:

Keep a two meter distance (from somebody)..

 

[Rachel Adams]

I guess you're talking about so-called social distancing.

Try:

Keep at a safe distance (from somebody).

Or:

Keep two meters distance (from somebody).

Or:

Keep a two meter distance (from somebody)..

My choices are wrong :-? . Or just unnatural?

 

[emsr2d2]

I [STRIKE]could[/STRIKE] was able to find some results on the internet but not the ones I am interested in. What are you interested in? What term(s) did you Google?

Are these correct?

1. "Keep distance." :cross: Not grammatical.
2. "Keep a safe distance." OK.
3. "Keep social distance." :cross:
4. "Keep two meters' distance." Note my correction.
5. "Keep a two-meter distance." :tick:

Keep two meters' distance (from somebody).

Keep a two-meter distance (from somebody).

Note my corrections and comments above. In the UK, the standard phrase is "Respect social distancing".

 

[Rachel Adams]

Note my corrections and comments above. In the UK, the standard phrase is "Respect social distancing".

I couldn't find the ones I asked about.
You said "Keep distance" is ungrammatical. Perhaps I misunderstood the dictionary's explanation. It was given separately so I thought it is used.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/keep+distance
"Keep a social distance" is correct, isn't it? "Keep social distance" needs an article. Is this my mistake?

 

[emsr2d2]

I think you've misinterpreted the dictionary entry. It doesn't say that just "Keep distance" can be used. The reason that "one's" is in brackets in the first entry is because "one's" can be replaced by another word, as shown in the three examples that follow it (note "your", "his" and "their" in the examples). It doesn't mean that it can simply be omitted.

It has used your search terms (keep distance) to show any entries that include those two words. It doesn't have an actual entry for "keep distance" though. If you put the two words inside quotation marks in the search box (which tells it that you want the exact phrase and nothing else) and try again, you will see that it has no results.

 

[Rachel Adams]

I think you've misinterpreted the dictionary entry. It doesn't say that just "Keep distance" can be used. The reason that "one's" is in brackets in the first entry is because "one's" can be replaced by another word, as shown in the three examples that follow it (note "your", "his" and "their" in the examples). It doesn't mean that it can simply be omitted.

It has used your search terms (keep distance) to show any entries that include those two words. It doesn't have an actual entry for "keep distance" though. If you put the two words inside quotation marks in the search box (which tells it that you want the exact phrase and nothing else) and try again, you will see that it has no results.

This morning I saw something similar hanged in a supermarket. "Keep social distance 2 meters." I cannot find anything for "keeping social distance" as a standalone statement. If I had to write it, I would write "Keep your distance two meters" . I see that in most photos on the Internet, it is written as "Keep your distance" and "two meters" is given below.

 

[emsr2d2]

This morning I saw something similar [STRIKE]hanged[/STRIKE] hanging in a supermarket. It said "Keep social distance 2 meters". I cannot find anything for "keeping social distance" as a standalone statement. If I had to write it, I would write "Keep your distance two meters". I see that in most photos on the Internet, it is written as "Keep your distance" and "two meters" is given below.

Note my corrections above.

Signs are designed to give the maximum possible information in the fewest possible words. Don't expect them to fulfil your grammatical expectations. Your revised version doesn't work either. "Keep your distance" is a complete sentence. You could add a dash and then "2 metres".

 

[Yankee]

Per emsr2d2's post, "Signs are designed to give the maximum possible information in the fewest possible words. Don't expect them to fulfill your grammatical expectations". And as posted in many grocery chains' fast lanes: "10 Items or Less", except for only one of my local markets, "10 Items or Fewer".

 

[Rover_KE]

Yankee, BE fulfil = AE fulfill

 

[Skrej]

This morning I saw something similar hanged in a supermarket. "Keep social distance 2 meters." I cannot find anything for "keeping social distance" as a standalone statement. If I had to write it, I would write "Keep your distance two meters" . I see that in most photos on the Internet, it is written as "Keep your distance" and "two meters" is given below.

View attachment 3646

I think you're slightly misinterpreting how the sign is read. '2m' isn't meant to be part of the sentence "Please keep your distance'. Due to the space constraints of the circle, they vertically centered the text above and below the graphic representation of two people standing two meters apart.

It's common in signage to wrap the text around the image as it best fits. Graphic design determines the layout, not grammar.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

UK: Two meters.

US: Six feet.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

This morning I saw something similar hanging in a supermarket: "Keep social distance 2 meters." I cannot find anything for "keeping social distance" as a standalone statement.

It isn't.

If I had to write it, I would write, "Keep a distance of two meters"[no space]. I see that in most photos on the Internet, it is written as "Keep your distance," and "two meters" is given below.

View attachment 3646

That is obviously not a sentence!

Signs rarely are.