S sitifan Senior Member Joined Dec 30, 2006 Member Type English Teacher Native Language Chinese Home Country Taiwan Current Location Taiwan Aug 13, 2020 #1 Which is the correct reading of 0.72 m, "zero point seven two meter" or "zero point seven two meters"?
Which is the correct reading of 0.72 m, "zero point seven two meter" or "zero point seven two meters"?
Charlie Bernstein VIP Member Joined Jan 28, 2009 Member Type Other Native Language English Home Country United States Current Location United States Aug 13, 2020 #2 Singular is more grammatical, but plural might be more common.
G GoesStation No Longer With Us (RIP) Joined Dec 22, 2015 Member Type Interested in Language Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Aug 13, 2020 #3 It's plural to me.
S SoothingDave VIP Member Joined Apr 17, 2009 Member Type Interested in Language Native Language American English Home Country United States Current Location United States Aug 13, 2020 #4 Me, too. Everything is plural, except for exactly 1.0. Even zero is plural.
Charlie Bernstein VIP Member Joined Jan 28, 2009 Member Type Other Native Language English Home Country United States Current Location United States Aug 14, 2020 #5 GoesStation said: It's plural to me. Click to expand... It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong.
GoesStation said: It's plural to me. Click to expand... It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong.
P PeterCW Senior Member Joined Apr 1, 2020 Member Type Interested in Language Native Language British English Home Country England Current Location England Aug 14, 2020 #6 Charlie Bernstein said: It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong. Click to expand... Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit.
Charlie Bernstein said: It is when I say it, too. But I know that, technically, I'm wrong. Click to expand... Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit.
teechar Moderator Staff member Joined Feb 18, 2015 Member Type English Teacher Native Language English Home Country Iraq Current Location Iraq Aug 14, 2020 #7 PeterCW said: Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit. Click to expand... Consider: We caught no rats in that basement. [We use the plural in such a sentence because we are talking in general] Thus: We caught zero rats in that basement. [Here, we keep the plural because "zero" substitutes for "no"] For learners: Stick to the advice given by SoothingDave in post #4 above.
PeterCW said: Thinking about it "zero metres" must be an oxymoron. If there is no length it can't have a unit. Click to expand... Consider: We caught no rats in that basement. [We use the plural in such a sentence because we are talking in general] Thus: We caught zero rats in that basement. [Here, we keep the plural because "zero" substitutes for "no"] For learners: Stick to the advice given by SoothingDave in post #4 above.
T Tdol No Longer With Us (RIP) Staff member Joined Nov 13, 2002 Native Language British English Home Country UK Current Location Japan Aug 14, 2020 #8 PeterCW said: If there is no length it can't have a unit. Click to expand... The length doesn't exist, but, for me, the unit by which we would measure it does.
PeterCW said: If there is no length it can't have a unit. Click to expand... The length doesn't exist, but, for me, the unit by which we would measure it does.