Area: length, width, depth and height
We use the nounslength, width, depthandheightand the adjectiveslong, wide, deepandhighto talk about area and size:
A:Whatlengthis the pool at the sports club?
B:Eighteen metres, I think.
A:And what about thedepth?
B:It’s not verydeep,maybe a metre.
The island is 11 mileslongand 5 mileswide.
We were travelling at aheightof 10,000 metres above sea level.
The statue is 3 metreshigh.
The zoo insists on the mammals having a pool at least 10 metresdeep, 30 metreswideand 150 metreslong.
We can usebyinstead oflongandwide:
The island is 11 milesby5 miles.
Tallorhigh?
We usetallfor people, buildings and things that grow. Otherwise we usehigh:
She’s verytallfor her age.
Not:She’s very high for her age.
The Burj Dubai will be the world’stallesttower.
The plants were two metrestall.
Highceilings are common in Georgian houses.
They builthighwalls around the garden.
See also:
Highortall?
Weight and volume
We use the verbweighto measure weight:
The engine is designed to take minimum space andweighs55 kg.
We buy things (fruit, vegetables, flour, etc.)by the kilo/pound, etc:
We buy riceby the kilo, which works out cheaper.
We use the verbholdto indicate volume:
The bathholds500 litres before it overflows.
Frequency, speed, time
We use many different expressions to describe frequency, speed and time. Here are some of them:
Frequency
[from a brochure describing a holiday villa]
Linen is changedweeklyand the villa is cleanedtwice a week.
Speed
Each time you fill the bath, the water flows in at the rate of15 litres per minutethrough the cold tap and12 litres per minutethrough the hot tap (when they are fully turned on).
The traffic moves at a fast pace; a speed of overone hundred kilometres an houris not difficult.(or …100 kilometresper hour.)
Time
You could hire the boatsby the hour, and so they took one and rowed on the lake.
We usea/anorperwhen we talk about prices or times in relation to weights, speed and other times, notthe:
This cheese is £12.50akilo.(or£12.50perkilo)
Not: …£12.50 the kilo
The speed limit in towns in the UK is 30 milesperhour.(or30 milesanhour)
Not: …30 miles the hour.
It costs 20 poundsanhour to rent a boat on the lake.
See also:
Abbreviations, initials and acronyms
You will find tables of weights and measures in a good learner’s dictionary.