353 Weights, length and liquid measure

A Weights

The English weights table is as follows: 16 ounces (oz.) = 1 pound (Ib.) 14 pounds = 1 stone (st.)

8 stone = 1 hundredweight (cwt.)

20 hundredweight = 1 ton

1 pound = 0-454 kilogram (kg)

2-2 pounds = 1 kilogram

2,204-6 Ibs = 1 metric tonne

Plurals

ounce, pound and ton can take s in the plural when they are used as nouns, stone and hundredweight do not take s: e.g. we say six pound of sugar or six pounds of sugar, but ten hundredweight of coal has no alternative.

When used in compound adjectives these terms never take s:

a ten-ton lorry kilo or kilogram usually take s in the plural when used as nouns:

two kilos of apples or two kilograms of apples B Length

The English table of length is as follows:

12 inches (in.) = 1 foot (ft.)

3 feet = 1 yard (yd.)

1,760yards = 1 mile (m.)

1 inch = 2-54 centimetres (cm)

1 yard = 0- 914 metre (m)

1 mile = 1-609 kilometres (km)

Plurals

When there is more than one inch/mile/centimetre we normally use the plural form of these words:

one inch, ten inches one mile, four miles

one centimetre, five centimetres

When there is more than one foot we can use either foot or feet, feet is the more usual when measuring heights. We can say:

six foot tall or six feet tall two foot long or two feet long When used in compound adjectives the above forms never take the plural form: a two-mile walk, a six-inch ruler. C Liquid measure

2 pints (pt.) = 1 quart (qt.) 1 pint = 0-568 litre (I)

4 quarts = 1 gallon (gal.) 1 gallon = 4-55 litres

D Traditionally British measurements have been made in ounces, inches, pints etc. but there is now a gradual move towards the metric system.

37 Spelling rules

For noun plurals, see also 12.

For verb forms, see also 165, 172, 175.

354 Introduction

Vowels are: a e I o u

Consonants are: bcdfghjklmnpqrstvwxyz A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word: beauty, beautiful (ful is the suffix.)

355 Doubling the consonant

A Words of one syllable having one vowel and ending in a single consonant

double the consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel: hit + ing = hitting but keep, keeping (two vowels) knit + ed = knitted help, helped (two consonants)

run + er = runner love, lover (ending in a vowel)

qu here is considered as one consonant: quit, quitting.

When the final consonant is w, x or y it does not double:

row + ed = rowed box + ing = boxing B Two- or three-syllable words ending in a single consonant following a

single vowel double the final consonant when the stress falls on the last

syllable. (The stressed syllable is in bold type.)

acquit + ed = acquitted but murmur + ed = murmured begin + er = beginner answer + er = answerer

deter + ed = deterred orbit + ing = orbiting

recur + ing = recurring

focus + ed, however, can be spelt focused orfocussed and bias + ed can

be spelt biased or biassed.

C The final consonant of handicap, kidnap, worship is also doubled: handicap, handicapped worship, worshipped kidnap, kidnapped D Words ending in 1 following a single vowel or two vowels pronounced

separately usually double the 1:

appal, appalled duel, duellist repel, repellent

cruel, cruelly model, modelling quarrel, quarrelling

dial, dialled refuel, refuelled signal, signalled

distil, distiller

If the compound is formed of monosyllables, it is more likely to be written as one word. In cases of doubt it is better to omit hyphens o consult a modern dictionary.

B Hyphens are necessary:

(a) when pronunciation or meaning might be unclear without them: co-operate re-cover (= cover again)

(b) when words form a compound in a particular sentence: a do-it-yourself shop

a go-as-you-please railway ticket

(c) in adjective phrases dealing with age, size, weight and duration of time:

a five-year-old child a ten-ton vehicle

a six-foot wall a five-minute interval

Note that the compound is not in the plural form: no s. Adverb/participle compounds used as adjectives are commonly hyphenated, especially when there is a danger of misunderstanding: low-flying aircraft quick-dissolving sugar

C Hyphens are used in a temporary way to divide a word at the end of line. The division must be made at a natural break in the word, i.e. between syllables:

dis-couraged look-ing inter-val A monosyllable should not be divided.

38 Phrasal verbs