NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 107
Chapter 2 Word Choice
97
foot has two plurals
Have you ever been confused by FOOT and FEET... when to use
each?
No wonder.
FOOT has two plurals.
The usual one is FEET; the other one is FOOT.
The most common use of the plural FOOT is as a unit of measure.
It is joined to a number with a hyphen.
v
We used a four-FOOT stepladder to climb onto the low roof for
the best shot.
v
It was an eight-FOOT drop to the ground.
When you combine "foot" with numbers greater than "one" to talk
about DISTANCE, use "feet":
v
The live unit is now only six FEET away.
Use "feet" between a number and an adjective.
v
The suspect is six FEET nine inches tall. ("Tall" is a predicate
adjective modifying "suspect.")
Use "foot" when you use a number on each side of it.
v
The suspect is six FOOT nine.
Mrs. B is five FEET six inches tall.
If she were five FOOT ten, she would be happier with her weight.
