English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 62: Distance, dimensions and size
Think about the building you are in now, and answer the questions using expressions from the opposite page.
British people buy most things in metres, centimetres and millimetres, but they still often talk about distance using the old system of miles [1 mile = about 1.6 kilometres], yards [1 yard = almost 1 metre], feet [1 foot = 30 centimetres], and inches [1 inch = 2.5 centimetres].
It’s ten minutes’ walk from here. (NOT ten minutes’ walking.) It’s a long way. (NOT It’s far.) But we can say ‘No, it isn’t far.’
Mason is quite tall (NOT quite high). It’s a tall tree/building (NOT a high tree/building). It’s a high mountain (NOT a tall mountain).
We can ask about the dimensions like this:
What’s the length of the garage? OR How long is the garage?
It’s five metres (long).
What’s the width of the path? OR How wide is the path?
It’s a metre (wide).
What’s the height of the wall? OR How high is the wall?
It’s two metres (high).
What’s the depth of the pool? OR How deep is the pool?
It’s three metres (deep).
We use a range of adjectives to describe the size of something.
It was a very thick book – over 500 pages. (opp a thin book)
Their living room is huge [very big; syn enormous; opp a tiny room].
We caught a giant crab. [very large or bigger than other similar things]
It was a very narrow road for a bus. (opp a wide road)
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
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