用foot还是feet?|Foot or Feet?

Question:
问题：

I am often confused with the choice between "foot" and "feet." How do I choose the right word in a particular situation? – Wéifēng, China
我经常对选择用foot还是feet感到困惑。如何在特定情况下选择正确的单词呢？

Answer:
回答：

Hello, Wéifēng, that is a great question!
你好，Wéifēng，这个问题问得很好。

For the unit of measurement, we often use the singular form even when we are talking about more than one foot. This can make things confusing for learners.
对于这个测量单位，我们甚至在谈到超过一英尺时也经常使用foot这个单数形式，这会让学习者感到困惑。

Luckily, there are three easy rules that can help:
幸运的是，有3条简单的规则能有所帮助：

1. When used as an adjective, we use "foot," which is the singular form. Let's hear some examples:
第1条： 当用作形容词时，我们使用foot这个单数形式。我们来听一些例子：

The children climbed a 15-foot tree.
这个孩子爬上了一棵有15英尺高的大树。

Here, the adjective is "15-foot" and it describes the noun "tree." Here's another:
在这里，“有15英尺高的”是形容词，它描述了大树这个名词。以下是另一个例子：

I have a 10-foot ladder that you can borrow.
我可以借你一架有10英尺高的梯子。

Here, the adjective "10-foot" describes the noun "ladder."
在这里，“有10英尺高的”这个形容词描述了梯子这个名词。

Notice that both 15-foot and 10-foot come before the noun and there is a hyphen between the words. A hyphen is needed when a unit of measurement acts as an adjective.
请注意“有15英尺高的”和“有10英尺高的”都放在名词前，并且单词之间有连字符。当度量单位作为形容词时，要加连字符。

2. When used as a noun, we use the plural form: feet. Take a listen:
第2条：当用作名词时我们就使用复数形式feet。请听：

The tree is 15 feet high.
这棵树高15英尺。

Here, the noun is "15 feet" and the adjective is "high."
在这里，15英尺是名词，形容词是高。

The ladder is 10 feet tall.
这个梯子高10英尺。

Here, the noun is "10 feet" and the adjective is "tall." Notice that the noun form does not use a hyphen.
在这里，10英尺是名词，形容词是高。请注意这种名词形式不加连字符。

These two rules also apply to many other units of measurement.
这两条规则也适用于其它许多测量单位。

3. Lastly, we usually use the singular form when talking about a person's height. This is an exception to the plural noun rule in #2. Here's an example:
I am 5-foot-6.
第三条： 最后，我们在谈到某个人的身高时通常使用单数形式。这是第2条规则的一个例外。以下举例：

I am 5-foot-6.
我身高5英尺（foot）6英寸。

This is a common way of saying, "I am 5 feet 6 inches tall."
它是“I am 5 feet 6 inches tall”的常用说法。

However, when the person's height is an exact number of feet --without inches -- we use the plural form.
然而，当人的身高是整英尺不带英寸时，我们使用复数形式。

I am 5 feet.
我身高5英尺（feet）。

He is 6 feet tall.
他身高6英尺（feet）。

The addition of "tall" is not required in everyday conversation.
在日常对话中通常不用tall这个附加词。

Other Meanings
其它含义

For all other meanings of "foot," we use "foot" for the singular form and "feet" for the plural.
对于foot的其它含义，单数形式用foot，复数形式就用feet。

And that's Ask a Teacher.
以上就是本期名师答疑的全部内容。

I'm Alice Bryant.