[Grammar] A fifty foot/feet high building....

[Sahil Dhankhar]

The things I know :- hyphenated combination is not made plural.But is the same thing valid without hyphen?
e.g. :-Fifty-Dollar note.
So which out of the following is/are correct?
A:- Five-star hotel.
B:- Five star hotel.
C:- Five stars hotel.

If C is wrong then Fifty feet high building should also be wrong in my opinion as we have not made star plural so why should we make foot plural.

P.S.:-Single Adjective made up of two words will take both the words in singular form.Therefore "Fifty foot" being a single adjective should be used with singular form of foot that is foot.
Please explain a bit.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In your first set, A is correct for. But you will see B. C is incorrect.

Fifty feet high building is incorrect.

 

[emsr2d2]

The building is fifty feet high.
It is a fifty-foot high building.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Please tell which of the following is are correct?
:-fifty foot rope
:-fifty feet rope

 

[Rover_KE]

Neither is correct.

Read post #3 again.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thread re-opened following PM from OP.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Thank you very much.
"The building is fifty feet high.
It is a fifty-foot high building."

Please tell me why we have made the difference in the usage of adjective in both sentences? Should I conclude that because there was no noun used after fifty feet high, we have used feet instead of foot?
But I think that we don't make adjectives plural. Example- Two two man committees were formed.

Also is the hyphen used in second sentence mandatory? If we don't use the hyphen, will we still use "fifty foot high building"

 

[emsr2d2]

The hyphen is required.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

If the hyphen is correct, will this be incorrect? - Two two man committees were formed.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Please tell me why we have made the difference in the usage of adjective in both sentences?

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Can I conclude from this post?-
The hotel is five stars rated.
It is a five star hotel.

 

[emsr2d2]

If the hyphen is correct, will this be incorrect? - Two two man committees were formed.

Yes, that's incorrect. It's "Two two-man committees ...".

Please tell me why we have made the difference in the usage of adjective in both sentences?

I don't understand the question. (Actually it's not a question - it starts with "Please tell me" so it should end with a full stop.)

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Sorry, I want to ask what the main reason to differ in the usage of adjective foot/feet in the two sentences is.
I went through many posts and got following answers.

"1. He is about five-foot-five. (Numerically,5'5")
2. He is about five-feet, five-inches tall. (5'5")
3. He is about five-feet tall. (5')
4. He is about five-foot (something). (5'?")"

"Yes, but notice that the constructions are different.

The first sentence ends with an adjective.
The second ends with a noun.

This tree is 6 feet tall.
This is a 6 foot tree.

This plank is 6 feet long.
This is a 6 foot plank.

John's son is 6 feet tall.
John has a 6 foot son."

"The ball dropped from an 11 story building.
The ball dropped 11 feet.
My apartment has 11-foot ceilings."

Based on these sentences, I have tried to make some sentences.
Please tell me whether they are correct or not.

The hotel is five stars rated.
It is a five star hotel.
John has a 6 foot tall son.
John's son is 6 feet (tall).
He is about five-feet tall. (I think this is incorrect due to wrong use of hyphen, and hyphenated adjective, if used should be used in singular )

 

[jutfrank]

Sahil, I read your posts several times and I think your question is a bit confused.

It's simple: feet is a plural noun and foot is a singular noun.

When you want to construct an attributive compound adjective, then you should use only the singular form, with hyphens.

That's a fifty-foot-high building.

But when you construct the same idea like this:

That building's fifty feet high.

it is not necessary to make a compound adjective, so you don't need the singular noun form, and you don't need hyphens, since it forms the predicate.

 

[GoesStation]

You may notice that a great many native English speakers are confused about when to use hyphens. It seems very simple to me, but I see gratuitous hyphens more and more, so apparently the rule is challenging for others.

 

[jutfrank]

You may notice that a great many native English speakers are confused about when to use hyphens.

I take it you mean a great many native-English-speakers, right? ;-)

(Just joking, by the way.)

 

[GoesStation]

It's a good point, though. I have sometimes found myself hyphenating "English-speakers" in that kind of phrase, then removing the hyphen for looking a little too punctilious. There really isn't a rule that will satisfy every case -- a situation about which I intend to write a strongly-worded letter to the appropriate authorities.

 

[jutfrank]

​

I have sometimes found myself hyphenating "English-speakers" in that kind of phrase, then removing the hyphen for looking a little too punctilious.

There's nothing wrong with a bit of punctiliousness among friends.

(By the way, I was actually only half-joking before. ;-))

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

I have tried to make some sentences.
Please tell me whether they are correct or not.

1-The hotel is five stars rated.
2-It is a five star hotel.
3-John has a 6 foot tall son.
4-John's son is 6 feet (tall).
5-He is about five-feet tall. (I think this is incorrect due to wrong use of hyphen, and hyphenated adjective, if used should be used in singular )

 

[emsr2d2]

I have tried to make some sentences.
Please tell me whether they are correct or not.

1-The hotel is five stars rated. This isn't a natural sentence. You might get away with "This hotel is five-star rated".

2-It is a five star hotel. :cross: It is a five-star hotel.

3-John has a 6 foot tall son. :cross: John has a six-foot tall son.

4-John's son is 6 feet (tall). :tick: In BrE, we would say he is "six foot".

5-He is about five-feet tall. (I think this is incorrect due to the wrong use of a hyphen. [STRIKE]and[/STRIKE] A hyphenated adjective, if used, should be used in the singular.) You answered your own question there! You're right. It's wrong to use a hyphen in this sentence.

See above.