to be average height

[tzfujimino]

Hello.

Please read the sentences below.

Michael and David met when the two boys played Little League baseball together. Baseball, not basketball, was Michael's first love. He was average high for his age and found that baseball was better than basketball for his skills.


These are part of a passage which appeared on the entrance exam of a Japanese high school. Students/Examinees are asked to change the underlined word ('high') into the suitable form.

I think it should be changed to "height", but I'm not very confident. Is "to be average height" correct English?

Thank you.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes. Absolutely. Eventually you will reach a point where you will "put" the right word where it is supposed to be, and you might not even notice what word is actually there.

 

[tedmc]

"Average height" is a noun, not an adjective.
By right, a person can't be average height.

 

[teechar]

"(Be) average high" is so unnatural that it doesn't even register on the ngram radar. To me, it's incorrect.

 

[tzfujimino]

I agree.

 

[Tarheel]

A person who is six feet tall is above average in height.

(it's probably more usual to say "taller than average".)

 

[GoesStation]

"(Be) average high" is so unnatural that it doesn't even register on the ngram radar. To me, it's incorrect.

It's meant to be incorrect. The test question asks the examinee to replace "high" with the correct word.

 

[Tdol]

"Average height" is a noun, not an adjective.
By right, a person can't be average height.

I cannot agree with this. A person can be [of] average height to me. It is not wrong without of IMO.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm with Tdol on that one.

How tall is he?
He's average height. :tick:
He's of average height. :tick:

I wouldn't use "of" there in normal, everyday speech.

 

[tedmc]

I cannot agree with this. A person can be [of] average height to me. It is not wrong without of IMO.

I may have heard that in spoken English but was wondering if it is grammatical in written English.

Assuming it is,
He is average height.
The average height is 1.7 metres.
He is 1.7 metres. - Is this correct?

Or is it some kind of contraction?

 

[MikeNewYork]

The third is odd.

 

[Tdol]

He is 1.7 metres. - Is this correct?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is incorrect, but it is very odd, and Piscean has suggested a far more natural form.

 

[Raymott]

In Aus, we use centimetres. He's 170cm tall.

 

[GoesStation]

In the States we'd probably say "he's one point seven oh (or zero) meters tall." Using our conventional measures, though, we just say "he's five foot seven." Except in a laboratory or perhaps in some medical contexts, we almost always use feet and inches.

 

[tedmc]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is incorrect, but it is very odd, and Piscean has suggested a far more natural form.

Why is "he is average height" OK, while "he is 1.70m" considered odd, which you need to add the adjective tall at the back?
"I am 1.7m tall" is how I would normally say it too, but what I don't understand is why the first version (he is average height) doesn't require an adjective.

 

[GoesStation]

Why is "he is average height" OK, while "he is 1.70m" considered odd, which you need to add the adjective tall at the back?
"I am 1.7m tall" is how I would normally say it too, but what I don't understand is why the first version (he is average height) doesn't require an adjective.

"He is average height" includes an adjective.

 

[tedmc]

"He is average height" includes an adjective.

Do you mean "average" is the adjective? But "average height" is a noun.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think 'of' can be omitted from 'of average height' just like 'of' can be omitted from 'of no use', where 'use' is a noun too.