I found in dictionaries that ‘half’ can be used in the pattern ‘half a/the/this/my something’ (as in ‘they live half a mile up the road’, ‘I have to spend half my time reading his reports’ etc.) or in the position of an adjective (as in ‘they ordered a half bottle of wine’, ‘they sold all the tickets in the first half hour etc.’). Al Blanco, think about the difference between 'a half bottle of wine' and 'half a bottle of wine'
1) 'half a bottle of wine' is half of a whole bottle of wine, and
2) 'a half bottle of wine' is a bottle that is half as big as a normal one.
So, in 1) it's the quantity 'half' of a bottle and in 2) it's something called 'a half bottle'
The use of the indefinite article should be clear.
'A half an hour' and 'a half a kilo' are wrong. There should be no 'a' before 'half'
The case of 'a half hour' or 'half an hour' is different. They can both be used although I prefer 'half an hour'. 'A half hour' would be considering the period of 30 minutes as a unit of time called 'a half hour'.
'A cool half a million' is correct because if you use a qualifier like 'cool' it applies to 'half a million' as a whole and so the article is required. Hello, I'm from Australia originally and have now lived in the US for half my life ... or half of my life.
Sometimes the use of "a half" or "half of" or "half an" is a matter of the local vernacular.
For example, I say "half an hour", and Americans often say "a half hour". It drives me nuts, but there's actually no difference, just a matter of what most people say in any given area of the world.
Regarding "half a bottle" and "a half bottle" ... what you don't see in the spoken language is a hyphen which should be used in "a half-bottle". A "half-bottle" is two words joined together to make a compound word, so it needs a hyphen. Hyphens are sorely missing in the written American language, and when I read newspapers, books, and anything else printed here, I'm always stumbling over the flow of a sentence because of missing hyphens. It's an ever-evolving language, and I have to get used to it!
Confusing, but "half a bottle" indicates that half the liquid is there, and half is missing - or - if the bottle is broken, half of the actual bottle it is there and half is missing too!
You have a reasonable grip on your "halves" ... but if in doubt again, continue to ask and eventually you will just memorize the particular uses of this word! After all, that's how all of us English speaking people learnt our own language as little children too. It's a difficult language to master, because it breaks it's own rules so often so asking, as you have done here, will be your key to clearing up other linguistic mysteries in the future too! Good luck!
If I were the Mayor in the city of Sochi, I would definitely take care of all the people. I would help all animals, look for new houses for them. I would like to create many new and beautiful parks where young mothers could walk with their children. I would well sponsor hospitals, help schools, sponsor kindergartens.I would follow the execution of all laws and strictly punish violators. If I am the mayor, I will definitely open many small cafes where people can drink coffee and eat sweets for free. I want to put big beautiful lanterns all over the city, so that all tourists can admire our city at night. I also understand that there are often many visiting tourists in the city. I want to create the most comfortable conditions for them, so that they come to us again and again.
The city of Sochi is primarily a resort city. People from all over the world come to relax in this beautiful and sunny place: walk along the Black Sea, collect cute stones and shells for memory, admire the sights of the city, look at the ancient buildings of architecture. Who is the mayor? The mayor is a very responsible person who is responsible for the whole city. My duty as a mayor is to develop and protect my city, to make it rich and prosperous. However, now, at the moment, I understand that I cannot be a mayor. It is a lot of work and work for which I am not ready yet.
Предложения по счету считала. Если что-напиши в комментах, я дополню сочинение.
Если бы я был мэром в городе Сочи, я бы определенно позаботился обо всех людях. Я бы всем животным, поискал для них новые дома. Я хотел бы создать много новых и красивых парков, где молодые мамы могли бы гулять со своими детьми. Я бы хорошо спонсировал больницы школам, спонсировал детские сады. Я бы следил за исполнением всех законов и строго наказывал нарушителей. Если я буду мэром, я обязательно открою много небольших кафе, где люди могут пить кофе и есть сладости бесплатно. Я хочу поставить большие красивые фонари по всему городу, чтобы все туристы могли любоваться нашим городом ночью. Я также понимаю, что в городе часто бывает много приезжих туристов. Я хочу создать для них максимально комфортные условия, чтобы возвращались к нам снова и снова. Город Сочи-это прежде всего город-курорт.Люди со всего мира приезжают,чтобы отдохнуть в этом прекрасном и солнечном месте: походить по берегу Черного моря, собирая милые камни и ракушки на память, полюбоваться достопримечательностями города, посмотреть на старинные здания архитектуры.Кто такой мэр?Мэр-это очень ответственный человек,который отвечает за весь город.Моя обязанность как мэра это развивать и оберегать свой город, делать его богатым и преуспевающим.Однако,сейчас,на данный момент, я понимаю,что быть мэром не могу.Это большой труд и работа, к которому я еще не готов
Al Blanco, think about the difference between 'a half bottle of wine' and 'half a bottle of wine'
1) 'half a bottle of wine' is half of a whole bottle of wine, and
2) 'a half bottle of wine' is a bottle that is half as big as a normal one.
So, in 1) it's the quantity 'half' of a bottle and in 2) it's something called 'a half bottle'
The use of the indefinite article should be clear.
'A half an hour' and 'a half a kilo' are wrong. There should be no 'a' before 'half'
The case of 'a half hour' or 'half an hour' is different. They can both be used although I prefer 'half an hour'. 'A half hour' would be considering the period of 30 minutes as a unit of time called 'a half hour'.
'A cool half a million' is correct because if you use a qualifier like 'cool' it applies to 'half a million' as a whole and so the article is required.
Hello, I'm from Australia originally and have now lived in the US for half my life ... or half of my life.
Sometimes the use of "a half" or "half of" or "half an" is a matter of the local vernacular.
For example, I say "half an hour", and Americans often say "a half hour". It drives me nuts, but there's actually no difference, just a matter of what most people say in any given area of the world.
Regarding "half a bottle" and "a half bottle" ... what you don't see in the spoken language is a hyphen which should be used in "a half-bottle". A "half-bottle" is two words joined together to make a compound word, so it needs a hyphen. Hyphens are sorely missing in the written American language, and when I read newspapers, books, and anything else printed here, I'm always stumbling over the flow of a sentence because of missing hyphens. It's an ever-evolving language, and I have to get used to it!
Confusing, but "half a bottle" indicates that half the liquid is there, and half is missing - or - if the bottle is broken, half of the actual bottle it is there and half is missing too!
You have a reasonable grip on your "halves" ... but if in doubt again, continue to ask and eventually you will just memorize the particular uses of this word! After all, that's how all of us English speaking people learnt our own language as little children too. It's a difficult language to master, because it breaks it's own rules so often so asking, as you have done here, will be your key to clearing up other linguistic mysteries in the future too! Good luck!
If I were the Mayor in the city of Sochi, I would definitely take care of all the people. I would help all animals, look for new houses for them. I would like to create many new and beautiful parks where young mothers could walk with their children. I would well sponsor hospitals, help schools, sponsor kindergartens.I would follow the execution of all laws and strictly punish violators. If I am the mayor, I will definitely open many small cafes where people can drink coffee and eat sweets for free. I want to put big beautiful lanterns all over the city, so that all tourists can admire our city at night. I also understand that there are often many visiting tourists in the city. I want to create the most comfortable conditions for them, so that they come to us again and again.
The city of Sochi is primarily a resort city. People from all over the world come to relax in this beautiful and sunny place: walk along the Black Sea, collect cute stones and shells for memory, admire the sights of the city, look at the ancient buildings of architecture. Who is the mayor? The mayor is a very responsible person who is responsible for the whole city. My duty as a mayor is to develop and protect my city, to make it rich and prosperous. However, now, at the moment, I understand that I cannot be a mayor. It is a lot of work and work for which I am not ready yet.
Предложения по счету считала. Если что-напиши в комментах, я дополню сочинение.
Если бы я был мэром в городе Сочи, я бы определенно позаботился обо всех людях. Я бы всем животным, поискал для них новые дома. Я хотел бы создать много новых и красивых парков, где молодые мамы могли бы гулять со своими детьми. Я бы хорошо спонсировал больницы школам, спонсировал детские сады. Я бы следил за исполнением всех законов и строго наказывал нарушителей. Если я буду мэром, я обязательно открою много небольших кафе, где люди могут пить кофе и есть сладости бесплатно. Я хочу поставить большие красивые фонари по всему городу, чтобы все туристы могли любоваться нашим городом ночью. Я также понимаю, что в городе часто бывает много приезжих туристов. Я хочу создать для них максимально комфортные условия, чтобы возвращались к нам снова и снова. Город Сочи-это прежде всего город-курорт.Люди со всего мира приезжают,чтобы отдохнуть в этом прекрасном и солнечном месте: походить по берегу Черного моря, собирая милые камни и ракушки на память, полюбоваться достопримечательностями города, посмотреть на старинные здания архитектуры.Кто такой мэр?Мэр-это очень ответственный человек,который отвечает за весь город.Моя обязанность как мэра это развивать и оберегать свой город, делать его богатым и преуспевающим.Однако,сейчас,на данный момент, я понимаю,что быть мэром не могу.Это большой труд и работа, к которому я еще не готов