Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

?
Lv 6

Which is correct: 'one and half gallon' or 'one and a half gallons'?

Here is a question for the best of the best grammar Nazis.

Which is correct: one and a half (1-1/2) gallon (singular) or one and a half (1-1/2) gallons (plural)?

I've always used and heard the plural with one and a fraction, but what is the rule? Do you know the reasoning behind it?

8 Answers

Relevance
  • 8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    In English plural is more than one, so gallons. In some languages (German IIRC) plural is two or more.

  • 8 years ago

    the basic rule is that the singular is used solely for a singular item, for ONE item. Everything else gets the s at the end. In other words, the real rule is everything is plural except when singular, rather than singular gets changed to plural when there is more than one (which is how most people think of "plural" versus singular).

    One of the few situations where you could say one and a half gallon would be as an adjective phrase or noun phrase, as in a one and a half gallon container, or a half-plate of food. both of those are singular because despite being a non-unit amount, they are a single group unit. a half-plate is not a half of a plate, it is a plate filled halfway, a half-plate; you can order seven half-plates or one half-plate (assuming the diner offers half-plates).

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    one and a half (1-1/2) gallons (plural) is correct.

  • 8 years ago

    One and a half GALLONS.

    If it was one gallon ONLY then that is singular, so it would be GALLON. Anything more than ONE is plural.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    It is plural simply because it is more than one

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    it is how you use it in a sentence

    or you could say 12 pints

  • 8 years ago

    one and half gallon is correct.

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    One and a half gallon

    nonplural as it is a half gallon

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.