Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 346. The title of today's lesson is
don't say 1/2 years ago or 1 years ago. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here.
The rule is anything over one year should be plural. So that's why even if
it's just a little bit over one year like a year and a half then we would say
you know one and a half years ago. So even though you still say the word 'one'
if it's above ... it's above one even if it's only like six months above
one we still use the plural. So let's take a look at the examples here. With
the X of course, this is wrong. I graduated a 1/2 years ago. No. Of course not
because that's a 1/2 year is even less than one year. I graduated a half year
ago. Yeah. With the check this of course is correct. I added this one in because
even though it's correct to say I graduated a half year ago, I think it's a
little more natural to say I graduated six months ago. Let's continue. Let's look
at the next one. I graduated one years ago. No. Again , it's right up to one year
it still stays singular. It has to be over a year. So you would say I graduated one
year ago. Of course that's correct. All right , and then here of course with
the X this is wrong. I graduated one and a half year ago. No. This is one where it
should be plural because again the half is above one. So of course. If it was a
number higher, it's still plural. I graduated two years ago. Definitely. Two is above
one or any other number above one. You use the plural.
So here of course with the check, this would be right. I graduated one and a
half years ago. All right. Now it could be a little tricky because sometimes we do
see it written like one and a half . where it may seem like it's singular. So let's
look at this note. Now of course if one and a half is made into an adjective
that would be singular. Well, that's because all adjectives are singular. So
let's take a look at the note here. It is a one and a - half-years program. No. That
would be wrong. You should say it is a one-and-a-half year program because one
and a half we use hyphens in between, that becomes an adjective.
Adjectives are always singular. Yeah. Students often make this sort of mistake.
Like they say a five-years-old child. Where it should be a five-year-old child
The five-year-old in this case becomes an adjective to the word child. So in
this case it stays singular because it's an adjective. Okay and let's continue.
There is one other tricky note to this. Now if you put the word 'year' first, the
word 'year' stays singular. So let me give you an example here. The war lasted for a
years and a half. Of course that's wrong. because if you're saying the 'a' it would
have to be singular. Here you're putting the word year first . So if the war lasted
for a year and a half. This is correct too, especially when it ends in half.
You're not saying ago or you're not continuing with the sentence and you're
putting the word year first. Where up here you didn't put the word year first. You
put the number first. Like you put the six months or you know a half year or
one year, one years ago. You put the number first here if you put the word
first , if you put the word year first, it could stay singular. So again , let's just
repeat that one last time. The war lasted for a year and a half. This would be okay
too. Okay. So I hope you can clearly see the
difference of when you're supposed to use it in the plural and when you're
supposed to use it in the singular. Anyway, thanks for your time. I hope was
informative. Bye-bye.