half a league

USAGE SUMMARY

"half a league" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You might use it to indicate a certain distance, for example: "We had to hike half a league before we reached our destination."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Travel

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

The Charge of the Light Brigade        I HALF a league, half a league,    Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death    Rode the six hundred.

The Guardian - Books

Perhaps it's just as well that the panel did not choose another famous Tennyson line: "Half a league, half a league, half a league onward".

The Guardian - Sport

But she knew her stuff, launching into a stirring Tennyson recital, in perfect English: "Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred..."...

The Guardian - Travel

We went up the river half a league, where we discovered a truly enchanting bay about three leagues in circumference.

The New Yorker

Why shouldn't girls like and memorise (for of course they should know them by heart) "The Destruction of Sennacherib" ("The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold …") and "The Charge of the Light Brigade" ("Half a league, half a league, half a league onward …") as much as boys?

The Guardian - Books

TO civilians, the language of war is poetry, or at least poetic: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers," or "Half a league, half a league/ Half a league onward". Even "War is hell," Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's terse repudiation of the whole thing, has its own hard-bitten grace.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

50 human-written examples

They had to beat half the A-League roster to lift the Cup; no other team beat more than two top-tier sides.

The Guardian - Sport

That the Cuban players earn about $35 a month, less than half a major league per diem, and in their country play for teams at about American baseball's double-A level, made them no less of a factor in the tournament.

Los Angeles Times

It takes more than zest and a mixed ancestry to endure a decade and a half in a league known for short careers.

The New York Times - Sports

Sevilla had enjoyed the best first half to a league season in their history, but the second half began with defeat to Valencia and on Thursday night they had been knocked out of the Copa del Rey … by Espanyol.

The Guardian - Sport

A recent survey by accountancy firm KPMG blamed complex rules and a mass of legislation for putting the UK in the bottom half of a league table of the most attractive places to do business in Europe.

The Guardian - Business

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "half a league" in your writing, consider your audience's familiarity with archaic units of measurement. In contemporary contexts, providing a conversion to miles or kilometers can improve clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "half a league" in situations where precise modern measurements are required. It's best suited for historical narratives or creative writing where the archaic feel is intentional.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "half a league" primarily functions as a modifier of distance, indicating a specific length. Ludwig AI shows that it is frequently used in literary and historical contexts to evoke a sense of the past.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

42%

Sport

25%

Travel

8%

Less common in

Science

8%

Formal & Business

8%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "half a league" is grammatically correct and serves to denote a distance, primarily within historical or literary contexts. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. Although not as prevalent in modern English as miles or kilometers, it maintains relevance in specific descriptive settings. Its origins stem from historical and literary works, like Tennyson’s "Charge of the Light Brigade", providing it a unique place in the lexicon. It finds common usage in news, sport, and travel, appealing to audiences with historical and poetic interests.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

about one and a half miles

Provides the approximate equivalent in miles, offering clarity in modern units.

roughly three kilometers

Expresses the distance in kilometers, another common unit of measurement.

a short distance

Emphasizes the brevity of the distance, omitting the specific unit of measurement.

a little way

Focuses on the small extent of the journey, using more general terms.

a measurable distance

Highlights that the distance can be quantified, unlike vague distances.

a considerable distance

Indicates the distance is significant but doesn't specify its exact length.

a portion of the route

Highlights a part of the total path

a stretch of the path

Indicates a section or a part of the path

part of the journey

Focuses on the phase of travel

a segment of the trip

Conveys that it's a section of the journey

FAQs

How can I use "half a league" in a sentence?

You can use "half a league" to describe a distance, as in, "They marched "half a league" through the valley of death" or "We traveled "half a league" to reach the enchanting bay".

What does "half a league" mean in modern measurements?

"Half a league" is an old-fashioned measurement of distance, approximately equivalent to 1.5 miles or 2.4 kilometers.

What can I say instead of "half a league"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "a short distance", "about one and a half miles", or "roughly three kilometers".

Is "half a league" commonly used in modern English?

"Half a league" is not commonly used in modern English outside of historical or literary contexts, like the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade". It's more common to use miles or kilometers.