half as high

USAGE SUMMARY

'half as high' is correct and usable in written English.
This phrase can be used to describe a comparative difference between two objects in terms of their relative heights. For example, "The mountain is only half as high as the one we climbed last week."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Cameron does not rate half as high as Churchill.

The Guardian

Interest rates are less than 10percentt, about half as high as a year ago.

The New York Times

A nearby pile of stones about as long as a city bus, and half as high, marks Duzgun's grave.

The New York Times - Travel

In Saudi Arabia, the colon cancer incidence is about half as high as that in the United States.

Nature

It's less than half as high as the British one, but it still towers over the houses around it.

The Guardian - Travel

But the Nets' rookie center with a vertical leap that may be only half as high as Carter's provided unlikely resistance.

The New York Times - Sports

The melting point of aluminum is twelve hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit — about half as high as the peak temperature inside a rocket stove.

The New Yorker

When Concorde flew, the sky appeared much darker outside as it cruised half as high again as current planes, where thinner air produces less scattering.

The Guardian

His youngest son recalled how he had always bounded up the stairs each night; "When you do that," he had explained, "the staircase is only half as high".

The New York Times - Books

Seasonal restaurants have even worse odds; a money pit can be just as deep, but the ceilings are half as high.

The New York Times

They ride donkeyback as much as five miles out of town, with giant plastic jerrycans, half as high as the children themselves, strapped to the animals' sides.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When comparing heights, ensure the units of measurement are consistent (e.g., both in meters or both in feet). Use "half as high" to clearly illustrate a 50% reduction or comparison in vertical dimension.

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by explicitly stating what the "half as high" is relative to. For instance, instead of saying "The building is half as high", clarify with "The building is half as high as the Empire State Building."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "half as high" functions as a comparative adjective phrase, used to describe the relative height of one thing in comparison to another. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "half as high" is a grammatically correct and widely used comparative adjective phrase to indicate that one thing is 50% of the height of another. Ludwig AI analysis shows that it is versatile, appearing in various contexts from news and media to science and formal business. While grammatically straightforward, clarity is key; always ensure the baseline for comparison is explicitly stated to avoid ambiguity. Considering its frequent usage and clear meaning, writers can confidently employ this phrase to effectively convey relative vertical dimensions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

50 percent of the height

Expresses the same height relationship using percentage.

half the altitude

Replaces "high" with "altitude", emphasizing vertical distance.

50% as tall

Uses "tall" instead of "high" and percentage symbol.

a height of fifty percent

More formal and verbose way of expressing the same relationship.

equal to half the height

Emphasizes equality to half the height.

just half the elevation

Replaces "high" with "elevation", suitable for geographical contexts.

fifty percent of the vertical extent

More technical and formal substitution.

half of the vertical dimension

Focuses on the dimension of height.

reduced to half the height

Implies a reduction in height to half the original.

amounting to half the height

Expresses that something reaches or results in half the height.

FAQs

How do I use "half as high" in a sentence?

Use "half as high" to compare the height of one object to another, indicating that the first object's height is 50% of the second. For example, "This tower is "half as high" as the Eiffel Tower".

What can I say instead of "half as high"?

You can use alternatives like "50 percent of the height", "half the altitude", or "50% as tall" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "half as high" or "half of the height"?

"Half as high" is used for direct comparison, while "half of the height" refers to a specific portion of a height. For example, "The building is "half as high" as another building" versus "We climbed "half of the height" of the mountain".

What's the difference between "half as high" and "twice as low"?

"Half as high" compares heights directly, while "twice as low" focuses on the inverse relationship in terms of vertical position. If A is "half as high" as B, then B isn't necessarily twice as low as A; the reference point is different.