High: height or amount

The idea

A high shelf is far above the ground; a wall can be two metres high. A high price describes an amount, not physical height.

Examples

• The shelf is too high for me to reach.
• This room has a high ceiling.
• The price is high this week.
• The wall is two metres high.
• Our table is lower than the high shelf.
• Temperatures are unusually high today.

Watch out

High is relative to context. A high price does not identify its exact value or currency.

Try it yourself

1. Identify the kind of height. The shelf is high above the floor. Does high describe position or price? (position / price)

   Show answer or example answer

   position

   A high shelf describes vertical position.

2. Choose the measurement expression. The wall measures two metres from bottom to top: it is ___. (two metres high / high two metres)

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   two metres high

   Two metres high states the wall’s height.

3. Decide what a high price tells us. The price is high. Does that sentence state the exact amount? (no / yes)

   Show answer or example answer

   no

   A high price does not tell us its exact amount.

Use it today

Describe something high above the floor and a price or temperature that is high in context.