The room ... 10 foot by 10 foot, 8 feet high - inconsistency?

[afx]

Hi,

In Stealing the Network - How to Own a Continent book, I found following sentence:

The room is approximately 10 foot by 10 foot, 8 feet high.

I would like to ask whether this is correct and if so then why there is singular used in first part of the sentence and plural in second?

Thanks a lot for answer.

 

[Chasint]

10 foot is informal. Many builders and tradespeople use it. If you want to be formal, say 10 feet. You will never be wrong if you say 10 feet.

The writer of your sentence was simply inconsistent. There is no logic behind mixing the two.

______________________________
Note
Of course you must always say "1 foot"

 

[london calling]

I agree with Biffo. I would just like to add that in speech you will often here this in the UK:

How tall are you?
5 foot 10

It is of course a colloquial usage.

 

[Parla]

But if your aim is to learn proper English, you'll describe the area as 10 feet by 10 feet (or 100 square feet).

 

[exgerman]

But if your aim is to learn proper English, you'll describe the area as 10 feet by 10 feet (or 100 square feet).

If your aim is to learn idiomatic English, you'll describe the areas as 10 foot by 10 foot.

 

[Andygc]

This thread is specifically about the inconsistency in this fragment "10 foot by 10 foot, 8 feet". It is not about alternative ways of specifying measurements.

There do not seem to be any relevant previous threads and it would be appropriate to start a new one for a new question.

 

[Wordsmyth]

The colloquial use of "10 foot" in quoting a dimension is probably an echo of the adjectival form. We say a 10-foot pole, and a 10-foot leap (not a 10-feet pole, a 10-feet leap).

Properly, the pole is 10 feet long, but it's easy to see how the length of a "10-foot pole" becomes "10 foot".

The mix of "10 foot" and "8 feet" in the same sentence just reflects the fact that, idiomatically, both forms are frequently used.

Ws