Three and a half years
Is it incorrect to write three and a half years? Grammerly seems to think I'm writing "a half years." Am I an idiot, or does Grammerly need some improvements?
See example:
We've lived in our current location for three and a half years.
asked Jul 15 '11 at 06:24
Bill Graham
New member
Bill Graham
New member
1 answer 
The proper way of saying it is "three and one half years", as Todd said. In practice we have come to shorten 'one' to 'a'.
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answered Jul 15 '11 at 17:03
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Thank you, Kimberly.
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I’m just going to comment, because I don’t know the answer—but I like your question. I am thinking it would be “three and one half years.” But you never really talk that way, sounds kind of weird, I’d say it they way you do if I were talking to someone ... I’ll be interested in what others say about it too. – Todd McQuage – Jul 15 '11 at 06:44
That makes sense. Thank you. I also found that if I wrote three-and-a-half years, Grammarly accepted it. To provide a clue to context, I'm writing for an informal blog on a news web site. I'm using a casual writing approach with contractions and personal pronouns. I would never say three and one half years unless I were showing emphasis, but your advice is good. Thanks again, and have a great day! – Bill Graham – Jul 15 '11 at 17:20
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