How Old, How Tall, How Long, How Far?

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How Old, How Tall, How Long, How Far?

In this lesson, you can ask and answer about age and height.

Created by , British English teacher.

I’m studying:

Try the activities, then check your answers.

Choose a short recording.

Before you start

Give a person’s age and a table’s length.

See one possible response

Sam is thirty. The table is two metres long.

You need a few clear facts about people, furniture and a nearby route. All measurements in this lesson are invented practice details.

What you will practise
  • Ask and answer about age and height.
  • Ask and answer about an object’s length.
  • Ask for a distance and distinguish it from age or length.

Say your answer. Then check the model. Your answer can be different if it fits the task.

Ask about age and height

Use How old is …? for age and How tall is …? for height. Put is or are before the person or thing. In answers, a number and a useful unit give clear information.

How old is your cousin? She’s twenty-eight.

How tall is the tree? It’s six metres tall.

The two adults assess the height of a complete isolated tree, using a laser measuring device and looking upward. Preserve a plausible six-metre tree relative to adult scale, with enough white space to show its crown and base, no garden scenery. The tree is an essential object.
How tall is the tree? It’s six metres tall.Give a height, with a useful unit.

Ask about length

How long is …? can ask for the length of an object. The named object makes the meaning clear. Answer with a length, not a clock time. Use is with one object and are with more than one.

How long is the table? It’s two metres long.

How long are the shelves? They’re one metre long.

Match is or are to the object

One tableHow long is the table?

It’s two metres long.

Plural shelvesHow long are the shelves?

They’re one metre long.

These are the lesson’s practice measurements. Long asks about the object’s length here; answer with a length and a useful unit.

Ask about distance

Use How far is …? to ask about distance. You can add from here to show the starting point. A reply such as It’s three kilometres away gives the distance clearly.

How far is the shop from here?

It’s about two kilometres away.

The same adults examine a folded route map while the man points toward an isolated small shop entrance in the distance. A route line on the unlabelled map shows distance rather than the size of the shop. Preserve white surroundings, no town panorama or legible map text.
How far is the shop from here? About two kilometres.The question concerns distance, rather than the shop’s size.

Guided practice

Say or write your answer first. Then compare the meaning and grammar with the model.

1. You want a person’s age. Choose old or tall in How ___ is she?

Compare a model and explanation

How old is she?

Old asks about age; tall asks about height.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

2. Answer How tall is the tree? Practice fact: five metres.

Compare a model and explanation

It’s five metres tall.

Metres and tall give a height.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

3. Order: long / the table / how / is?

Compare a model and explanation

How long is the table?

Is comes before the subject in the question.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

4. Ask for the length of two boards.

Compare a model and explanation

How long are the boards?

Use are with the plural boards.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

5. Ask the distance to the café from here.

Compare a model and explanation

How far is the café from here?

Far is the distance word.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

6. Correct the type of answer: How far is the bus stop? It’s ten o’clock. Practice distance: two hundred metres.

Compare a model and explanation

It’s two hundred metres away.

A distance question needs a distance answer.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

7. Which question fits She’s thirty-two: How old is she? or How long is the desk?

Compare a model and explanation

How old is she?

Thirty-two is the person’s age in this reply.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

8. A desk is two metres long. A shop is one kilometre away. Ask one question for each fact.

Compare a model and explanation

How long is the desk? How far is the shop?

Long asks about object length; far asks about distance.

Accept a grammatical alternative that satisfies the stated prompt and this item’s explanation; the model is not an exhaustive exact-string key.

A short conversation

Listen to the exchange, then take one role. The speaker labels identify roles; do not narrate them.

Open the conversation transcript

Buyer: How long is this table?

Assistant: It’s one metre long.

Buyer: Good. How far is the collection point from here?

Assistant: It’s about five hundred metres away.

Listening checks

Listen to each extract, then choose the best answer. These three questions have their own score.

1. What information is requested?
Read the listening transcript

How old is your cousin? She’s twenty-six.

2. How long is the new shelf?
Read the listening transcript

The new shelf is two metres long. The old shelf is one metre long.

3. What is the stated distance?
Read the listening transcript

How far is the hall? It’s one kilometre away. The walk takes fifteen minutes.

Answer key with explanations

  1. What information is requested?

    Age.: How old asks about age.

    Compare all choices
    • Distance.: Distance would use how far.
    • Age.: How old asks about age.
    • Height.: Height would use how tall in this lesson.

  2. How long is the new shelf?

    Two metres.: The first sentence gives the new shelf’s length.

    Compare all choices
    • One metre.: That is the old shelf’s length.
    • Three metres.: The lengths are not added in the question.
    • Two metres.: The first sentence gives the new shelf’s length.

  3. What is the stated distance?

    One kilometre.: Kilometre measures distance.

    Compare all choices
    • One kilometre.: Kilometre measures distance.
    • One hour.: That time is not stated.
    • Fifteen minutes.: Minutes give travel time, not distance.

Mastery quiz

Choose the best answer for each situation. The score is out of eight.

1. Ask for someone’s age.
2. Ask for the height of a tree.
3. Choose the direct question about length.
4. Ask about several shelves.
5. Which question asks about distance?
6. Answer How long is the bench? with the supplied length of three metres.
7. Answer How far is the market?
8. You know a person is thirty and a bridge is forty metres long. Which pair fits?
Answer key with explanations

  1. Ask for someone’s age.

    How old is he?: Old selects age.

    Compare all choices
    • How old is he?: Old selects age.
    • How long is he?: This does not ask the intended age question.
    • How far is he?: Far selects distance.

  2. Ask for the height of a tree.

    How tall is the tree?: Tall asks about the tree’s height.

    Compare all choices
    • How old is the tree?: This asks age, not height.
    • How tall is the tree?: Tall asks about the tree’s height.
    • How much is the tree?: This could ask price, not height.

  3. Choose the direct question about length.

    How long is the board?: Is comes before the subject.

    Compare all choices
    • How long are the board?: A single board takes is.
    • How long the board is?: This is not the requested direct-question order.
    • How long is the board?: Is comes before the subject.

  4. Ask about several shelves.

    How long are the shelves?: Plural shelves takes are.

    Compare all choices
    • How long are the shelves?: Plural shelves takes are.
    • How long is the shelves?: Is does not agree with shelves.
    • How long the shelves?: A form of be is missing.

  5. Which question asks about distance?

    How far is the hotel from here?: Far and from here identify distance.

    Compare all choices
    • What time is it?: This asks the clock time.
    • How far is the hotel from here?: Far and from here identify distance.
    • How old is the hotel?: This asks age.

  6. Answer How long is the bench? with the supplied length of three metres.

    It’s three metres long.: The answer gives physical length.

    Compare all choices
    • It’s three o’clock.: This gives a clock time.
    • It’s three years old.: This gives age.
    • It’s three metres long.: The answer gives physical length.

  7. Answer How far is the market?

    It’s two kilometres away.: This gives a distance.

    Compare all choices
    • It’s two kilometres away.: This gives a distance.
    • It’s two metres tall.: This gives height.
    • It’s two years old.: This gives age.

  8. You know a person is thirty and a bridge is forty metres long. Which pair fits?

    How old is the person? How long is the bridge?: Each question selects the stated property.

    Compare all choices
    • How long is the person? How old is the bridge?: These ask different properties.
    • How old is the person? How long is the bridge?: Each question selects the stated property.
    • How old is the person? How far is the bridge from here?: The second question asks for distance from here, not the supplied bridge length.

Use it in your own words

Ask about two properties

Invent a person’s age and a tree’s height. Ask and answer both questions.

Reveal a possible response

How old is Dani? She’s thirty. How tall is the tree? It’s four metres tall.

  • I choose old or tall correctly.
  • I give a matching answer.

Other names and measurements are acceptable.

Find the right size

Ask about the lengths of two objects. Give both answers with metres.

Reveal a possible response

How long is the desk? It’s two metres long. How long is the shelf? It’s one metre long.

  • I use long for length.
  • I match is or are to the subject.

A short answer with a clear unit is acceptable.

Put it all together

You help at a garden event. Invent the height of a plant, the length of a bench and the distance to the entrance. Ask and answer all three.

Reveal a possible response

How tall is the plant? It’s one metre tall. How long is the bench? It’s two metres long. How far is the entrance? It’s fifty metres away.

  • My three question words match the properties.
  • My answers use clear units.
  • I keep question order.

Use the garden context and your own plausible measurements.

Take it with you

Ask how old for age, how tall for height, how long for length and how far for distance. Keep is or are before the subject.