half
/hɑːf/noun, pronoun
उच्चारण हाफ़
आधा, आधा भाग
Basic word
- 1
[C]
either of two equal parts into which something is or can be divided; either of two periods of time into which a sports game, concert is divided
आधा, आधा भाग
- half of the class
- the second half of the match
- Half of the students were absent because of the strike.
+ 2 more examples
- He ate half of the cake and left the rest.
- India scored most of its goals in the first half.
- 1
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
half of + noun (verb agreement)
After half of, the verb agrees with the noun that follows. Half of the cake is gone, but half of the students are absent. With an uncountable or singular noun use a singular verb.
'Half of' के बाद क्रिया उस noun के अनुसार आती है जो उसके बाद है: half of the cake is, half of the students are।
- Half of the syllabus is already finished.
- Half of my friends are preparing for banking exams.
half an hour / a half hour / half a kilo
Half comes before a or an in British English: half an hour, half a kilo, half a mile. Do not write a half hour in careful British writing.
British English में 'half' से पहले a/an नहीं, बाद में आता है: half an hour, half a kilo।
- The bus takes half an hour to reach the station.
- Please buy half a kilo of sugar.
half + adjective / participle (adverb)
Half works as an adverb before adjectives and participles to mean partly: half asleep, half finished, half hidden.
'Half' adjective और participle से पहले adverb की तरह आकर 'आंशिक रूप से' का अर्थ देता है।
- Radhika was half asleep during the lecture.
- The work is only half done.
half the + noun / double the + noun
Half the, double the and twice the take no of when a noun follows directly: half the price, half the time. Use half of the when a pronoun follows: half of them.
सीधे noun के साथ 'half the' आता है; सर्वनाम के साथ 'half of' आता है, जैसे half of them।
- He finished the paper in half the time.
- Half of them came late.
plural halves
The plural of half is halves, as in two halves of a match. The verb divide often takes into halves.
'Half' का plural 'halves' है; क्रिया 'divide' के बाद 'into halves' आता है।
- Cut the apple into two halves.
+Collocations 5
half + measure
an houra litrea milea dozena minute
- Wait for half a minute and then press the button.
half + adjective
asleepemptyfullcookedfinishedclosed
- The tank is half empty, so we should stop for petrol.
verb + half
cut insplit inreduce byspenddivide into
- The tax on petrol was reduced by half.
time / sport + half
firstsecondopeningotherbetter
- India scored two goals in the second half.
half + fraction word
one and a halfa halfhalf and half
- The train was one and a half hours late.
“More examples 5
- Radhika spent half the day revising grammar.
राधिका ने आधा दिन grammar दोहराने में बिताया।
- The team played badly in the first half but recovered after the break.
टीम पहले हाफ़ में ख़राब खेली, पर अंतराल के बाद सँभल गई।
- Cut the paratha in half and share it with your brother.
परांठे को बीच से काटो और अपने भाई के साथ बाँट लो।
- More than half of the candidates cleared the preliminary exam.
आधे से अधिक अभ्यर्थियों ने प्रारंभिक परीक्षा उत्तीर्ण कर ली।
- He was half right, but his reasoning was weak.
वह आधा सही था, पर उसका तर्क कमज़ोर था।
!Common mistakes 2
✗ Half of the water were spilt.
✓ Half of the water was spilt.
Water is uncountable and singular, so the verb must be singular.
Water uncountable और singular है, इसलिए क्रिया singular आएगी।
✗ He has eaten two halfs of the cake.
✓ He has eaten two halves of the cake.
The plural of half is halves.
'Half' का plural 'halves' होता है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
All of these suggest part of a whole, but the size and manner differ.
ये सभी किसी पूरे के हिस्से को बताते हैं, पर आकार और ढंग में अंतर होता है।
Exactly one of two equal parts, or about fifty per cent.
दो बराबर भागों में से ठीक एक, या लगभग पचास प्रतिशत।
- Half of the pizza was left.
Any piece of a whole, with no fixed size.
किसी पूरे का कोई भी टुकड़ा, जिसका आकार निश्चित नहीं होता।
- Part of the road is closed.
A share or serving given to a person or set aside for a purpose.
किसी व्यक्ति को दिया गया या किसी उद्देश्य के लिए अलग किया हुआ हिस्सा।
- She gave him a large portion of rice.
¶Idioms 3
too clever by half
(of a person) too confident of their own intelligence in a way that annoys people (British, informal, disapproving)
ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा चालाक (जो दूसरों को खटके)
- He's too clever by half; no one trusts him.
- Her plan was too clever by half and failed.
not half
used to emphasize a statement or an opinion (British, informal); not at all
बहुत ज़्यादा (ज़ोर देने के लिए); बिल्कुल नहीं
- "Was she angry?" "Not half!"
- The film wasn't half bad.
your other half
your husband, wife or partner (informal)
(किसी का) जीवनसाथी (अनौपचारिक)
- Bring your other half to the party.
- I'll ask my other half and let you know.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
?Which word?
Keep the half words: semi- (semicircle, semi-final), hemi- (hemisphere), demi- (demigod).
आधे के शब्द याद रखिए: semi- (semicircle, semi-final), hemi- (hemisphere, गोलार्ध), demi- (demigod)।
§Grammar and usage
Plural halves (like calf/calves, knife/knives); half an hour (British) or a half hour (American); half of + noun takes a singular or plural verb depending on the noun ('Half of the cake is gone'; 'Half of the students are absent').
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: plural halves (calf/calves, knife/knives की तरह); half an hour (British) या a half hour (American); half of + noun के साथ noun के अनुसार singular या plural verb आता है ('Half of the cake is gone'; 'Half of the students are absent')।
Half, /hɑːf/, with a silent l.
Half, /hɑːf/, silent l के साथ।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Go halves (share the cost equally), half-hearted (without enthusiasm), my better half (humorous, my wife or husband), half the battle (the most difficult part of a task), meet sb halfway (compromise), not do things by halves (do things thoroughly).
Idioms: go halves (ख़र्च बराबर बाँटना), half-hearted (बिना उत्साह, आधे मन से), my better half (मज़ाक में, मेरी पत्नी या पति), half the battle (काम का सबसे कठिन भाग), meet sb halfway (समझौता करना), not do things by halves (काम पूरी तरह करना)।