student asking question

What's "half a something"? How's it different from "half of something"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Great question. There is no real difference between saying "half an" and "half of". It's just a personal variance from person to person. It may be impacted by accent or colloquialism. You can say "half of", "half an/a" or "half of a/an" and the meaning remains the same. I would say the only difference is that "half a" has a more casual, informal tone, while "half of" feels more formal. Ex: Last year, the rent was equal to half a pay check. Ex: Last year, the rent was equal to half of a pay check.

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