Learn English – How to differentiate all the graduations in a ruler

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In the ruler below, there are some graduations on the ruler. I wonder how you can differentiate them in English. Specifically,

  • The entire ruler

  • The bigger part (0, 1, 2, etc… graduation itself, not number)

  • The medium part (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc…)

  • The smaller part (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, etc…)

  • The number attached on the bigger part

I think the entire ruler should be just described as ruler, but how can I tell the graduations and its number attached on them?


(The picture was taken from this page)

enter image description here

Best Answer

I would say:

  • The entire ruler can be called the ruler (or the rule, although ruler is more common)
  • What you call "the graduation" could be called the units
  • What you call "the smaller part" could be called the subunits
  • The lines could be called the markings or the marks
  • What you call "the medium parts" are known as center markings

Thus, I could describe the ruler in your picture by saying:

The ruler has centimeter units with millimeter markings, and center markings at the half centimeter.

For more information: Ruler FAQ