Issue 194 • June 28, 2007

Looking up

When you want to indicate the position of a ceiling, remember to say how high it is—not how tall.

High refers to a fixed position distant from the floor or ground. That means the object you’re describing does not touch the ground:
     a 25-foot-high ceiling
     a ceiling that slopes from 12 to 18 feet high

Tall refers to a measurement from the floor or ground up. The object or distance you’re measuring starts at the floor or ground:
     a 25-foot-tall tree
     a stone wall that slopes from 12 to 18 feet tall

In general, a single room has a single ceiling:
     the living room ceiling
     the kitchen ceiling

Use the plural form only when you refer to multiple spaces:
     cove ceilings throughout the main level
     popcorn ceilings popular in the 1970s

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