ENGLISH
REFERENCE

miles per hour

compound.
A2 Elementary Oxford

compound. A unit used to measure how fast something is moving, especially cars in countries like the US and the UK.

compound. A unit of speed expressing the number of statute miles travelled in one hour, commonly abbreviated as 'mph'.


SIMPLE

The speed limit here is 30 miles per hour.

CONTEXTUAL

He was driving at 70 miles per hour on the motorway when the police stopped him.

COMPLEX

The hurricane's sustained winds reached an astonishing 150 miles per hour, causing catastrophic damage to coastal infrastructure.

Usage

It is often abbreviated to 'mph' in writing and speech, especially when following a number.

Teaching tip

Contrast this with 'kilometers per hour' (km/h), the standard unit of speed in most other countries, to highlight differences in measurement systems.

Pitfall

The car goes 60 mile per hour.The car goes 60 miles per hour.When the number is greater than one, the unit 'mile' must be plural.

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