Meaning & use
half crown
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A former British coin worth two shillings and sixpence, equal to one-eighth of a pound.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a half crown' or 'two half crowns'.
Patterns
- a half crown
- in half crowns
In the 1950s, you could buy a lot with a half crown.
He found an old half crown in his grandfather's drawer.
The bus fare was only a half crown back then.
noununcountableBritish
The sum of money represented by this coin, two shillings and sixpence.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the value: 'It cost half a crown'.
Patterns
- half a crown
- worth half a crown
The ticket cost half a crown, which was a lot for a child.
He earned half a crown for a whole day's work.
Word forms
| plural | half crowns |
|---|
Common combinations
- an old half crown
- She kept an old half crown as a lucky charm.
- a half crown piece
- The half crown piece was larger than a florin.
- worth half a crown
- The toy was worth half a crown at most.
- half a crown
- He gave the boy half a crown for his help.
Synonyms and how they differ
- two-and-six
- Informal term for the same amount; used in speech but less formal than 'half crown'.
- half-dollar
- A US coin worth 50 cents; not the same value, but similar in being a half-unit coin.
Word family
Commonly confused: half crown or half a crown? half crown or half-crown?
half crown vs half a crown
This is the same value but written as a phrase; 'half crown' is the coin name, while 'half a crown' emphasizes the amount.
half crown vs half-crown
The hyphenated form is less common; both refer to the same coin.
Practice
What was a half crown worth in old British money?
Choose one answer.
A half crown was worth two shillings and sixpence, which is one-eighth of a pound. Five shillings was a crown, one shilling was a shilling, and ten pence is a decimal coin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “half crown”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.