English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
If I say "She is seventeen", is it as correct as "She is seventeen year old"?
I know it's correct, because it's used, but are both as correct or the first one is only tolerated?
When did this structure appeared in English? Relatively recently?
I guess y.o is only an abbreviation, and won't be considered as correct.
"She is seventeen" and "She is seventeen years old" are both equivalent ways of saying that she is seventeen years of age - note the "s" after years. In regards the first expression, the fact that it refers to age is implied and commonly accepted.
I would not say that that the first one is merely "tolerated" - that's a bit of a strange word to use there. I would say that it is more informal than the second one.
I don't know when this structure - assuming you mean the first - appeared, but it is definitely still used today, if that's your concern.
y.o. is definitely an abbreviation, and one that I have never seen or heard before, until I read your question. So, it's not something used by native speakers.
In general with times and ages, if a number clearly indicates what it is counting, it is not necessary to include that information.
If I say she was just seventeen, you know what I mean (from "I saw her standing there" by The Beatles) it is very clear I mean her age, in years. It is unlike I mean her weight in kilo's or stones or her height in meters or feet.
In the same way, you can leave out "o'clock" and the likes when you say I got up at three this morning. Obviously that means oh-three-hundred hours, 03:00h AM or three o'clock in the morning.
