Culture File 19:
Weights and measures
The U.S.A. does not generally use the metric system. Canada, Australia and the U.K. do, but the U.K. still uses miles for road distances. Spelling note: The endings of metric measures are written as -er in the U.S., but as -re in the U.K. and elsewhere: liter / litre, meter / metre.
1 inch = 25 millimeters 1 foot = 30 centimeters
1 yard = 90 centimeters 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers
1 ounce = 28 grams 1 pound = 0.454 kiloqrams
When you’re shopping, you can ask, «Can you measure me?» if you don’t know the sizes for clothes. But most stores can tell you your clothes size, or your shoe size in the U.S., British or ‘Continental’ (= International) systems.