| This time we will be looking tall and high. We say a tall woman or building but a high mountain. Tall is a measure of length like wide and long, it means having considerable height, especially in relation to width so we say tall trees not high trees. High is a measure of altitude and also collocates with a lot of more abstract nouns. "When you climb to the top of a tall building, you find yourself very high in the sky". The difference is not always easy to explain and so it is perhaps better to learn the words in context.
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Formal
1. Johnny came top of the class in every subject. We have high hopes for him.
2. Bob showed great courage and stood tall when his enemies attacked him.
3. Julie was found guilty of high treason as she had given important secrets to her country's enemies.
4. Meat eaten when it is high means the meat is a little rotten.
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| Informal
5. Susan was late for work everyday last week, she is heading for the high jump.
6. Tony is twenty eight and it's high time he got a job.
7. When John said he had walked on the moon I knew it was a tall story.
8. Ordering twenty brand new dresses to be hand made by this afternoon is a pretty tall order!
9. When the financial backers pulled out the concert promoters were left high and dry with no money to pay the performers.
10. We looked everywhere for him. We searched high and low.
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Colloquial
11. Hi man! Good to see you! Give me a high five!
12. Peter claimed he was high on drugs when he crashed the car.
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