“The cathedral ceiling is made of slate tiles.”
Usage Entry 1265 / 1350 60-second read
Ceiling vs. Roof
The inside top of a room versus the outside top of a building.
The comparisoni
“The cathedral roof is made of slate tiles — roofs are outside. Ceilings are the inside top surface.”
The ruleii
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CEILING = inside top. ROOF = outside top.
CEILING is the inside top surface of a room — what you see from inside. ROOF is the outside top of the building — what keeps the rain out. A room has a ceiling; a building has a roof. Cathedral ceilings are named for height, not location.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Ceiling = inside. Roof = outside.