diff --git a/pytorch_lightning/utilities/metrics.py b/pytorch_lightning/utilities/metrics.py
index 0c6ade8082..d10f9a8045 100644
--- a/pytorch_lightning/utilities/metrics.py
+++ b/pytorch_lightning/utilities/metrics.py
@@ -27,13 +27,13 @@ def metrics_to_scalars(metrics: Any) -> Any:
 
     Raises:
         MisconfigurationException:
-            If ``value`` contains multiple elements, hence preventing conversion to ``float``
+            If tensors inside ``metrics`` contains multiple elements, hence preventing conversion to a scalar.
     """
 
     def to_item(value: torch.Tensor) -> numbers.Number:
         if value.numel() != 1:
             raise MisconfigurationException(
-                f"The metric `{value}` does not contain a single element" f" thus it cannot be converted to float."
+                f"The metric `{value}` does not contain a single element, thus it cannot be converted to a scalar."
             )
         return value.item()